This is another earlier book,1983,but, if it weren't for the lack of cell phones and computers ,it could be taking place right now. Lynne Craig,who does television documentaries, comes home from an assignment to find her husband has committed suicide for unknown reasons. Bereft,she moves to Connecticut and tries to resume her life as a widow. Diana, the woman who narrates her documentaries, and she are trying to get the network to do a show on rape. The producers are fighting this as they do not feel it will generate enough interest and keep assigning lesser pieces to Lynn.She, in the meantime,develops a fondness for John,the young handyman who does work for her,who is writing a novel in his spare time. Their relationship develops into an intimate one, more meaningful for John than for Lynn. She is also involved with an older retired businessman,Ross,and is emotionally torn over her conflicting feelings. The troubles at the network become more involved and Diana's disappearance,just at the crucial time of possibility for their rape show realizing fruition,throws everything into a turmoil.The ultimate resoloution of the situation and Lynne's decision bring a final turning point to this well-written, very engrossing book. Charlotte Vale Allen is never at a loss for a riviting plot. Her characters are always alive and you can love or hate them as much as people you know. This is a wonderful book for now.

This is my 8th novel by Ms Vale Allen and I am planning to read them all if I live long enough. This was written in 1978, which may be among her very early works and I believe it is my very favorite. It is the stormridden saga of an unusual family, it is really the story of the baby, Glenn, the little sister who spends her life looking for true love. Her parents, Lisette and Ray, are a poet and a tv producer or star. They figure early on and produce these 3 very talented children but bow out rather quickly. All the characters in this book deserve their own book. The oldest daughter, Gaby, isn't very likeable but produces a wonderful son who goes on to do great things. Remember this was written in 1978 and Ms. Vale Allen had some good foresight in what Corey undertakes. Then there is Dana, the writer, very successful and worth knowing. He has some special problems which are fixed in the end. I guess they could be termed "fixed".. But, you can't help loving and identifying with Glenn, a gifted artist and a writer, who finds love after all even though things seem rough in the interim. I suspect Ms. Vale Allen is an artist in her own right as I have just finished Painted LIves in which art figures prominently. I wish I could write like this.

This book and Matters of the Heart are both set in England during the Second World War. They couldn't, however, be more different. That is not to say that Matters of the Heart is, in any way, an inferior book--rather, it's just profoundly, completely different. Memories (like Leftover Dreams) deals with a pair of sisters. But that's where the similarities end. Dealing with two generations of women and ably demonstrating how the "sins" of the mother are often visited on the child, the mother in this case is as much a victim of the times as she is of an oddly disaffected husband. I loved this book; it is one of my favorites. It covers a lot of time and a lot of territory (London, Switzerland, Toronto, Connecticut) and conveys a wonderful sense of time and place. Again, Allen avoids the convenient happy ending and goes for something far more honest--another example of a woman finding herself. No one writes about the interior lives of women as honestly or as effectively as this author does. And Memories is a prime example of Allen in peak form. Just a terrific book!

This is a novel so grounded in painful, yet humorous, reality that it is positively gripping. Following the separate paths of Caley Burrell and Martin Maddox, the reader travels along with the two central characters, waiting for that moment when their paths intersect. And when they do, the physically shattered Caley and the recovering alcoholic Martin are funny and touching and tentative. This is a book about losses and about the possibility of small gains; it's about how fate will send you flying through the windowshield of a car, causing you to become horribly disfigured; it's about how an alcoholic can lose everyone he loves, regain them, get sober, and, even then, having done everything right, suffer unthinkable losses. That these two unlikely people find each other is surprising, and wonderful, and completely believable. A lovely, thoughtful book that delves far below the surface to find what is really important, really valuable, in human interchange. Don't miss this! It's a gem.

From a small girl, Beatrice Crain is one smart cookie. She has the gift to dance, and dance she does! She proved herself and went on to become a professional dancer and even made movies. Her dancing partner, Bobby Bradley is also a good dancer, but has a bit of a struggle finding himself in the beginning. This book is definitely about love, finding it and keeping it. I don't think Charlotte Vale Allen has written a bad book, at least none that I've found.

Margot is young, vibrant, and outgoing. She meets Paul at a party and is charmed by his attentions. After marrying quickly, Margot realizes too late that she has made a mistake. She proceeds to endure the consequences which affect both herself and her family. What follows is a powerful character study of how Margot chooses to deal with the violence and abuse, escape from it, and try to find her own self once again. Charlotte Vale Allen is a wonderful writer and you will find yourself having "mixed emotions" as you become immersed in the different characters and situations.

I read this book in two days.It was wonderful.I could feel the physical and emotional pain that Margot experienced at the hands of her husband.My stomach would acturally knot up when Paul walked into the room.Margot's fear is pertrayed in such a way that it becomes so real to the reader.

I loved the old man,Claude, and the way he and Margot related to each other. I wish Cameron's character had been developed more in debt.I was never sure of how he was going to handle a situation.

The ending was spectacular.The reader feels the struggle Margot goes through to cross over the barrier of fear she has built around herself.

This is one of Charlotte Vale Allen's earlier books and,if you have not yet read it, I highly recommend it. Margot meets Paul at a party and is immediately smitten by his charm. After a brief courtship they marry in haste. It is only then that Margot realizes that Paul is not the person she thought he was. He becomes abusive and Margot is shattered by his change. Carefully planning her escape, she leaves all behind and starts anew in another city as a maid to Cameron and his father,Claude. Still fearful and haunted by her past with Paul,she slowly emerges as the person she once was and changes the lives of the people she is now with.As always,Charlotte's characters come to life.It is one of her great talents to make all of the people she writes about real. You can almost feel the pain that Margot suffered from Paul and live vicariously thru her;following her to her new life as if it were your own.Charlotte Vale Allen writes with such feeling and emotion that you become completely involved in her stories.

While the main character in this book is a bit far-fetched, it was still an interesting book because it presents a few unexpected twists and turns. Which makes for more realistic charactacters and an excellent choice of reading material.

I absoulutely loved this book and couldn't wait to read the one after (Another Kind of Magic). Wynne Shipton is an author, writing under her father's name, finds a man she absolutely adores, who brings out all the feelings she has hidden inside herself for so many years. Wynne was forced to sign over her infant daughter at an early age to her husband Edward, who was very over-bearing, and the daughter grew up thinking her mother had died. Another Kind of Magic continues on with the story of Wynne coming to grips with letting go all her covered up feelings, wanting to see her daughter, wondering if she'd hate her if she found out her mother wasn't dead. Charlotte writes with so much feeling - she doesn't miss a beat! This book was written in the late 70's and is so "up to date" in the year 2001!

I thought the book was very good, although a bit unbelievable in parts. Jessica was the one you were cheering for, and Tilly wasn't, but by the end, you wanted them both to be happy, so you find yourself cheering for them both. If you have a rainy afternoon or just want to spend the day in bed with a good book, this is an excellent choice.

Although this book was written in 1980, if you are a Charlotte Vale Allen fan, it would be well worth your time to read it.I found this to be a very powerful book and was quite moved by it.It starts during the depression when Jessie and Tillie's formerly wealthy father dies,leaving them penniless. Jessie, at eighteen, has promised her father she would always care for twelve year old Tillie.What follows are Jessie's sad attempts to earn enough money to care for both of them. Tillie thwarts her early attempts and they run to Canada to try to establish a new life. A truck driver,Rene', takes them most of the way and plays a major positive role in Jessie's life throughout the book. They establish a new life in Toronto, where Jessie becomes a call girl to give Tillie the decent life she wants her to have. Tillie, in the meantime,turns into an ungrateful,selfish person,forcing her way into peoples' lives ,creating destruction along the way. Jessie's life takes an entirely different direction when she marries a wealthy busiman and has a family. A tragedy seperates the sisters, and they both face different kinds of problems in their lives,leaving them seperated for years.Events played out with both women create changes in them,making Jessie stronger and more positive about herself.Tillie faces a serious problem ,which forces her to look strongly at herself, realizing what she has been to others, and effects a major change.In addition to Jessie and Tillie,there are Sandy,Press,Flora,the children and,of course,Rene'.They are all so well developed you feel you know them well. This is a wonderful book, which leaves a "feel good" feeling when you have finished it.

I found it hard to believe that Charlotte Vale Allen let this sexual abuse by her father continue until she was 18 years old. By that time, she certainly knew it was wrong. For that reason, I did not like this book.

Although this book was written two decades ago, it is still a ground-breaking memoir. In fact, it was the first book on sexual abuse I had ever read. As a victim myself, Vale Allen's voice helped me realize my feelings were normal, I wasn't to blame and that I could make something of myself.
Vale Allen uses her skills as a novelist to reveal her life-altering experience in surprisingly entertaining way.
Unfortunately all these years later, there are too many new victims. I hope Daddy's Girl will help them as it helped me.

Of all the books written on the subject of child abuse, this book (one of the very first published) stands alone as a singular accomplishment. It is honest and insightful, yet never overly graphic. The author brings her considerable writing talent to bear on her reflection of how years of abuse shaped her as an adult and a parent. Never bitter, never placing blame, Charlotte Vale Allen offers a potent look at the insidious permanent effects of her childhood experience. It is a gracious, heartfelt autobiography in which the author not only never names her parents but, in many ways, offers an understanding of the family dynamics at play that is nothing less than remarkable. To read her fiction and then to read this book is to see a very full portrait of a woman with the heart of a lion and a powerful gift of insight into the behavior, not only of others but also of her own self--past and present. It is the definitive book to read in order to comprehend how an extraordinary child coped with an ongoing horror and yet emerged to take what she'd learned and turn it to the good by writing books that always offer viable explanations for what is, so often, inaccessible to most of us. In its own right, Daddy's Girl is a quiet masterpiece.

The arrival of a new Charlotte Vale Allen book is always a treat! One following so close on the heels of Parting Gifts makes it a double treat. One cannot get too many of her books and this is another one that is a joy to read. Grace Notes takes us into the 21st Century with computers,the internet and emails playing the major role in this book.I will not reiterate the story line as doing so would only replicate what has preceded this.I will only add that she deals with both rheumatoid arthritis and spousal abuse with great knowledge. Ms. Allen's talent with character development is unsurpassed and she more than excells in this book. Grace Loring,her protagonist,is so real she almost leaves the book and joins you. Her brother,Gus;her daughter,Nicky;her dear friend,Vinnie; even Dolly and Lucia,her salaried help,are so totally dimensional it is difficult to see them as fictional characters. The only shadowy character is Stephanie Baine,but since she is manifested on email - a cyber person - she remains one dimensional. Only close to the end is she developed fully. Ms. Allen has written another fast-paced book that is highly readable. It builds in suspense to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. It is a great book,a great read, and she has done it again! After reading this book you may never fully trust your emails.

Charlotte Vale Allen has written another powerful book titled Grace Notes. The characters are believable. Grace is a writer, but it's not a book about writing. The book shows how things can go wrong, awfully wrong, and the ending will shock you. I love suspense and this book has lots of tension. I found myself reading until the wee hours of the morning. It's a modern day story and there's something for everyone, even a gay character shown in proper light.

I don't review the plot as that's really cheating. I guarantee you that you'll want to curl up and enjoy Grace Notes from cover to cover. I did. Once, a chill crawled up my spine. I won't tell you what page. That doesn't matter. There's as much love in the book as everything else as well. I found Grace Notes both rewarding and gripping.

Once again, Ms. Allen's characters are true to life. If you want the fantasy world, rent a Walt Disney movie. Ms. Allen tells it how it is in real life with all the elements of day-to-day living.

It's interesting to note that in the book Grace is a well known writer that welcomes readers to contact her. On her website (www.charlottevaleallen.com), Ms. Allen declares the same thing.

Grace Notes involves the internet and emails and love and pain and much more. The emails become another character and it's interesting to see something not really concrete become a major character. It shows how the internet plays a major role in a lot of people's day to day lives.

There's as much seriousness to this book as there is tension (gripping tension!). But there's parts that made me laugh and some parts were very, very sad. Charlotte Vale Allen understands life and in Grace Notes has written a book about real people and a dark situation that could easily happen.

My only advice is NOT to take this book to bed with you if you have to get up early. You'll find yourself reading "just more chapter" and then another and then another.

Grace Notes is a major treat for Charlotte Vale Allen fans. New readers will enjoy how she spins a web and gets the reader caught up from the opening page. Each book she writes is different. I've read many of her books and enjoy them greatly.

I highly recommend Grace Notes in all regards.

I didn't expect the book to be so serious and thought provoking. From the back cover it sounded like a mystery but in reality it was about the life of an abused woman who escaped and ended up taking care of her beloved crippled brother. I actually enjoyed the book very much and it taught me a lot and made me think. The ending was odd and a little abrupt but I'm glad it had a conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone who has had it rough.