Review: All The Lonely People by Jess Riley

 A few years ago I read a book by a new author that I discovered while reading blogs. The book was DRIVING SIDEWAYS by Jess Riley. Reading that book was a fun experience and I became a fan immediately.  When I realized she had released another book, I knew I wanted to read it as well. If you are familiar with Jess Riley's blog, you are also familiar with her smart wit and great sense of humor, which spills over into her books. ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE is a story that is easy to relate to. We all have family's and I don't care who you are, within those families, there more than likely, is some sort of tension. This is the story of how one woman dealt with her dysfunctional family during one of the hardest times of the year: The Holidays.

About the Book: (No Spoilers Included)

Its been six months since Jaime Collins' mother passed away from cancer. She and her husband, Erik, lived with her mother and cared for her up until the very end.   Now Jaime has the task of sorting and packing up the house, putting it on the market and selling it. All while still mourning her loving mother. Jaime has two older siblings, Clint, who is married with a daughter still living in their hometown in Wisconsin, and Gwen, the over-achiever lawyer living in Atlanta.  They are not exactly close with each other and the stress of selling their mother's home only makes things more awkward. Clint, the outspoken, bullish one of the family, doesn't hide his feeling that Jaime isn't doing everything she can to get the house sold and Gwen is too busy perfecting her life that she gives the impression she just doesn't want to be bothered by any of this.  Gwen's complete lack of a sense of humor only adds to the strain in her relationship with Jaime, whose sense of humor is fully intact, albeit, maybe a little warped at times.

Things come to a head at the Thanksgiving dinner table when a terrible argument erupts and in a fit of anger, Jaime flings a hearty spoonful of mashed potatoes at Clint, but instead nails her niece, Hannah as she comes out of the kitchen.  Visibly upset by all of the fighting, Hannah runs crying from the room leaving Jaime feeling like a complete jerk and everyone glaring at her.

It's nearing Christmas and Jaime hasn't heard from her family and begins contemplating a lonely Christmas. Half kidding and a little buzzed from a bottle of wine, her friend, Frankie, suggests she put an ad on Craigslist for a new family to spend Christmas with. Not thinking it would amount to anything, Jaime  posts the ad. What follows is what happens when you invite complete strangers into your life to take the place of people you feel you have no connection to within your own family. Sounds crazy, right? But honestly, I, myself, have felt this way with my own family and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Jaime, on the other hand, had the guts to go through with it.

My Thoughts:

Having really enjoyed Jess Riley's previous book, I had an inkling of what to expect from ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE.  I'm thrilled to say that my expectations were met and surpassed.  I had an easy time relating to Jaime Collins, the protagonist on many levels. I'm the youngest sibling in our family, I tend to not stick up for myself, and I was in a childless thirteen year marriage when most of my friends were having babies and growing their families. So, right away, I connected with her. And I liked her. Alot.

I loved the idea of this story: Getting so fed up with your real family that you want a new one. Who hasn't secretly wished for that at some point in your life?! But the idea of putting an ad on Craigslist and actually following through with it, gave a glimpse of what it might really be like. Honestly, I don't know many people who would do it, so I was able to experience it without inviting strangers into MY life! I thought this storyline was so original and funny. Jess Riley moves the reader through the story at a perfect pace, allowing us to get to know each of these 'new' people, and the baggage they brought with them, while keeping the momentum intact.

A big reason why the story worked so well for me was the characters. Her 'real' family characters were so authentic, I could actually relate them to people in my own life! I loved meeting the people who answered Jaime's ad. They were an odd mix of very real people and each one quickly became endearing to me. Even Paul. (No really, I did like Paul.) I thought Ms. Riley did an amazing job of incorporating this diverse group of unusual people into the complex family drama that is ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE. One of my favorite characters, though, was her loyal husband, Erik, He was the king of the Good Sport. Another character I really liked was Chris, the transgender man who desperately wanted to be accepted as a woman. I loved his sense of humor and the quick bond that he and Jaime developed.

I was especially impressed with the way in which many serious subjects were brought up and dealt with in this book. Don't get me wrong, it's a humorous look at the family dynamic, but there were also serious things happening: Domestic violence, bullying, attempted suicide and theft. I thought it culminated into such a well-rounded story. This could be anyone's family. The realness of it is what made it a great read for me.

There is so much more I could say about this book, but I will leave that to you to discover on your own. This was a truly enjoyable read for me and I think alot of people can relate to it. The moral of this story: All families have a certain level of dysfunction. But the bottom line is, no matter how insane they make you, they're still your family and you wouldn't trade them for anything.

ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE
Author: Jess Riley
Publisher: Create Space Independent Publishing Platform
Published: December 5, 2012
Printed Length: 276 pages
Source: Purchesed

Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

There should be a warning label on this book. It should read: 'the reader will develop deep feelings of protection and love' for the delightful Cecelia Rose Honeycutt, the young protagonist in this wonderfully written story'. Two of my favorite things in books are stories of strong Southern women and stories told from a child's perspective. In SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT by Beth Hoffman, I got that and so much more.

Twelve-year-old CeeCee hasn't had the normal childhood a kid her age in the 1960's should have. She lives an isolated life without the typical childhood friendships, games and sleepovers. Living in a small Ohio town with her frequently absent father and a mother who seems to forget she's the mother, CeeCee has had to grow up pretty quickly. When not in school, she spends most of her time looking after her mother, Camille, a former southern beauty queen who suffers from strange, and sometimes bizarre behavior, that commonly wasn't talked about.  There is one person in her life that CeeCee is close to and that is Mrs. Odell, the elderly widow who has lived next door ever since CeeCee was a baby. They have developed a close bond and CeeCee loves her like a grandmother.

After Camille unexpectedly dies, CeeCee is surprised when her father makes the decision for her to go live with her great aunt on her mother's side in Savannah, Georgia. Although this is the place her mother used to dream of going back to one day, CeeCee is devastated by this decision.  This is upsetting to CeeCee for many reasons, including the rejection she is feeling from her father, not to mention she's never been anywhere outside of their little town and more importantly, she is reluctant to leave Mrs. Odell, her only friend.

CeeCee puts on a brave face and makes the move to Savannah with her Great Aunt Tootie, who has promised her a summer she won't forget. Right away CeeCee sees how different life is in a Southern town and especially in Aunt Tootie's grand historic house with its beautiful gardens and lovely, spacious rooms that are swimming in the Georgia sunlight.

As CeeCee settles into life in Savannah she meets the women in Aunt Tootie's circle of friends, but CeeCee has never met women like these. Strong, independent women that leave their mark on the world and have such grace about them...well, most of them anyway. But the woman who has the most impact on CeeCee is Oletta, Aunt Tootie's maid for many years. 

Over the course of the summer, CeeCee experiences life as she has never known it bringing with it fun, adventure, and even fear but most of all, self discovery.  With the help of these strong Southern women, CeeCee begins to realize that her mother's destiny isn't necessarily her own. She just has to be strong enough to choose her own path and follow her own dreams. 

My Thoughts:

Let me first start off by saying I can't believe it took me so long to read this lovely book. I remember when it first came out and the blogs were going crazy over it.  I put it on my TBR list and now, here we are. The only thing I can say is, the bloggers were right! I fell in love with CeeCee and my heart ached for the way her mother's illness affected her.

The characters in this book are strong and likable and they each play important roles in CeeCee's life in showing CeeCee how different we all can be without it being a bad thing. I especially liked the relationship CeeCee had with Mrs. Odell, her neighbor in her old neighborhood in Ohio. Personally, I had an instant connection to that relationship because as a girl of 14 my parents moved me from a small Ohio town to Florida while my older sister stayed behind to graduate. I found myself feeling alone for the first time, not knowing anyone and feeling very isolated until I met our elderly neighbor, Virginia. We spent many afternoons together sitting on her porch swing, sharing stories. She became an important person in my life just as Mrs. Odell became important to CeeCee. Another relationship I really enjoyed was the friendship that formed between CeeCee and Oletta. Cee Cee learned many things from her much older friend like what life was like in the South when you are black. I loved the protectiveness CeeCee felt over Oletta and I think CeeCee brought out a softness in Oletta that had been missing since her only child had died.

I loved everything about this book and obviously it ranks up there with my all-time favorites.  Reading this book was one of the highlights of my summer, re-instilling in me that the Southern Fiction genre is the heart and soul of the literary world. It's books like Hoffman's SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT that are the proof.

SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT
Author: Beth Hoffman
Publisher: Penguin
Published: October 2010
Pages: 320 pp
Rating: 5 Wonderful Stars out of 5