On Blue Falls Pond

December 15, 2005
When her grandmother develops macular degeneration, Glory Harrison reluctantly returns to the small Tennessee town where she had lost her husband and unborn daughter in a deadly fire. Feeling protective, Glory is dismayed to find that Eric Wilson, the fire chief who saved her life, is leaving his strange little boy, Scott, with Gran, and worries that Eric is taking advantage of her. As Glory tries to come to terms with her tragedy and the suppressed memories of events leading up to it, Eric has to deal with the realization that Scott may have some very serious developmental or mental issues. Eric's ex-wife refuses to believe anything is wrong with Scott, and even though she doesn't want Eric herself, she doesn't want him to find anyone else. Readers who enjoy Deborah Smith's novels in particular, and, in general, fiction with a pronounced sense of place and families with strong ties, will respond well to Crandall's romance, with its sensitive handling of the important issues of domestic violence, macular degeneration, and autism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)