Lamb in Love

Starred review from March 29, 1999
True love comes crashing into Norris Lamb's life for the first time on his 55th birthday, the summer night in 1969 when man first walked on the moon. In Brown's (Rose's Garden) pellucid second novel, it is clear which of the two events is more earth-shattering. The hapless Norris, reconciled to bachelor life as the venerable postmaster of Hursley, a small town in the English countryside, has known Vida Stephen since childhood. Now 43, kind-hearted Vida has been a devoted nanny to mute, retarded Manford Perry, the motherless son of a generally absent architect father, since his birth 20 years ago. On the auspicious night when the Apollo astronauts explore the moon's surface, Norris glimpses the nearly naked Vida dancing in the moonlight around a fountain, and his life is forever altered. A shy, unassuming man, his dilemma now is how to best express his newfound feelings. Brown eloquently explores the terrain of human interactions, showing how genuine love can exalt ordinary individuals; her work is distinguished, above all, by her talent for investing them with dignity. Most touching is her portrayal of Vida's tenderness and dedication to her disabled charge, as he suffers unintended insults from the small-minded people who ignore or disdain a handicapped person. In contrast, the surpassingly effortless way Norris and Manford take to each other illustrates Brown's obvious belief in the transcendent possibilities inherent in simple acts of thoughtfulness and compassion. The quiet humor in her characterizations of the villagers and her bemused understanding of small-town life invest the narrative with a quiet authority. This warmhearted and moving story could be a sleeper. Author tour. (Apr.) FYI: Bantam will release Rose's Garden in April.

February 15, 1999
Middle-aged postal worker Norris Lamb falls madly in love with Vida Stephen, nanny to the disabled son of a wealthy American in an English village. The problem is that they barely know each other, and Lamb agonizes over exactly how to reveal his feelings without making a fool of himself. Both Lamb and Vida are innocents, consumed by family and job responsibilities, and know nothing of romance. As in Brown's previous novel, Rose's Garden (LJ 2/1/98), the characterization is beautifully done, with thoughtful, introspective players; the landscape is lovely; and the tale bittersweet. However, unlike its predecessor, the novel moves at a careful pace in order to allow the characters to develop fully. For fans of the character-driven fiction of Anne Tyler and Reynolds Price.--Bettie Alston Shea, P.L. of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty., NC

Starred review from March 15, 1999
In this beautifully written novel, Norris Lamb and Vida Stephen are unlikely candidates for romantic adventure. Norris, thought of as a confirmed bachelor at 55, is the postmaster of Hursley, a tiny village in rural England. Vida, at 41, has been the caretaker of severely retarded Manford Perry for 20 years, ever since his mother died giving birth to him. In July_ 1969, on the very day of the Apollo moon landing, Norris' perception of Vida, and ultimately himself, is suddenly, dramatically, and forever changed. Norris becomes Vida's secret admirer, wanting more than anything for her to experience the same surprised delight he is feeling. Vida, as she tries to discern the identity of her mystery lover, becomes aware of aspects of herself she has long denied and suppressed. But how will she reconcile her newfound desire to experience more of life with her continuing responsibility for Manford, whom she has come to love as her own? Brown's writing is elegant and unusually evocative. This gentle but astoundingly compelling story is a true celebration of the power of love to transform the ordinary into the magical. ((Reviewed March 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)