Ella and her teenage daughter, Birdie, are getting by in Old Metairie, Louisiana. They live in a scruffy house, in ratty clothes and no extras but they are happy; Ella with her work in other peoples’ gardens and Birdie with her cello.
Ella writes to her mother detailed letters of linen dresses and dining at the Pink Café, basically about a life much different than what she’s living but one that she thinks would please her mom. As the second daughter she never quite measured up to her glamorous sister, Terrell, and having run away with the town bad boy didn’t help either. But, Ella is now a respectable young widow and from afar she’s been able carve out a much more pleasant relationship with her mom.
After Ella’s sister dies in an airplane accident, Ella will go back to East Texas to visit her family and she’ll have to confront mom and her sister’s husband. Will she be able to keep up with the lies she’s been telling or will she tell the truth and be okay with consequences.
This slim novel started out with an interesting premise. I liked the story line of a daughter trying to live up to her mother’s expectations and I wanted to see how the author would resolve their conflict. The author often uses metaphors about gardens and blooms to describe life and choices and sometimes they work very effectively.
What I didn’t like in this book was the romance angle. I found it predictable and added just for the sake of generating more drama. This would have been a much stronger story without it as the romance between Ella and the man from her past seemed forced. Unfortunately the last half of the novel went downhill for me because of this.
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Author Interview
Added 11/06