Julia Fairchild
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Julia
Fairchild, by Louise Gaylord was a FINALIST in
the USABOOKNEWS.COM Book Awards!
“LOUISE
GAYLORD ONCE AGAIN DELIVERS A TOP-NOTCH PAGE-TURNER
WITH VIVID CHARACTERS,TIGHT PLOTLINES AND A PROTAGONIST
EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO. JULIA FAIRCHILD IS BY
FAR ONE OF GAYLORD’S BEST BOOKS.”
— USA Book
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Book Review: Julia Fairchild by Louise Gaylord
Written by Simon Barrett
Published February 12, 2007
This is
Louise Gaylord’s third novel, and as a writer her style has matured greatly. This maturity shows
in her use of plot and character development in Julia Fairchild.
This is a very well crafted piece of work.
Set in New Mexico,
we are thrust into a world that I found reminiscent of the
1980s TV series Dallas. Instead of revolving around the oil
industry, the backdrop for Julia Fairchild is pecan nut and
chile pepper farming in Las Cruces. This seemingly sedate
and serene sounding lifestyle is portrayed as anything but
by Ms. Gaylord.
From the opening
page, where our heroine is struck by lightning, an occurrence
that starts a downward spiral of events, the reader is swept
up in a web of intrigue, lust, and bitter family feuds. The
characters are sketchy in the beginning but take on richness
as the book continues, each interaction revealing a new facet
of the protagonist.
Ms. Gaylord
uses her main character (after whom the book is titled) in
an interesting and from a book reviewer’s viewpoint, novel way. Julia is not so much heroine but more the conduit and
catalyst through which the story can unfold.
The two families
involved are the Brantleys and the Pierces. Early on we discover
that there is a long-standing animosity between these two
high profile families. Page by page we learn little dark secrets
about all of the main players, amounting to little jigsaw
puzzle-sized clues which the author uses to tantalize the
reader.
All of the leading
characters have skeletons in the closet - some very old, from
30 years ago, some very new. And all of them are disturbing.
Not wishing
to reveal too much and spoil the plot, I will instead tease
you with a couple of the dark secrets contained within the
pages. There are untimely deaths, there is adultery, there
is even incest, although at the time the participants were
not aware of their shared parent.
Slowly and surely
the jigsaw puzzle starts to come together. The interplay between
the two families, and the outsiders like Julia, starts to
take on a shape. There are no winners; there are only losers
in this rather jaded view of high society in New Mexico.
To say that
this is a page-turner of a book does not do it justice - you
have to be careful that you do not get paper cuts from turning
those pages too fast! If you are looking for a light and entertaining
read, one that has a little bit of sex, a little bit of violence,
a hint or two of true love, and a huge amount of bitterness
between characters, I recommend that you go down to your local
bookstore and pick up a copy of Julia Fairchild.
A GOOD READ FOR ANYONE WHO LOVE NOVELS
WHICH BECOME MYSTERIES.
As editor of an internet newspaper, many interesting things come to you via
e-mail, word-of- mouth, and even the US Mail.
Just before Thanksgiving a package
arrived with three books which appeared to be novels of sorts,
and all by the same author. A letter and press kit came along
with the books to encourage me to provide a review. Hopefully
more will come because I do take interest in other writers
as well as myself.
Intently interested in wanting to know
who Louise Gaylord, the author was, I ‘googled’ her and found her pop up on the first hit. Amazing what SEO can do.
Noting that Cedar Vista has just rolled
out as a new imprinteur for the more familiar Little Moose
Press of Beverly Hills, California, Louise's books are great
additions.
Looking more closely at the author,
you may want to understand why such a wonderful lady would
write mystery novels. I learned from first look that a line
of work existed for the returning character of Allie Armington,
who was penned by Gaylord. You’ll get to know her real name as you read.
Her three offerings for review where
the newly published “Julia Fairchild”, “X’s” an Allie Armington Mystery” and “Anacacho”, similarly an Allie Armington story. Armington, a sharp and successful Texas
attorney gets frequent flyer miles in Gaylord’s novels.
“ Anacacho” attracted
my eye first because of the cover art and where the story
was based. Gaylord’s writing style is fast paced, not wordy, and the constant dialogue has you believing
you are seeing a movie instead of reading a book. Characters
are quickly introduced through dialogue and you get the details
of their character as you read.
Anacacho, first released in hard cover,
won the National Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Mystery/
Suspense. This should tell you something about any book written
by Gaylord.
Anyone who wants something refreshing
must pick up a Louise Gaylord novel.
” X’s” takes
you to the heart of the east coast, New York City. Capturing
the mood, method of speaking, the smells, the pace and highlights
of one of America’s most dynamic city really proves Gaylord’s ability to write in a style other than her earthy western one and take us into
a story that could be one of the millions within that naked
city. Being from the east coast, I wanted to look at this
story with the critical eye of finding some detail that was
incorrect. I could not. Louise’s use of multiple characters to weave a story is commendable. Continuity is invaluable
with authors as much as it is with film directors. Gaylord
keeps you apprised of each main character as they come in
and out of the story. X’s with it’s cover art direct from Central Park will lure you into the story that truly
mixes the rough side with an even rougher side of life in
the Big Apple.
“ Julia Fairchild” mixes
that bustle of New York with the 180° opposite reality of a small New Mexico town. Again with Gaylord being from Texas,
she masterfully mixes worlds and takes you as quickly and
smoothly to each as if you flew first class from La Guardia
to Albuquerque.
I don’t want to
tell you any details of the stories because you need to discover
them for yourself. I will say this author will gain a more
national niche as book sellers buy and distribute these novels.
The cover art alone on all three entices you pick up a copy
and start reading. Very well produced and crafted, these books
would make a special gift for anyone whom you know that loves
novels, murder mysteries, or just a good read.
There is a picture of Louise that comes
with the press kit. It depicts how I first saw and became
acquainted with the author and it is how I feel everyone should
see Louise Gaylord. Below is that picture and links to her
book’s promotional websites. Happy and worthwhile reading awaits you with either of
these there books.
— OXNARD JOURNAL BOOK REVIEW:
Author: Louise Gaylord
Publisher Cedar Vista Press
Release Date November 2006
“ LOUISE GAYLORD HAS A
WAY WITH WORDS. AND WITH CHARACTERS. AND WITH STORIES THAT JUST
PULL ME IN. WHENEVER I THINK I KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT,
THAT’S WHEN I CAN COUNT ON MY NEXT SUR- PRISE.”
— Laren Bright, Emmy-Nominated
Screenwriter
“ A SPELLBINDING WRITER...AT
THE TOP OF HER GAME. YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT.”
— Michael Levin, Author
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