Linda Stewart Henley

Kate is struggling with the understanding of what it means to be at war, and isn't quite sure of why her mother is acting how she is. Granted she lived during the Great War but so far it doesn't seem like anything is happening. A mother of one her students also asks her a great favor but at the time to Kate it doesn't seem like much of an ask until she finds herself now responsible for this favor that she agreed to. War is raging, her brother wants to do his part for the war and her mother is worried her father will be drafted again. As the war progresses and Kate now has a responsibility, she has learned that life changes and it isn't always to what you wanted but to what it takes to survive and protect others. I really enjoyed this story and it was a little different in how other WWII novels have read concerning the main character, Kate. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.… (más)

Barnaby Brown is a man who always seems down on his luck and all he wants is to head out west to California where the sun seems to always shine and the weather is warm year round. He can barley make ends meet, his car just died in a snow bank, his house will be foreclosed on soon and he is just stuck. Has been since his wife passed away, and life just seems to keep passing him by. However, Barnaby does not help his situation by always resorting to the bottom of a bottle. He knows that is the first step if he wants to change things, and when he gets invited to a New Years party at a neighbors house reality gives him a little bit of a wake up call. It's New Years - so to new starts, right?

Running into an old friend on New Years has brought back many memories from the past- many happy and fun times but it also brings sadness in reminding him of what he did have. But Julia may be just what it takes to get him out of the rut he has been stuck in. Realizing he can change, and putting one foot in front of the other, and taking it one day at a time Barnaby changes his life and luck seems to be working in his favor and as his dream of heading west seems to be within reach, Barnaby has to decide if this is what he wants or if this is just what it is - a dream.

Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing Tour and the author for the free novel. This was a nice change of read, and reminds us to look at what we have instead of what we dream of. Things can change, and it is about taking it one day at a time and realizing that what we want and need is usually right in front of us.… (más)

Waterbury Winter is a tale of a man, his art and a parrot named Popsicle. A talking parrot named Popsicle. Now how can a book with a talking parrot named Popsicle be bad? I am always a sucker for a clever pet in a book and Popsicle is a major selling point for me here. If you read my book reviews with any regularity you know that I rarely read a book that isn’t historical fiction. Now you know what it takes….a parrot.

Not completely true – an intriguing synopsis helps as well and obviously I was interested when approached with this title or I wouldn’t have added it to my reading list. I can tell you that it is very well written and despite some hard topics, it is quite easy to read. You can chalk that up to the author’s skills in creating flawed characters that are still very likeable.

Barnaby (Popsicle’s human) is not exactly happy with his life. He is an alcoholic – although he is trying to stop drinking – he has a dead end job and he just crashed his car. A car that was a major part of his plan to get out of town and start over in California. As soon as he got his life in some semblance of order.

As Barnaby tries to effect this big life change it seems that life wants something else for him. You see, Barnaby is an artist and despite letting his talent wane a dealer now wants to showcase his works. But can he find both the wherewithal to create again and well, the paintings he has already created.

Waterbury Winter is an even paced book about a slow paced life of a rather ordinary man. With a parrot named Popsicle. While that may sound unbelievably boring it truly is not. This is due to the skill of the author and her way with words. It won’t be the most exciting book you read this year but it might be one of the more satisfying.… (más)

Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This sounded like the kind of book I often read, but I’m in the minority of reviewers here because I just didn’t like it. I couldn’t connect with the main character, Barnaby, nor either of the women he spends time with, Julia and Lisa. (Who has a character named “Julia Morgan” and doesn’t allude to the world famous architect)? And it was difficult to tell the women apart as their names were so similar (both short and ending in “a”). Sean the bartender was OK, but the other bar characters were annoying and stereotypical, and I just didn’t care about any of them.

So what about the plot? The book is described as “A heartwarming novel about ordinary people reclaiming their dormant potential.” The novel is primarily about Barnaby, a 40-ish alcoholic widower and artist who decides to turn over a new leaf (his exact words). He begins by cleaning the house he lives in, which was left to him by his parents. And that’s really all the novel is: Barnaby straightening up his life and beginning to paint again.

Author Linda Henley uses the characters to deliver her message: “We’re just plain folks here. Plain folks, with ordinary lives…Exactly. As one of my art teachers told me, the purpose of art is to make the ordinary extraordinary.” And Henley has the characters recite the themes of hope and dreams throughout the novel to make sure the reader understands.

The writing was clunky and amateurish. The dialogue was unrealistic and written without any “he said/she said” so if you don’t know who started the conversation, you’ll just have to go back to the beginning of the thread and read it again.

In addition to the writing style, there were several aspects to this novel that I found unbelievable. For instance, how easily Barnaby learns to use a computer. It takes an acquaintance a day to set it up for him, teach him how to use it, AND make him a website so he can sell his paintings online. That timeframe and his ability to go from tech novice to proficient was improbable. As was how easy it was for him to sell his paintings. And he wins the fishing contest AND the Art Commission’s mural contest!

This wasn’t the novel for me. I kept reading because I hoped somehow it would improve and become what was promised in the description. I’m sorry to say it was disappointing and I can’t recommend it.… (más)