When We Last Spoke by Marci Henna
About the book
“Humor, heartbreak, and triumph are served with whipped cream and lots of local nuts in this heartwarming tale of family, friendship, and forgiveness in Fireside, Texas.
Meet Juliet Cranbourne, local radio personality and owner of a whimsical kitchen gadget store, and her sister Evangeline, a fruit tree geneticist who works for Oregon State University.
When a rift due to their orphaned past affects their sisterhood, Juliet convinces Evangeline to come home for Christmas and choose headstones to honor grandparents Walt (a tenderhearted, good-looking rancher) and Ruby (a blue-ribbon fiddler, fabulous cook, and expert in the loving he).
As they cruise through Fireside in Ruby’s Thunderbird, Juliet hopes that healing memories will somehow smooth rough roads ahead.
Does the tremendous love that marked Walt and Ruby’s lives still have the power to renew their sisterhood and help them find their place in the world?”
My thoughts
The description is a little misleading (and I kept mixing up the title. I wanted to call it “When Last We Spoke”). Everything listed in the book description happens but the bulk of the book is a throwback to when Juliet and Evangeline are just girls, coming to terms with being left by their mother and father.
I expected a few more quirky town characters—there are really only two who get a good amount of mention, but they are both memorable in their own way. There was not a good development of the rift between the sisters. You know there is one because the adult Juliet talks about it.
But what the heart of this book is about—family—is handled with love and finesse. Sometimes our family is not the one we are born into, it is made of those people who step in and love us no matter what. As Juliet and Evangeline fight, make bad choices or disrespect their elders, they are disciplined. But Walt and Ruby love them through everything.
I did struggle a little getting into this book but about a third of the way through, my interested in these two girls’ lives picked up. Even when the book switches back to present-day and adult Juliet and Evangeline, I wanted them to find happiness during a difficult time.
This story is currently in development for a film. I can definitely see some of those scenes on the big screen. You can check out the trailer
About the author
Marci Henna was born in Austin, Texas and lived as a child in Kenya, East Africa with the Wakamba tribe where her parents managed a medical research station. She later moved to the Hill Country ranch which has been in the family since the 1800’s and currently lives in Austin.
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Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Propeller/FlyBy. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
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