Genre: Gothic Romance
POV: 3rd Person
Sensuality: Very subtle
Violence: Mild
My Grade: B
Ammie, Come Home is the second book by Barbara Michaels that I’ve read so far and I found it an entertaining read.
Widowed Ruth Bennett is a stylish 40-something-year-old living in Georgetown, Washington D.C. Ruth inherited a beautiful old house from an elderly relative and has been lovingly restoring it to its former splendour. She has also acquired a longterm houseguest in the form of her niece, Sara, a student at a local college.
When Sara brings her favourite anthropology professor home for tea, Ruth is both amused by and attracted to the charismatic Pat MacDougal. Also a veteran of a miserable marriage, Pat is a few years older than Ruth, and the son and heir to an illustrious lineage.
Despite his background, Pat and his society hostess mother are anything but snobs, and welcome Ruth into their home for one of their (in)famous social gatherings. At this particular event, a renowned medium holds a séance. Ruth regards it as nothing more than a lark, but a few too many glasses of wine prompt her to invite the medium to hold a séance in her own house.
Sara is delighted at the prospect of attending a séance and Ruth feels she can hardly back out now. The guests are a small but select group, including Pat and Sara’s cynical boyfriend, Bruce. The evening starts well, but takes a nasty turn when the medium collapses in the middle of the séance and Sara falls into a strange trance. From that evening forward, strange things occur in the house and Sara retreats further into herself, sometimes speaking in a voice which is not her own.
Forming a reluctant alliance, Ruth, Pat, Bruce and Sara are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and discover what is wrong in the house.
Ammie, Come Home is a supernatural suspense novel with a lovely romance between older characters. Ruth and Pat’s budding relationship was my favourite aspect of the book. Pat is instantly attracted to Ruth and determined to woo her with his intelligence, wit and good humour. Ruth is initially flustered by Pat’s attentions. At forty-five, Ruth had convinced herself that passion and romance would no longer feature in her life. It takes her a little while to realise that Pat is not merely flirting with her, but is in love with her. Ruth’s tentative response to Pat is sweet, as is his gentle but persistent pursuit.
Another aspect to the book which I enjoyed was the setting. It’s been a long time since I was in Washington D.C. and the description of the beautiful Georgetown houses made me want to go back. The book was set in the late 1960s and it was amusing to read Ruth’s observations on hippies, Flower Children and mini skirts.
I’m not usually a fan of ghost stories and this one didn’t entirely convince me, despite the interesting historical premise. However, the characters were wonderful, and more than made up for a weak suspense plot. I have a few more Barbara Michaels books on my TBR shelf and I’m looking forward to reading them.
{ 1 comment }
I totally forgot this book was set in the sixties! Of course, the last time I read it I was in the fourth grade, so that might have flown over my head.
One random thing I remember from this book is that Sara always sits on the floor. I had never heard of a person doing that and my 4th grade self thought it was bizarre.