Rating: 4 stars
“One day, at a Romance Writers of America conference, I was sitting in my room having some down time, says Mulberry Park author Judy Duarte. “I was thinking about home and waxing nostalgic, when I remembered something I’d done when I was a child. I wrote a letter to God.”
That’s what Duarte did…she had a character in one of her books write a letter to God.
Analisa writes a letter to God asking him to take care of her parents who are in heaven. She also wants him to look after the people she cares for and loves like her uncle and nanny. Also in Mulberry Park, Claire Harper likes to jog. It clears her mind and helps her forget her sorrow for a short while. Looking up, she notices a letter in a tree. It says, “To God From Analisa”, written in a little girl’s handwriting. Claire writes back a message of hope for the little girl. Soon the letters draw Claire out of her shell and back to Mulberry Park.
“The proposal went through several revisions before my agent sent it out,” says Duarte. “And, I was trying to squeeze time to write it between contracts for another publisher. It took about a year, off and on. I did need to speak to a prosecuting attorney in California for details to use in my novel.”
At first you think the cast of characters won’t mesh, but each character is written in such a way that they come alive and their lives blend together. You understand each person completely by the end of the story. Duarte doesn’t give away too much too soon. She weaves the storylines effortlessly back and forth though out. As a reader, you’ll become emotionally attached and cheer them on. There’s heartbreak but also many warm moments. You see how friendships blossom and love grows. Duarte is a gifted writer.
Judy Duarte was born and raised in southern California. She started writing in 1996 and was first published in 2001. For publisher Silhouette, she’s written over twenty-five books as well as three single titles for Kensington and a few novellas.
“My third inspirational women’s fiction novel, The House On Sugar Plum Lane, will hit the shelves in April—just in time for Mother’s Day.” says Duarte. You can check out more books at her website www.judyduarte.com
Mulberry Park is a re-issue – it was originally published as a trade paperback in April of 2008. It’s now a mass-market paperback and it has a new cover.
Sorrows fade. Friendships grow. And, hearts come alive again. You’ll laugh and cry while reading ‘Mulberry Park’. Have tissues handy when you read this wonderfully uplifting novel.
Mulberry Park by Judy Duarte. Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages. Publisher: Kensington. Release date: March 1, 2010. Language: English. ISBN: 978-0758241535
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