Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Reader's Review: "Hugo" by Pamela Poole



Synopsis from Amazon:


September 21, 1989: Some monsters in the dark are real. Can Painter Place survive?

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 
The Alexander Legacy--Sophronia Belle Lyon 
       -A Dodge, A Twist, and A Tobacconist 
       -The Pinocchio Factor 
The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris
       -The Emergence 
The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
       -Leopard's Heart 
       -Wolf's Path 
       -Tiger's Shadow
The Cadeau Series--Connie Olvera
       -Who Can You Trust? 

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