I greatly enjoyed this first look book. Most of the books that I read are from the historical fiction category, so this was a comfortable read for me.
There seems to be a lot of focus on the house ~ water, garden and such. I did not find the running water a problem at all. Many old water systems (as old as the romans) run on pressure. The brown water reminds me of what comes out of our old pipes of school after the rain. This house is like my great aunt's house. She had running water only in the kitchen, no electricity and an outhouse. One of my first lessons at her house was to look down to check for snakes before you sat down. Since there was only running water in the kitchen, we had "cat baths" ~ water in a basin and a washcloth.
The nice thing about historical fiction is that there is a jumping point in history that the author finds and the story is spun around it. This house feels like the start of this story spinning.
The open scenes with Martha passing and Connie's exam provided good groundwork. I was quickly pulled into the book.
Arlo appears to provide a silent force in Connie's life. He is always with her but does not appear with a strong force. However, there is something to be said about an animal choosing a human. Animals posses a sixth sense. Did Arlo pick Connie to take care of him or does he need to take care of her?
When you look at the work that Connie's mother, Grace, does, it is easy to look at the daydreams that Connie is having in the house as her walking through residual auras. Is that chair you are sitting on your favorite chair? Sit in it everyday? Some would say that that chair will maintain the energy of your aura after you are gone. The author is definitely laying down some powerful feelings for the history of those that have lived in this house. It feels as if this house and garden are still breathing with the energy left behind by those that have walked there in the past.
disappointed in not finding any tomatoes ready for the picking. I must say that there is something magical going there in that I did find a couple of palm trees and 7' high bananas among other tropical delights in my "thumb your nose at winter tropical garden".
