The Widows' Club

Livingston, a recent widow herself, pens a tale of five friends dealing with the struggles of widowhood. The characters are original if not somewhat eccentric, and the story juxtaposes humor with sorrow and angst. While I found Barbie Baxter to be slightly stereotyped, I must admit she added a few guffaws--some out of sheer astonishment over her antics. I found Val's reaction to Barbie grounded in reality. While desiring to honor Christ and win Barbie to Him, Val struggled with wanting to tell Barbie what she really thought. Hmm. That hits a little close to home. The Widow's Club is altogether a delightful read, filled with characters you want to get to know. Well, perhaps with the exception of Barbie. I'm not looking forward to her to move next door to me any time soon. However I am looking forward to the sequel, The Invasion of the Widow's Club, coming Spring of 2007.