The Book of CarolSue

Written by Lynne Hugo

Narrated by Christina Moore, Graham Winton and Melissa Hurst

Award-winning author Lynne Hugo returns with a life-affirming, poignant novel in the spirit of A Man
Called Ove—a story brimming with both wit and warmth about how a family gets on … and goes on.

CarolSue and her sister, Louisa, are best friends, but haven’t had much in common since CarolSue married Charlie,
moved to Atlanta, and swapped shoes covered with Indiana farm dust and chicken poop for fresh pedicures and
afternoon bridge. Louisa, meanwhile, loves her farm and animals as deeply as she’d loved Harold, her late husband of
forty years.

Charlie’s sudden death leaves CarolSue so adrift that she surrenders to Louisa’s plan for her to move back home. But
canning vegetables and feeding chickens are alien to CarolSue, and after stumbling onto a secret Louisa’s been keeping
from her, CarolSue resolves to return to Atlanta—until Louisa’s son, Reverend Gary, arrives with an abandoned infant
and a dubious story. He begs the women to look after the baby while he locates the mother—a young immigrant who
fears deportation.

Keeping his own secrets, Gary enlists the aid of the sheriff, Gus, in the search. But CarolSue’s bond with the baby
is undeniable, and she forms an unconventional secret plan of her own. Only Gary knows about the outsider with the
power to explode their lives. How many mistakes can be redeemed?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980076445

Reviews for The Book of CarolSue

[grandmacootie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

She's done it again! Yes, author Lynne Hugo has most certainly done it again. Told a marvelous, fantastic, touching, wonderful tale that will leave you full and complete and satisfied, and wanting more at the same time. Like its predecessor, The Testament of Harold’s Wife, The Book of CarolSue is about a lot of things: family, farming, small town life, the death of a loved one and the need – and ability - to move on. CarolSue’s circumstances aren’t like her sister Louisa’s, but that gaping hole after the death of her beloved husband Charlie is exactly the same. He had a long illness, but his death was unexpected. She left the Indiana farm life years ago to live in Atlanta with Charlie. A happy, more sophisticated life But now he’s gone and she’s alone, trying to figure out what kind of life she’s supposed to live now if she’s not Charlie’s wife. She always wanted children but that was not to be, so it’s just CarolSue and her memories.Until Louisa comes along. Sisters take care of one another (even if it turns out they don’t tell one another every little thing). Just like CarolSue was there for her when her husband Harold died, Louisa is there for CarolSue. She packs her up and back they go to Indiana. There’s room in the farmhouse and they’ll have each other for company. Without Charlie, Atlanta is no longer her home, so CarolSue agrees, and it seems okay at first. Until she starts to think maybe you can’t fill a hole with a place, and maybe being back where her memories and the life she’s accustomed to are is the better choice. So she starts planning her departure, but not yet sharing with Louisa (after all, even sisters don’t always tell each other everything).And then suddenly there’s a baby. Oh, Gracie! What an angel. What a blessing. Just what CarolSue needs. Yes, she does realize she’s old enough to be this child’s grandmother but she can easily care and provide for – and love – this child.Someone left Gracie on the doorstep of Gary’s church. Gary is an internet preacher with a history of his own troubles. He is desperately trying to find the child’s mother and asks his own mother Louisa and his aunt CarolSue to babysit. Louisa says she wants that baby gone, CarolSue already can’t imagine life without her and Gary is a mess. And Sheriff Gus, Louisa’s new friend that she “takes naps” with, is investigating.I’m not going to tell you anymore and spoil it. Read it for yourself. Go back and read The Testament of Harold’s Wife while you’re at it. These are stories with smooth, flowing, well-developed plots and language, in a setting that makes you believe you are living in it. Both The Book of CarolSue and The Testament of Harold’s Wife will surprise and satisfy you, make you think about family and loss and just hanging in, hanging on when you sometimes have to. Hope, humor, heart, it’s all there. The characters are delightful, deep, rich, lovable, infuriating. But human, beautifully human. Once you meet them they’ll stay with you always.Lynne Hugo is no longer a new author to me, but she is now one I will most certainly continue to read and recommend. Such enjoyable, well crafted, engaging stories that make you feel and think. Thanks to the author for an advance copy of The Book of CarolSue for my reading pleasure and honest review. All opinions are my own. I recommend author Lynne Hugo’s work without hesitation.

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoy reading books with older main characters and I love reading books about sisters so this was a win-win for me. Sisters Louisa and Carol Sue are in their 60s and even though they are alike in some ways, they are very different. Louisa has always been content to live and work on the family farm. She is pretty set in her ways and is happiest in messy old clothes working in her garden. CarolSue had married and moved to Atlanta more than 20 years earlier. She enjoys dressing well, playing bridge and having lunch with her friends.As the story begins, CarolSue's husband has just died. The first person she calls is her sister and Louisa gets there the next day. Even though CarolSue isn't sure what to do with her life, Louisa convinces her to go home to Indiana and live on the family farm. It's a very different lifestyle for her and she reluctantly agrees. When she gets to Indiana, she realizes that Louisa's method of getting over grief is to keep busy - working in the garden, feeding the chickens and other farm duties. CarolSue has about decided to go home when her nephew, Gary, shows up with a baby that he claims belongs to one of his church members and he asks his mom and aunt to babysit until he finds the mother. Well - there is way more to that story than I am going to tell you in this review but the important thing is that they both love taking care of the baby and learn to love her.There are a lot of funny moments in this novel. Louisa has named all of her chickens and talks to them while she lets them wander around in the house. She fixes her special tea once a day - tea mixed with whiskey and when her boyfriend, who is also sheriff, comes to visit they take naps together - which are way more than naps. Louisa also has a straight forward way of looking at the world which is humorous at times. In many ways she tries to be a tough old lady but she really has a heart of gold that she keeps hidden from everyone but her sister. She and her son never see eye-to-eye, she doesn't understand his life of being a preacher (and doesn't mind telling him) but she helps him out every chance she gets and was willing to take the baby for a day, that became a months and to keep the baby hidden from Gus (which caused an end to their 'naps' for awhile).This book deals with more than sisters learning to live together -- it's also about grief, fear of the future, family and love. It also touches on illegal immigrants and the way they are treated. Overall it's a wonderful story of two sisters coping with life and leaning to reach out and change their attitudes when needed. It's a fun book to read and I hope that there is a third book in the future. I'm not ready to say goodbye to these sisters.Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.