SPARE CHANGE

AMAZON SITE FOR THIS BOOK 

I normally peruse the free Kindle books on Amazon's top 100 every day. Most days I get nothing but every now and then I will find several of interest.  Over the years I have amassed a library of 1200 to be read books plus around 500 that I have read.

You might think free books are of poor quality.  However many best selling authors will offer an early effort in an attempt to make you want more.  Sometimes I will find a book that is very special and I want to share.

Spare Change  by Bette Lee Crosby is one of the delights.  She reminds me a bit of Fanny Flagg in how she incorporates quirky characters into a gritty yet heartwarming tale.  She is quite the story teller and has about 14 books on the market.

When I know a writer has me is when I find myself  sympathetic towards an unsympathetic character. She managed this in spades. This book is about the paths two people who are unaware of but need eachother.

One character is Olivia, an independent woman who fears marriage but even more, fears the thought of children robbing her of her life, freedom and career. Thus she stays single by choice into middle age. She finally finds the love of her life only to become an almost instant widow.  She is quickly swallowed by grief.

The second character is Ethan Allen, an 11 year old boy who has a life that breaks your heart as he struggles to find someone who cares.  His mother is basically despicable yet I felt for her and at times hoped she would get the life she craved.

His father has only one love in his life, his wife, that he has no idea how to make happy with out losing her.  He has little room in his life for his son.  Except for producing Ethan Allen, his parents should never have married.

Ethan Allen witnessed two brutal murders and goes on the run in fear. If he is caught, he knows he will become the third brutal murder. While searching for a grandfather he has never met, he finds Olivia.

Frankly, I wouldn't have wanted to be related to or even the neighbor of anyone in the first part of the book. They were all struggling in the wrong holes life had stuffed them. Yet the author made me feel compassion for almost all of them and I really wanted their lives to work out.  That takes really good writing.

What is also rewarding is that there is enough Southern humor woven in so the story is not just one of fright and despair but at times light, easy and fun.  It was an interesting and complex ride with more delightful characters than scary ones.

There is a touch of religion in the book but is in no way preachy. This is an at times fun, at times horrifying but always entertaining tale that will eventually leave you with a warm glow and faith in humankind.

As of now it is a free Kindle download but it is one I would pay for. I will read more of this author.