Scroll down for the giveaway!
Low Water Crossing is a tribute to those who endure heartache and nevertheless celebrate, to those who wait—and live full lives while waiting.
A backhoe unearths a human skeleton buried on Wayne Cheadham’s West Texas ranch. The investigation points a grisly finger at Wayne’s first wife. And so begins the wild ride through twenty-five years of love and heartbreak.
Wayne’s a highly eligible bachelor who runs into trouble, first because he’s naïve, and next because, well, life is unpredictable. He’s a loveable guy with a peaceful outlook. Just about anyone wants the best for him, dang it. To cope with sadness, he arranges for an old steel-girded bridge to be placed in the dry pasture in front of his house. Says it helps him adjust his perspective. Others say it’s the world’s largest yard ornament. He takes in stray emus and abandoned horses and becomes a mentor to a loveable little boy without much family. He sits and ponders his plight at a low-water crossing over the creek.
A cast of characters from the fictional small West Texas town of Sulfur Gap—the staff of a high school burger shop hangout on the Interstate, coffee groups at the Navaho Café, hair stylists from the Wild Hare, a local sheriff and his deputies, and the band at the local honky-tonk—knits together the community surrounding Wayne, and all bring their own quirks. People you’d find anywhere, some with thicker Texas twangs than others.
The town, the ranch, and familiar Texas cities such as San Angelo, Abilene, and Austin provide a backdrop for universal themes of love, grief, and loyalty.
- Lucy made me uncomfortable right from the start. She knows what she wants (a husband) and will do what it takes to get one. She’s had a horrible upbringing and is looking for any escape. What strikes me most about Lucy though is that I can see where she’s coming from. She uses her brains (and other assets) to make the most of her situation. And like Lucy, Wayne’s disinterest in hashing out any argument would drive me crazy. I kept shouting at Wayne (in my head) to use his words and say what he wanted.
- I don’t want to spoil Cynthia’s story in this review, especially how she ends up in Sulfur Gap. It is remarkably interesting story, to say the least. The relationship with Cynthia honestly shows how Wayne’s character really ‘grows up’ after his relationship with Lucy. I really enjoyed how, in this section, Wayne has taken on a menagerie of pets, including two llamas with some great names:
“And he takes in llamas (he has two, Dolly and Ding-dong –after the Dalai Lama and the old song, “Shama Llama Ding-dong”)
If I had llamas, I would totally steal these names. They are genius and punny!
- Of the three women in Wayne’s life, Lou is the one I would most want to meet in person. She’s down to earth, enjoys simple pleasures, takes in a stray dog, makes friends quickly, and can kick some serious bad guy butt while she’s at it. I think it’s cool that she’s drummer. What really strikes me about the relationship between Lou and Wayne is that it is a fully adult relationship. Both know what they want and they are not shy about stating what that is. Third time is certainly the charm in relationships for Wayne.
We see Wayne through the eyes of his romantic partners more so than through his own eyes. But we also see Wayne’s progression into adulthood. He’s become more comfortable in his own skin, with his family, and with his lot in life by the end of the novel.
Wayne is the person he is today because of what he learned from those two marriages.
2nd winner gets a signed copy of Low Water Crossing.
|
10/6/20 |
Review |
|
|
10/7/20 |
Excerpt |
|
|
10/7/20 |
BONUS |
|
|
10/8/20 |
Playlist |
|
|
10/9/20 |
Review |
|
|
10/10/20 |
Deleted |
|
|
10/11/20 |
Author |
|
|
10/12/20 |
Review |
|
|
10/13/20 |
Scrapbook |
|
|
10/14/20 |
Review |
|
|
10/15/20 |
Review |
It’s hard to adjust to character driven when you’re used to plot driven, but it sounds like this book sucks in the reader with these complex relationships! Thanks for the review!
Thanks, Kristine. And yes, I agree. This book certainly sucks in the reader!