Friday, September 3, 2010

Fourty: Stiltsville - Susanna Daniel

***Full disclosure: This book was provided for free by Harper Collins at their Book Buzz session part of ALA Annual Conference ***

Stiltsville follows Frances Ellerloy, who is from Atlanta, as she visits Miami for a wedding and ends up meeting her future husband, Dennis, out on the Biscayne Bay.  It's the first time she's been out on the open water and she feels so alive.  The connection with Dennis is strong and she ends up coming down to Miami every weekend after that.  Finally one weekend she moves down to Miami after quitting her job and moves in with Dennis' sister Bette.

Frances & Dennis' relationship grows as they experience life together in Miami and marry once Dennis finishes law school.  They visit the family house on the bay every weekend.  Marse, their friend who originally introduced them, joins them sometimes with her boyfriend of the month.  They have a baby girl - Margo.  Frances get pregnant again multiple times but ends up miscarrying each time.  Dennis & Francis accept they will only have one child.

Susanna Daniels explores their marriage over the years as stormy weather - multiple hurricanes - and outside factors - job loss and potential affair - threaten their love.  It's heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time to see how Frances & Dennis adapt to their lives and their love of each other over the years.

This book was my savior while reading Salt.  I'm glad I pared them together to read at the same time.  Many mornings on the metro I had to force myself to remember to get off the train because I was so engrossed in the book.  The latest 100 pages or so are sad as well and many times I had to fight off the tears. 

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