A review by juliechristinejohnson
Letter from Point Clear by Dennis McFarland

3.0

Very enjoyable, just this side of too easy. McFarland offers up characters who are immensely likable and sympathetic (maybe too much so?). You may find yourself exasperated by actions, but it's nearly impossible to dislike any of actors. The novel is set early on in Cape Cod but moves quickly down to a beachfront manse outside of Mobile, Alabama. McFarland tosses out a charismatic evangelical preacher who is a dreamboat to boot, a witty & erudite gay professor and his two sisters, one fluffy and forgetful but full of hidden moxie, the other a slightly bland, too-thin poet (I kept picturing Sally Field!). McFarland's affection for his characters is evident in the way they all care deeply for one another and in that he never lets anything really tragic happen to any of them (dramatic yes, profound, no). Everyone is well-off, tanned, smart, attractive and life's nasty bits are solved with a slice of lemon meringue pie or a glass of sweet tea.