Recently Jennifer, our editor here at 5 Minutes for Books, sent me a pitch for a new book by author Nicole Baart, The Beautiful Daughters. The author’s name sounded familiar and I knew I’d reviewed something else by her, but I couldn’t place it. After all I’ve reviewed over 200 books in my five years as a reviewer, and it’s impossible to remember every one without some reminders.
When I re-read the review I wrote for Baart’s first novel, Sleeping in Eden, I was immediately taken back to the time and place I read the book. I was in California for a business trip, and could clearly see the hotel courtyard, the couch in my room, the Italian restaurant where I got lost in the story. It was June, and I could feel the warm California sun, taste the clam chowder, hear the sounds of the street musicians.