In a small southern town, a young woman is released from prison with the understanding that she is on parole and expected to refurbish a mural for the town that was done years ago by an elusive painter. Interesting plot that became more engaging as the book continued. Very involved story line that unfolds with hidden secrets and stereotypical characters.

Tales of arrangement, marriage and love written by three different authors. These stories are all featuring characters of strength and resilience in 1800’s England. Solid female characters highlight the stories as they face marriage by arrangement with unexpected results. The authors also have many first chapters of some of their other books for readers to sample.

Women representing every decade in a small town in Missouri, meet together to confess something that they have done. A particularly interesting story line to me is about a single member and her new friendship with a homeless man. This book has are many different story lines that I know will appeal to each reader. Elizabeth Berg is a talented author who takes ordinary people with simple lives and weaves their story into a dramatic and emotional tale. This book gets five stars for readability and realistic plots. I loved it!

A new tale highlighting a group of women traveling west to become brides for California gold miners. An eclectic group of women leave Chicago in 1852, most trying to escape their past. I found the story to lean heavily on stereotypes to try to create every kind of personality that one might expect in that time.