REVIEWS OF JULIA FAIRCHILD
Julia Fairchild, by Louise Gaylord was a FINALIST in
the USABOOKNEWS.COM Book Awards!
“LOUISE GAYLORD ONCE AGAIN DELIVERS A TOP-NOTCH
PAGE-TURNER WITH VIVID CHARACTERS,TIGHT PLOTLINES AND
A PROTAGONIST EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO. JULIA FAIRCHILD
IS BY FAR ONE OF GAYLORD’S BEST BOOKS.”
— USA Book News
Julia Fairchild
Book Review: Julia Fairchild by Louise Gaylord
Written by Simon Barrett
Published February 12, 2007
This is Louise Gaylord’s third novel, and as a
writer her style has matured greatly. This maturity shows
in her use of plot and character development in Julia
Fairchild. This is a very well crafted piece of work.
Set in New Mexico, we are thrust into a world that I
found reminiscent of the 1980s TV series Dallas. Instead
of revolving around the oil industry, the backdrop for
Julia Fairchild is pecan nut and chile pepper farming
in Las Cruces. This seemingly sedate and serene sounding
lifestyle is portrayed as anything but by Ms. Gaylord.
From the opening page, where our heroine is struck by
lightning, an occurrence that starts a downward spiral
of events, the reader is swept up in a web of intrigue,
lust, and bitter family feuds. The characters are sketchy
in the beginning but take on richness as the book continues,
each interaction revealing a new facet of the protagonist.
Ms. Gaylord uses her main character (after whom the
book is titled) in an interesting and from a book reviewer’s
viewpoint, novel way. Julia is not so much heroine but
more the conduit and catalyst through which the story
can unfold.
The two families involved are the Brantleys and the
Pierces. Early on we discover that there is a long-standing
animosity between these two high profile families. Page
by page we learn little dark secrets about all of the
main players, amounting to little jigsaw puzzle-sized
clues which the author uses to tantalize the reader.
All of the leading characters have skeletons in the
closet - some very old, from 30 years ago, some very
new. And all of them are disturbing.
Not wishing to reveal too much and spoil the plot, I
will instead tease you with a couple of the dark secrets
contained within the pages. There are untimely deaths,
there is adultery, there is even incest, although at
the time the participants were not aware of their shared
parent.
Slowly and surely the jigsaw puzzle starts to come together.
The interplay between the two families, and the outsiders
like Julia, starts to take on a shape. There are no winners;
there are only losers in this rather jaded view of high
society in New Mexico.
To say that this is a page-turner of a book does not
do it justice - you have to be careful that you do not
get paper cuts from turning those pages too fast! If
you are looking for a light and entertaining read, one
that has a little bit of sex, a little bit of violence,
a hint or two of true love, and a huge amount of bitterness
between characters, I recommend that you go down to your
local bookstore and pick up a copy of Julia Fairchild.
A GOOD READ FOR ANYONE WHO LOVE NOVELS WHICH BECOME
MYSTERIES.
As editor of an internet newspaper, many interesting
things come to you via e-mail, word-of- mouth, and even
the US Mail.
Just before Thanksgiving a package arrived with three
books which appeared to be novels of sorts, and all by
the same author. A letter and press kit came along with
the books to encourage me to provide a review. Hopefully
more will come because I do take interest in other writers
as well as myself.
Intently interested in wanting to know who Louise Gaylord,
the author was, I ‘googled’ her and found
her pop up on the first hit. Amazing what SEO can do.
Noting that Cedar Vista has just rolled out as a new
imprinteur for the more familiar Little Moose Press of
Beverly Hills, California, Louise's books are great additions.
Looking more closely at the author, you may want to
understand why such a wonderful lady would write mystery
novels. I learned from first look that a line of work
existed for the returning character of Allie Armington,
who was penned by Gaylord. You’ll get to know her
real name as you read.
Her three offerings for review where the newly published “Julia
Fairchild”, “X’s” an Allie Armington
Mystery” and “Anacacho”, similarly
an Allie Armington story. Armington, a sharp and successful
Texas attorney gets frequent flyer miles in Gaylord’s
novels.
“ Anacacho” attracted my eye first because
of the cover art and where the story was based. Gaylord’s
writing style is fast paced, not wordy, and the constant
dialogue has you believing you are seeing a movie instead
of reading a book. Characters are quickly introduced
through dialogue and you get the details of their character
as you read.
Anacacho, first released in hard cover, won the National
Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Mystery/ Suspense. This
should tell you something about any book written by Gaylord.
Anyone who wants something refreshing must pick up a
Louise Gaylord novel.
” X’s” takes you to the heart of the
east coast, New York City. Capturing the mood, method
of speaking, the smells, the pace and highlights of one
of America’s most dynamic city really proves Gaylord’s
ability to write in a style other than her earthy western
one and take us into a story that could be one of the
millions within that naked city. Being from the east
coast, I wanted to look at this story with the critical
eye of finding some detail that was incorrect. I could
not. Louise’s use of multiple characters to weave
a story is commendable. Continuity is invaluable with
authors as much as it is with film directors. Gaylord
keeps you apprised of each main character as they come
in and out of the story. X’s with it’s cover
art direct from Central Park will lure you into the story
that truly mixes the rough side with an even rougher
side of life in the Big Apple.
“ Julia Fairchild” mixes that bustle of
New York with the 180° opposite reality of a small
New Mexico town. Again with Gaylord being from Texas,
she masterfully mixes worlds and takes you as quickly
and smoothly to each as if you flew first class from
La Guardia to Albuquerque.
I don’t want to tell you any details of the stories
because you need to discover them for yourself. I will
say this author will gain a more national niche as book
sellers buy and distribute these novels. The cover art
alone on all three entices you pick up a copy and start
reading. Very well produced and crafted, these books
would make a special gift for anyone whom you know that
loves novels, murder mysteries, or just a good read.
There is a picture of Louise that comes with the press
kit. It depicts how I first saw and became acquainted
with the author and it is how I feel everyone should
see Louise Gaylord. Below is that picture and links to
her book’s promotional websites. Happy and worthwhile
reading awaits you with either of these there books.
— OXNARD JOURNAL BOOK REVIEW:
Author: Louise Gaylord
Publisher Cedar Vista Press
Release Date November 2006
“ LOUISE GAYLORD HAS A WAY WITH WORDS. AND WITH
CHARACTERS. AND WITH STORIES THAT JUST PULL ME IN. WHENEVER
I THINK I KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, THAT’S
WHEN I CAN COUNT ON MY NEXT SUR- PRISE.”
— Laren Bright, Emmy-Nominated Screenwriter
“ A SPELLBINDING WRITER...AT THE TOP OF HER GAME.
YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT.”
— Michael Levin, Author
|
