Review: The House on Olive Street by Robyn Carr

First line: Elly sensed something was wrong immediately, but since she was not a woman who lived by her instincts, she did nothing.

From the back cover: The loss of their close friend draws four women together. And a summer spent sorting through personal effects offers the perfect challenge – and the perfect escape.

Sable – her bestselling novels have made her a star, but the woman who has everything, in fact, has nothing but a past she is desperate to hide.

Elly – the intellectual who has hidden herself within the walls of academia, afraid to admit she is tired of being alone.

Barbara Ann – the talent behind twenty-six romance novels wakes up one day to discover she’s lost control of her career, her sanity and her family.

Beth – her popular mysteries have become the only way she can fight against the secret tyranny of an abusive husband.

In the house on Olive Street, away from their troubles, the four women discover something marvelous: themselves. And along the way they realize a dream. For, in telling the story of a remarkable woman, their own lives begin to change.

My thoughts: I loved this story – it was sweet and heart-felt and I was totally hooked from the very beginning. It is filled with women’s friendships, love and family. Each character is well-constructed and multi-dimensional – you feel as if you’ve known them for a long time. Elly, Sable, Barbara Ann, and Beth are drawn together by the death of their friend Gabby. All four women are writers, and all four women are experiencing difficulties in their lives. As they spend the summer sorting through Gabby’s personal papers, they come together in friendship and support. Each character has a secret and until they can each admit to the truth in their lives, they cannot move on. It is a story that shows the importance of meaningful friendships and how women can empower not only themselves, but each other. This is the first book I have read by Robyn Carr and I am definitely going to be looking into her other books!

(I purchased this book.)