Have you ever been so engrossed in a book that you could not put it down?
I have spent every free moment for the last two weeks reading two books,
Whistling in the Dark and the sequel, Good Graces, by Lesley Kagen.
The time: late 1950's
The place: Milwaukee, WS
The main characters and the voice: two preteen, precocious sisters, Sally and Troo O'Malley
The plot: an historical thriller. The girls are out to investigate and solve a mystery about a hometown crime. A playmate has been molested and murdered during summer vacation. Sally and Troo set out to discover who the murderer is.
In the sequel, there are more shenannigans in town, and the girls who fall vicitim, are on a quest to discover the shocking truths. Even more shocking is what the girls do.
Lesley Kagen is my author-hero. I want to be able to write with her passion, her eloquence, her wit and humor. I want to be able to develop characters so real that they leap off the page, stay with you long after you close the sequel, make you guffaw days later remembering what they did. I want to layer plots as effortlessly as Lesley Kagen does.
These novels address real life emotional issues that folks didn't talk about in the good old days. Issues that were as prevalent then as they are now. In doing so, Lesley Kagen empowers two young girls in a time when females didn't have a voice, when children were to be seen and not heard.
I have been completely captivated by the colloquialisms, the product mentions, brand names, the blast from the past references, the nuances, the laugh out loud humor; and you will be too. From the first page of Whistling in the Dark to the last page of her sequel, Good Graces, Lesley Kagen is in the driver's seat and the reader is along for the best ride of his or her life. In my opinion, these books should be on the big screen. Check out these books and see if you don't agree.
I have not been paid in any form to write this review. These are my personal views and opinions.
12 comments:
You are about the third person to recommend Whistling in the Dark...that and The Help. I'll have to read them both!
I have been meaning to read Whistling in the Dark. I think I first heard about it in Entertainment Weekly. Of course, it slipped my mind once I put the magazine down. Your description sounded quite familiar, and then it all came back to me.
Adding it to the list! How could I not?!
Okay I'll look it up!
ANOTHER book to put on my list. Since I'm sitting in a jail cell on an assault charge, I guess I have the time...
I'd not heard of Whistling in the Dark...I'll have to add that to my list.
And Linda, you know you can write in any style you want, if you work at it.
You got the writing chops, lady.
And you looked like you recovered from your B&N "assault" by Sioux...I had no idea she was so scary.
Thanks for the hint, I always like a new mystery!
You've sold me Linda. I will have see about getting that couple of books. Thanks.
Odie
So much to recommend these books. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. And thanks for using the word eloquence. It fills a low-key word search that's been running unnoticed in my back brain for weeks. :-)
You make them sound so delightful...I hope they're available on Kindle.
Hi Linda,
I have already commented on your blog post about The Help. I came here to see if I showed as a follower, and I do, so I am following you. I looked at the caption under the picture of you and your hubby on the right side of your sidebar. I can't help but comment on that. You are such an attractive couple and now I see we have something else in common. My husband can never eat out without getting dinner on his shirt! And the stain seen most often is sauce!! LOL
I see my blog icon (face) on your followers..and you show as a blog I follow on mine. Yet, I still see your follower number as 159...I'm going to peruse your blog again to see if I would be the one to turn your number to 160.
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