Dorothy Garlock (1929–2018)

"Mother Road" by Dorothy Garlock takes place between 1932-1933 in rural Oklahoma, along Route 66. This is the first novel by Dorothy Garlock that I have read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say that "Mother Road" was an enjoyable read. I love reading historical fiction, and this novel did not disappoint! Ms. Garlock did an astounding job with the plot in this novel. It kept my attention and was easy to follow. The characters were well developed and came across as realistic. I've show more never traveled Route 66, so I also appreciated the details provided by Ms. Garlock.
The only reason that I did not give this novel 5 stars, is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed.
If you are looking for an enjoyable fictional read about Route 66 during the 1930's, I would recommend this novel. show less

Bad boys. Why are they so tempting, so intriguing? Each generation of parents tend to forget the lesson 'the tighter you hold on, the more irresistible your kids will find the inappropriate'. Such is the case in Dorothy Garlock's The Nearness of You.
Set in the small town of Harpers Crossing, NY in 1952, Lily Denton longs for the excitement of NYC. Her overprotective father keeps her close however, holding tight after the death of her mother. Boone Tatum is a well traveled, accomplished show more photographer, and trouble with a capital 'T'. An assignment is sleepy Harpers Crossing is a punishment. Lily and Boone cross paths at the Fall Festival where he takes her photograph.
As the story unfolds and I was immersed further I realized although set in 1952 so many themes are universal. Dorothy Garlock really does a beautiful job weaving a story of coming of age, love, loss, identity, family, community, the complicated messy, beauty of life. She manages to do this in a way that is uncomplicated, unfussy, unhurried. That's a good book. I really enjoyed this and recommend.
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions. show less

I wanted to like this one. I really did. A post-war romance in which Lily is a sheltered young woman who works as a librarian in a small town in upstate New York who bumps into a photographer from Life magazine. There's also a sub-plot with some thieves who get entangled with Lily and Boone (the photographer). The initial section of the novel was fine but then it descended into cloying cliche and insta-romance and I couldn't make myself care enough to finish it, even though I'd read over 200 show more pages. Might be worth recommending to those who enjoy gentle romance but it was not for this reader. show less

Wow, I think for the first time in a while I'm done with a book that has just left me in awe. I loved this one.

I almost immediately was connected with Sophie, through the entire book I could feel her emotions. Fear, love, disgust, happiness, longing this book has it all. And it's not just Sophie that I connected with. I loved Cole and was almost as attached to him as I was Sophie. The other main characters (the bad guys) were also just as well written, and although I didn't want to connect show more to the bad guys I think I did anyway.

The story takes off with a bang (almost literally) and while there was a short lull in the action it really keeps you going. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, and I didn't have to wait long to find out. The ending to the story was a bit predictable, but the path taken to get there was anything but. I couldn't have imagined some of the twists until the happened.

This was such an easy book for me to get lost in. I was so connected with what was going on I could see it as if I were right there in the story.

I'm surprised I've never heard of Dorothy Garlock, as she's written many titles, but I'm glad I've found her. I will be picking up more from her in the future. I have a lot of catching up to do with her... show less