Riggs Park

Thank you,Ellyn, for putting into a story what many women have experienced. I could relate to the characters in this book. For years my group of 8 female friends, the Magnolias,met for Saturday morning coffee. Yes, we had all gone to see the movie. We cried when one was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, died, and served as her pallbearers. We were angry and supportive when husdands left two of our group. Ellyn has captured the emotions and feelings that women, who are truly friends, develop over the years of their history together. This book will be my choice for my book club, Women of Words,when it is my turn to make the selection.

I couldn't put the book down--loved the characters but also the depth and uniqueness of the story. Can't believe how much the author could pack into this size of book--will be looking for her books in the future. Highly recommend. The story was so human, so real, something all women could relate to...

They met as little kids in the DC Riggs Park area and have remained friends for over fifty years though Barbara Cohen lives in Wrightsville, North Carolina while Marilyn Waxman remained in the Washington area. Marilyn informs Barbara that she is back and she needs to see her to discuss what happened to another friend Penny when they were in college. Knowing that it is cancer Barbara agrees to visit her best friend although she is having personal problems with her lover Jon. Marilyn shocks Barbara when she mentions she will undergo a facelift prior to the experimental cancer treatment. Even more stunning is the secret that Penny had a child before vanishing; the father is either Marilyn's famous singing brother Steve or an unknown she apparently met on the "Bus Ride to see Steve. Reluctantly Barbara agrees to search for clues that would lead to Penny's offspring. As she begins her quest in the old neighborhood she realizes you can never go home, but continues her elusive venture. This fine middle age amateur sleuth character study is a well written buddy tale with a cast that makes the ensemble cast especially the lead female friends seem real. The friendship between Marilyn and Barbara serves as the key foundation to an intriguing plot. Barbara's inquires begin somewhat late in the novel as she is not convinced she should follow the clues until she realizes her beloved buddy needs to know the truth. With a terrific final twist to the delightful RIGGS PARK, readers will look forward to what comes next from Ellyn Bache. Harriet Klausner

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The plot is layered and satisfyingly complex. The characters are true-to-life. Nothing is sugar-coated. On top of all this, the language is beautiful, almost lyrical in tone. What started out seeming to be a simple tale of two old friends facing their immortality and revisiting their pasts, regrets and all, turned into a tale of friendship, betrayal, love and a mystery with surprising twists and turns. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mainstream women's fiction by Elizabeth Berg, Elaine Kagan, Eileen Goudge, et.al.