The day was bitterly cold. Icy winds and heavy skies meant that it was definitely not the weather for tramping the moors on search of ancient stones. Instead, we had a run out to Tissington, knowing that one of the windows in the little Norman church there would be perfect to illustrate the post we were putting together for the Silent Eye’s April event.
The village is tiny… just a few old streets clustered around Tissington Hall in Derbyshire. The Hall has been the home of a single family, the FitzHerberts, for centuries and the ghosts that walk there, from cellar to landing, are their own. Orbs and lights, tobacco smoke and footsteps may follow you in the cellars… and a man dressed in black. In the Library, the temperature is prone to drop rapidly, while lamps move and vibrate and a spectral cat is a prowling presence whose…
From the bestselling author of Between Husbands and Friends and An Act of Love comes a wise, wonderful, and delightfully witty “coming of age” novel about four intrepid women who discover themselves as they were truly meant to be: passionate, alive, and ready to face the best years of their lives.
Meet Faye, Marilyn, Alice, and Shirley. Four women with skills, smarts, and secrets—all feeling over the hill and out of the race. But in a moment of delicious serendipity, they meet and realize they share more than raging hormones and lost dreams. Now as the Hot Flash Club, where the topics of motherhood, sex, and men are discussed with double servings of chocolate cake, they vow to help each other . . . and themselves.
Faye, the artist. A determinedly cheerful widow and connoisseur of control-top pantyhose, she’s struggling with creative block and an empty, lonely house. Now she’s got a tricky problem to bring to the club’s table: how can they catch her perfect son-in-law cheating on her only daughter Laura?
Shirley, the healer. Though her yoga-slender body belie her years, decades of dating losers and the strain of being broke make her feel her age. Shirley has a secret dream: a wellness spa that nurtures body and soul. But first she needs to believe in herself, in her abilities, and in her friends at the club.
Marilyn, the brain. A paleontologist who has spent so many years looking at dried-up fossils, she’s almost become one herself. Worried that her brilliant but nerdy son is about to marry the very wrong woman, she gets some help from the HFC, who transform her from a caterpillar to a butterfly, with amazing results.
Alice, the executive. Black and regal, she soared to the top of the corporate ladder. Now her shoes are murder on her arthritic back and the younger jackals are circling in for the kill. But as the inspiration behind the HFC, she’s about to discover something extraordinary: contentment.
For Faye, Shirley, Marilyn, and Alice, the time has come to use it or lose it—be it their bodies, their brains, their spirits, and their sense of fun. Together they realize that they can have it all, perhaps for the first time in their lives. And though what sags may never rise again, feeling sexy has no expiration date— and best of all, with a little help from her friends, a woman can always start over . . . and never, ever, give up what matters most.
Blurb from Amazon
My Review
The Hot Flash Club is about four middle age women and the various issues each faced as they aged and about how they adjusted to life under their own individual circumstances. Of course, one of the main issues each was faced was the man, or lack of a man, in their lives. They came together by chance and had dinner and lots of wine and chocolate. It was then they decided to keep meeting, mostly for the wine and chocolate, to help each other in their adjustment to their current situations. Alice took on the role of spearheading the group. A lot happens in the story, but to keep from giving too much away, I will not delve into the nitty-gritty of the book.
In the beginning, it was difficult to keep the characters straight in my mind (be patient), but as the story evolved, they came into their own right. There are a lot of humorous and relatable situations, and I must admit, I found myself laughing out loud at times. The author did a wonderful job fleshing out the stories of these four midlife women. By the end of the book, you will feel you have a personal relationship with each.
If you enjoy women’s fiction with humor sprinkled throughout, this is a book you’ll want to read. As a side note, I read the second book in the series, The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again, and was substantially disappointed. Because the first part of the book lacked in keeping the characters straight for the readers (my book club had the same issues with The Hot Flash Club), I am giving this book 4 stars.
About the Author
Photo From B & N
Nancy Thayer has a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Before settling down to write and have children she taught English at various colleges and traveled, living in Paris, Amsterdam and Helsinki. In 1981 she was a Fellow at the Breadloaf Writers Conference. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for twenty-five years with her husband Charley Walters. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Nancy Thayer is the author of nineteen novels, including Summer House, The Hot Flash Club series, Moon Shell Beach, Stepping, and Three Women At The Water’s Edge.
Her books concern the mysteries and romance of families and relationships and the humorous adventures of growing older.
In 2008, Redbook magazine chose her novel Moon Shell Beach for their “Hot Summer Read.” Nancy’s work has been translated into more than 14 languages, including Polish, Hebrew, Russian, and Serbo Croatian. Her novels have been condensed or excerpted in several magazines, including Redbook, Good Housekeeping, England’s Cosmopolitan, Holland’s Viva, and South Africa’s Personality.
She has published a commissioned three-part mystery novella in Redbook, and short stories in literary reviews in the United States, Canada, and Spain. Her first novel, Stepping, was made into a 13-part series for BBC Radio. Her ghost novel Spirit Lost was produced as a movie by United Image Entertainment. Her novel Everlasting was a Main Dual selection of the Literary Guild in 1991.
From Courtney Allen, the author of the award-winning novel, Down From The Mountain, comes Lee County Elegy, which is an equal work in depth, character portrayal, and historical fiction. This novel follows the morally challenging account of the Grayson family, of how they survive in the rural south during the Great Depression, and by what means they overcome a life of unfavorable consequences. In the beginning, Mac Grayson suffers a critical lumberyard accident that leaves him helpless to support his farm and family. Due to the onslaught of the weakening economy, land values plummet and the bank threatens foreclosure. During a drought, a bitter dispute with a wealthy landowner concerning water access to the Flint River becomes a contentious argument, and volatile tensions mount. In order to survive, an agreement must be met, but Mac must negotiate and risk the well-being of his family to assuage their neighbor’s divisiveness. In this story, the Grayson’s are faced with few resources and endless controversies fraught with dire consequences that create challenges almost impossible to overcome. Filled with page-turning suspense and unyielding dilemmas, the ends required to endure are made by difficult choices, and the honor of each character is brought into question as the story unfolds. This depression era novel is of sorrow and redemption, struggle and hardship, of love and loss. The pace is fast, the heart of the book strong, and the ending bittersweet yet satisfyingly triumphant. For historical fiction lovers, Lee County Elegy is worth reading.
Blurb from Goodreads.
My Review
In this beautifully detailed historical novel about the depression era and the hard times that fell on everyone, we meet Myra Grayson who is the central character in the story. Maclin and Ila Mae Grayson adopted Myra when she was just 3 years old. She had two older brothers, Arden and Cade. Times were tough. Ila Mae was long ago institutionalized in another town for dementia and Myra, a young teen, was left to care for Maclin who had been in a horrible “accident” and left with permanent disabilities. She had the responsibility of caring for their home, preparing meals, and doing some of the farm work. When the depression hit, things went downhill quickly. Arden left to bring Ila Mae back home when the institution could no longer take care of her financially. Cade took off after an unfortunate incident and left Myra to fend for herself and Maclin.
Jack Waylon, their neighbor, had his eye on their land because of the natural supply of water he wanted access to for his farm. There was a long history of conflict between Maclin and Jack and Maclin refused the access and threatened Jack if he stepped foot on his land. This set the stage for the rest of the story.
I found the characters to be well developed and believable. Myra showed an incredible amount of resilience and such a soft side. At times, I felt if I could reach in and give her a hug or a pat on the back, her life would have been easier, if only for a moment. Maclin often seemed gruff but considering his situation, it made his character come to life. I felt Arden and Cade got a lot of attention in the beginning, but then, for the most part, seemed to drop out of the story, being resurrected now and again. Jack Waylon had a strong Jekyll and Hyde persona. He was a character I loved to hate, one I could have pulled out of the book and smacked around.
I had a difficult time getting into the story, unusual for one of Courtney Allen’s books. It started off slowly with a great deal of description and a story that seemed to be going nowhere. I was concerned about whether the story would ever pique my interest. As the storyline took precedence, I became intrigued and couldn’t put Lee County Elegy down.
As always, the author researched the era and the locale with great attention to detail. Though life was difficult in the cities, it was much harder felt in the rural areas. These contrasts were well documented in the story.
Because I almost lost interest before the story reeled me in, I am giving this book four stars. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
Disclaimer
I was given a copy of Lee County Elegy by the author in exchange for my honest review.
I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.
About the Author
Courtney Allen lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been writing for many years and has written several other books.
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