She Always Wore Red...Review

About the book:
Jennifer Graham--mother, student, and embalmers apprentice--could use a friend. She finds one in McLane Larson, a newcomer to Mt. Dora, and is delighted to learn that the young woman is expecting a baby. While McLane's soldier-husband serves overseas, Jen promises to support McLane and then learns that her tie to this woman goes far deeper than friendship. When a difference of opinion threatens their relationship, Jennifer discovers weaknesses in her own character . . . and a faith far stronger than she had imagined. 

A sequel to Doesn't She Look Natural?, the story picks up several months later. Jennifer Graham is now taking courses to become a mortician. She seems to have settled into the Mt. Dora community and her boys are making friends. Gerald still works at the funeral home and surprise, surprise, Jennifer's unknown half-sister arrives, bringing her own drama.

For the coverage of such serious issues as racism and abortion, the story is still very light and trite, with little depth or character development. McLane seems to be a good addition, but her father is a stereotyped caricature rather than a developed character.

Predictably, the story wraps up neatly, although it's not a completely happy ending. Christian lessons are learned along the way.

My big complaint with this story is the same one I had with the first book: the narration. Jen's story is told in first-person, which I rarely like. The chapters then alternate between Jen and the other characters like her sister, Gerald, and her son. These supporting characters aren't written as first-person, but are an awkward present-tense third-person narrative. It was very annoying and quite distracting. The story would have been much stronger had the author maintained the same style throughout it.

Like the first one, I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could. Good, not great.

Thanks to my local library for having a copy I could borrow.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 3/08

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2.5/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Thanks for the warning! I thought this book looked good from the description, but the alternating narration and third person present tense would drive me crazy.

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