Halfway to Heaven

I was thoroughly delighted and enchanted by this romance. Susan Wiggs raises the art of the historical romance through her excellent characterizations, and weaves her tale with a perfect blend of history, humor, and heart. The main characters are intriguing, wise, obstinate, and very real. I adored Abigail as the heroine - she was intelligent, inquisitive, unique. I loved the way Jamie's story unfolds, bit by bit, rather than in a clumsy exposition like lesser writers would have succumbed to. The secondary characters are also richly drawn and add color and depth to the story. This was my first Susan Wiggs novel I've read, but it certainly won't be the last!!

Halfway to Heaven is the first book by Susan Wiggs I've read. What a treat! Her distinct style hooked me quickly, transported me back to the world of 19th century Washington, D.C. politics, and kept me turning the pages. The main characters, Abigail Cabot and Jamie Calhoun, immediately captured my heart because they were portrayed as two very human individuals whose imperfections make their story all the more believable. Lively dialogue snaps back and forth as Jamie attempts to teach the very intelligent, unconventional Abigail the social graces. All the while, they fight the growing awareness of their love for each other.With a distinct style, Ms Wiggs paints wonderful and evocative word pictures of her well-researched historical period. The detailed personalities of her engaging secondary characters add yet another level of depth. Senator Franklin Cabot, the aloft father; Helena, the shallow, but not so shallow sister; Professor Rowan, the neighborly nutty professor and object of Helena's desire; Lt. Boyd Butler, the vice president's son and Abigail's unrequited love interest; and Princess Layla, the woman who destroyed Jamie's heart. The captivating plot moves smoothly with humor. Her believable characters and their interaction draw you into the scenes with their hints of the plot twists and turns that lay ahead. The conclusion draws Jamie and Abigail's story together with a satisfying resolution and the author even promises a follow-up of Helena's story. Halfway to Heaven is an enchanting love story that will stay with you long after the final page.

Author Susan Wiggs departs from the Great Chicago Fire setting of her recent novels and takes the reader on a journey to late nineteenth century Washington. There, the reader is treated to a heart-warming romance and a bird's -eye view of the politics of the times. Miss Abigail Cabot, daughter of Senator Franklin Cabot, seems to be an utter social failure, always causing some disastrous event at important gatherings. At a recent wedding, her deformed foot nearly gave way just as the scoundrel, Virginia Congressman, Jamie Calhoun, rescued her. Charmer Jamie notices Abby's adoring gaze falling on Lieutenant Boyd Butler, son of the vice-president. But Boyd has eyes only for the beauteous Helena, Abby's sister. As Abby agrees to pen Helena's letters to Boyd, she discloses her heart's innermost feelings, and Boyd falls in love with the letter-writer. Jamie decides to aid Abby in transforming herself into someone desirable by Boyd, even as Jamie shows interest in her studies of astronomy. Jamie's friendship with Abby blossoms, even as he needs to convince himself that he is only acting in his self-interest -to attain the support of Senator Cabot for anti-railroad legislation. Rounding out this intelligent romance are supporting characters such as Professor Rowan, neighborly nutty professor and object of Helena's desire as well as Princess Layla, the woman who had chipped away at Jamie's heart. Ms. Wiggs has set her romance apart from the rest as she alludes to the secrets in Jamie and Abby's hearts that they must unravel as the surface tension between the two leads to a deeper emotion. In a genre where beauty is often paramount, Abby and Jamie's view into each other's souls is augmented only by their support of each other's most passionate causes. For a lovely lyrical read, Ms. Wiggs' latest creation is not to be missed.

Susan Wiggs is one of the few authors I read without consulting reviews, without worrying if her latest effort will simply follow the hackneyed plotlines of traditional romance, becoming predictable and two-dimensional. I was excited to find her newest creation in the bookstore yesterday afternoon, started it on the train ride home, and finished it before midnight that night - I just couldn't put it down. I was so completely drawn into the evolution of her characters that I managed to forget reality, if only for a few hours. What's more, I really fell in love with both the hero and the heroine, so much that I really cared about what befell them as the storyline progressed. It was wonderful to mark the progress the heroine makes as she grows, as she learns more about herself, and I fell in love with the hero over and over again with each evidence of his enduring faith in this girl, despite her lack of self esteem, despite her lack of obvious beauty, despite his own lost faith in himself and in love. Instead of painting him as the perfect hero, Wiggs instead makes him human, and through his actions and his faithfulness to others, we see him as heroic and redeemed. Morever, this book illustrates an important lesson: how important it is to believe in yourself, and how that elusive self-confidence is really what distinguishes the popular from the wallflowers, more than simple aesthetics. We see the evolution of the heroine from shrinking, bedraggled violet to the confident, unfurled rose. On a side note, Wiggs deftly inserts a subplot, involving the heroine's sister, without detracting from the overall plot (a worthy feat in itself). I gleefully expected a setdown for the sister, for her self-absorption and lack of support for the heroine, only to completely reverse my sympathies, as the author revealed more. The sister was not the only character for which I experienced this fluctuation of emotions; with the heroine's first love interest (the only plotline which Wiggs seems to recycle frequently, but with great skill so that it doesn't grow too old), I was prepared to hate him, then admired him for his ability to fall in love with heroine through words and not just appearances, and then fell OUT of love with him, but with no hard feelings, as they both realize the superficiality of their feelings. All in all, these transitory relationships were very well drawn, with a sense of flow, yet not diverting the reader's attention from the main protagonists. Meanwhile, I eagerly anticipate the next book, as I want to know what will befall the sister. This book reminded me of how much I enjoy this genre, for its belief in second chances, in life, in love. A truly fresh perspective on the well-trodden but rocky path of falling in love, one that was thoroughly absorbing and well-written. Read it, if only for the opportunity to travel to another dimension, away from the harshness of reality and current events, where people believe in each other, in love, and in a

In the late nineteenth century, everyone in the highest circles of DC social life knows that Abigail Cabot, though a senator?s daughter, is a weirdo. Unlike debutantes her age including her sister, Abigail prefers astronomy to balls. However, her feelings change when she meets Lieutenant Boyd Butler III. She wants him with all her heart, but he has no interest in her. DC?s most eligible bachelor, Senator Jamie Calhoun, needing her father?s help, promises to assist Abigail in getting her man. Something weird happens to Abigail and Jamie. They fall in love, but he refuses to believe in such a wasted emotion and she is confused over her former infatuation for the lieutenant and her sudden desire to only be with Jamie. Readers will think they journeyed to nineteenth century upper class Washington society with the depth inside Susan Wiggs? strong historical romance. The story line is fascinating mostly because the cast brings alive an engaging period of America?s past. The lead couple is a charming duet who struggle with his and her respective growing awareness of love for one another. HALFWAY TO HEAVEN takes the audience all the way to readers heaven with another winning novel from Ms. Wiggs.Harriet Klausner