Blog Tour - Limelight by Melody Carlson

Limelight
Melody Carlson
Waterbrook/Multnomah
376 pgs (pub supplied)

Summary
Claudette is 82 years old and feeling every day of it. The IRS has taken all she had leaving her destitute and depressed. Claudette has to go home and try to start over and she's wondering if it's worth it or would it just be easier to give up.

My Thoughts
Limelight follows Claudette as she tries to convince herself that life is worth living and that it's not all about the money. Claudette finds herself back in her childhood home in Silverton where you can walk to almost any place in town. Claudette does not want to go back to the place she spent so much time trying to escape. She settles in amid many mishaps including a backed up toilet, a broken furnace, and a car that doesn't like cold weather.

Throughout Limelight, I kept reminding myself of Claudette's age. She continually whined about not having money and/or people to do stuff for her. She spent very little time dwelling on the rift between her and her sister, Violet. All the drama and story happened in the last 100 pages of this book. Suddenly, Claudette was reminded of why she left home and she wanted to talk to her sister about it. Claudette also found some old letters that her deceased husband had written to her mother many years ago. She learned things in the letters that she didn't know in over 40 years of marriage.I thought Limelight was slow and somewhat unrealistic. Or, maybe the slow unwinding of the story represented Claudette's reluctance to leave her old life and embrace her new one. I don't know. Or maybe it was realistic and I just need to expand my schema of "elderly women".

I've read several of Melody Carlson's young adult titles including The Chloe and Caitlin books in the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and I'm a huge fan. So, I came into this with pre-conceived notions and found this highly, different book for an entirely different audience. That could just be it. It just wasn't for me.

About the Author
Melody Carlson has published over ninety books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards, including the Gold Medallion and the RITA Award.

Giveaway

Although Limelight was not my cup of tea you might like it. To find out, leave a comment telling me your favorite Christian fiction title for adults and why you like it.
I'll give away my copy of Limelight to one person.
Giveaway ends Thursday, November 12, 2009, 11:59 pm EST

Also, here's an excerpt!
Excerpt, Chapter 1