My father was born during the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918. Just over one hundred years later, my granddaughter will be born during the COVID-19 pandemic. This reflection sent me to look through the Boston Herald of 1918 to see how things looked for Emilie Loring during the crisis. Quarantine and self-quarantine are all over … More QUARANTINE
Last night, I was reading Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, and I had to stop. I’ve read the reviews, and I expect lifting spirits later in the story, but not yet. Eleanor’s loneliness, the cruelty of her past, and her confusion in the present could not take me to the sweet land of … More The Roving Spotlight of Literary Taste
World War I ended one hundred years ago. Over fifteen million soldiers and civilians were killed, countries laid waste, survivors left with permanent scars. The flu epidemic killed fifty million more, over six hundred thousand in the United States alone. These happened long ago, but they were current events for Emilie Loring. Emilie sent two sons … More When World War I Was Too Close to Bear
Penelope Sherrod’s mother needs life-saving surgery, and the only way to afford it is for “Penny” to marry wealthy Donald Garth and turn her back on the scoundrel she really loves, Dick Wentworth. In one eventful day, Dick suggests an affair, Penny realizes she doesn’t love him after all, and she marries Don, but not … More Finding Garth the Gunmaker
The Emilie Loring Collection 