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Dear John

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Dear John by Norma Betz is a charming tale of a women's search into her family's past. The characters are real, and some actual U.S. history gives the story dimension. Anyone who has a dog will fall in love with the character of Quincy. This is a good read for tweens, teens and adults, especially women or history buffs.

This was a good debut novel. Some of the font was extremely hard to read particularly the letters between Abigail Adams and her husband John. I did like and get the feeling the author was going after for the letters. Several items mirrored the heroine Susanna with the author. The plot was predictable but still enjoyable. The author's hard work and history degree show in the historical details. I really enjoyed learning more about John (our second president) and Abigail Adams. It was especially interesting to learn about their faith in God that helped them through trying times like being separated during the war and the formation of the new government. The two main plots worked together good. The main plot is Susanna in the present day moving back to her Aunt Susanna's house to go through her things and make plans. Flashbacks through the letters is the second plot. There is a little mystery, suspense, and romance in this debut novel by Norma L. Betz. I hope she writes another book soon.

Suzanna Smith is saddened by the death of her Aunt Suzanna. An orphan since the age of 19, Suzanna had only one relative, her Aunt Suzanna and she has not seen her in several years. Suzanne is content with her life and having her beloved Weimaraner, Quincy, by her side. Now she and Quincy have to travel to Weymouth, Massachusetts to settle so Suzanne can settle her late aunt's estate. Meaning to only stay a few days, Suzanna is startled to learn she has inherited her aunt's home and heirlooms as well as a packet of letters authored by Abigail Smith Adams to her husband, John Adams, the future president of the United States. These letters have remained in the family as a legacy of their most famous ancestor. While monetarily valuable, their worth to the Smith family is much more. In the few days Suzanna is in Weymouth, she discovers its charms as well as befriending some of her aunt's friends. These friendships are tested when another person is determined to acquire the letters, and will go to any length to get them; these new friendships may actually save her life.

Norma Betz blends fiction and fact to produce an interesting novel. The story is very spare, and left me wanting more details and depth. The type face chosen to reproduce the Abigail Adams letters is very difficult to read and I found myself having to go back to reread the letters to get their meanings. Even though resolution of one storyline is too abrupt I enjoyed this book.

Susanna Abigail Smith has received a letter from a law firm informing her that her aunt Susanna Abigail Smith has died. The young Susanna also learns that her late aunt has bequeathed her a house, the contents and other assets. It is not just a house, but a dwelling that has been passed down through the generations and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Furthermore, the Smiths are direct descendants of Abigail Smith Adams, the wife of John Adams and the mother of John Quincy Adams. Young Susanna was partially raised by her aunt, but over the years they have lost touch. Finally, young Susanna is escorted by Quincy, her beloved Grey Weimaraner dog.

The story opens with young Susanna traveling to Weymouth, Massachusetts in order to settle her aunt's estate. When she arrives, she is greeted by James Shaw, her aunt's attorney and close friend. As she moves through the house she learns that there are many valuable antique pieces, including a silver tea set made by Paul Revere. However, the prize is a set of letters written by Abigail Adams to her beloved husband John.

At first, young Susanna wants to do nothing but sell everything quickly and go back to her job as a financial aid director. However, as she looks things over and begins reading the letter, she starts to re-establish roots to the house and the area. She also meets real estate agent John Shaw, son of the lawyer and the person designated to list the house for sale. There is an instant attraction between them, although initially both believe that it will come to nothing.

One of the people brought into the settlement of the estate is a bad person with large gambling debts. In an attempt to recover from that, he steals from Susanna and destroys many things in the house out of spite. In the end, he is captured and Susanna has a plan about what to do with her aunt's assets.

The high point of the plot is the letters from Abigail Adams to John Adams. They were written at the time of the struggle for American independence and Abigail was a rarity among women at that time. Outside what was provided by their male relatives, adult women in the late eighteenth century had no rights at all. Therefore, the content and tone of Abigail's letters reveal a great deal about the colonial society and John Adams himself. He clearly gave Abigail a great deal of responsibility for their affairs in his absence.

With such a powerful and interesting plot device, it puzzles me that the author felt the need to include the "bad guy." His involvement and actions seemed to be forced; he wasn't even very good at being bad. This would have been a much stronger book if the emphasis had been on the letters of Abigail and there was only one subplot, Susanna's involvement with James Shaw.

"Dear John" is a work of fiction that incorporates true historical elements. Dr. Betz, the author, has written a fantastic story that involves mystery and danger. Susanna Smith is a descendant of Abigail Smith Adams who was married to our second president John Quincy Adams. When Susanna discovers that she has inherited her aunt's estate, she travels from New Jersey to Massachusetts with her beloved dog Quincy. Initially, she decides to go to clean up loose ends and put the house on the market. This house has been in her family for over 200 years, but her career and home are in New Jersey.

Once Susanna arrives in Massachusetts, the adventure begins. She discovers that her aunt's lawyer was once her aunt's sweetheart. She also meets his son and finds herself drawn to him. He is a real estate agent. He recommends a friend of his from college to assess the valuables in the house in case she decides to send the contents to auction. There are many items that have great value. One such item is a silver tea set that was made by Paul Revere. Another valuable item is a box containing a set of letters written by Abigail Adams to her beloved husband John, while he was president during the Revolutionary War.

It doesn't take to long for Susanna to realize that these letters are being sought by a dangerous man. As she is dealing with this adventure, she reads the letters and learns what life was like for the First Lady. She had to deal with living in war times with her husband far away from her. She had to deal with the issues caused by war, treachery, and death. She was definitely a courageous woman, especially for her times. As Susana gets to know Abigail through her letters, she feels drawn to her ancestery, which makes her miss her family even more. There is definitely a valuable message here, in that we are reminded the importance of not taking family members for granted, because we never know how long we will have them. Susana also as to learn who she can trust as an enemy gets closer.

"Dear John" really tells a wonderful story. I loved it that I was able to learn about a period in history, while reading a story that I totally enjoyed. Both Susanna and Abigail Adams are women that are ahead of their times. Abigail had to run things while her husband was away. Susanna is a woman that has a successful career with a great deal of responsibilities. Being a dog lover, I loved her relationship with Quincy. He definitely adds to the story. I highly recommend this novel. It would be a great choice for a reader's groups. Fans of history will really appreciate it because it is heavily referenced and there are resources listed for investigating the actual historical events. Don't miss out on this one!

With a deep sigh, I closed Norma L. Betz's first book, Dear John, having read it that day! What a delightful, satisfying read!

Actually, you might say that Dear John has a book within the book, for it includes many original letters from Abigail Smith Adams to her husband, who was then the second president of the United States, John Adams. What a wonderful way to share part of America's history with readers!

The main thrust of the book is a love story, but not necessarily the usual one! Let me tell you a little about Susanna and Quincy... Susanna Smith is a professional woman who has created a rather insular life for herself...and her companion, Quincy. As an administrator at a college, she well knows that she should have already taken time off to attend to the estate of her late aunt, for whom she was named--Susanna Abigail Smith. But, in doing so, she would have to admit that she had trouble with delegation and had procrastinated leaving, even though she well knew that her staff could handle her department during her absence.

When Quincy realized that she was pulling her luggage out and getting ready to leave, he was quite concerned that he might be left behind. However, when his favorite blanket was placed by the door, he felt it best to stay right there and ensure he went with her! No, Quincy is not her pet. He is her only real companion and much of Susanna's dialogue is directed to Quincy! It's a fun relationship and readers will enjoy their sharing. As Susanna laments not having visited her aunt more often and not even knowing about her death until after her burial, it is Quincy with whom she shares her turmoil. It is he that gives her his unconditional love and support when she begins to realize that she has shut herself off from her family and even other friends.

Susanna's arrival at her aunt's home brings back many wonderful memories. But it is when she starts hearing the praises of her aunt from her lawyer, who had been in love with her, from his son and her co-worker that her pain and loss grows even worse. And when her aunt has left her a letter, along with the letters of her famous ancestor, she becomes enthralled with reading them even to the point of going to the library to read and research what was historically happening about which her aunt was writing.

The movement back and forth between the life of Abigail Smith Adams, through her letters, and Susanna's is very well done and adds tension to the reading of both. Susanna reads of what Abigail is facing as the Revolutionary War is fought and then learns more about what was actually happening through visits to the library where her aunt was once the librarian.

At the same time, much is happening in Susanna's life as she meets her own "John" and begins to care for him. Her life is turned upside down and is placed in danger because of what she finds there in her aunt's historical home. The reader's interest is sustained throughout as both the War is fought in 1775 and Susanna's own internal struggles for her life begins.

Quincy hooked me in, the historical letters caught my interest, and the drama of Susanna's new life turned each page. I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to especially those interested in historical romance (although this isn't a historical romance book). Once you start reading the letters from Abigail to John Adams you'll understand this reference! By the way, the book includes footnotes and an extensive bibliography for the true historian.

Enjoy this one--I did!

New Jersey native Susanna Abigail Smith is called to Weymouth, Massachusetts, to settle her aunt's estate. Since her family tree includes Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams, some of Abigail's letters to her husband are included in the inheritance. Susanna travels northeast with her faithful Weimaraner, Quincy, fully intending to quickly sell the house and the antiques and get back to her life in the Garden State. But of course, the contents of the Adams letters and the people she meets in Weymouth both do their best to pull her in another direction. Now that she's the last surviving relative, Susanna has no one but Quincy to consult with. What should she do? Who can she trust in Weymouth? Can she also overcome her guilt at not being closer to the aunt who gave her support after her parents died? And will she learn more about Abigail Adams and the local mystery referenced in the letters?

The historical details here make for interesting reading, especially for those of us who didn't jump on the Adams bandwagon after David McCullough's presidential biography was published in 2001. Overall, though, the plot is simple and predictable: a young woman in an unfamiliar environment is given a dilemma and must make subsequent choices, the ultimate one being "should I stay or should I go?" Readers can figure out the obvious answer long before Susanna does.

While Betz has certainly done her homework where the Adams family and history is concerned, she doesn't always take advantage of the specific setting of the book. She mentions the stereotypical Boston accent once, in passing. But the real question is: How do the Weymouth natives pronounce the name of Susanna's dog? Is it "Quin-see," like most Americans say the word, or "Quinz-ee," as the locals refer to that town south of Boston? I suspect that it would be the latter, and that Susanna, being a New Jerseyite, would be initially startled by hearing the difference. And what about Susanna's relationship with her dog? She claims to be a dog lover, as does the author, who also owns a Weimaraner. But I was disturbed at how many times Susanna leaves the poor guy in her car for two hours at a time to attend a meeting or to conduct business. The timing of the plot is late May, just before Memorial Day. It could get darn hot in that car for two hours, even here in New England. I am more than a little bothered by the actions of this (albeit) fictional character, and also of an author who tolerates a character who acts in such a manner without consequences. Therefore, the last folks I would promote this book to are devoted pet owners.

Being a debut novel, "Dear John" includes some of the standard tells of the first-time novelist. Betz ignores the "show, don't tell" writing advice. There's a lot of telling going on here; and individuals who are meeting for the first time are revealing too much of themselves too soon. Some of the dialogue is stilted. What appears to be shifting point of view should probably be considered omniscient, with most of the viewpoint being from the main character. The story might have been told more compellingly from a third person limited point of view -- if we knew only what *Susanna* was thinking, and not some of the other characters, other than through their actions and words. And readers are jolted when the only flash-forward in the book suddenly appears right at the most crucial point in the plot.

In spite of these slights, the premise of "Dear John" is a good one. Avid readers of historical fiction will be entertained by the book and may look forward to Betz' proposed sequel, even though the action here is set in a contemporary time, not historical. I know of no other such series that focuses on colonial life in the Bay State, juxtaposed against current life in the same setting.

Dear John is a fantastic novel - ranking up there with The Notebook and A Walk to Remember, two of my other favorites by Nicholas Sparks. It had all of the elements that Sparks is known for in his novels - love, heartache, sacrifice. Dear John follows the story of a young boy in the army who falls in love with a very beautiful "sheltered" girl right before leaving to war around the time of 9/11. Their love, though only founded within a three week time period, was strong enough to last while they were apart - or at least that is what they originally hoped for. However, time and war have a way of changing people and their desires. Dear John takes a look at young love, family, and relationships and the way they seemingly impact the lives of all involved.

This is certainly a quick and easy read - a great beach book for sure. Though it involves a young man in the army and the Gulf war, the emphasis of the novel is not on that but instead on the relationship that exists while they are apart. Another successful love story from Nicholas Sparks!

- Monique Ritter, Author of The Song Unsung