Review of Bay Hymns

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bay Hymns" by Garr Lange.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Marie and Buck moved to Hawaii after Buck retired from Buchanan Construction. After his heart attack, he sold the business to his oldest son, Junior. He gave his old gravel pit to his other son, Jessie. The last gravel pit in Emerald on Clay Island in San Juan is under the gravel pit pond Jessie owns. Jessie had quit the Jess Buchanan Band when all the major labels wanted him to play other peoples' songs. BB wants to be with him but does not want to live in a camper; she wants a nice house. Buck returns to Emerald after Junior calls him and tells him that he does not have enough gravel to build an airfield. Buck tells Jessie that Junior's business costs would become too high if he does not sell him the gravel pit mineral rights. Junior will have to ship gravel in just like all other contractors if he wants to build an airfield. The economic future of Emerald, Washington is in Jessie's hands. BB sees the sale as an opportunity to have a home and money. Someone takes a shot at Jessie. Jessie's dog Legs, a golden labrador retriever, disappears, and BB moves in with Billy. Why is the pond so important to Jessie? What will Junior do to obtain the mineral rights? Has Jessie lost the woman he has loved all of his life? Read Bay Hymns by Garr Lange to find out.

There are many positive aspects to this 271-page book. One of the things I enjoyed the most about the book was the song lyrics Jessie wrote. My two favorite songs were "Here and There," which he wrote for a funeral and "Listen." Mr. Lange wrote the story from Jessie's perspective and focused on Jessie being responsible for the old gravel pit pond and the entire economic future of Emerald. Regardless of prominence, each character was fully developed, and I became engrossed in whatever situation was taking place in their life. I could feel the intimidation, strengths, weaknesses, fears, love, and pride in each of the characters. One example of this is the bond between Jessie and Junior. Even though they were battling over the mineral rights, they always remained brothers that helped each other.

As far as I am concerned, this book has no negative aspects. The action-packed plot is fast-paced and flows smoothly. I found it difficult to put down the book because something happened on every page with Jessie being in danger while the town waited for his decision that would affect everyone's future.

A professional editor has edited this book as there are only four minor errors in the entire book. These few errors did not distract from my reading pleasure. I gladly give this book 4 out of 4 stars. There is no reason whatsoever to give this book less than full stars.

I recommend this book to adults who enjoy reading about our environment and family values comingled with violence and romance. This book is not suitable for younger readers because of the sexual content and non-borderline profanity. Sensitive readers who get offended easily should probably avoid this book.

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Bay Hymns
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[Katie Blackmore]

This looks like such an interesting and complex book. I love the idea of having songs lyrics intertwining with the story. Thank you for the great review.

[Adrian Rondon Salazar]

I'm intrigued by the songs, even though the book doesn't really appeal to me. But for the excellent review I will consider reading it.