Claire Fullerton, Author of “Mourning Dove” has written an intense, emotional, intriguing, captivating, thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, and Women’s Fiction. The timeline of the story is mostly in the 1970’s, and goes to the past or future when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her unique characters as complex and complicated, possibly due to the circumstances describes.

After a divorce, the Crossan family makes a difficult move from Minnesota to Memphis. Mrs. Crossan originally comes form the Southern culture, and easily adapts, but for her children Millie and Finley, it is harder to adjust. Finley is 18 months older than Millie, and Mille is dependent and looks up to her brother for everything. Finley is charming, and intelligent and talented. Millie feels that Finley has it all.

In this story, the characters are searching for the meaning of life and the meaning of home. I appreciate that the author discusses such topics as alcoholism and addiction, communication, honesty , emotional support, love and hope. I would highly recommend this deep and involved family drama for readers who enjoy a novel that is deep and emotional. ( )

The first thing that drew me into this book was the author's eloquent writing. She wastes no words and everything pulls you in and gives you the feeling you are a part of the story yourself. There is no better story than that.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Millie, a young girl who has been transplanted from Minnesota to the mysterious South by her Southern Belle mother, Posey. Millie is able to navigate this new lifestyle because of her friendship and reliance on Finley, her older brother by 18 months. With him around, she feels safe because of his natural outgoing nature, something she doesn't have.

They move into Millie's grandmother's home, a home that is filled with antiques and things that children have to be careful of. Her grandmother is out in a new little cottage her mother has had built so the home is quite large for this little family of three.

We are told of Posey's flirtatious nature, even with good friend's husbands, and her other escapades as she falls right back into her southern lifestyle and personality. All of this affects Millie and her brother as they try to navigate the new rules of the South and their friend's mother's snubs after one of their mother's dalliances.

When I first met Finley, I really liked him, however, the fawning over him by his sister and mother have an undesired affect on him as he gets older. He becomes quite egotistical and a bit unlikable. Because of his father's lack of being available for him also contributes to this. Of course, we see that Posey, herself, is quite self-centered so he really does come by this naturally.

This is a growing up story from the 1970's, an era I'm well acquainted with, since they were also my growing up years. I could relate to so much of what Millie and her family went through and the pretenses they go through for the sake of what others will think. The fact that this is set in the South, adds to this.

This is a slow moving story, but not boring. It really takes you along quite nicely and you become very involved in these family's lives. I enjoyed this book a lot and give it 4 out of 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me from the Just Read Publicity Group. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book ( )

You guys, book FOMO (fear of missing out) is a thing! And books like Mourning Dove by Claire Fullerton only feeds that FOMO. Fullerton is a new-to-me authors, but boy, oh boy, did she make a big and lasting impression!
Readers are taken through a tumultuous childhood through Millie Crossan. While things started out almost idyllic for this young lady in Minnesota, times changed. Situations and poor choices from others around her upend young Millie’s sense of security. And when the family trades Minnesota for Memphis, appearances become even more important than nurturing.
Fullerton delves into some of the dangers of burying and hiding emotions, dysfunctional family life, and what happens when the person held as a hero falls from their pedestal. Millie’s unique voice, influenced by southern gentility, often reads like poetry. It’s her inner struggles and questions that drew me to her and her story.
A simple sentence within the first pages of Mourning Dove invested me in the lives of Millie and her family. And it happened more than once—one sentence that kept me from setting down the book until the very end.
This is not an easy read. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s life. But the emotional journey is well worth the ride.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. ( )

The Deep South in the 70s with its unwritten rules and slow moving life is beautifully written about in MOURNING DOVE. The story is told in that languid, slow and relaxed pace that life in the upper echelons of Memphis society occupied.

When Posey realized that her marriage to her northern husband was over, she took her two children (Finley and Millie) from their homes in Minnesota and moved them to her childhood home in Memphis where she immediately claimed her place as part of the upper society. For Finley and Millie, it was an alien place but they soon learned the rules and how to survive. With their mother busy at cocktail parties and evenings at the country club while she looked for a new husband, Finley and Millie were often left on their own. Millie knew that her older brother was her protector and then she could survive anything with him at her side. at 36 years old, Millie is looking back at those early times and she is still struggling to understand how the relationship between she and her brother evolved into the darkness that it became.

This book is not only a coming of age story for Millie but it's so much more. It's a look at the hierarchy of the South in the 70s and it's a look at two outsiders trying to learn the rules of the game so that they have a chance of surviving.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )