A Song in Their Hearts

Tippy Parrish #7

by Janet Lambert

While Tippy and Peter Jordon are enjoying a happy marriage, their closest friends, Candy and Barton Reed are struggling with serious problems. Life becomes more complicated for Tippy and Peter as the nurse leaves them with their new baby.

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1956

About the author

Janet Lambert, born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, was a popular girls' story author from 1941 through 1969 (and beyond to today). She wrote 54 books during that time about a number of different girls and their families. Her most popular series were about the Parrishes and the Jordons. These stories, and many of her other series, became entwined as the various characters met each other, married, and then had children of their own!

Janet, having an interest in both the theater and writing, decided to write her own plays in which to act. She did achieve her goal and appeared on Broadway. When she married a career Army officer, her life on stage came to a close, but her stories were still flowing. Knowing well the "life of the Army," many of Ms. Lambert's books are set on Army posts throughout the United States.

Legend has it that her stories started as bedtime stories for her children while they were overseas. Each night, the author would tell the next "installment" of the series. Later, after her kids were grown, she penned one of her stories (Star Spangled Summer) and—according to legend—it was sold to a publisher the very day after she sent it to them.

Reviews

[Karen Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still living in Panama, Tippy and Peter go through the excitement of pregnancy and welcoming their first child which is very sweet. Tippy wants a son and Peter wants a daughter so their teasing back and forth about it all is just cute. This book goes back and forth between Tippy's changes as wife and mother, and her best friend, Candy Reed's marital problems.

For regular Lambert readers we get to reacquaint ourselves with Candy from the Candy Kane series and for me, this was a difficult story to read...I don't much care for Candy's husband, Barton. He seems to be borderline abusive although I hate to really believe that in a Lambert book. Barton is secretive, impulsive, jealous, and manipulative and Candy is really struggling because she feels like she's lost herself in all of this. He needs to be in therapy and she needs to stand up for herself more, which she does in the end.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite of the Tippy books. Not because I don't like Tippy and Peter. I mean, they're going to have a baby! But half the book is about Barton and Candy (from the Candy Kane series by the same author). I never liked Barton. He always felt like a spoiled brat to me and I never could see why Candy liked him. Even at the end I didn't really like Barton though I liked Candy.

I did find Peter and Tippy quite funny when their baby arrived, and wished I could have helped them out a little.

This book also has more swearing than other books which added to my dislike. It is not a Christian book.

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was fun to see Peter and Tippy have a baby--those two are adorable--but the highlight of this book for me was reconnecting with Candy and Barton from the Candy Kane series. I loved those books, but I never felt quite happy for them as a couple--Barton was so bossy, controlling, and jealous, and Candy never had the spine to stand up for herself.

So, how delightful to see her finally wake up and realize that he would never respect her if she didn't respect herself!! What a delight to see a romance book point out the importance of a wife's being strong and independent and standing up for herself--and this book was written in the 50's!! I was rooting for Candy to finally speak up for herself and call Barton on his selfishness and disrespect for her. Yes, he loved her, but he didn't respect her. She loved him, but she didn't respect herself OR him. Recipe for a disaster marriage unless the two of them loved enough to work through their problems and grow up.

And by the end of the book, I fully believed they would. I love Janet Lambert's books--the romances are so sweet--but the characters are often too good to be true. Which is why I think my favorites of all her guy characters are Barton and Bobby, because both of them have to grow up before their romances can have happy endings. Susan had the good sense to turn Bobby down until he did grow up. Candy finally had the courage to recognize her mistake, stand up for herself, and learn to love Barton in a healthy way instead of running away from her marriage. Yay!!

So, there's my two cents. :-)

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was confused about this book at first. I expected it to be about Tippy, and it was, but it also co-starred a married and now 8 years older Candy Kane. It was nice to drop in on Candy's life, while reveling in the fact that Lambert had once again meshed characters in her various series successfully together. It deserves a solid 5 stars, even if the timeline wasn't quite right. A reader wouldn't even notice it except if the books are read in order, as I'm doing.

In this book, the War with Korea, which is referred to as the War in the Fareast, is occurring. Tippy and Peter are in Panama and they have their first baby. It's an amusing read about their troubles with one tiny person. Candy Kane and her exasperating husband, Barton Reed, who I swear I would have divorced, are the young Jordan couple's best friends. A crisis in the Reed marriage is averted and at the end of the book, Tippy and Peter are on their way home to New York and new Army orders.

[Carolynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tippy and Peter are expecting their first baby, and Tippy is confident it will be a boy. Candy Kane Reed, now the experienced mother of two, is on hand to give her advice.
Spoiler: Unfortunately, Candy and Barton are experiencing serous marital problems (is anyone surprised?)due mainly to Barton's jealousy and thoughtlessness. Two surprises: He manages to pull himself together enough for them to stay together, and Tippy's baby is a girl! Mothrhood is very difficult for Tippy at first, and it takes Candy's maid Cleoretta to help her come to terms with her new life.
Pretty realistic account of new motherhood and some typical marital problems when the partners are not really mature enough for marriage.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needed to check out Barton again. He has not improved.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars