A review by kat2112
Cakewalk by Rita Mae Brown
3.0
So, if you've never read this series, know they are not written/published in chronological order. If you like a straight timeline, it sort of goes like this:
Six of One (though this one hops back and forth)
Cakewalk
Loose Lips
The Sand Castle
Bingo
I'm giving this 3.5 stars. With this finished I have read all of Brown's Runnymeade stories. I didn't enjoy the last two published, Loose Lips and The Sand Castle, and I thought I had come to the point where I wouldn't read any more. There's something about the time period that drew me in this time, though, and that cover is a delight.
It's been more than a decade since I read Six of One, the original story of Celeste Chalfonte, and Bingo (which is all Juts and Wheezy as cantankerous old broads), and I can't rely on memory to note continuity errors. Doesn't matter to me, because I like Cakewalk for what it is - a story within the greater Runnymeade universe that centers on Celeste, who is the strongest character in the series. Everything takes place within a months-long span in the early 20s. Wealthy Celeste copes with losing one lover to her brother and gaining a new one, while housekeeper Cora copes with daughters Juts and Wheezy. If you're familiar with the other books, you know what to expect.
I'm almost tempted to revisit Six of One to see how the stories mesh.
Six of One (though this one hops back and forth)
Cakewalk
Loose Lips
The Sand Castle
Bingo
I'm giving this 3.5 stars. With this finished I have read all of Brown's Runnymeade stories. I didn't enjoy the last two published, Loose Lips and The Sand Castle, and I thought I had come to the point where I wouldn't read any more. There's something about the time period that drew me in this time, though, and that cover is a delight.
It's been more than a decade since I read Six of One, the original story of Celeste Chalfonte, and Bingo (which is all Juts and Wheezy as cantankerous old broads), and I can't rely on memory to note continuity errors. Doesn't matter to me, because I like Cakewalk for what it is - a story within the greater Runnymeade universe that centers on Celeste, who is the strongest character in the series. Everything takes place within a months-long span in the early 20s. Wealthy Celeste copes with losing one lover to her brother and gaining a new one, while housekeeper Cora copes with daughters Juts and Wheezy. If you're familiar with the other books, you know what to expect.
I'm almost tempted to revisit Six of One to see how the stories mesh.