Stardust by Carla Stewart

I love when an author’s latest book surpasses her previous ones in terms of writing and story. And that isn’t easy to do when you start out at a pretty high level! I’m happy to report that one of my dear friends is just that type of author.

Stardust is the latest novel from author Carla Stewart. She writes “nostalgia” fiction, meaning it is set in that “no man’s land” of the 1950ish era. With each of her books, Chasing Lilacs, then Broken Wings, I wondered how she could write a story I enjoyed more. But Stardust is far and away my favorite so far! Great storytelling. Great writing. She makes everything come alive in a time and place where it wouldn’t seem that much “happened.” But oh, so much did!

So many questions are raised in the reader’s mind the first few pages that it is literally impossible to put down as you follow Georgia through her new venture in running vacation cottages to an outbreak of polio to the discovery of long-held family secrets. While I wanted to know how it all ended, I didn’t want it to end! I miss Georgia and Ludi and Malcolm and Peter and even Aunt Cora. And those are the best kinds of books, aren’t they? The ones where characters become your friends.