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Author Jean Ann Williams, the eldest in a large family, enjoys digging into her fascinating childhood to create stories for children. Having written over one hundred articles for children and adults, Just Claire is her first book. Jean Ann and her husband live on one acre in Southern Oregon where they raise a garden, goats, and chickens. Her favorite hobbies are hiking through the woods and practicing archery with her bow.
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
Just Claire by Jean Ann Williams is a wonderful coming of age tale. Claire Lee and her siblings are uprooted and moved when her father has to go to work in a different place. Just as they move into their new house, their mother goes into labor and, following the birth, is whisked off to hospital by their father. Left alone, it is up to Claire to look after the younger children and so she takes on the role of her mother. When her mother returns home, it is clear that she is not well and shows little interest in her family, leaving Claire to pick up the pieces. Desperate to feel like she belongs, she sets out to try to get into a rich girl’s club, even if it means appearing to shun her new but poor friend. One night, it all comes to a head in public and life is about to be shaken up for Claire once again.
Just Claire by Jean Ann Williams is a wonderful story, one that I simply couldn’t put down. The story is incredibly well written, touching on so many different issues – depression, motherhood, bullying, and so much more besides. Each one is dealt with in the right way, in a style of writing that makes it easy to understand. Ms. Williams has the craft of writing down to a fine art, knowing exactly how to draw a reader in and hold them there. It was such a lovely story and I found myself rooting for Claire all the way through, and her mother. The characters are very well developed and are written true to life in a way that allows the reader to get to know them very well. I believe that there are many readers who will be able to identify in some way with at least one character in the book. Excellent story, and I'm looking forward to more from Ms. Williams.
