The Oleander Sisters by: Elaine Hussey

Title: The Oleander Sisters Author: Elaine Hussey Publisher: Harlequin Mira Publication date: 2014 Pages: 338

In August, 1969, Biloxi Mississippi prepares itself for disaster as Hurricane Camille lurks on the horizon. As Beth (Sis) Blake and her family prepare themselves for Camille's approach, a disaster of another kind poses even more threat. Beth's sister, Emily, is engaged to marry a man that everyone else despises. Where Emily sees a new start for herself and her illegitimate son, her family sees evil lurking behind a too-slick smile.
Sis has been self-appointed caretaker and guardian for her younger siblings, Emily and Jim, since their parents died in a car crash when Sis was fourteen. Raised by their grandmother, Sweet Mama, and her best friend Beulah, the three Blakes grew up in a pink Victorian by the sea and in Sweet Mama's Bakery/ Cafe. Sis has put aside her own dreams in order to make sure Emily and Jim achieve theirs. Now it is 1969 and, as Emily embarks on her own wedding, Sis sees her own chances at love slowly fading away. Will the return of a childhood friend bring fresh hope?
As Camille lurks on the horizon, Sis' life is turned upside down. Jim returns from Vietnam and is no longer the brother she once knew. Emily is hiding more than fresh bruises, and, scariest of all, Sis discovers human bones buried beneath the roses in Sweet Mama's yard!
When tragedy strikes and Emily's life hangs in the balance, the Blakes pull together against Larry, against Camille, and against long-buried family secrets.

I enjoyed this book. I was immediately drawn into the story with Sis' horrifying discovery underneath the roses. Although the outcome is fairly predictable, the story is still enjoyable and the characters are likable. I loved the strong women in the story and the strong devotion to family. Both of these are true southern characteristics. The story was both suspenseful and heartwarming. A great beach or vacation read, I recommend this story to lovers of southern fiction.

Read this story if....
*you love southern fiction
* you love stories of family
*you love stories about strong women

Dollbaby

Title: Dollbaby Author: Laura Lane McNeal Publisher: Penguin, 2014 Pages: 338

From Amazon:

A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans—a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets

When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father’s urn for good measure. Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been—and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum—is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets.

For Fannie’s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby’s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby’s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places.

For fans of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Help, Dollbaby brings to life the charm and unrest of 1960s New Orleans through the eyes of a young girl learning to understand race for the first time.

By turns uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, Dollbaby is a novel readers will take to their hearts.

 (Warning: This does contain spoilers.) I loved this book! I was hooked from the beginning. I was drawn to Ibby, Fannie, Quennie, and Dollbaby. McNeal paints a nostaligic portrait of 1960's New Orleans from 1964-1972. There were a couple of characters whose actions I did not understand. I don't really understand why Graham was sent to boarding school.(I know the reason, but would Fannie and Norwood really do that?) I couldn't understand why Norwood would abandon Fannie after what happened with Muddy. (Not if he loved her the way he seemed to love her.) And I can't understand Fannie's actions in the end. Even though she did suffer from mental illness, I would think her life with Ibby would keep her from doing that. That being said, I did truly love this book and could not put it down. I look forward to MnNeal's next book. In response to those reviewers who felt it was too much like The Help, Secret Life of Bees, Etc., I disagree. Although they are all southern novels that deal with racial issues, Dollbaby stands on it's own. I highly recommend this book!

Read this book if:

*you love southern fiction

*you love coming of age novels

*you love stories that take place in New Orleans

*you love stories that take place in the 1960's

Moonlight on Linoleum: A Daughter's Memoir

Title: Moonlight on Linoleum: A Daughter's Memoir Author: Terry Helwig Publisher: Howard Books Pages: 282 C. 2011

WOW. A powerful story of hurt and hope and healing. A fascinating coming of age novel and memoir. Terry Helwig's story begins in Iowa, where she and her sister live with their biological father and teenage mother. Their mother eventually abandons them and leaves them with their father and his parents. Later, she comes back and takes them to Texas to live with her new husband- the man they would come to think of as Daddy. Two girls eventually become six as they travel from town to town in Texas, Colorado, and eventually California following their step-father's job. Living with their mothers dependence on pain pills and numerous infidelities, the sisters become self-sufficient and band together to survive. Their story is sad at times, heart warming at times, and always hopeful. I truly enjoyed this book.

Read this book of...

*you enjoy memoirs

*you love stories that take place in the 1960,s

*you love stories of family

*you love stories about sisters

Whistling Past the Graveyard

Title: Whistling Past the Graveyard Author: Susan Crandall Publisher: Gallery Books Pages: 321

I read this book on my Kindle.

From Amzon:

In the summer of 1963, nine-year-old spitfire Starla Claudelle runs away from her strict grandmother’s Mississippi home. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three—that’s when Lulu left for Nashville to become a famous singer. Starla’s daddy works on an oil rig in the Gulf, so Mamie, with her tsk-tsk sounds and her bitter refrain of “Lord, give me strength,” is the nearest thing to family Starla has. After being put on restriction yet again for her sassy mouth, Starla is caught sneaking out for the Fourth of July parade. She fears Mamie will make good on her threat to send Starla to reform school, so Starla walks to the outskirts of town, and just keeps walking. . . . If she can get to Nashville and find her momma, then all that she promised will come true: Lulu will be a star. Daddy will come to live in Nashville, too. And her family will be whole and perfect. Walking a lonely country road, Starla accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman traveling alone with a white baby. The trio embarks on a road trip that will change Starla’s life forever. She sees for the first time life as it really is—as she reaches for a dream of how it could one day be.

I enjoyed this book. Taking place (mainly) in Cayuga, Mississippi in 1963, this novel follows Starla Claudelle as she runs away from home in a split second decision that will change the direction of her life, as well as the lives of many others.

Abandoned by her mother, Starla lives with her Mamie- her father's mother- while he works at an off shore oil rig. Mamie plainly hates Starla as well as her absent mother and spends most of her time making Starla miserable. When Mamie's cruelties, as well as those of her small town, finally push her over the edge, she runs away, hoping to find her mother in Nashville. On the way, she meets Eula, a black woman traveling in a beat up truck with a white baby. Eula takes Starla home with her. What happens next (I won't include spoilers) sends the three of them on an adventure that will force them to face the hard, cold realities of life and will teach them the true meaning of love and family.

My heart went out to Starla. A young girl who was clearly unloved and unwanted by those around her. Her mother wasn't the only one who had abandoned her. Those around her had clearly abandoned her as well. Although it had some harrowing moments, this story warmed my heart. Crandall gets deep inside the minds of her characters and the motives behind their actions. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Read this book if...

*you enjoy southern fiction

*you enjoy books about racial issues 

*you enjoy stories that take place in the 1960's

*you enjoy stories that take place "on the road"