Review
At just seventeen years old, Leslie Cahill is already a smart, talented, and beautiful young woman, and she's at the critical juncture where she's ready to start maturing even more. She takes her first steps when a an older man, twenty-eight year old Sloan Stroh, shows an interest in her. Leslie finds herself flattered and excited by this strange new man in town even though her father and brother vehemently protest her association with him. In McClellan's Bluff, Mary E.Trimble skillfully weaves together the conflicting emotions of a young woman who's blossoming with adult desires while still trying to balance those feelings with her inexperience and hesitation. Throw in an extremely protective family hawkeyeing her every move, along with rapid, severe change in that family's dynamics as her father prepares to remarry, and mix it with sleek, sexually charged stranger, and the end result is a volatile delight to read. Trimble definitely nails the psyche of a seventeen year old girl consumed with a new infatuation with the whiff of sexual expectation. And she does an admirable job of bringing her entire life and personality to life. The atmosphere is thick with details of the ranch life, something she's obviously knowledgeable about, and which proves interesting to readers. Additionally, she unfolds the story with darker twists while infusing it with Leslie's maturation in other areas too. She grows as a person as she learns to be a sister and truer friend, taking on more responsibility in her life. There's no doubt that McClellan's Bluff is a wonderfully written story that will engage the target audience. Additionally, it's so good that most adults would enjoy reading it, and should feel comfortable letting their children read it with the way Trimble handles the situations in both language and tone. --Susan DiPlacido Blue Iris Journal
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Mary E. Trimble lives on Camano Island, Washington with her husband and their yellow lab, Bo. A prolific writer, Trimble draws on personal experiences including purser and ship's diver aboard the tall ship, M.S. Explorer; Peace Corps in West Africa; a 13,000- mile South Pacific sailing adventure aboard their Bristol 40, Impunity and extensive overland RV trips. Trimble is active with the American Red Cross and has responded to several local and national disasters. Rosemount (published by Atlantic Bridge Publishing) is a contemporary western set in Eastern Washington and Oregon. Rosemount’s main character, sixteen-year-old Leslie Cahill, learns the hard way about how tough life can be when you’re on your own. Modern-day ranch scenes, wilderness adventures and family dynamics make this a memorable book for all ages. McClellan’s Bluff, a sequel to Rosemount, will be published in 2002. Mary Trimble’s 350-plus articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers including Writer’s Digest, Coast to Coast, RV LIFE, Get Up & Go!, Family Motor Coaching, Sail, Waterfront, RV West, RV Today, The Rotarian, Manufactured Homes, Western RV News, Alpaca Magazine, American Livestock and Trailblazer. She is a member of Women Writing the West, The Authors Guild, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and Electronically Published Internet Connection.
