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Maggie McLain has no desire to be the successful Southern belle debutante that her mother dreams of her being. On the way to the ball she is hosting as a Memphis Tennessee Cotton Carnival Princess, Maggie finds a drowning 3 week old puppy that had been abandoned. Her Ball forgotten, she rushes it to the first vet she can find and discovers her passion in life. Against the protestations of her horrified mother and the heckling of her fellow students and professors who felt women had no business in veterinary school in the 1960’s, Maggie establishes a veterinary practice that handles both small and large animals. This book spans most of Maggie’s life, allowing us to follow her career by a series of brief vignettes centered on the animals she treats and the people who cross her path. If you loved James Herriot’s (All Creatures Great and Small, etc) books, you will love All God’s Creatures. If you love Southern women’s fiction with its rich regional focus and characters that grow through life’s lessons, you will love this book. If you like animals and stories of successful career women, you will love this book. If you want a book with short chapters that allow you to just dip into it when you can grab five minutes to yourself, you will love this book. I had read other books by Carolyn McSparren, a popular and prolific Harlequin SuperRomance author, but this was the first novel I had read which published by Belle Books. Belle Books is an interesting small book press headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1999 by a group of veteran Southern authors (Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Martha Crockett, Deborah Dixon, etc) who wanted to focus their stories on the rich heritage of the South. The company motto, “Southern Fried Fiction at its finest,” aptly describes the down home charm and gentle small town humor of its publications. McSparren also contributes stories to the popular Mossy Creek series for which Belle Books is probably best known. All God’s Creatures is McSparren’s first solo title for this press, but I sincerely hope that more are to follow. Maggie is a strong, likable character who is driven by her career where she literally holds the life or death of animals under her care in the palm of her hand. We follow her life’s journey as she first battles convention in order to graduate and establish a thriving veterinary practice as a woman, through her challenges of juggling her passion with her life as a bride, a wife, a mother, a friend and a colleague. We meet a delightful series of animals both small and tall as we travel with Maggie and Eli, co-owner of their practice. There are sad and happy occurrences, both of which are woven into the fabric of her life, and serve to provide insight and enrichment for Maggie as she faces life head-on. I highly recommend this gentle, feel-good read to all audiences. Reviewed by Crystal |
All God’s Creatures
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