Review: Things by Francine Garson is a light-hearted fictional look at hoarding, childhood, romance and so much more. Yes, you can be a neat and clean hoarder who needs organization and space. Jenny tries to make it work for her but Hurricane Sandy is coming for her Things!
Title: Things by Francine Garson
Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Clean & Wholesome Romance, Women’s Domestic Life Fiction
Jenny Gilbert is what you might call a hoarder, but she’s a neat hoarder. She’s a clean hoarder. And she’s keeping it ALL a big secret.
To everyone who knows her, Jenny is a successful young college counselor. But secretly, she is also a collector, some may even say a hoarder. As a former military brat, she is on a mission to find and reacquire the many relics of her childhood that she was forced to leave behind with each of her family’s moves, and she has rented a secret second apartment to accommodate her growing obsession.
When Jenny reconnects with Nick, a man from her past, a romance begins. But, as she tries to hide an increasingly complicated web of secrets from the man she’s falling in love with, she becomes enmeshed in a messy tangle of omissions, half-truths, and lies. Then, when Hurricane Sandy adjusts its course, aiming itself directly at both of her apartments on the New Jersey shore, Jenny finds herself catapulted into a truly desperate situation.
At its heart, Things is the story of a young woman searching for a sense of rootedness, a sense of home. But, she needs to learn that amassing physical things is not the way to find it and that what she seeks is not an external thing at all. Her quest is aided, as well as complicated, by Nick’s arrival and the looming threat of the most destructive hurricane in New Jersey’s history.
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Review: Things by Francine Garson
E-Book Details:
- File Size: 2572 KB
- Print Length: 351 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publisher: Ant Colony Press (September 10, 2018)
- Publication Date: September 10, 2018
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B07H8PQDW3
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
-
X-Ray: Not Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
- Screen Reader: Supported
Paperback Details:
- Paperback: 350 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 11, 2018)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1726311384
- ISBN-13: 978-1726311380
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
ThingsShop on Amazon
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[socialpug_tweet tweet=”Gina reviews “Things” by Francine Garson. An in-depth fictional look at a clean and neat hoarder. #ComingofAge #Hoarders #Romance @FrancineGarson #AuthorInterview #fiction #psychologicalFiction” display_tweet=”Please click here to share my review of Things by Francine Garson with your friends on Twitter. Thank you so much!”]
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My Review: Things by Francine Garson
Things by Francine Garson really resonated with me. As someone who moved a lot as a child, I understand the importance of your “things”.
However, I got so frustrated with Jenny as her obsession began to rule her life. Why can’t she see what is happening? Is she actually going to give up her chance at love to keep her secrets? Can Nick reach her? Does Greg have an ulterior motive? So many questions.
The author has an incredible way with words. Her descriptions of the Jersey Shore make you feel like you are right there on the sand. I like the Hurricane Sandy aspect. There is nothing like a life-threatening natural disaster to make you prioritize your life.
Things is a novel with a little romance, family history, secrets, and lies. That’s everything you need to make an excellent story. The references to 80’s & 90’s toys are an added bonus. Go read it today!
Do you have fond memories of 80’s & 90’s toys? You are going to love the toy references in this book!
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An interview with Francine Garson, author of Things
Francine Garson is a former law school administrator and independent college counselor. Her children are grown, and she lives in central New Jersey with her husband, a mellow orange rescue cat, and lots of books. Her work has appeared in a number of print and online magazines, and her flash fiction has received awards from the National League of American Pen Women and WOW-Women On Writing.
How long have you been writing?
I won my first writing contest at the age of ten with an essay entitled ‘What Thrift Means to Me’ (although I’m no longer an expert on that particular subject). My childhood dream was to become a published author, but I put that aspiration aside for what seemed like a more practical pursuit––college, graduate school, and a career in college administration. I began to write seriously in 2009, and some of my short pieces (both fiction and creative non-fiction) have been published and even won awards since then. My debut novel, THINGS, was published in the fall of 2018.
What inspired you to write in this genre?
Upmarket (that sweet spot between commercial and literary) and women’s fiction are my favorite genres as a reader. So, naturally, I was drawn to those as a writer.
I was heartbroken by the devastation inflicted on my beloved New Jersey shore by Hurricane Sandy, and in a sense, THINGS was my way of making sense of my own emotions. Like my protagonist, Jenny, I’ve been a college advisor, and I have a strong attachment and love for the area that I call ‘home’. But, unlike Jenny, I did not grow up in a military family, and I am much more of a minimalist than a hoarder. So, I supplemented the common mantra to “write what you know” with another bit of writerly advice…“Write what you WANT to know. Write what you can IMAGINE.” And do your research!
[box] Things is also available on Barnes & Noble [/box]
What is your most unusual writing quirk?
As an author, my goal is for my readers to feel the same emotional investment in my characters and their stories as I do. So, throughout the writing process, I do my best to inhabit the people who have become so real to me. At times (okay, lots of times), I do speak out loud in their voices and even physically mimic their actions. Luckily, when my husband catches me whispering to myself, screaming at a wall, or pounding on a table, he knows that I’m…writing!
Were you an avid reader growing up?
I’ve always been a voracious reader, and I was blessed with a mother who encouraged my love of books. Every couple of weeks, with my sister and me in tow, she made the trek out of our small (one square mile) town in New Jersey to the old Victorian house that was the county library at the time. I still have vivid memories of climbing up to the third floor of the building that looked more like a gingerbread house than a library and carefully choosing the three books I was allowed to borrow from the children’s section. Reading is still one of my favorite activities, and I believe I’ve traveled the world through books.
Do you snack while writing and if so, what is your favorite snack?
I’m a diet soda addict and have a weakness for Tootsie Rolls. Fortunately, I’m also a careful tooth brusher and a diligent flosser!
Is there anything you would like my readers to know about you and your book?
I’m a true Jersey girl! Although I’ve moved around a bit, I’ve spent most of my life, and currently live, within a twenty-minute drive of the New Jersey shore. With grown children in New York and Chicago, these days I live with my husband, an orange rescue cat named Simba, and many, many books. I love classic rock music and with the help of a very patient teacher, have been attempting to play the piano for years.
Anyone for ‘Stairway to Heaven’ (the easy version)?
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Comments are greatly appreciated. Please scroll to the bottom to find the comment section!
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Author’s contact info:
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August 2019 Book Recommendations
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