Readers Will Long Remember this Book:
Having just finished another of LaVyrle Spencer's books (HUMMINGBIRD), I wasn't really in the mood for the quiet, quaint story of MORNING GLORY. HUMMINGBIRD, also a Rita Winner (see below), is a boisterous, breezy book; it is hard to imagine that MORNING GLORY was written by the same author.
However, by page 10, I was hooked; this story curls into your mind and heart, like the morning glory vine. Readers looking for high drama will be disappointed (until the end); this is a gentle story that I will remember for a long time.
Elly Dinsmore and Will Parker are two throw-aways living in the late Depression years and into the early years of World War II. Will has recently been released from Huntsville Prison (in Texas) and is drifting, looking for a place that will allow him to stay for more than a day or two. Times are hard and strangers are viewed with suspicion.
Elly was labeled "Crazy Elly" long ago, by the citizens and children of Whitney, Georgia. She met a young man who did not think she was crazy and eventually they married. However, Glendon died in an accident and left Elly with two small boys and 5 months pregnant. She advertises for a husband!
Spencer captures small-town America; the community has plenty of eccentric characters. One of my favorites was Gladys Beasley, the town's librarian. A simple act of kindness enriches her life in ways she could never have imagined. This is a beautiful story - certainly beyond my powers to describe adequately.
Spencer's RITA Winners
The Endearment (1982) ** Rita Award 1983
Hummingbird (1983) ** Rita Award 1984
The Gamble (1984) ** Rita Award 1988
Twice Loved (1984) ** Rita Award 1985
Morning Glory (1989) ** Rita Award 1990
