Review of Things Happen

[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Things Happen" by June Blurton.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The sudden death of Mrs. Connor was a shock to Gwen. She had not imagined she would be out of the job she had kept for almost six years. She had to act fast, and when there was no opportunity around, she took the job offer in a new town as a housekeeper. Eleanor was kind enough to offer her the job with immediate commencement if she was okay with that. The only condition is that Gwen was willing to put up with the “bad-tempered, domineering old woman," Mrs. Adams. The local gossip had it that Mrs. Adams had had “several" housekeepers, and even her granddaughters couldn't put up with her. Realizing that it would be an unwise decision to return to nothing, Gwen was willing to take up this job. Mrs. Adams couldn't be that bad, right? But she could be worse, especially as everyone anticipated her written "Will."

Things Happen by June Blurton is an easy-to-read book written concisely yet engagingly. I use the word concise because the story did not include an unnecessary or tiring stretch. It was detailed and written to best engage the attention of readers. The start of the book gave off a welcoming invite to read. The dialogues are sure to reproduce a sense of communication readers convincingly would be able to relate to. Readers must understand the underlying factors in a book to aid their reading process. An idea of the storyline alone might not satisfy the readers maximally. So additions like those mentioned above can help attain maximum satisfaction even while reading a stupefying book.

About the family, I liked how the writer gave a depictive representation of each member and even other characters. While Mrs. Adams was bossy and domineering, Stan Adams seemed to have a different approach from hers. Amongst all the characters, I would pick Maddie to be my favorite. Differently, Maddie was able to capture my attention, unlike other characters. Her free-spirited teenage lifestyle, as opposed to an organized and responsible Caroline, was quite interesting. But they were amazing grandchildren who played interesting roles in Mrs. Adams's life. The idea of a distant character, Mac, broadened the story's horizon in terms of experience and interest. This helped to allow creativity in the story.

Things Happen by June Blurton was well written regarding the narrative but could have been better in the editorial aspect. There were a lot of letters that needed to be included in the words of the book. This might not be easily noticed like “gosspi" instead of “gossip," but it still counts as a flaw in the book. Hence, I rate this book four out of five stars. This is the only negative issue I have found.

I'm sure you'd like this book if you enjoy reading fictional stories, especially ones involving nasty grannies and a happy ending.

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Things Happen
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[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

I hope that Gwen can manage the demeanor of Mrs. Adams. I hope that she will get along with her grandchildren. Your review is wonderful!