By: Donna Mumma
Jodi's copy, paperback 298 pages plus author's note and acknowledgements
Published: 2025
Genre: historical Christian fiction
This is a sequel to The Women of Wynton's and I still really liked the main characters - Vivien, Mirette, Audrey, Gigi, Mary Jo, with the additions of Libby and Immogene. I am not a huge fan of all the descriptions of beautiful clothing, but that may be either because I can't really visualize it well or I just don't care about fashions.
Page 9: Kind words trampled down wrath. And truth set folks free.
Miss Vivien is dealing with a bridezilla and choosing diplomacy. I love how she handled Mary Hadley and her mother, but I dislike mean, snotty people. (I was always incensed by Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie.)
Page 57: Unless they worked at Wynton's, Coloreds weren't allowed in the store without a note from a white employer.
Throughout the book, Mumma uses historically accurate information like this (1950s in the South) but it is still jarring to read about characters like Immogene and Lilla being treated so poorly for their race.
Page 66: Mary Jo traced her finer along the curlicue pattern on the Formica tabletop. She was ashamed to admit what she was about to tell Miss Vivien. But if she didn't, she feared her head or her heart were going to shatter from the pain of it.
"Sometimes when I'm driving to the store after dropping the girls off at school, I play around with the idea to keep driving. Maybe find a new place to live where no one wants something from me."
I felt this! Poor Mary Jo, with an ill father, a nagging critical mother, a depressed husband, two daughters, and a job . . . I have wanted to run away from my own life when under a lot of stress. I'm glad she confided in Miss Vivien.
Page 70: The truth in his words pulled at her heart as she forced herself not to wince when he worked harder than usual to remove his breakfast from the bag. Nelson's aging seemed to have sped up in the past few weeks, and she'd been so preoccupied she'd failed to see.
There was less of the Audrey / Nelson interaction in this book, but I love that she continued to bring him coffee and a pastry each day. He was a black garage attendant and she was basically second-in-command at Wynton's.
Page 80: She's been tasked with pushing the scent-of-the-day at the store, and three times those brands sold out in a single day.
I love that Gigi was so successful in Cosmetics! I don't like that she was treated like garbage by the other "girls" and by her boss Jane, though.
Page 88: "Even if you were, I've reached the age where I'm too old to care."
Miss Vivien is definitely the hero of this story. It's not just age; wisdom plays a role in her attitude. As bad as things got, I'm glad she trusted in the Lord and had good friends at her side. She made this comment in response to Mary Jo telling her that she and Gigi hadn't been gossiping about Vivien.
Page 156: "Do not talk about Kenny like that again."
Yay! Mary Jo finally stood up to her verbally abusive mother. She was struggling with being obedient to the Lord's Commandment to honor one's father and mother, but her mother pushed too far. The relationship between Mary Jo and Kenny was one of the very best storylines in the book.
Page 199: What had she done to cause all this? She'd prayed hundreds of times these past weeks for the answer so she could make amends and stop this madness. None came, and now dread filled her from the moment she awoke until the moment her brain stopped spinning at night and she slipped into fitful sleep. Every day she had to worry about which of her brides was next on this killer's list.
Poor Miss Vivien! Someone murdering young brides and leaving clues pointing directly to her. It kept getting worse.
Page 246: Vivien scanned the group. Most of her friends were on their feet, talking amongst themselves or trading comments across the room with one another. Those who sat with their heads down and hangs in their laps pained her the most. They disagreed with the call for her ousting, stayed out of the fray, and would not join in the soft mudslinging.
They also remained silent.
This really struck me because of what's happening in Minneapolis right now. I don't mean to stay silent, but I'm not sure how to speak up in a Christ-honoring and constructive way. I'm horrified by the violence of the ICE agents and the tactics being used by our government to try to rewrite reality. This country was built by immigrants! We're all from immigrants! This is despicable and I don't want to stay silent and just watch it happen.
Page 269: The best part of their nightly talks was their conversations went off in any direction and nothing was off-limits. Daddy had once told her discussing religion or politics was the best way to lose a friend, but she and Mirette had talked, argued, agreed, laughed, cried, and at times stopped speaking to one another over everything under the sun.
I love friendships like this! It's nice to have a safe space to talk about what you're thinking and feeling.
I enjoyed the book but guessed the killer early. I had a few alternate theories, but it was as obvious as it seemed. I look forward to book club tonight and appreciate the loan of the book! (I had tried all four library systems I typically use and also looked on MNLink. No dice and I didn't want to buy it.)
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