The Twelve O'Clock Bus

by Adrienne Wolfert

The landscape of the 1932 Connecticut farm is bleak and rocky. farm animals furrowed parched grass. To this lonely place the State brought an unclaimed child, without a past or conceivably a present. But Zara, who has been abused and used for the purpose of others, is determined to control her own destiny. Scenes showing the tender growth of love between a woman and a child, or a college boy corralling a wild pig, or a barbaric barn dance, are unforgettable. But at the contentious State convention, Zara discovers the secret that will give her powers she has never imagined. Set against the background of small-town politics, "12 O'Clock Bus" is an amazing and beautifully written book the reader will not forget.

234 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2012

About the author

I have lived a full life and learned a great deal about people, time, and direction. I write to share insights that can't be shared any other way. My spiritual side comes out in my poetry. In my novels and short stories, I explore how the world surrounding a person makes that person who they are. My sense of humor shows up in all of my work. I am also very much interested in history and therefore active in political causes.

Reviews

[Judy Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve O'Clock Bus is a wonderful coming of age story set in the 1930's to 40's. There is something for everyone in this book - well developed characters, rich historical details, the warmth and challenges of family dynamics, young love, political intrigue and most of all the evolution of a young foster child into an independent young woman who knows her own mind.

[Adrienne Wolfert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Twelve O’Clock Bus tells the story of Zara, a foster child with a mysterious past growing up in rural Connecticut during the Great Depression. In vivid, thrillingly descriptive prose, Adrienne Wolfert seeks to evoke the mysteries of real life as she draws an authentic portrait of a bright, hard-working young girl struggling to find the answer to a burning question: How do you find out who you are when the past is hidden from view? ...
The novel’s momentum comes from the beautifully detailed scenes and vividly drawn characters that Zara encounters on her painful but ultimately satisfying journey of self-discovery. ...
There is so much to like in this coming-of-age novel, not least its powerful depiction of the bright and dark sides of the lives of girls and women at a time in history when their choices outside the domestic sphere were severely limited. Zara’s story, full of drama and surprise, is a striking example of Wolfert’s remarkable talent for uncovering the extraordinary in the ordinary."

These are some key excerpts from a review of the book by Conan Putnam, an independent writing and editing professional who has written book reviews for the Chicago-Tribune and other publications.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a gift through Goodreads. I chose it because it was set in Connecticut. It began in a rural farm community during the 1930s depression. Zara 13, has gone and continues to be taken from one family to another for she is an orphan and the families get paid to take in children. The circumstances of the lodgings and the warmth of the personalities in each family vary from a need for outhouses and pumping water to a room of one's own.

Zara always wishes her Mother would come and take care of her. She also tries to find out who her Mother is. At some point as she is over 18, she discovers her secret- which I never understood. By World War II she has finished school works in a munitions factory in Bridgeport, CT.

This novel is filled with little events of her days. It is almost historical fiction, ending about 1950. I just didn't feel the characters,; they didn't draw me into their lives.