The Lockhart Women, a review by Sherry

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The Lockhart Women
Mary Camarillo


330 pages
9 hours and 36 minutes
She Writes Press
Published December 20, 2022

Amazon | Goodreads

This is about Brenda and her two daughter’s slice of life in the 90s.  It opens while the OJ Bronco chase is concurrently happening and the three follow and comment on the arrest and trial unfold.  It’s an interesting choice as the story unfolds with the case woven into the story.  This is before the internet, when TV and newspapers were the main source of information.

What is weird is I lived through that time period, but as I listened it seemed to be from a time much longer ago with Brenda having never worked outside of the house and some of what the daughters go through.  It is a good reminder that the world has come a long way.

There is great characterization, with all of the main characters quite flawed and realistic.  Having lived through that time period, I identified with the women and their struggles and mistakes.  Their dysfunctional family kept my attention.  While the book focuses mainly on the family’s struggles, there is hope and resiliency there also.

I listened to this one and enjoyed Kisten Potter’s narration.  She brought the story to life.

If you are a fan of well-developed characters in a slice of life, this one should be on your radar.

About the book:

Brenda Lockhart’s family has been living well beyond their means for too long when Brenda’s husband leaves them―for an older and less attractive woman than Brenda, no less.

Brenda has never worked outside the home, and the family’s economic situation quickly declines. Oldest daughter Peggy is certain she’s heading off to a university, until her father offers her a job sorting mail while she attends community college instead. Younger daughter Allison, a high school senior, can’t believe her luck that California golden boy Kevin has fallen in love with her.

Meanwhile, the chatter about the O. J. Simpson murder investigations is always on in the background, a media frenzy that underscores domestic violence against women and race and class divisions in Southern California.

Brenda, increasingly obsessed with the case, is convinced O. J. is innocent and has been framed by the Los Angeles Police Department. Both daughters are more interested in their own lives―that is, until Peggy starts noticing bruises Allison can’t explain.

For a while, it feels to everyone as if the family is falling apart, but in the end, things come together in unexpected ways.

 

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