Now that her morbidly obese sister, Agnes Sparrow, is comfortably dieting at the Greenbrier Nursing Home, Griselda learns to fly—literally—after a pilot makes an emergency landing and creates quite a ruckus in the otherwise sleepy town of Bright’s Pond.
But Griselda’s newfound freedom—and her flight time with handsome pilot, Cliff—is hampered by other happenings in town. Like the gold digger who prances around town and is supposedly engaged to Stella Kincaid’s brother—the lottery winner who is in a coma. And there’s Ivy Slocum’s dog, Al Capone, whose adventures continue long after they should.
When Chief of Police Mildred Blessing starts investigating the gold digger, however, things really heat up—for Griselda and all the residents of the unique Pennsylvania hamlet called Bright’s Pond!
Joyce Magnin is the author of five novels, including the popular Bright’s Pond series and the 2011 middle grade novel Carrying Mason. She is also a frequent speaker and writing instructor. Magnin lives with her son in Pennsylvania. Her newest novel, Cake, is now available in stores.
My Impressions:
Having visited the whacky world of Bright’s Pond twice before, I was anxious to return again by way of Joyce Magnin’s novel, Griselda Takes Flight. Set in a small, 1970s Pennsylvania town, this book is filled with peculiar people and peculiar goings-on. There is a man in a coma at the nursing home, a hussy has just moved to town, a plane made an emergency landing and giant pumpkins are the focus of one farmer’s life. And the rumor of lost treasure buried at the abandoned mine has everyone racing to become rich. Such is life in Bright’s Pond, a town with a lot going for it in terms of community and friendship, but a little short on common sense and insight. But there is the town librarian, Griselda Sparrow, who is tasting a bit of freedom in the sky above the town.
Joyce Magnin is adept at creating a town quirky enough to keep you laughing, but with enough real fears and hopes to make the characters relatable, or at least some of them. Have I mentioned the peculiar people? Griselda is the voice of the novel and also the voice of reason. Struggling to find her new identity, Griselda is willing to explore and grow, rather than to stay the same.
If you liked Jan Karon’s Mitford, but want a little more adventure and spirit, and yes, oddity, in your reading, then choose Griselda Takes Flight. This book is #3 in the series, but could be read as a standalone. But why? Here’s some more scoop on the residents of Bright’s Pond:
The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow (book 1 Bright’s Pond series)
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise (book 2 Bright’s Pond series)
Recommended.
(I purchased this novel for my Kindle. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
To purchase this book, click on the image below.
Recent Comments