Review: A Desert Island Read For Me
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 23, 2011
I usually don't like novellas, because the plot almost always seems rushed and the characters are never fully developed.  But after reading the premise of "The Spinster and Beast", I decided to give it a try and put my reservations on the back burner.  I was treated to one of the best stories that I have read in quite some time.Liz Wicklow is a 36 year old spinster who is helping her nieces during their Season.  While she isn't necessarily desperately unhappy with her life, Liz is resigned to the fact that it is unlikely that she will ever have a husband and home of her own.  When a past beau starts courting her 18 year old niece, it is too much to bear.  She pours out her frustrations in a letter and rashly places it under a rock in a park.  She never really thinks that someone will respond, but to her delight that is just what happens.********** Potential Spoiler Alert!- as suggested by another readerAdam Calloway is a recluse.  He was disfigured in the war and now he spends his days with his 80 year old Nan.  He only ventures out at odd hours covered in a mask.  During one of his walks in the park he happens across Liz's letter and has to respond.  His response starts a heartfelt correspondence that ends with the love these two lonely characters only ever dreamed of.I loved these characters.  I understood both Liz's and Adam's motivations and feelings.  They were both smart, witty people with level heads and an abundance of good sense. In addition to loving Adam and Liz, I also adored Nan, his grandmother.  Her interaction with Adam made me laugh and smile.  All of the supporting characters were used judiciously, but this was primarily about the correspondence between Liz and Adam.Kudos to the author for using the letters as a device for why these characters intitally got together. The fact that the letters were anonymous made it easier to understand how these lonely characters could let down their guards and really open up to each other.  I could feel their friendship grow into something deeper.  It worked so much better than the old "love at first sight" device that a lot of authors use in short stories.  All of their hopes, fears and ultimately the love between them were all right there in their correspondence. It was refreshing to have the chemistry build between these two on a level that was not purely physical. And the scene when the lovers meet for the first time will melt your heart.I loved this book.  There wasn't a word I would change or anything that the author could have improved on for me.  I recommend it wholeheartedly.  It is a desert island read for me.  I am just so happy that I gave it and this author a chance. I'm sure that others will as well.