Letters from My Sister...Not My Cup of Tea

 

Valerie Fraser Luesse is a new-to-me author. Her stories are set in the deep South and this genre of books isn’t what I typically gravitate towards as a reader. However, I was pulled in by the gorgeous cover. 

This tale is set at the turn of the century and centers around sisters Emmy and Callie Bullock whose father is a wealthy Alabama cotton farmer.

Callie was an interesting heroine. She preferred riding horses and climbing trees barefoot to attending social functions such as balls or garden parties. I really enjoyed her genuine love for her older sister Emmy and how she always praised her sister to others, but not in a way that seems disingenuous, but truthful. A key takeaway from this story for me was that our relationships with our family or siblings could greatly improve if we emphasize and appreciate their positive qualities and character traits rather than dwelling on their shortcomings or negatives.

Interestingly, my favorite part of the book was not the romance (which was sweet) in the book, but the tight-knit bond between Callie and Emmy, and that family really is for forever.  I also liked the connection between the whole Bullock family (Parents and Children). It was a family you wanted to be a part of.  The dynamics of the Bullock family reminded me of the Smith family in Meet Me in St. Louis although I don’t think this is what the author intended. It’s just where my reader brain took me.

I enjoyed the sense of community Ms. Luesse created in Letters from My Sister. How they looked out for one another. Which I personaly think is sorely lacking in our day, but maybe that's just my current experince. 

For me, I found the slower pace of the book made it harder to get into the story and relate to the characters. Along with this, despite it being promoted as a Christan fiction read,  I didn’t feel there was an overly spiritual/gospel thread throughout. Maybe I missed the point, but all that would be considered "Christian" to me was the family going to church and occasionally mentioning God. If you followed me for a while, I do not like when books are promoted as Christian fiction, but God is just a mention, not a part of the story. 

Usually, I know exactly what thoughts and emotions I’m feeling when finishing a book, but with Letters from My Sister I didn’t know what I was supposed to be feeling. Dramitic statment, I know.  However, to say more, would ruin the ending if you did read this book. So with that said, as you can tell from this blog, the book was mixed bag for me. I enjoyed some of it, and really didn't like the other half of it. So between it all, I am not sure I would technially recommend that you run out and get this book to read as it doesn't leave you feeling glad you spent the time reading it. At least for me, anyway. 

~~Letters from My Sister was provided to me by the author herself and the publisher in return for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of the book.  I was not required to write a positive review. All viewpoints expressed are my own. ~