The Brushstroke Legacy

What a great story! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lauraine did a terrific job of catching my interest right from the start. My life is busy so I read only in the evenings, but I couldn't wait to get into my PJ's and curl up with the people in this story. Lauraine created memorable, likeable characters that are also "real" people. I especially enjoyed the way she used two points of view from different eras. She did a great job of intertwining the characters' lives and making me care about what happened to them. As far as I'm concerned, a story isn't worth reading if I don't care about the people in it. These folks have stayed with me. Take time out to introduce yourself to Ragni, her niece Erika, and great-grandmother Nilda. You'll be glad you did. Good job, Lauraine. Thank you for providing me with superb evening entertainment.

Lauraine Snelling, how did you manage to capture all of my traits--good and bad--into one character? I thought you had planted a bug in my house and in my thoughts. The Brushstroke Legacy is an unforgettable story that delves deep into the souls of three women. This is Lauraine's finest yet.

Ragni is fed up with her advertising job in Chicago. She's also frustrated that her dad has Alzheimer's making life for her mother extremely difficult. She also has to put up with her older sister complaining about her teenage niece going through a rebellious period. When her spa vacation is cut short due her mother wanting her to look at some old family property in North Dakota, Ragni and her niece Erika set out on a road trip. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start due their differences as they grew apart. When they get to the house, it's in shambles and they have to work together to try to fix out. Out of their normal elements, the two soon find remnants of their ancestor Nilda who left her artistic touch around the house and in both of them. The story flips between Ragni's story and Nilda's, who was a housekeeper who came with her daughter to work for a man out west. This was good compelling story. I love all of Lauraine Snelling books and this one disappoint. Ragni is your everday career woman who needs to take a break from work. Erika is the rebellious teenager who wants everyone to leave her alone. The two are forced to get along and it is interesting to see how their relationship changes throughout the story. I liked the going back and forth between Ragni's and Nilda's stories. Nilda's story reminded me Janette Oke's Love Come Softly. Very sweet and frontier-like. The only thing I wondered was it didn't seem like Ragni knew about Nilda's story. I didn't see her reading a diary or hearing old stories from her mother. So I dont' know if Ragni and Erika knew the whole story about why she lived in the house. The two though are reconnected with each other and their own selves after seeing their ancestor's paintings. It was cool to read about Ragni's inspirations and urges to want to paint. I really enjoyed this book. Who knew North Dakota could be such a scenic and adventurous place?

Lauraine has offered us another warm novel about women overcoming odds--this time a stigmatized pioneer woman and a modern corporate woman, who both found thier outlet in art. Especially if you're from North Dakota, enjoy the setting for this novel, inspired when Lauraine noticed an old cabin on the banks of the little Missouri River. The book ends with a fictional "extreme makeover" of the cabin, but that parallels the "makeover" experienced by her two main characters and a sub character, a sullen teen into the black Goth look. If you know someone desiring a "second virginity" after moral failure, or who feels a drawing away from material success, or who (like the fictional teen) is expressing rejection in inappropriate ways, consider sharing this book with them.

In Chicago, Ragni Clausen feels her life is a lie as she has failed at everything important. At her job at Advantage Advertising Inc, she feels like screaming AAI as someone modified her dog biscuit ad campaign.. Her love life just ended unceremoniously. Her dad suffers form dementia. Now her mom has a note from a Paul Heidelberg claiming the family cabin on the Little Missouri is in need of repair after two harsh winters. Her sister Susan and their mom want Ragni to go the Badlands to fix the cabin while on vacation, but Susan demands she also take her niece Erika with her by calling in a sisterly favor. Not only is Erika irate over having to tag along, she detests the need for a baby sitter as she is a teen though her mom explained she will be busy much of the summer. In the Dakotas, the two females find the cabin devastated and consider persuading mom to sell to Heidelberg. However, they find several paintings by Ragni's great-grandmother Nilda that inspire the two women to make a go at restoring the family cabin and Paul as a surprisingly young neighbor willing to help. THE BRUSHSTROKE LEGACY is a warm character study that enables readers to compare life between 2002 and 1906 Badlands. The strong realistic evolving relationship between the aunt and her niece is delightfully portrayed though the same cannot be said of the seemingly rushed love between Paul and Ragni. Still the thrust of this fine moving story is the three generations of women finding their respective niche. Harriet Klausner