Lavender and Old Lace
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In Lavender and Old Lace, we are presented with a poignant and humorous tale of four romances along with dashes of mystery and even a touch of the supernatural.
Ruth Thorne, a newspaper reporter in the city, comes to stay in the home of Jane Hathaway, an aunt whom she has never met. Aunt Jane is on a trip abroad but instructs Ruth via a letter to place a lantern in the attic window each night. No one knows why.
A fellow reporter, Carl Winfield, is suffering from eye problems and has been sent to the same small town. Ruth and Carl are thrown together through a recommendation from Ruthβs boss and a gentle then passionate courtship ensues. In comic parallel, the maid Hepsey and the town carriage driver Joe pursue their own romance.
Meanwhile, Aunt Jane is briefly missing from the organized trip abroad and when she abruptly returns to her home β well, thatβs a revelation and another romance!
Hepsey provides a clue to the mysteries by mentioning Aunt Janeβs friendship with Miss Ainslie, a woman much beloved by the villagers and yet considered somewhat crazy. Her story and lost love holds the key to understanding everything!
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In the first decade of the 20th century, Myrtle Reed was a bestselling romance novelist, poet, cook-book writer, Chicago socialite, and philanthropist. From childhood, Myrtle suffered from obesity and avoided the taunts of neighborhood children by remaining indoors, reading and writing. Although not encouraged by her teachers, she pursued a writing career and by 1896 had many stories, articles, and poems published. She self published her first novel, Love Letters of a Musician, and after its initial run of 900 copies sold out quickly, obtained a contract with a well-known publisher.
Martha H. Weller has long been a fan of audiobooks, both as a listener and a reader with works on Audible and Librivox. She has a doctorate in French and also has a strong technical background in computer-based training and computer programming. Since her retirement from the University of Illinois (Urbana), she has had time to devote to her other passions as well: crafts and music.
