The House on Olive Street »

"A fellow writer asked me, 'Who is your villain?' And I realized that in the work I do, I don't have villains — I have issues. And that's exactly why women's fiction knows no limits," says author Robyn Carr. "I'm naturally drawn to strong, capable female characters, and when I begin a story I ask myself, 'What is she up against?' I try to write about issues that every woman faces at some point in her life, without ever losing sight of the basic sense of humor that helps us all through hard times."

Four women writers are drawn together by the death of their longtime friend and fellow author, Gabby Marshall. Living together for the summer in Gabby's house on Olive Street, and working to complete Gabby's unfinished manuscript, they struggle with their own secrets and discover strengths they never realized they had.

Publishers Weekly

When novelist Gabby Marshall dies, she leaves a letter asking her four closest friends, all writers, to organize her literary remains. In the process, they take refuge from their own lives in Gabby's cozy home in Sacramento, Calif. Unsentimental spinster Elly fears her highbrow friends won't accept her suitor, Ben, a loving but unsophisticated farmer. Bestselling Sable escapes the sudden exposure of her tarnished past; Beth is leaving an abusive husband; Barbara Ann is running away from a home full of slovenly men. Introductory chapters are slow, but once the protagonists move into their "halfway house for insane women" the book comes to life. The women's feisty, bluntly honest exchanges ring with credibility and charm; the minor characters that eddy around them--Barbara Ann's lovably clueless husband; Ceola, the late Gabby's pistol-toting mom--are drawn with deftness and affection. Though conventional in outline, Carr (Mind Tryst) offers a well-written, warm-hearted story and a genuinely fun read. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.