A Place Called Sweet Shrub

Lucinda Richards Trilogy #2

by Jane Roberts Wood

Together for the first time as a classic Texas

The Train to Estellin e

A Place Called Sweet Shrub

Dance a Little Longer

The Lucinda “Lucy” Richards trilogy, spanning the years from 1911 to the 1930s, has everything good books should a variety of landscapes, characters of all ages and social classes, an overall tenderness that never lapses into sentimentality, and a sense of the comic amidst the tragic. Lucy is feisty, funny, and completely open-armed about life. Josh passionately confronts danger and greed and prejudice with courage and humor and, sometimes, with bare fists. Even the minor characters are so rife with color that you first turn the pages quickly to see what they will do next and, then, you turn them slowly so as to savor each page of this remarkable trilogy.

In 1915 it has been three years since Lucy Richards left her teaching post in West Texas and returned home where she is busy being indispensable to her eccentric mother, keeping her Aunt Catherine comfortable, and taking on many of the chores her very pregnant sister no longer feels up to. She decides to choose a husband from the local beaus, but none of them stand a chance when handsome, irreverent Josh Arnold comes to town. The newlyweds move to the sleepy hamlet of Sweet Shrub, Arkansas, where they are soon caught up in the lives of their neighbors and discover that the surface tranquility of the town hides simmering tensions and unrest that will inevitably result in tragedy.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Novels

286 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

Reviews

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this story that is predominantly set in Bonham, Texas in the early 1900's. So much has changed since then. Yet we are still dealing with many of the same issues today.

[The_Old_Brick · Rating 5 out of 5]

POSITIVE
1. The book does an excellent job in its depiction of racism.
2. Clear, well-written. An easy, pleasant read that holds the reader's attention.

NEGATIVE
1. For a novel that supposedly empowers women, it falls short:

* Lucinda and other women demand what their husbands should buy, including houses, cars, etc.

* A woman's buck-naked body, of course, fulfills the "sex sells" aspect of the book, specifically a full-frontal reflection of Lucinda in a mirror. Incongruously graphic compared to the rest of the novel.

[Treasure Island Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Two in the Lucy Richards Arnold trilogy. In this book, Lucy is at home in Bonham with her family. Life is beginning to dull, and she decides it is time to marry. Two suitors are in the offing, but Josh Arnold shows up, and soon Lucy finds herself leaving Texas for a small volatile spot in Arkansas.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this as much as the first, and can’t wait to read the third. I will be sad to finish it though, I’m sure.

[Lorlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the series, sweet story

[Sandy Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this one as much as the first. But, the story continues to the third in the trilogy.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a much firmer tone than the first. I suspect it is because of the style change, from diary entries and letters to first person narrative. Also in some ways this one is less about the personal story of Lucy, and more about the various kinds of unrest in the south during WWI, so instead of seeing the large issue solely through Lucy's eyes, we also see the bigger picture, with Lucy in it. This one has more of an ending calculated to draw you on the the third book, which I always find disappointing. I don't mind multiple part stories, but if they don't stand alone, they should be in one book. Again I was struck by the solidity of the world the author created; I do not know the veracity of the details, but there's no clumsy derailing of the story to work the explanation of those details into the story for the benefit of ignorant readers. That part, at least, is quite well done.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three years after her West Texas teaching assignment, Lucy Richards is back in Bonham, taking care of her family. She is convinced she needs to marry or will "wither on the vine." However, she has had a taste of activities not usual amongst the sheltered women of her family and society. She has taught, earned her own money, learned to drive a car.....

Josh Arnold, who proclaimed his love for Lucy from the moment in West Texas when he first saw her, enters her life again. They marry and head off to Sweet Shrub in Arkansas. (That was a surprise.)

The racism and hate they encounter there directed toward the black folks by the whites, erupts in a riot where death, fear and destruction take place. This incident is based on the race riots that occurred in Arkansas after WWI.

Not sure if I will read the third book in the trilogy, which takes place seven years after this one.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in a trilogy and I would not recommend reading them out of order or alone. You would miss so much of the history of the characters. In this 2nd book, we find Lucy back in Bonham living with her mother and Aunt Catherine. I won't give everything away, but she finds herself in Sweet Shrub, Arkansas where racial tension is gathering and comes to a tragic head. Reminded me a lot of the problems in the 60s. Once again, I loved the characters in the book and was invested in their lives.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Lucy Richards trilogy (the first is The Train to Estelline). The book is set in East Texas and Arkansas around the time of WWI. This one delves into race relations at the time, which were not good at all in Arkansas (and not much better in East Texas). I love Lucy's relationship with her husband. They have a great marriage. And I love Lucy's spunk. Overall, a quick, easy read with enough depth to keep it interesting.

[Elissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not something I'd read again.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book was better.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good balance between horror and hope.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to ATrain to EstellinezLoved it.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the trilogy that takes place in West Texas 1800.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed the perspective of book 1 better.

[Linda Klager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book about Texas.