A stunning combination between the past, the present and the future. I can’t help but starting my comment this way to talk about The Necklace V, namely the book of the Necklace series written by Linda S. Rice. Once again, the main characters of the book are Susan and James, the sixty year woman who travelled in the time to seduce her great love James, the singer of the most famous music band of all times.
The difference of the book 5, subtitled Strawberries & Wine, is that the plot runs between the present and the future. Indeed, readers will find the main characters engaged in a relationship while they are old, during this year and during the next Christmas holiday of this year. For this narrative mastery created by the author, I found this book very enjoyable, but very rich of insights to delve into some burning issues of our modern epoch, such as sex relationships among old people and bullying. In this book, after having divorced from Hilary, the second wife, James is married to Darcy, the heir of a media empire who is always busy with the business of her family: journals.
James, instead, after gaining a global success with his band, is an old man, by now, a seventy year man. He is also surrounded by his loved sons and he takes enough care of Sherry, the daughter he has had from the marriage with Hilary. Thomas, instead, one of the James’ sons, still loves Michelle, the daughter of Susan. If you remember, in The Necklace IV, subtitled Brighton -December 1999, Michelle travelled into time along with her mother Susan and fell in love with Thomas.
In this sequel, Thomas meets Michelle this year, at the present time, 2016, just while she and her mother lost Donald, the husband of Susan, of a heart attack. Susan is depressed and torn down by this grief, while Michelle and Thomas organize a trick to make Susan and James meet again. In the meanwhile, it is always Michelle to help James’ daughter, Sherry who was bullied and abused by her potential boyfriend Trevor.
According to these interesting narrative ingredients, readers can find many valid reasons to continue reading The Necklace series, especially to arrive in reading the Book 5, where the borders between the past, the present and the future are very blurred. It is the age of the two characters Susan and James to not being blurred, instead. In the present, they are older, with no doubts, but still charming and attractive each other.
When they meet again, the love bursts immediately between them and I have to say thanks to this author for having faced a topic that is a taboo for many people, namely sex among aged people. Linda S. Rice describes this kind of relationship humorously, especially when Susan wonders if James takes the magical blue pill. But this is not the unique important reason to read The Necklace V, the plot is indeed a long chain of dropouts and rejoinings.
Solitude and loss are well depicted because Susan tries to leave James once again, and he, a famous singer, finds herself to beg this woman to come back together with him. James, the bossy guy of The Necklace – The Dusky Club -June 1962, the authoritative man who mustn’t never ask nothing to women, today, in 2016, is an old man capable to implore her woman.
The Necklace V is the proper sequel of this time-travel series, where the tie that has joined two people for over 50 years, namely the necklace Susan still wears, is simultaneously enchanted and cursed. Maybe, the love story between these two characters will have a beautiful twist, especially when Susan will find the courage to tell the truth to James about her time-travel. Michelle revealed this to Thomas, the son of James, Susan, instead preferred to write fictional books about her time-travel. Will Susan fight the fear to tell the truth to James? To reply to this question, just read The Necklace V.
Rosalba Mancuso is the journalist, born in Sicily, who founded three online magazines in English. On Advicebooks Book Reviews, Rosalba shows her great passion for books, helping readers and book lovers choose and buy the best books she read and reviewed. She also worked as a contributor to print and online magazines and as a bilingual Italian-English writer. Here, Rosalba also offers room to authors and publishers who want to get their books reviewed through the voice of an avid reader like her. You must also know that this book review magazine lives thanks to your help. Rosalba, in fact, earns a small commission, with no cost for you, when you buy books through the affiliate links you find in her book reviews. This book review magazine is also funded by services of editorial reviews and book press releases.
