Book Review
Meet Me in Nuthatch
by Jacqueline T Lynch
About the Author
Jacqueline T. Lynch, author of the Amazon Kindle-published novels "The Current Rate of Exchange", "Beside the Still Waters", "Cadmium Yellow, Blood Red" and "Meet Me in Nuthatch", has published articles and short fiction in regional and national publications, including the anthology "60 Seconds to Shine: 161 Monologues from Literature" (Smith & Kraus, 2007), "North & South", "Civil War Magazine", "History Magazine" and several plays with Eldridge Publishing, Brooklyn Publishers, and Dramatic Publishing Company, one of which has been translated into Dutch and produced in the Netherlands. Her suspense play "One Good Turn" was chosen as a winner in the Northern Kentucky University Y.E.S. Festival of Plays, April 2011.
Book Description
A publicity stunt to attract tourists to a small dying town results in the entire community turning the clock back to 1904. It is local Christmas tree farmer Everett Campbell’s idea, after watching the film “Meet Me in St. Louis,” his young daughter’s new favorite movie. What begins as half practical joke and half desperate ploy initiates the rebirth of Nuthatch, Massachusetts. Tourists do come, along with the media. To Everett’s dismay, his campaign to save their community results in also attracting representatives of a chain of theme parks who want to buy Nuthatch 1904. Everett now stands to lose his town in a way he never imagined, and the community is divided on which alternate future to choose. A local drug dealer, the longtime enemy of Everett, may hold their future in his hands unless Everett can pull off his most spectacular, and dangerous, practical joke.
Our Book Review
When I started reading this novel I couldn't put it down, the author's style of writing and descriptions used throughout had me hooked.
When his town is suffering from lack of tourism Everett Campbell comes up with the idea of asking the towns folk to act and dress as if it is 1904. When they all agree it attracts the attention of the media and new business as well as an offer from a theme park company to buy the whole town and employ all of them is the answer to all their problems.
The authors real skill in this story is bringing all of the characters to life and you can envisage yourself there watching it all happening before you. The struggle of Everett can be seen in your own life, as he struggles to build a relationship with his teenage son, tries to keep his young daughter's wishes alive whilst maintaining a healthy marriage.
The exploits, discussions and scheming which appears throughout the novel will make you smile, feel despair and most of all contemplate 'is change really a good idea'.
Even though this is a work of fiction I believe that somewhere along the line small communities who have been meandering along in their own manner and customs, have had their lives improved by corporate companies, for their own gain, which gives the story a certain truth.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I will certainly be looking out for more of her novels from now on.
Our Rating
amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Sharon x
http://www.beckvalleybooks.co.uk
http://www.beckvalleybooks.blogspot.com
What an interesting story line. As someone from a small town, I can relate the to division this town may have faced from those that wanted the extra exposure/tourism/money and those that were content with life as it was. Definitely adding to my must read list. Thanks for the review!
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