Amazon Affiliate Link Used helps to support this blog.
Publisher : Berkley (March 18, 2025)
Language : English
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593332865
ISBN-13 : 978-0593332863
Susan Meissner’s new book explores secrets, friendship bonds, and the consequences of our choices all while whisking readers off to the 1950s in Southern California. It was a time when women were still limited in their choices to make a living, a time when the fear of communism was spreading, and a time when people still knew their neighbors no matter how odd or reclusive they may have been.
We meet Melanie Cole, a budding movie star who is blacklisted due to suspected communist ties, her housekeeper Eva who fled war-torn Europe, and next door neighbor June who lives with her reclusive screenwriter brother-in-law. They are all afraid of something and need each other to escape their circumstances.
This book was at the same time classic Susan Meissner (a story of hope, a story where I learned something from history, a story where her use of descriptive language paints an unforgettable story in my mind) and also a departure for this novelist. I believe this is the first of her books to use swearing, so heads up if that bothers you. The story unfolded differently too. The first half unfolded very slowly for me. There was lots of backstory and not much happening. But then in the second half things are set in motion and the emotions felt real and heart wrenching. What would you change in your past and how would that have changed the present if at all? That’s a question the three friends contemplate and in the end come up with answers. I’m glad I read this even though it isn’t my favorite Meissner novel.
Reviewed by Cindy Thomson. I received a free advanced copy from the publisher and my review is solely my own.
368 pages, Paperback Published July 11, 2023 by Revell ISBN 9780800739362
Amazon Affiliate Link Used to help support this blog.
I really enjoyed this story. Baseball, books, a writer, a lesson from history, what’s not to like? The story is told from the perspective of two young sisters. The way they each view situations (due to their different ages and interests) makes this a little different than most novels and certainly special and fun. I think young girls would enjoy reading this. The story of a family uprooted due to being falsely accused of belonging to the Communist Party offers the look at history I’m always interested in. And really, have we learned anything? I hope so.
Being a baseball fan, I was looking for more in the story, but it’s there, especially at the end and it’s obvious the writer knows the game. It’s always painfully obvious when a writer doesn’t.You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this novel, however. The emotional twist at the end makes this a book well-worth reading. You’ll enjoy it.
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Hello. I’m Susie Finkbeiner (I’ll be SF throughout the interview). I’m the author of All Manner of Things, Stories That Bind Us, and The Nature of Small Birds. My ninth novel The All-American releases July 11. This novel is set in the early 1950s Michigan.
Pre-order by clicking on the book cover.
Today I’m happy to interview one of the characters from that book, eleven year old Florence Mabel Harding (who will be FH throughout).
FH: Actually, you may call me Flossie.
SF: All right. And, I guess you can call me Susie.
FH: Oh, I don’t think I can. My mother would never allow me to call an adult by her first name. She’d give me a severe look and I wouldn’t want that. Would you?
SF: I would not.
FH: So I’ll just call you Mrs. Finkb…Finkbeener? Finkenbinder? What a name. Is it German or something?
SF: Yes, it is.
FH: That’s unfortunate.
SF: Well, moving on. Tell me what it’s like to be one of the main characters in a novel.
FH: It’s peachy, I guess. Of course it would be better if I didn’t have to share the spotlight with my big sister Bertha. Who cares about Bertha’s part of the story? All she does is play baseball. What’s so interesting about that?
SF: A lot, actually. It wasn’t all that common for girls to play sports, let alone professional baseball in 1952.
FH: Well then why didn’t you just write her part this way, “Bertha went off to play baseball. The end.”? Do you really think people want to hear more about it than that?
SF: Flossie.
FH: Yes?
SF: Did you even read the book?
FH: Of course I did!
SF: Did you skim over Bertha’s chapters to get to your own?
FH: I’d rather not answer that question.
SF: Why not?
FH: Because my mother told me that I should mind my manners and it wouldn’t be mannerly to tell you that those parts were boring.
SF: Okay. Moving on. You are quite the reader, aren’t you? What would you say is your favorite book?
FH: Oh, oh. This is an easy question to answer. Anne of Green Gables. No. Little Women. Oh. Maybe I should say The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Oh, I really can’t choose. This is an impossible question to answer.
SF: Would you like to know what one of my favorite books is?
FH: I suppose so.
SF: I really like The Grapes of Wrath.
FH: By Mr. Steinbeck? Oh, Mrs. Finkbender, this is disappointing.
SF: Why’s that?
FH: Because Mr. Steinbeck isn’t a very good writer. He wouldn’t know a happy ending if it came up behind him and knocked him on his keister.
SF: How did you get to be such an opinionated girl?
FH: Well, I don’t know. Weren’t you the one who wrote me?
SF: Honestly, Flo, I never had control over you. Not even once. Moving on. If there’s one thing you would like people to know about you, what is it?
FH: I would like people to know that I’m not just some ordinary little girl. Sure, I’m always the smallest in my class. But that’s not all there is to me. Once I was eavesdropping on my dad and heard him tell someone, “though she be but little, she is fierce”. That’s from a Shakespeare play. My dad was always quoting Mr. Shakespeare. When I asked my dad about it later, he told me that he suspected that Mr. Shakespeare was thinking of a girl just like me when he wrote that. I am small, but I am a force to be reckoned with.
SF: I have to agree, Flossie. You are one incredible character and I’m so glad I could write you into my book.
FH: Of course you are. I’m an absolute delight.
SF: You are, my girl. You truly are. And I hope that readers will love to read you as much as I loved to write you.
Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, as well as Stories That Bind Us, The Nature of Small Birds The All-American is her ninth novel. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan. Learn more at www.susiefinkbeiner.com.
Thanks to Elise Cooper for providing this interview. You can find more from Elise here.
For those who do not know CeeCee Purnell she is a reflection of her times, growing up during the 1950s and 1960s in the South. Her life is a plateau, with many ups and downs. Growing up and living in Georgetown, South Carolina, she raises her late friend’s daughter, Ivy, and her daughter, Larkin. CeeCee is grateful that Larkin has returned home after nine self-exiled years to help locate her missing mother, Ivy. Larkin finds out that in 1951 three best friends, Ceecee, Margaret and Bitty have just graduated from high school with all their dreams ahead of them. CeeCee has agreed to open up about her experiences and what happened during those turbulent years.
It must be bittersweet for you to have your granddaughter returning home, while your daughter, her mom, is trying to survive a horrific accident. It must have brought back memories from 1951 when your life changed forever. Thank you for consenting to this interview because you can be an inspiration as someone who had hard knocks but survived.
NPT: Do you see yourself as a product of the 1950s?
CeeCee:Definitely. Especially Southern small-town 1950s. Being the only daughter of a pastor, I was definitely sheltered from the realities of the world outside of Georgetown, South Carolina.
NPT: Do you regret going on the road trip after graduating high school?
CeeCee: No. I wish I could go back and change a few things, but if I hadn’t gone, I never would have met the love of my life, Boyd.
NPT: Do you think writing on ribbons and sticking them in a tree is rather nerdy?
CeeCee: I’m not sure what you mean about the word ‘nerdy’?
NPT: A geek?
CeeCee:If you mean fanciful or even a little far-fetched, then yes. It’s like blowing on a dandelion and making wishes on the seeds—we know it’s not real, but we can’t help but believing there’s a small part of truth in the legend.
NPT: Were you, Bitty, and Margaret considered The Three Musketeers?
CeeCee:We were never called that, but I felt that way many times throughout our childhoods together. We were rarely apart, and believed we really were “all for one, and one for all.”
NPT: How would you define friendship?
CeeCee:A good friendship can be defined as loving someone unconditionally—even when things in your own life are sliding into the ocean and all has been stripped away, you can still be loving, giving and kind to your friends.
NPT: How did it feel to be a surrogate mother to Margaret’s daughter Ivy and a surrogate grandmother to her daughter Larkin?
CeeCee:I don’t feel as if you need to be related by blood to feel a kinship with someone. I was raised with two younger brothers, but always felt as if Margaret and Bitty were my blood sisters. My mother was a wonderful example of how to mother, and I suppose that’s why when I saw two children who needed mothering, it was easy for me to step in.
NPT: Do you agree with your granddaughter’s friend, Bennett’s attitude about Carrowmore and developers?
CeeCee:Absolutely. Few people seem to realize anymore that our history lives on in old buildings, and that once they are gone, along with the stories and memories that are contained within their walls, they are gone forever.
NPT: Do you wish Bennett and Larkin hooked up?
CeeCee:When, while back in high school?
NPT: Yes?
CeeCee: No. They were friends first. It’s only when they became adults and Larkin could see Bennett with adult eyes did it make sense for their relationship to move into something deeper. And neither Larkin nor Bennett are the ‘hooking up’ kind of people—their relationships are meaningful.
NPT: Do you think it is good or bad to keep a secret?
CeeCee: It depends on the motive. If it’s to protect a loved one, then it can be excused and/or forgiven. If it’s used for subterfuge, or to keep hiding something that might help another person, then no.
NPT: Does Bitty still play an important role in your life?
CeeCee:I think it’s natural for people who’ve known each other for so long to get on each other’s nerves sometimes, just as it’s natural for your love to grow to something deeper. There is something special about someone who’s known you your whole life, knows all your secrets and flaws, yet loves you anyway.
NPT: After the accident and Ivy unconscious, was it hard to see her physically there, but unable to communicate with her?
CeeCee:Of course—she’s always been like a daughter to me. The one thing that got me through those early days was believing she would wake up and be able to answer all the questions we had for her.
NPT: Do you think dreams really do come true?
CeeCee:Only when hard work and determination are added to the dreaming!
NPT: Who taught Larkin how to shag dance?
CeeCee:I’m thinking probably her mother, or Bennett. They used to have impromptu dance/ barbecue parties when they lived near each other.
NPT: What do you do for fun?
CeeCee:I love to work in my garden and of course I love to bake. I always make sure I have something in the freezer waiting to be defrosted in case of unexpected company.
NPT: What are your interests besides baking and gardening?
CeeCee:I love keeping in touch with my friends and being an active member of my church and community.
NPT: Are you content with your life?
CeeCee:Absolutely. I’m surrounded by family and loved ones. I’ve had losses, but I’ve also had a great deal of love and blessings in my long life.
NPT: If you could put another ribbon in the tree what would it say?
CeeCee:I wish Larkin would stay in Georgetown forever!
NPT: Is there anything you want to add, if so please do?
CeeCee:Be kind to one another. And honest. Those two things alone will guide you through life.
NPT:Thank you for your time and insight!
Karen White is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty previous books, including The Night the Lights Went Out, Flight Patterns, The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone, and The Time Between, and a coauthor, with Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig, of The Forgotten Room.
Novel PASTimes 