March 30, 2009
Life in Matlock's nostalgic Valentine, Okla., is a Bradburyesque vision with drugstore soda fountains, old-timey radio shows filling the airwaves and a cast of characters who wouldn't be out of place in Lake Wobegon. Her latest charmer, the seventh installment of the smalltown series (after Cold Tea on a Hot Day
), finds Valentine preparing for the wedding of Johnny Ray Berry, popular son of Emma Lou and John Cole (scion of the local Quick Start convenience store empire), to Gracie Louise Kinney, daughter of Sylvia, the snooty owner of several upmarket fashion boutiques. Sylvia is none too pleased with the “red-neck white boy†her daughter has chosen to marry and tries to sabotage the affair by finally revealing the identity of Gracie's father, a black Creole. As the union is thrown into question, the main attraction is the hilarious love dance between Johnny's estranged parents, who've put their divorce on hold for Johnny's sake. Matlock conjures a sweet spell accented by tart drama, as refreshing and delightful as a lemony sweet tea.
April 15, 2009
Just after Emma and John Cole Berry separate, their only son, Johnny, announces his engagement to Gracie. So the good parents welcome the happy couple together, and begin counseling to patch up their own marriage, but Gracies controlling mother has bigger plans for her. Meanwhile, other denizens in Matlocks beloved Valentine, Oklahoma, are working their way through their own heart troubles.Belindas handsome, sexy husband suddenly wants to talk rather than make love, and her mother, Vella, is carrying on scandalously with Jaydee Mayhall. A common bond isWinston and Willie Lees old-fashioned radio show, which keeps the folks of Valentineentertained. Matlocks heartwarming contemporary Southern romance owes much of its appeal to thefolksy, small-town atmosphere she creates. Longtime readers will enjoy revisiting Valentine and its many colorful characters, even as this novel stands on its own merits and thus can serve as an excellent introduction to Matlocks work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)