When she describes actions, it's because they're important: because someone is avoiding speaking, for example. It's because she's allowing tension to build the way it might if you, too, were sitting in the room, and avoiding looking anywhere in particular by looking over a room's details. When Voigt spends three paragraphs describing a room, it's not because she thinks she needs to elaborate on its setting. It's spectacular because every single word is deliberate. I suppose the place to start is the writing. I'm bowled over again, and I didn't think that was possible with a followup novel, so I'm going to try - probably unsuccessfully - to chronicle a little bit of Voigt's skill. I was too bowled over by Dicey's Song to write much about it. Wonderful writing, wonderful characters, wonderful story. I got about half way through when it clicked for me and I remembered who he was. I also loved finding out how Jeff ties in with the Tillerman family. Both the parents had flaws and weaknesses, as well as good traits, so there is no good guy/bad guy. The characters were well written, with plenty of depth.

Usually the father's are always portrayed as the bad guy. It was refreshing to read a story in which the mother is the problem and the father is supportive and caring. The entire second trip serves as a wake up call for Jeff and we see how unhealthy his relationship with his mother is and how toxic she truly is for him. His Gambo has changed as well -negative and grumpy and not interested in Jeff at all.

His mother is never around, constantly off with a new boyfriend & regularly borrowing money from young Jeff. However, the second time around isn't half as magical as Jeff had hoped. Jeff cannot wait to return the following year. He has a wonderful summer, meeting his peculiar great-grandmother, Gambo and his Aunts, exploring Charleston and discovering his family heritage. He quickly decides to just get on with things, that his mother's abandonment 'doesn't make any difference' to him.īut a few years later when his mother gets in touch to invite Jeff to visit her in her hometown for the Summer, Jeff jumps at the chance to leave behind his stuffy and unemotional father and be reunited with his mother. Jeff refers to his father as 'the Professor' and they aren't overly close, when Jeff's mother has finally had enough and leaves them behind, Jeff is lost. Yes! The Tillerman Cycle is so bloody good! 😊īook number 3 in this series moves us away from the Tillerman family, and we meet Jeff and his father. 'Happy families are all alike every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.'

A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt