Lost Highways (Mira) [Paperback]

Curtiss Ann Matlock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | Series: Mira

As her mother always said, nothing happens by coincidence . . .

Meet Rainey Valentine: thirty-five, twice divorced, a woman with broken dreams but irrepressible hope. When her mother dies, she inherits a truck, an old barrel-racing mare named Lulu and a lifetime supply of Mary Kay cosmetics. So taking a page from her mother's life, Rainey packs it all up and heads off, leaving Valentine, Oklahoma, in her rearview mirror.

Then, somewhere outside Abilene, she finds him. Dazed and wandering after a car accident, Harry Furneaux is a man as lost as she is. With nowhere else to go, he joins Rainey on her travels. But when their journey leads them back to Valentine, Harry and Rainey find an unexpected new direction . . .

Straight out of the heartland of the South, Lost Highways is a novel to gently rock the heart and soul . . . the story of a woman traveling too long on an endless stretch of lonesome road who finds her way home at last.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful cast and a perfect setting make for a gentle and reassuring story." -- Booklist on Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel

"Matlock's down-to-earth characters and comforting plot will please many . . . A heartwarming story." -- Booklist on Recipes for Easy Living

Product Details

• Paperback: 363 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Original edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778321185
• ISBN-13: 978-0778321187
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Curtiss Ann Matlock is a the author of thirty-three novels, including the tender and funny Valentine series. Her books have earned rave reviews, spots on the USA TODAY bestseller list and numerous awards. Told with a strong Southern voice, her insightful stories portray the uncommon valor of everyday people and the humor, heartbreak, and shining graces of small-town life. Born in North Carolina, Curtiss Ann lived many years in Oklahoma; she now resides with her family near Mobile, Alabama. You can find out more about her and her work at CurtissAnnMatlock.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a delightful gem of a romance, February 3, 2000

By 

Sharon Galligar Chance (Wichita Falls, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Highways (Paperback)

In her mid-thirties, Rainey Valentine's heart is breaking. All alone for the first time in her life since her beloved mother died unexpectedly from heart failure, Rainey's life just hasn't been complete. Though she has two siblings and a father, and has been unhappily married and divorced twice, Mama was the one person Rainey felt closest to in her whole life. Grieving, Rainey decides to flee her Oklahoma hometown with the inheritance Mama left her; her aging barrel-racing horse, an old truck and horse trailer, and a lifetime's supply of Mary Kay cosmetics. She coaxes the old horse into the trailer and drives to Texas to join the barrel racing circuit. Late one night, on her way to Childress, Texas, Rainey almost runs over a man wandering down the side of the road. She offers the unfortunate Harry Furneaux a ride to the next town, seeing as he'd been injured and his car totaled in an accident. He accepts, and soon becomes her driving companion. As Rainey and Harry go down the endless highway seeking self worth, they begin to fall in love. However Harry is running from his own troubled past, grieving a departed life in his own way. Can these two lost souls connect to find happiness with each other. "LOST HIGHWAYS" by Curtiss Ann Matlock, is a reflective look inside two individuals whose spirits are drifting to nowhere. Harry and Rainey each are struggling to understand the lives they have lost, and desperately trying to find a future worth living for. However, their caring and kindness for each other and the people they meet on the road begin the healing process. In her wise and gentle way with words, Curtiss Ann Matlock's emotional and meaningful story line leaves readers with the message that everyone needs someone to love them and for them to love. I enjoy the fact that she can convey a sense of passion and sensuality between her characters without having them fall into bed every other page. This is a woman who knows what the meaning of real love is.

Curtiss Ann Matlock waits entirely too long between books to share her delightful gems of romance with her public but, as with all good things, they are worth waiting for.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, sweet, sweet......, February 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lost Highways (Paperback)

This was such a soft-spoken SWEET romance. Not sugary, just lovely. Curtiss Anne Matlock is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. In this story Harry Furneaux,a discouraged and depressed doctor, meets Rainey Valentine, a horse barrel racer. He is enchanted by this delightful sprite of a creature, who seems to solve all of the world's problems by waving her magic wand full of practical, sage advice and deep caring attitude. She is terrified to fall in love again (she's been divorced twice) but Harry's slow, soft romancing finally wears her down and she learns to trust again. This was a truly delightful novel - you'll really enjoy it. Try my other two favourites by Matlock - Heaven in Texas and If Wishes were Horses.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything Curtiss Ann Matlock writes is gold!, August 6, 2000

By 

Elizabeth K Shallcross (New Jersey, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Highways (Paperback)

Curtiss Ann Matlock writes sweet, warm, funny romances that speak directly to the heart with every word. This book is no exception. And I especially love the ghost of Mama in her white fringed barrel racing outfit.