When I started Love, Alice I knew nothing about Magdalene laundries or asylums. What a horrific place to send unwed mothers. They were like prisons only worse. Barbara Davis had to have done research and studied these dreadful places to be able to portray them so realistically in her book. I believe that once you are sent to this place it will always be part of you. Your trust, your life, and your future are shaped by having a terrible experience like being sent to a Magdalene laundry.

As Alice’s search for her baby leads her to a new place and a new world she shows how strong she really is. She learns to love the baby, Austin, she is hired to nanny, she begins to form a friendship with Austin’s mother, Gemma, and she never gives up hope of finding out what happen to her baby.

With each letter that she writes to her baby I felt like she opened up more of the positives in her life and the ability to live without her baby, although the hope of knowing where her baby is never leaves her. These letters are found by Dovie and shared with Alice’s mother. These letters are heartbreaking, honest, and full of secret thoughts and dreams. I’m not sure Alice ever thought anyone would actually read them and certainly not her mother. Yet, as a mother who has been estranged from her daughter for years they are life shattering. The strength that Dory showed being able to handle hearing the horrors that Alice went through showed the power of being a mother. The ability to put her feelings aside and want to understand her daughter made her a good mother.

I have to mention Dovie’s part in the story. After losing her fiancé to suicide she is thrown into a spiral of grief and not guilty. She spends her days sitting as his grave trying to come to terms with what her future looks like and finding the answer to why he killed himself. Dovie is the one who finds the first letter and continues to read the letters to Dory. She takes care of Dory in her failing health and helps her find the answers to the questions about Alice.


Love, Alice is a book that is full of history, devastation, and hope. It is a story of moving past the history to be able to accept and welcome the future.

Barbara is a beautiful writer and I have enjoyed her other books - this one was such an emotional plot and I felt wrapped up in the romance, but also learned about the Magdalene Laundries which was an unexpected part of the book for me. The Charleston area setting was really immersive, too.

Before you start this novel by Barbara Davis, grab a box of tissues and a glass of wine. Get comfortable because once you start, you won't put it down. You will be drawn into the story of a young woman whose fiance commits suicide, an angel statue at a South Caroline cemetery, and the woman behind the turn of events that impacted several generations.

Dovie Larkin frequently visit the cemetery where her fiance William is buried. He committed suicide two weeks before they were wed. There was no note or reasonable exception that Dovie can find. What she does find is a pair of glasses left behind at a nearby gravestone. Those glasses lead her to a series of mysterious letters left at the tombstone, which in turn lead her to a story of abandonment, love and redemption.

Davis is skilled at storytelling, and she lays out a tale that quickly grasps and holds a reader's attention. With each page, the story of Alice, her child and those left behind plays out as slender threads in an ever-growing web of mystery.. And in the end, readers will find nothing but love for "Love, Alice."

This was a good yarn! Reminds me of some of the novels I read when I was a kid when I couldn't wait to get done with school so I could finish! Very enjoyable

I'm sorry, but I won't be reviewing this book after all. I've lost interest in reading it. Thank you for the opportunity.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

All I have to say is that I am very glad I persevered. The beginning was (at least for me) very difficult, it seemed to drag on and I just was not engaged. But I kept on reading and finally I became so totally captivated it was difficult to put the book down.

Dovie visits her fiancés grave daily, trying to understand why William committed suicide a few weeks before their wedding. On this particular day, Dovie takes note of an older woman visiting the grave of Alice Tandy. This woman leaves a letter when she departs. Dovie is intrigued…so she picks up the letter and against her better judgement, takes and reads the letter.

“The right thing – the decent and respectful thing = would be to put it back where she found it. Unread. And yet the need to know what it contained continued to gnaw. What harm could there be in appeasing her curiosity, in seeking some thread of insight in the words of a fellow sufferer? The girl was dead, after all, the old woman a stranger she wasn’t likely to ever see again.”

Now Dovie wants to know the story behind the woman’s pleas for forgiveness. This leads to Dovie obtaining further letters that were at the cemeteries’ lost and found that had been written by Alice. What did all these letters say and why is Alice buried among the Tate family plots? Dovie is now hooked and will not let this go.

Along the way Dovie must work with (though reluctantly) Austin Tate. He is sponsoring a gala, which should produce much needed funding for the Charleston Museum of Cultural Arts. Handsome man, good looking woman….sparks fly. And boy do they fly. If two people could misinterpret the actions of another – it is these two. But time allows them to develop their relationship. The journey is bumpy, but well worth the read. I definitely go a good chuckle when they went for dinner at Theda’s family restaurant.

The story of Alice Tandy is told through the letters that were at the cemetery, her trials and tribulations with being an unwed mother in England in the sixties. The reader learns of the atrocities that befall a young girl when forced to live and work for the Catholic Church at the Blackhurst Asylum for Unwed Mothers (commonly referred to as the “Magdalene Laundries”), where unwed mothers were forced to work and live in horrific conditions and then give up their babies once born. I must say, the Author’s Note on this was very powerful and enlightening…so don’t skip that!

Alice makes it her mission to find her child once she is able to leave the asylum, not even knowing whether she had a boy or a girl. Alice’s letters are poignant and at times quite depressing. Alice learns which adoption agency placed her baby and embarks upon a journey that becomes her life’s mission – to find her baby. All the way to Charleston, South Carolina.

The story of Alice and her child, Dovie and her fiancés life and death, and the people in their lives (Austin, Dora, Mrs. Tate, Kristopher and Josiah) is well told and intriguing. Without giving anything away, how can people treat each other the way they do? It is a captivating read which I recommend.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

This is a beautiful story about grief and forgiveness. Dovie is a strong southern woman whose fiancée committed suicide 2 weeks before their wedding. She goes to the cemetery everyday hoping for answers and peace. She mets and befriends another mourner and they both hope to heal and move on. I haven't read anything by Barbara Davis previously but she has a wonderful style and has human characters.

Love, Alice. The words seemed to hang in the air as Dovie folded the letter and tucked it out of sight-a gift from mother to child, but also from one mother to another. Where the heart holds no grudges that the heart lets go.

Dovie spends her days at the cemetery where her fiancé William as been laid to rest. They were set to be married until for some unknown reason, he committed suicide. Without knowing why, Dovie is consumed by guilt and not knowing. Her job at the museum and her social life is hanging by a thread as she has no motivation to continue on with competence.

Her days spent at the cemetery, she has made a friend in Josie, who keeps the grounds at the cemetery and has wisdom and friendship for Dovie. While visiting, she is memorized by a sculpture that is placed by her finance's resting place. One day, she sees an older woman leaving a note at the sculpture. She is mystified and compelled to see what the note says and then begins her journey of healing. The two woman have much in common as they both lost a loved one and not knowing the details. They are drawn to each other. Dovie in helping the older woman discovers that her daughter Alice had died suddenly while looking for her long lost child while being employed by the powerful family Tate. The Tate family is now working with Dovie in raising money for the museum. The Tate family consists of Widow Tate and her son Austin whom has a reputation and seems to be fighting his own demons. With many ironies, the families come together to bring their demons to an end.

The narration is told by letters from Alice from the past to her long lost child in the future. This did not work for me. It was necessary to bring the plot together but it was unbelievable for me to connect to the characters. The plot was also predictable in that there was no mystery in William's death and the secret he was hiding. The plot does a switcheroo to keep it interesting but it was not satisfying as a read. I also have to say Dovie was a little annoying and I just had no patience for her. It just made the story a dud for me.

A Special Thank You to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

It Opens at the Close: 2016’s Women’s Fiction Best Bets
Scarlettleigh

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories.
~Kate Atkinson
For some of us the end of 2016 will be in silence—as we stay at home curled up with a great book. Others will be out painting the town red. But no matter how your year ends—with a bang or quietly—there is no doubt that we all love the stories.
And in 2016 we have had some great stories. In addition to December’s Best Bets  it’s also the time of year when we talk about the best books of 2016. Each month in the blog, I've mentioned some great books. Each are memorable in their own way. Some have charmed us–some have challenged our beliefs–and some have just entertained us. But it is the books that touch our emotions that are the most memorable. We all have friends visit and peruse our bookshelves, looking for something good to read. These are the 2016 women’s fiction books that I would pull off the shelf and say to them “you must read this – it is so good!”  
2016 Women’s Fiction Best Bets:

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
Why you should read it:
This is the perfect book for those of you, who have always wanted to be a free spirit –just a little bit bad, and a lot creative. Live vicariously as heroine Olivia Rawlings makes music and bakes her way to happiness!

The Real Liddy James by Anne-Marie Casey
Why you should read it:
There is something so appealing about a woman who seems to have it all. Liddy James handles everything with aplomb— her divorce, raising two children, and her high-powered job, but suddenly she is juggling too many balls and everything comes tumbling down. It’s empowering to watch Libby learn from her mistakes, and start anew.

We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman

Why you should read it:
This book is pure perfection. Coleman handles so many sensitive subjects with an amazingly deft hand— exploring death, ethical and martial issues. The main character helps people facing death with closure, but in her personal life, she fighting the death of her marriage.  If you looking for an emotional, touching story and yes, an uplifting story, then this is the book you must read

The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

Why you should read it:
In a word - family! In today’s modern times, it is difficult to stay close. The Charm Bracelet explores how to reconnect to those who mean the most to us. Three generation of woman learn to share their secrets and regain more than they dreamed!

The Sparrow Sisters: A Novel by Ellen Herrick
Why you should read it:

Filled with magical realism, this book is imaginative, a little bit heartbreaking, but also joyous. The New England town Granite Point has always accepted the Sparrow Sisters and all their eccentricities, but when a local tragedy happens 300-year-old fears of witches resurface. You won't be able to put this book down!

December Best Bets:

Love, Alice by Barbara Davis

The truth lies between the lines...
 
A year ago, Dovie Larkin’s life was shattered when her fiancé committed suicide just weeks before their wedding. Now, plagued by guilt, she has become a fixture at the cemetery where William is buried, visiting his grave daily, waiting for answers she knows will never come.
 
Then one day, she sees an old woman whose grief mirrors her own. Fascinated, she watches the woman leave a letter on a nearby grave. Dovie ignores her conscience and reads the letter—a mother’s plea for forgiveness to her dead daughter—and immediately needs to know the rest of the story.
 
As she delves deeper, a collection of letters from the cemetery’s lost and found begins to unravel a decades-old mystery involving one of Charleston’s wealthiest families. But even as Dovie seeks to answer questions about another woman’s past—questions filled with deception, betrayal, and heartbreaking loss—she starts to discover the keys to love, forgiveness, and finally embracing the future…
Strengths: Poignant premise; wonderful sense of karma; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love:  Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Thoughts: A truly touching read, as two people help each other heal, and ultimately find happiness.

When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her stepsister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one of her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished. 
 
Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.  
 
After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling...
 
When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...
Strengths: Red Herring mystery; Relatable character;  HEA  
Measure of Love:  Teaspoon
Mood: Upbeat 
Thoughts: Pure Escapism

Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

One admission can change your life...forever.

When ambitious grad student Kate Pearson’s handsome French “almost fiancé” ditches her, she definitely does not roll with the punches, despite the best efforts of family and friends. It seems that nothing will get Kate out of pajamas and back into the world.

Miraculously, one cringe-worthy job interview leads to a position in the admissions department at the revered Hudson Day School. Kate’s instantly thrown into a highly competitive and occasionally absurd culture, where she interviews all types of children: suitable, wildly unsuitable, charming, loathsome, ingratiating, or spoiled beyond all measure. And then there are the Park Avenue parents who refuse to take no for an answer.

As Kate begins to learn there’s no room for self-pity or nonsense during the height of admissions season or life itself, her sister and friends find themselves keeping secrets, dropping bombshells, and arguing with each other about how to keep Kate on her feet. Meanwhile, Kate seems to be doing very nicely, thank you, and is even beginning to find out that her broken heart is very much on the mend. Welcome to the world of Small Admissions.
Strengths: Multi-faceted characters; Droll and Witty Scenarios; HEA  
Measure of Love:  Teaspoon
Mood: Uplifting
Thoughts: a entertaining and feel good book!  
Wishing you a happy new year and great reading!
Learn more about or order a copy of the books mentioned in this post:
The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller


The Real Liddy James by Anne-Marie Casey


We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman


The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman


The Sparrow Sisters: A Novel by Ellen Herrick


Love, Alice by Barbara Davis


When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

Love, Alice has made such an impact on my life. It is one of those rare experiences when the book-- the characters and their stories-- stay with you far longer than the last page. I would recommend this book to anyone.