Today marked a welcome return for Margaret Mills and her regular book review.
On this occasion Margaret selected a book which evolves along two time lines. The book is THE FORGOTTEN GIFT by Kathleen McGurl and is set in both the 19th century and the present day.
The book opens in 1861 when George Britten’s life changes forever the day he meets Lucy. She’s beautiful and charming, and he sees a future with her that his position as the second son in a wealthy family has never offered him. But when Lucy dies in a suspected poisoning days after rejecting George, he finds himself swept up into a murder investigation. George loved Lucy; he would never have harmed her. So who did?
Fast forward to the present where we meet Cassie Turner who’s happy with her life: has a secure job, good friends, and a loving family. When a mysterious gift in a long-forgotten will leads her to a dark secret in her family’s history she’s desperate to learn more. But the secrets in Cassie’s family aren’t all hidden in the past, and her research will soon lead her to a revelation much closer to home – and which will turn everything she knows on its head…
So the book is a tale – or two tales revealing how in burying secrets, sorrow and heartache become intertwined and how the two families (one in the 19th century and the other in the present) deal with the issues in their own ways. But having said that there is a link as Cassie Turner’s father is a Britten and the telling of the two stories looked at from two different view points examines how the past affects and shapes the lives of future generations.
Listen again here to see what Margaret thought of this book:
We also reported on how traffic wardens in New York managed to issue parking tickets to a dead man.
Yes amazingly Traffic wardens in New York twice issued a car with parking tickets – even as the driver lay dead inside.
Mamadou Barry’s lifeless body was found in his vehicle in Brooklyn.
The 47 year old had two tickets attached to his car, dated 8 days apart.
Even though he was illegally parked and other vehicles had been issued with court summonses, no one had seemingly thought to check on the driver.
It seems that the fines were issued after the car was found to be parked on the wrong side of the road in a street that alternated between left and right for parking.
His nephew, 45 year old, Mamdou Balde commented, “He was a good guy.” Didn’t do him a lot of good though!
See you again tomorrow,
Scott
