The Diary

by: Eileen Goudge

Published by: Vanguard Press (April release)

Reviewed by Beth Cummings

Prolific author of women’s fiction, Eileen Goudge has based this sweet little novel on an old story from her own parent’s background. It is truly a romantic story that reminded me in some ways of Robert Waller’s novel, The Bridges of Madison County. The stories are not really similar, but the romanticism certainly is.

In this novel, Elizabeth Marshall is living in a long-term care facility following a massive stroke–and non-responsive. Her adult daughters, Sarah and Emily, are cleaning out the family home when they come across an old diary of their mother’s from the year before she was married. Curious, they begin to read it and find that their mother had fallen deeply in love with a man named AJ from her hometown. But AJ was not their deceased father’s name. Who was this person? Did their father ever know about him? Perplexed by the discovery, they continue to read the entries. In doing so, they find aspects of their mother’s personality that they had rarely, if ever, known.

Although a bit predictable in their actions, the characters in this book are likeable. The touching way in which the daughters react to revelations about their mother’s past feels like true emotions. Their mother is unable to verify or deny their assumptions. It isn’t until after she is gone that they find the answers to the questions the diary poses for them.

I enjoyed the book. It probably isn’t great literature, but it would be a wonderful book for the beach or an airplane flight. I’m sure that Eileen Goudge fans will love it, as would fans of women’s fiction.

Armchair Interviews says: A very nice read.

Author’s Web site: http://www.EileenGoudge.com