Orange Blossom Special

I decided to keep going with this blog. It is hard to share negative opinions through the library blog. Here, I can rip a book to shreds and not feel guilty. I promise to share positive reviews here too, if I happen to come across any books that I actually enjoy. Lately, there hasn't been much of interest in the adult fiction area. Young adult fiction on the other hand, looks much more interesting.

Up next for the chopping block is Orange Blossom Special by Betsy Carter. This is the author's first foray into novel writing and she does have some talent. What is lacking is the story. A rather short novel covers about three decades. The jumps in time lead for poor character development.

A widowed mom and her teenage daughter decide to make a fresh start in Florida. The Orange Blossom Special is named for a train, although it has very little to do with the actual story. The editorial comments on the dust jacket lead you to believe that the author was able to capture an accurate view of the 1950's. Never believe what is on the dust jacket. Instead we get to see a train-wreck, of sorts, follow the two main characters.

Can anyone truly get a fresh start by simply moving to a new town? I don't think so. I think no matter where you go, you bring your problems with you. Perhaps the new location will give you a new point of view, or new friends to help heal wounds. But without making serious, life improving choices, those problems can still weigh you down. In this story, the main characters hope to start living anew after a tragedy. Instead, the mom continues to drink in excess and make rather poor choices and the daughter deals with depression. They don't make any other life changing choice except changing their location.

The more I think about this story, the less I like it. I know many others on Amazon liked it.... Anyway, the story has adultery, alcoholism, and abuse. No problem skipping this one. I only read the first 100 pages and skipped to the end. Not really worth the time to even do that much.

Book Rating: 2 stars for effort.

Up next Crooked House by Agathe Christie.