Having just finished another of LaVyrle Spencers books (HUMMINGBIRD), I wasnt really in the mood for the quiet, quaint story of MORNING GLORY. HUMMINGBIRD, also a Rita Winner (see below), is a boisterous, breezy book; it is hard to imagine that MORNING GLORY was written by the same author.
However, by page 10, I was hooked; this story curls into your mind and heart, like the morning glory vine. Readers looking for high drama will be disappointed (until the end); this is a gentle story that I will remember for a long time.
Elly Dinsmore and Will Parker are two throw-aways living in the late Depression years and into the early years of World War II. Will has recently been released from Huntsville Prison (in Texas) and is drifting, looking for a place that will allow him to stay for more than a day or two. Times are hard and strangers are viewed with suspicion.
Elly was labeled Crazy Elly long ago, by the citizens and children of Whitney, Georgia. She met a young man who did not think she was crazy and eventually they married. However, Glendon died in an accident and left Elly with two small boys and 5 months pregnant. She advertises for a husband!
Spencer captures small-town America; the community has plenty of eccentric characters. One of my favorites was Gladys Beasley, the towns librarian. A simple act of kindness enriches her life in ways she could never have imagined. This is a beautiful story certainly beyond my powers to explain.
Spencers RITA Winners
The Endearment (1982) ** Rita Award 1983
Hummingbird (1983) ** Rita Award 1984
The Gamble (1984) ** Rita Award 1988
Twice Loved (1984) ** Rita Award 1985
Morning Glory (1989) ** Rita Award 1990
This was my first Lavyrle Spencer book. I simply loved it and have reread it many times since it was first published. A wonderful read!
Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer is one of my favorite books. I pull it out every few years for a reread, and it will always have a space on my keeper shelf. It's about two emotionally scarred people who come together in marriage out of necessity rather than love. They face a great many trials and prejudices together and find that they have the love, family, and good friends that they've always wanted. It's a beautiful novel and in my opinion Ms. Spencer's finest.
Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer is an unexpectedly passionate tale between a couple who were miles apart yet closer to live forever. Set in small-town Georgia at the dawn of WW II, handsome ex-con Will Parker answers the advertisement of a pregnant widow and mother of two, who is looking for a husband. Sweet, satisfying, with complex characters and a well-constructed plot, a wonderful modern romance novel. Both hero and heroine undergo vital transformations as their relationship deepens, and in the process they affect those around them. An excellent story of redemption and healing.
I loved this book. When I realized it took place in 1941 I almost put it down but since I loved her book, Separate Beds, I decided I would tough it out. I loved the characters and how she built their relationship. It almost didn't feel like she was telling a story from 1941, just that it took place somewhere more rural. I truly enjoyed this book.
Very descriptive word pictures & interesting premise.
Very good book. I will be looking for more books from this author.
Just got done reading this one. Wonderfully written!! It captivates you and holds you there right to the end.
I love L Spencer books but I think this is the best of hers I've ever read. Just couldn't put it down!!
Elly: in town, they called her "Crazy Widow Dinsmore." But Elly was no stranger to their ridicule--she had been an ousider all her life, growing up in a boarded-up old house under the strict eye of her eccentric grandparents. Now she was all alone, with 2 little boys to raise and a third child on the way.
Will: He drifted into Whitney, Georgia, one lazy afternoon in the summer of 1941, hoping to put his lonely past behind him. He yearned for the tenderness he had never known, the home he'd never had. All he needed was for someone to give him a chance.
Then he saw her classified ad: WANTED-A husband. When he stepped across Elly Dinsmore's cluttered yard, Will Parker knew he had come home at last.
if your looking for a good old fashion romance this is the perfect book for you!
Elly was all alone with two boys and one baby on the way she posted a add for a husband! Good looking Drifter Will Parker walked into her cluttered yard and broken down house he knew he was home at last.
Beautiful story! I would highly recommend. It is about two people down on their luck that come together and find they need eachother. The love that develops between these characters is so pure and sweet. This was a big tear jerker, but it made you feel so good.
This was a good old romance that I don't think is written any more. The side characters were fleshed out to the extent you could recognize them on sight. It is a story of 2 misfits who finally and unexpectedly find love after both had given up. I just reread this book before I added it to the Bookshelf and enjoyed it again and I don't read romances much anymore.
