At Home on Ladybug Farm- Donna Ball

At Home on Ladybug Farm
Donna Ball
Berkley, Oct 2009, $14.00
ISBN: 9780425229781

One year has gone by since Lindsay Wright, Cici Burke and Bridget Tindale left Baltimore to relocate and start over on Blackwell Farms in the Shenandoah Valley. The place was a dump, but the three single women worked hard; assisted but at times distracted by their grumpy housekeeper Ida Mae; Cici's 20-year-old daughter Lori who fled a California college to come “home”, and fifteen years old Noah Clete.

Now the farm has undergone much renovation and revealed some of its history to its current residents. They know what happened during the Civil War as this farm and its neighbor were home to battles and occupations. It was turned into winery, a cheesy creamery, and a WWII refugee camp. Now Ladybug Farm is home to another generation of misfits.

Using flashbacks to tell the history enhances a warm tale of love and friendship as Donna Ball informs her audience what happened to those and more who spent A YEAR ON LADYBUG’S FARM. The cast is solid as each still struggles with what they want, but have come a long way baby from where they were especially the trio of Maryland expatriates. Fans will enjoy the return visit to the three single women and their three “wards” as fans will feel AT HOME ON LADYBUG FARM.

Harriet Klausner