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Alice DiNizo writes under her cat's name, J.B., so her books are listed on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as by "J.B. DiNizo". Why? Like most writers, Alice sees her books and their characters as her "children". When someone telephones her home demanding to know why she created a certain character or story line, the response is always, "Thanks so much for calling but J.B. can't come to the phone right now!"
Alice says she'd have a fit if twelve pound, laid-back J.B., an orange tabby, did respond to a telephone query. Raised in Vermont, Alice admits to being a free-thinker and radical, but owning a talking cat is a bit too much to consider.
Surviving a rather rough childhood, Alice writes stories about people overcoming life's obstacles as her payback to a higher power and the good friends who stood by her through difficult times. She lives at the New Jersey shore with her husband, dog and cats and admits her loves are her family, her children and grandchildren,gardening, old Volvos and friendly people.
Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite
Kenneth Lawe was off fighting in the war, having been drafted during WWII, when he learned that his beloved grandmother Charlotte had passed away at the age of ninety-four. While she left his four sisters money, she left Ken the deed to the family home in Virginia and a diary that recounts her life starting at Simon's Landing, the childhood home which she left to Ken.
As Ken starts reading her diary, the life of his grandmother unfolds. A twelve year old child when the Civil War started, Charlotte tells of the death of her mother and how her aunt Clarinda lost her mind when her two boys were killed during the war. She tells of how her kindly slaves, Tilde and John, helped her and her brother escape their father when he planned on killing them, getting them to Philadelphia to be taken in by Amelia Sutton, whose house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. She finally tells of taking a job at the Seaside Inn on the Jersey shore where she ultimately finds love with the proprietor, Robertson Lawe, and lives the rest of her life in the inn. After reading of his grandmother's past, Ken takes a trip to Simon's Landing and decides to stay, hoping to achieve his dream of having a horse farm.
This story takes readers on an amazing adventure, transporting us back to the days of the Civil War when young Charlotte was only twelve, and then allowing us to meet her great-great-grandson Rob in 2008, who had suffered an injury in the Iraqi war.
It was quite interesting. Some of my favorite parts were the diary entries written by Charlotte. It was quite fascinating how she and her brother escaped her father. It was easy to see that the historical aspects of this book were very well researched. Charlotte was a strong, determined girl who seemed very realistic. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a work of fiction. For all of her adversity, I was glad to see that she wound up with a good life. I also found it quite interesting how each generation from Charlotte to Ken to Ken's son, Rob, was each touched by war.
While this is a short book with only 146 pages, it covers a broad span of time; but the author easily transitions between time periods without becoming confusing or making you feel as if you have missed something. Overall, I thought the writing flowed well and seemed very realistic, with the exception of a couple of parts in the story where the author throws in a few comments written in her diary to Ken that I could never imagine a grandmother saying to a grandson.
I really enjoyed reading about Charlotte and her family and learning about Simon's Landing. For me, it's one of those stories that left me wanting more, so I will certainly be watching for more from this author.
