CHM: The Secret to Hummingbird Cake rings with authenticity. I know you are Southern, so your ability in capturing the charm and culture of Louisiana makes good sense to me. But aside from the setting, the emotions and plot line are so vivid and evocative, I have to ask: Is the story based upon something in your […]
February Read of the Month: “The Secret to Hummingbird Cake,” by Celeste Fletcher McHale
February 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro The Secret to Hummingbird Cake (Thomas Nelson, 2016) by emerging Southern author Celeste Fletcher McHale manages to do a very difficult thing: It spins a loving tale about enduring female friendships in a small town in the Deep South without engaging in stereotypes or sentimentality. Replete with the poignancy of […]
“The Professor,” by Robert Bailey
January 13, 2016 by 3 Comments
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Move over, John Grisham, there’s a new kid on the legal thriller playing field. Robert Bailey, an Alabama trial attorney and graduate of The University of Alabama School of Law, returns the kickoff for a 100 yard touchdown with his debut novel, The Professor. The football reference is apropos as […]
“Isolation,” by Mary Anna Evans
October 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Isolation is Mary Anna Evans’s writing at its finest—which is saying a lot for this award-winning author. Evans has long been adept at blending history, archaeology, mystery and domestic drama into riveting tales, smoothly written and well laced with the homegrown humidity and lushness of her native South. She’s conjured […]
“Cutting Loose in Paradise,” by Mary Jane Ryals
September 25, 2015 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Cutting Loose in Paradise (Pineapple Press, 2015) by Mary Jane Ryals is a charming, quirky Florida environmental mystery full of local color, intriguing and unique characters, poetry-quality language, lushly evoked landscapes, a twisty-turny plot, and just the right touch of wry humor. Though Ryals is the author of several books […]
“Ruth’s Journey,” by Donald McCaig
December 23, 2014 by 2 Comments
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro What was Donald McCaig thinking when he undertook writing Ruth’s Journey (Atria Books 2014), the so-called prequel to Gone with the Wind? First, it’s a bold idea to tackle any prequel, let alone one designed to set the stage for the second most popular book ever sold in America. But […]