Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

That was about my reaction when my oldest read Sarah, Plain and Tall, and loved it, and wanted ‘the next one.’  I knew that Skylark existed, and so that one went on hold for her, but when further investigation on Goodreads showed FIVE books in the series, I was floored.  How did I not know about this?  Because I love Patricia MacLachlan, and I LOVE Sarah, Plain and Tall.  And now that I know about the other three books, I’ve been getting them (one at a time) for my oldest, waiting until she’s done, and then reading each one before taking it back to the library.  She just finished More Perfect Than the Moon (#4), and so while feeding and burping the baby this afternoon, I took the time to run through it myself.

Here’s my confession–I didn’t love it quite as much as I loved the first three, but I can’t decide if that’s because it wasn’t quite as good or because of the subject matter.  This one is about Cassie, Sarah’s biological daughter, and her reaction to her parents’ announcement that a new baby is coming.  She is determined that she won’t talk to or look at the ‘terrible baby,’ and simultaneously worried that her mama will die in childbirth like her half-siblings’ mother.  How she works through this–during the course of her mother’s pregnancy–might just be every bit as good of a story as the book’s three predecessors; for somewhat obvious reasons, however, the plot was less appealing to me.  The book is still thoughtfully written and enjoyable, though, so I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and chalk my reaction up to poor timing.

It happens.