A review by elvang
Heartwood by Catherine Lane

4.0

I liked the whole Harper Lee feel to this novel. Not in a To Kill a Mockingbird sense but more in a Go Set a Watchman vibe. I love a clever evil character and Maggie's boss Lea (and Vivienne) fit that bill, almost to a comical level of nasty. Nikka and Maggie are earnest and the obvious future love interests in the novel but my heart went out to the couple in the past, to Beth and Dawn.

The strength of this novel is in the scenes set in the Sixties as Beth attempts to defy her parents and discovers her true self in the arms of Dawn. Those chapters were beautiful and heartfelt. They are Technicolor beauties and made the present day events pale in comparison.

May we never forget the challenges faced by women who loved women in less enlightened times.