Monday, April 21, 2008

Book Review: A Love Like Lilly by Kay Lynn Magnum







A Love Like Lilly
By Kay Lynn Magnum
Jamie’s life changes when her grandmother dies. Her grandfather is sad and depressed, and Jamie misses her grandma. One day she goes to help her grandpa clean out the house only to discover an old photo album from the depression. She learns that her grandpa worked in the CCC’s and is only too willing to talk about his experiences. When Jamie learns that her grandfather is dating another widow, seriously, scarcely three months after her grandmother's death, she sets out to interfere, and maneuvers he way into staying at her grandfather’s house for the summer. Instead of stopping her grandfather from dating by distracting him with their newly started oral history project about the CCC’s and meeting her grandmother, and her hostile attitude. Jamie learns lessons about loyalty, friendship, and love.

I ended up enjoying this book, although not as much as The Secret Journal of Brett Colton, and When the Bough Breaks. I ended up loving the characters in Jamie’s grandfather’s stories as much as the main characters in the novel. The stories that her grandfather told were fun and entertaining. I also love how the main character, Jamie, was growing and discovering herself in this novel. Though, I was disappointed that in the beginning of the novel the flashbacks to her grandfather’s CCC days were poorly transitioned, and the conversation very info dumpy. Yet, if you read further the transitions grow stronger and smoother, and the story gets more interesting. This, for me, was a decent read. Though I recommend that if you are going to pick up a Kay Lynn Magnum book then go for her other two books first. (They are both wonderful!) For diehard fans of Brett Colton this book has an adorable cameo of him in it.

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