Patty Jane's House of Curl

Just finished reading "Patty Jane's House of Curl." I might have read it before - but it was written in 1995 so it could have been long ago and my memory is TERRIBLE! Hence, the book blog. This isn't really for book club, but the FC gals are going to read and discuss anything Lorna on Dec 11 and watch the DVD she created to introduce her books and talk to book clubs.

Lorna is such a hoot. Last October Beth and I took a road trip (with kitschy side stops) to Pierre, SD. Beth's sister Mary works at a book store and Lorna was going to be there, mid-week. So we took off on a Tuesday morning and had so much fun visiting with her. We told her about the flood in Rushford, learned about her book writing process, and then took her to see the Flaming Fountain at the war memorial in Pierre - the capitol of SD. It was so fun. We hoped to get to her one-woman show at the Bryant Lake Bowl in January but tickets sold out!

And then she came to Rushford. She was in town doing a fundraiser for the library - a book reading of her new Christmas book, a book signing, and then a silent auction for dinner in the library with Lorna. No one was bidding! So Beth and I put our contributions towards dinner and we got to eat homemade bread and white chicken chili in the library! With red wine! And crepes for dessert! Wow. It was a delicious meal with great conversation. She's so witty and fun to listen to, and just like us. So Beth says I have to wait to read the Christmas book until after Thanksgiving - it's our next book club pick - so I've been reading a couple other Lorna's in the meantime. Finished Patty Jane and now working on "Oh My Stars!" I know I read that one, but it was on audiobook so I just don't remember them as well. Oh my mind.

Patty Jane's House of Curl is about women in the 60s who overcome their alcoholic parents and live mostly happy lives, even through their other losses. Patty Jane has Nora, and Thor bumps his head and doesn't return to her for 15 years. Harriet has Avel who dies in a plane crash, the day of their wedding, and after sinking to her depths she meets the man who pulls her out - Reese. It was a sad story, but funny too. Just like life.