Synopsis from Amazon:
Huricane Hugo came in the dead of night, slamming Category 4 power into Charleston, South Carolina at the worst possible time—high tide. Painter Place is scoured by the writhing Atlantic storm surge, forcing Caroline Painter Gregory to say goodbye to a life she loves and face a future that may hold the worst that can possibly happen. On the devastated South Carolina coastline of 1989 and then in Arles, France during the centennial of Van Gogh’s life there, Hugo continues the saga of Painter Place.
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My Review:
Okay, wow! In terms of "upping the ante", this sequel has it in spades! Whereas Book 1 kind of dealt with setting up the whole small-town feel of "Painter Place" and introducing us to the two families that comprise its ensemble of main characters... Book 2 starts out with a scene that feels more "spy thriller" than "Hallmark-style drama", and also features a terrifying sequence of scenes concerning Hurricane Hugo's devastation of the East Coast--so stunning and real that I caught myself holding my breath more than once!
Of course, between that we are treated to the kinds of scenes one has
come to expect from this series: funny family dynamics, the drama of
miscommunication, at least two pregnancies, members of one family
bickering with members of another, and a liberal sprinkling of
spiritual conversations. I felt more "at ease" in this
book, more acquainted with other members of the family. Whereas the
last book seemed to really focus most of all on Chad and Caroline,
these two took more of a backseat role this time around, giving other
characters like Joey, Patrick, Marina, Casey, and Phillip more chance
to really shine and develop.
Through all of this, Poole's penchant to describe things with an
artist's flair, and her own writer's voice shines, really showcasing
how much she has learned through writing the first book, and going
into her second. As I was reading, I definitely felt more than ever
that her books could certainly stand on bookstore shelves alongside
the likes of Karen Kingsbury, Jan Karon, or Beverly Lewis. It has the
same sweet, down-homey vibe to it, inviting you to sit back, relax,
and really get to know the families of Painter Place, and participate
in all the drama it entails: every success, failure, loss, and
celebration.
Even with the inclusion of the gripping hurricane scenes and the
tension of all the aftermath, it's really the exact sort of book
you'd take with you on a quiet vacation on the beach or by a lake, to
curl up and read when you really feel like winding down.
That
being said, the book was not entirely devoid of flaws. In about five
or six (maybe even seven) of those "spiritual conversations"
I mentioned earlier, only about two, maybe
three,
of them actually felt like they served a purpose in moving the story
forward, getting the characters where they needed to be in order to
make an important decision further on in the story. The rest kind of
more felt like they fell into the same pitfall that bogged down the
story in the first book: some
of those scenes that could have been the most impactful
were somehow lessened by the dependence on exposition and "leading"
conversations (the way specific characters brought up specific
topics, phrased in a specific manner in order to manufacture an
opportunity for the characters to have a specific type of response)
that came across as rather "preachy" instead of directly
meaningful. Caroline and Casey find themselves on an "artistic
vacation" (not to spoil too much) and in the course of a
discussion about a specific well-known artist, Caroline expresses
views on the person that definitely take on more of a spiritual bent
that kind of feels more like it was based on conjecture and vast
extrapolations from vague rumors and a penchant for needing every
role model to have something
spiritual attached to them--even
at the expense of mentioning those important points about the
historical figure that might have carried a greater impact in regards
to the whole reason the
topic came up.
To then follow that up with another moment of
"Somebody Famous Takes A Shine To Caroline" kind of felt a
little like a cheap knock-off of Book 1 (like of COURSE some ridiculously-gorgeous celebrity will fall for our basically-also-gorgeous MAIN CHARACTER at first glance!)--but the difference here is that now she's no longer
single, but married, so she could kind of avoid the same type of
drama from the first book... Thank goodness! But maybe others have
different opinions about these types of scenes than I do... I guess
it would be up to the reader to decide if those conversations really
contribute to anything or not!
I have
to say, the things that really save this book from being just "more
of the same" as the first book is the hurricane, and a few other
excellent scenes that happen throughout the book--such as the "spy
thriller" ones... They didn't seem to connect at all with the
rest of the story or its
characters, but I do have a feeling they have more to do with
foreshadowing Book 3 than any kind of connection (beyond maybe
chronological) with Book 2 at all. So I still have that to look
forward to!
In the
end, I would say that Hugo keeps
this series holding steady at a hearty ****4
STAR**** rating, and
due to the wholesomeness and cleanliness of the book (even going so
far as to making only oblique references to perceived "unwholesome"
movies, celebrities, and music!) I would even add that this is
Upstream Writer
Certified RECOMMENDED!
If you like simple tales of big drama in small towns, certainly if
you've ever been to the Southeastern US, if you don't mind coming
across multiple conversations that end up referencing God and the
Bible and Christian living in some way.... Especially
if
a novel like Painter
Place interests
you--Hugo is
absolutely a worthy follow-up, leaving me satisfied at the resolution
of this part of the story, and yet intrigued enough to pick up the
next one, too!
Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Christian Literature/Clean Reads)
The Painter Place Saga--Pamela Poole
-Painter Place
-Painter Place
The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon
-A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist
-The Pinocchio Factor
-A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist
-The Pinocchio Factor
The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris
-The Emergence
-The Emergence
The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
-Leopard's Heart
-Wolf's Path
-Tiger's Shadow
-Leopard's Heart
-Wolf's Path
-Tiger's Shadow
The Cadeau Series--Connie Olvera
-Who Can You Trust?
-Who Can You Trust?
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