Blog Tour: Limelight by Melody Carlson

Publisher: Multnomah
Pages: 376
Source: Review copy from publisher for book tour

This book can be purchased at Random House.

I am quickly becoming a fan of Melody Carlson. I have read this book and a teen book she has written and have already made a wish list of her books to be placed on my shelves at school.

In "Limelight" I found a book that could make my emotions ride the rollercoaster. It is the story of Claudette Fiore, an 82 year old former actress. After her husband passes away she finds that his accountant was paying himself instead of their taxes. The IRS does not look favorably on this and has therefore seized most of her assets, including her beautiful home in Beverly Hills. She sees everything as lost and hopeless and attempts suicide. Her step-son flies in to save the day. As a set designer he is used to making lists and working the lists to make magic happen. He sets Claudette down and the process begins. It is then she tells him she owns a home in Silverton, California. He thinks that is terrific. Even when she tells him about how poor she was growing up, he sees the silver lining in all of it. He drives her back to Silverton and turns her mother's former house into something she can feel comfortable and cozy in. She had always had servants around to do everything for her and without that help she as helpless as a baby. With the help of friends she had left behind when she fled Silverton, she manages to survive and actually thrive.

I loved Claudette. She was a snob at the beginning of the book. She trampled on people all of the time and her character made me angry. Then when I saw her situation I felt bad for her because I figured she wasn't going to make it. The problems she has after moving in to her house just cracked me up. The fact she didn't know how to go shopping for the simplest of items just blew me away. Her attempt at doing laundry made me roll on the floor. I knew by the time I had finished the book and I was laughing and crying that I would have to recommend this book to all of my friends. It was a real pleasure to read and review this book.