The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A well written, realistic story. Starts off slowly and sleepily throwing you off the track. It builds gradually at first until you begin to realize the enormity of the story regarding the way of life in the south and the injustices.





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What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby

What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Louise and Clay are middle aged and Clay is tired of working at the bank. He receives a letter in the mail notifying him that his uncle has died and left him his house in Florida and his bank account. Almost right away Clay decides to retire and move them to the house in Florida. The one little problem for him is that his wife is very happy where she is, with friends and family and a nice house and a routine that suits her and she is not happy about moving.

An excellent read, loaded with the types of problems that we all face.

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The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg

The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an epistolary, which is one of my favourite styles of writing. A woman is turning a certain age and is waking up to the fact of her life. Many things have dawned on her about herself, not the least of which is that she has always done what her husband has wanted and never actually been her own person.

She sets out on a road trip, on her own, to try to think about her life and discover the missing element. Some people say that Nan is a spoiled woman who has everything and is still not satisfied. I disagree with the description of her. She has done her "duty" and now wonders what happened and why she feels so let down.

Along the way she meets people and takes time to get to know and understand them. Nan uses a journal to track her thoughts and movements and writes letters to her husband, Martin, to try and let him understand what has happened to her. My own fear is that he will just say "oh, its women's problems" and disregard most of what she is telling him.

I found this story very typical of women born during the 40's and 50's, especially in North America. I was disappointed when the story ended because I wanted to know what would happen when she returned home.

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