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Ms. Stover (Carol June Gibbs) grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and graduated from Cornell University with highest honors. She launched her marketing career in Boston, Massachusetts where she held executive positions with well-known Boston hotel groups. In 1998 she ventured into writing, co-authoring The Collector's Encyclopedia of Vogue Dolls. Following this successful publication, she began writing freelance full time for newspapers and magazines. In 2002 she authored, Small Dolls of the ‘40's and ‘50s’; In 2004 co-authored Doll Values, eighth edition. Ms. Stover has also authored over 100 magazine articles published to date in national publications. Her first novel, Current River Redemption won a 2004 IPPY Award for Regional Southern Fiction. Surviving 26th Street is her second novel and received a first place 2014 award for literary fiction from Reader Views and the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award for literary fiction. Ms. Stover’s third novel: Kenmore Square/A Novel was published this year.
Ms. Stover is a member of the Off Campus Writers’ Workshop (OCCW) and Independent Writers of Chicago (IWOC), and she now resides in Sandwich, MA and Fort Myers, FL with her husband Frank.
Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite
I loved reading Kenmore Square by Carol June Stover. The story follows an awkward teenager named Iris Apple. When Iris’s mother is murdered in a robbery on her 10th birthday, Iris suspects her father committed the crime. When she turns eighteen, she and her best friend Madame Charlemagne attempt to solve the mystery of her mother’s murder while discovering a bunch of family secrets on the way.
Kenmore Square is a story filled with secrets and memorable characters. I loved the main character, Iris Apple, with her awkward personality and love for pigeons. Stover made her seem like a real person with real problems such as being dyslexic. I felt Iris was personally telling me her story when reading the book. I also really liked how she helped Madame Charlemagne with her agoraphobia and included her in all her plans. Kenmore Square is a book filled with a lot of secrets. I thought I had figured out all the secrets and their answers, which I guessed wrong, because Stover surprised me with more secrets. The ending was a little expected, but left me with a satisfied feeling.
Kenmore Square is an easy read and the way Stover introduces the mystery and secrets a little at a time keeps the reader interested. The tone of this book makes it good for people of all ages. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Stover’s work. I would like to see a story about Madame Charlemagne’s life, because I think she has a few interesting skeletons in her closet. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries.
