Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Brief Book Review - The Old Place; Bobby Finger

 

The Old Place; Bobby Finger
G.P. Putnam - 2022

The Old Place is a debut novel that takes place in a small Texas town.   From the very beginning of the novel we get the feeling that protagonist ,Mary Alice Roth, is a troubled woman with secrets.  She is a rather stern woman and a recently retired school teacher who has not made peace with being forced to retire. She isn't quite sure what she will do to fill in her free time without her job to go to.  Once a wife and mother, there is a mystery as to what happened to the men in her life.  Fortunately she is on good terms once again with her neighbor Elie now as they once had a falling out. Both women look forward to meeting for morning coffee and conversation. There is the planing of the annual neighborhood picnic and the delegation of tasks which is funny to read about.  Just as Mary Alice begins to find a find a kind of rhythm to her daily routine, she has an unexpected visit from her sister who has some rather shocking news which threatens to uproot some things that perhaps were best left buried.

This was a very good debut novel full of small town charm, pettiness and gossip and secrets around every corner.  Although a bit slow moving at times, I liked the slower place and the way the secrets gradually emerged,  In the end I was happy that I had a chance to read this one.

RATING - 4/5 stars

(NOTE: I received a copy of the eGalley from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.)

14 comments:

  1. I spotted this one on a shelf in one of the bookstores we visited on our road trip. Almost bought it, but remembered how many unread books I already own; not knowing anything about it, I decided to wait and read some reviews first. It sounds like one I might enjoy...

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    1. I'm trying not to purchase any books right now except my monthly LIBRO. My eyesight has suffered these last 5 months so until I see eye doctor in another 1.5 months I'm mostly doing LP or audio. I think you would like this one though - not sure how audio is.

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  2. This has been on my radar. I'll probably be reading lighter books for the next month or so... like the sound of this one.

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    1. JoAnn, I think you might enjoy this one. I liked the small town setting, the personalities and interactions as well.

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  3. Small town settings can be a lot of fun. And I'm curious about the sister's shocking news.

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    1. There is something to be said for small town life. In this story there is a part about a neighborhood picnic and delegated duties which is so funny!

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  4. That sounds good, secrets are interesting.

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  5. I like books that deal with the everyday but you just know there's a massive secret lurking there somewhere!

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  6. It definitely does seem like a charming read. Glad to hear you've enjoyed it so much and I hope this book will travel well!

    Have a great weekend Diane!

    Elza Reads

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  7. I do love a book with secrets and this sounds interesting!

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  8. It sounds pretty good. Small town stories usually entice me. I heard it was a good debut.

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  9. The premise sounds interesting. I'm curious what secret Mary Alice is harbouring. ;)

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