Our Tomato book reviews have two novels and a memoir for consideration. Forgotten on Sunday is nostalgic, heart-warming, bittersweet and sexy.  An Odyssey of Becoming: That Summer of ’72 is a hitchhiking adventure that transcends miles and memories. And a Happier Life is a great beach or any-time read.

 Nostalgic and Heartwarming

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin (translated from the French), tells the story of Justine who is 21 years old and has lived with her grandparents and her cousin Jules since the death of her parents many years ago. As a nursing assistant at a retirement home, she spends much of her days listening to her residents’ stories.

There she meets Helene who is almost 100 years old, and, in her world, is always at the beach. She observes people there, can feel the sun and its warmth, hears the waves as she sits and watches the seagull who stays close to her. It is here where she shares her story with Justine of her past love, Lucien, how they met, how they lived, how they loved. Justine records all of Helene’s stories in a little blue notebook, building a unique history of the woman.

While Justine helps Hélène to relive her memories of love and war, Hélène encourages Justine to confront the secrets of her own past, and the loss she keeps buried deep within: the death of her parents in a car accident when she was four. Also killed in the crash were her uncle and aunt – her father’s identical twin brother and his beautiful Swedish wife – who left behind 2-year-old Jules. The two cousins were raised by their grim grandparents, cold and distant, who refused to discuss the accident. “It can’t be said that they’re nasty to us, merely absent,” Justine comments. We eventually learn why.

A couple of subplots are interwoven into the narrative. One is that someone is calling the relatives of those residents “forgotten on Sundays” i.e. without visitors, to tell them their relative is dead and that they should come, which leads to much confusion, commotion, and a mystery to solve. The other is Justine’s covert life when she blows off steam by going out dancing at the Paradise Club on weekends and having mindless sex with a guy whose name she makes no effort to remember. He also shows up later.

Perrin magically integrates Justine’s story, reflecting the complexity and dynamics of a family; the regrets; the memories; the joy and the grief. Typical of other French novels (Fresh Water for Flowers, Perrin’s blockbuster, and A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi, reviewed last month), this one is nostalgic, heart-warming, surprisingly sexy, and bittersweet, with a surprise ending. GET THE BOOK.

~Joan Pagano, NYC, Founder, Joan Pagano Fitness

With Wit, Grit, and $100…a hitchhiking adventure that transcends miles and memories begins

In the summer of 1972, the open road beckoned best friends, nineteen-year-old Barry Johnson and twenty-year-old Bobby Young. Carrying backpacks with the essentials, staples of Kraft Mac and Cheese, dressed in jeans, Frye boots, with $100 each, they set off from their homes in Massachusetts. And so their cross-country adventure began during a time when the bond of trust between driver and hitchhiker was rarely questioned. Little did they know that this journey would shape their lives in ways they could never imagine.
An Odyssey of Becoming (The Three Tomatoes Publishing) unfolds as a true coming-of-age saga. After a first failed attempt to hitchhike in the USA, they buy a bus ticket to Montreal, and hitchhike on the Trans-Canada highway to Vancouver Island, staying in hostels along the way. On the road, they make new friends, are offered refuge in their homes, and immerse themselves in the awe-inspiring beauty of North America.

This journey through breathtaking vistas is not without peril. Buckle up for the ride as they are arrested, nearly decapitated, and asphyxiated, and narrowly escape the clutches of a pair of psychopaths, confronting danger head-on.
Theirs is a story of a moment in time that cannot be replicated. As the mid-1970s dawned, the glory days of hitchhiking faded. Reports of murders, sexual assault, and safety concerns cast shadows on the once-thriving culture. Thumb-out travelers became nostalgic relics, their stories echoing through time. GET THE BOOK.

~Cheryl Benton, Publisher, The Three Tomatoes and The Three Tomatoes Publishing

A Great Any Time Read

A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a wonderful story set in Beaufort, North Carolina, woven between the past and present.  It has a bit of mystery, love, and friendships.  Kristy Woodson Harvey has outdone herself on this book.  She has brought the coastal setting to life, and you will be transported right into that charming town of Beaufort, North Carolina.  The descriptions in this book are breathtaking.  I thought I loved her last book, The Summer of Songbirds, but have to say I love this one even more.

The main character, Keaton Smith is looking for a new beginning.  Her life has just fallen apart in New York City.  She has learned that her boyfriend and his ex-wife, Keaton’s boss announced they are having a baby together.  Keaton’s Mother asks her to go to Beaufort to help prepare her childhood home to be sold. Keaton jumps at the chance to get out of New York and figure out what to do with her life and career.

When Keaton enters the home, she finds it as it was left exactly fifty years ago.  Her Mother abandoned the home when her parents died in a tragic accident.  Their bodies were never found.  Keaton thinks that is odd.  She had never met her grandparents since they died before she was born.  As Keaton begins the process of preparing the house to be sold, she finds her grandmother’s journals, along with her guide to entertaining her guests.  She is fascinated with all the details of her grandmother’s Southern traditions.  She also learns so much about her grandparent’s love story and their life together.  Keaton is surprised at how quickly she makes friends in this new town and how welcome they all make her feel, including her next-door neighbor, Bowen, and his ten-year-old, Anderson.

This book is not just a beach read it is an anytime fabulous read.  I just loved everything about this book.  Five stars in my opinion.  GET THE BOOK.

~Francene Katzen, Richmond, Virginia, advocate for parents who have children with drug addictions.