Review: Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser

Publisher: NAL Trade
Genre:Fiction
Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Book Source: FSB Associates

From Amazon.com:

Nestled in the Northwest is a quaint little town that its quirky residents are proud to call home. With charming shops lining its one main thoroughfare, Lumby is home to the oldest apple tree in the county and the smallest bank in the state. And though it's hours from the nearest big city, readers will always find Lumby close to their hearts.

When Mark and Pam Walker, a vacationing couple from the East Coast, decide to restore Lumby's ramshackle Montis Abbey and turn it into an inn, it takes a while for the locals to warm up to them. Especially the irascible William Beezer, owner of The Lumby Lines-the newspaper "worth the paper it's printed on." At every turn, he tries to hinder the Walkers' efforts. But the couple soon learns that for every citizen like William, there are many more willing to lend a hand-and that Lumby isn't just a place, it's a way of life.

My Thoughts:

What an adorable book! Truly! This was a cute, feel good, warm hearted story, which is something I don't read very often. I don't know why, I just don't. Maybe because most of them sound trite. This one didn't.

Mark and Pam Walker decide to chuck it all and follow their dream, which is something I can support. (I would do mine tomorrow if I could.) They love and support each other, and are all around good decent people. Normal people if you will.

The town of Lumby is what one thinks of when you say small town. Everyone knows one another and they are suspicious of outsiders, which is understandable. However, given time the residents of Lumby come around to welcoming the Walkers. The Walkers made a big change and Lumby doesn't exactly embrace change, but the two come together in the end.

The writing in this book was wonderful. I was able to picture Lumby for the beautiful scenic town that it is. The residents are quirky and their actions are just what one would expect to find in a small town. They made me chuckle. Every so often, Fraser also includes the list of calls and complaints the Lumby Sheriff's Office receives. These little one liners enhance and reinforce the story of this small town. Fraser has created quite the little community here in the Northwest. I would definitely pay them a visit of they were real.

This book is the first in a series about the town of Lumby and its residents. You can be sure I'll be reading the next one in the series. Click here to visit the author's website to learn more.

[edit cause I forgot!]]
My Rating: 95/100. I really enjoyed this book and read through it so quickly that I was mad at myself for having done so.

2010 Challenges Met: 100+

Thank you to FSB Associates for my review copy.