Review of Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer

Kindred Spirits
Sarah Strohmeyer
Penguin Group
304 pages
ISBN 13: 9780525952220

With many things in common it’s understandable how “The Ladies Society for the Conservation of Martinis” came to be for Lynne, Mary Kay, Beth and Carol when on a fateful PTA meeting night they became friends and eventually confidantes. It’s with a heavy heart that Lynne celebrates her last Martini as she finishes the letters that will take her friends on a journey of discovery.
Mary Kay, Beth and Carol find it hard to complete Lynne’s last wish as they reel from her death. But the reeling isn’t done, in fact it’s just beginning. Lynne’s been keeping a secret one that will leave the remaining friends not only scratching their heads, but also running for the drink shaker. As they start on their trip of revelation they will not only learn more about Lynne but about themselves as well and not all of it’s good because Lynne isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Sarah Strohmeyer is a new author to me and I found her storyline well thought out and presented and her dialogue easy to understand and flowing. I think what surprised me the most was that even though I found myself not liking two of the main characters I still couldn’t put the book down. It came to me then that, this is the mark of a good writer, one where even though you want to strangle the character you’re still driven to find out where the story leads you. And as we evolve as readers this is an important lesson to learn. So let’s talk about the characters, Ms. Strohmeyer does a great job of cultivating these women so that her audience feels they know them personally and I did as well and even though there were some choices that I had trouble with, isn’t that the way of life. She also paints a great picture of the co-stars so that by the end of the story I felt that I knew everyone very well.

So is this a love story, yes, but not as a romance. It’s a love of friends, of children and in the end a love of yourself, there is romantic love as well but it’s peripheral. It’s a great way to start the summer, it’s a Lucy and Ethel, a Golden Girls only younger, it’s a Thelma and Louise times two only not fatal friendship tale. It’s a lesson in life, a lesson in love and a lesson in the grace of absolution. So if you love any of these descriptions you will love this book and even if you don’t you’ll find it hard to put this away before it ends and you’ll find yourself going back to it again and again.
Thank you Ms. Strohmeyer for an enlightening read and I look forward to more of your work in the future.
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