Dollycas’s Thoughts

FACT: Lesley Kagen captures the voices of children in a profound way.

PROOF: This story!

Set in Milwaukee Wisconsin, we meet 11 year old Theresa “Tessie” Finley, her younger sister, Birdie, and her “fiancee”, Charlie “Cue Ball” Garfield. They make up the Mutual Admiration Society. Tessie is sure she saw a crime committed and the society needs to start its investigation right away. They just need to get around some house rules and Gert Klement, their next door neighbor, who is not their biggest fan. In fact, she believes they need to be sent away.

These characters were first introduced to readers in The Undertaking of Tess, released in 2014. While the author does give plenty of details so that this book can be read on its own, you may want to read the prior story first for more background on the Finley’s.

As a mystery lover I enjoyed Tessie and her lists and methodical investigation and that Birdie found a key clue and really helped Tessie figure out the suspected murder. Through the eyes of children in the late 1950’s I was able to see things in a different way. It was quite an adventure. Tessie has already dealt with so much in her young life and is responsible for watching over Birdie every day. Her lists do get a little repetitive but through them readers clearly see the way her mind works.

Kagen has crafted a heartwarming story but at times it is heartbreaking too. Her characters are so unique and the dialogue is true to a child’s voice and sprinkled liberally with humor. The world has changed since 1959. It was wonderful to escape back in time and tag along on this adventure with the Mutual Admiration Society.

I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author. She is an extremely talented storyteller.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

FACT: Lesley Kagen captures the voices of children in a profound way.

PROOF: This story!

Set in Milwaukee Wisconsin, we meet 11 year old Theresa “Tessie” Finley, her younger sister, Birdie, and her “fiancee”, Charlie “Cue Ball” Garfield. They make up the Mutual Admiration Society. Tessie is sure she saw a crime committed and the society needs to start its investigation right away. They just need to get around some house rules and Gert Klement, their next door neighbor, who is not their biggest fan. In fact, she believes they need to be sent away.

These characters were first introduced to readers in The Undertaking of Tess, released in 2014. While the author does give plenty of details so that this book can be read on its own, you may want to read the prior story first for more background on the Finley’s.

As a mystery lover I enjoyed Tessie and her lists and methodical investigation and that Birdie found a key clue and really helped Tessie figure out the suspected murder. Through the eyes of children in the late 1950’s I was able to see things in a different way. It was quite an adventure. Tessie has already dealt with so much in her young life and is responsible for watching over Birdie every day. Her lists do get a little repetitive but through them readers clearly see the way her mind works.

Kagen has crafted a heartwarming story but at times it is heartbreaking too. Her characters are so unique and the dialogue is true to a child’s voice and sprinkled liberally with humor. The world has changed since 1959. It was wonderful to escape back in time and tag along on this adventure with the Mutual Admiration Society.

I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author. She is an extremely talented storyteller.

Don’t you just love when a book gives you good feels? This book was great and made me feel so good. The writing is addictive, I could not put it down. I want more of Tess and Birdie and more IFs. I rooted for Tess the whole time. The Resurrection of Tess was the story of a woman checking off her to-do list and couldn’t have been penned better!

The whole story is told through the narrator, Grace, who is Tess’ guardian angel/imaginary friend, (IF). Tess has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Tess had a traumatizing childhood with a mother who didn’t show love, and now she has a sister that won’t talk to her and a (possibly) failing marriage with two kids who have a bit of trouble showing their love. Tess sets out with a to-do list to make a few things right before she departs from this life. This story takes us through sisterhood, heartbreak, and abuse. Lesley Kagen skillfully guides us through Tess’ journey with tears and humor.

This book touched me in a way few reads can. Tess’ story is close to home for me. Tess is growing older and she suspects her husband may be cheating on her. As if this wasn’t bad enough, her children are going through problems of their own and take them out on poor Tess. On top of that the only one who knows what Tess really went through in her childhood, her little sister Birdie, won’t talk to her anymore. She is lonely and suffering with PTSD that affects everything in her world.

I loved this tale. I don’t usually cry while reading, and almost never with someone sitting in the room with me. I felt bad for Tess. I cried big sloppy alligator tears for her. I just couldn’t help it. Tess and I have similar issues with our kids, and that really got me. Tess reminisces a lot, because her past is so haunting and her present is so not right. The characters felt so real to me. I rooted for Tess and awed at her strength. I appreciated that not everything got magically resolved. In real life, somethings just don’t and we accept what we got. This book shows that asking for help is necessary sometimes and true strength comes from within.

By: Lesley Kagen
ISBN: 9781940716558
Publisher: SparkPress
Publication Date: 12/09/2014
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars

 

A special thank you to SparkPress and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

EXTRAORDINARY! When I see advance praise for a new book, from my two favorite authors, Beth Hoffman and Diane Chamberlain, I know this is an author and a book I need, want, and have to read!

Lesley Kagen's The Resurrection of Tess Blessing does not disappoint. Immediately after finishing, I purchased the novella to learn more about Tess and Birdie’s childhood. Recommend reading both.

Set in Ruby Falls, Wisconsin, we pick up with character Tess Blessing (the OCD “list making” queen), from the novella, The Undertaking of Tess (formerly Tess Finley), now forty-nine years old, married to Will, for thirty years, and mother of Haddie and Henry, and lovable golden retriever, Garbo (the only one who seems to cooperate).

Will is the owner of the local popular Main Street 50’s style diner, Count Your Blessings where Tess helps out as well. Tess has all sorts of worries and fears (like her childhood); appears tragedy follows her everywhere she goes.

She is no longer the star of her children’s lives and she still holds on to her favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and continues to experience panic attacks. Now her concerns are real adult ones, so she has still has her imaginary friend, Grace to help her bear the load.

A list of Tess’ new problems:

• Will, her husband is going through a mid-life crisis. She suspects he is having an affair with sexy Connie from the diner. (No sex action between the sheets at home. He disappears on Wed nights returning with blond hairs and smelling of Tabu) not good signs.

• At her age she still has Grace, her IF (imaginary friend), thank goodness. Her sister Birdie, has IF (Bess).

• Tess has just discovered she has breast cancer and may die; no religious faith, and cannot tell anyone in the family of her illness. She is alone with PTSD and OCD among other fears

• Haddie, her eighteen year old daughter has an eating disorder; anorexia and bulimia, and she does not know how to help.

• Henry, her fifteen year old son, is distant, cruel and does not give her the time of day.

• Louise, her bitchy, self-centered mother (from novella), has recently died; her mother still talks to her from the grave, with continued sarcastic remarks and chimes in on every thought. She has to bury her once and for all and scatter her ashes.

• Birdie, her main problem. She has to get her to talk to her. Her fragile, agoraphobia, OCD, much loved sister is living in Boca and is not speaking to her, because they had a difference of opinion of trying to save their mother. Now she has to get her to help her spread their mother’s ashes. Thus far Birdie is ignoring her, and she may have to play the "cancer card".

If any of you have read my review of The Undertaking of Tess,you will learn how excited I was to discover this newfound author. The Resurrection of Tess Blessing is a poignant, emotional, and moving story, of a woman’s journey of dysfunction and life’s messiness, mixed with humor and wit. I laughed so hard, as Kagen has some great one-liners and so loved Tess’ To Do Lists and the way she strikes through the ones checked off. Priceless.

A page-turner you will not be able to put down, fast paced, keeping you in suspense to learn what the heck is going on with Will, dying to find out about Birdie, and rooting for some much needed happiness for Tess.

Lesley’s writing is unique as her character development is superb, with insightful feelings and thoughts, crossing over to psychological. The book reminded me a little of Elizabeth Hein’s How to Climb the Eiffel Tower (cancer, bad childhood, social issues, and funny as heck), Claire Cook’s sense of humor, andAmy Hatvany and Jennifer Weiner’s style of tackling highly-charged subjects with brutal honesty and hilarious laugh out loud humor and wit.

A book for every woman of any age, crossing many genres from marriage, relationship, family, dysfunction, sisters, siblings, love, motherhood, fears, mental illness, social issues, tragedy, grief, redemption, forgiveness, cancer, and most of all the humor.

If you love complex, poignant, funny, and uplifting self-discovery reads, The Resurrection of Tess Blessings is for you!

 

 

The Undertaking of Tess
A Novella 

 

By:  Lesley Kagen

ASIN:  B00M4P6YMC

Publisher:  SparkPress

Publication Date:  7/24/2014 

Format:  e-book

My Rating:  5 Stars

 

The Finley Sisters are guaranteed to steal your heart, as you laugh out loud with Lesley Kagen’s bittersweet novella, THE UNDERTAKING OF TESS, and double your pleasure, with a continuation of this dynamic duo in THE RESURRECTION OF TESS BLESSING.

In the summer of 1959, in Milwaukee there are two sisters, not yet teens, both OCD; Tess with her daily routine of making lists(and keeping them updated daily) with:

• Her To-Do Lists (love the strike outs, when she accomplishes the item, or no longer needed),
• Her Shit List (hilarious)
• Her Criminal Activity List (brilliant)
• Life’s Little Mysteries (award-winning)
• Her Royal Highness’s Favorite Things (this would be their narcissistic bitchy mom, Louise)
• What Went Missing the Same Time Daddy Did List (insightful and heartbreaking)

Tess (Theresa) knows how to bullshit with the best of them, feels guilty of so many things, and quite the mischievous one (as she has to be one step ahead of her mom and all the neighbors--having to take care of her kid sister Birdie who is the underdog, so her mom will not have her carted off to the loony bin—man, she carries some heavy burdens for a young girl.

Birdie (Robin Jean) on the other hand is naïve, fragile, innocent, overweight, loves to eat, and adores her sister, and has an imaginary friend, Bess. She is OCD on steroids, loves to keep everything clean and spotless, while complimenting everything their beautiful mother does in order to keep peace.

The girls (endearing) loved their dad, as he adored practical jokes of all kinds; however their mom Louise is a different story (and not in a good way). After the tragic drowning of their dad (Lake Michigan on a boat fishing with Tess), the two girls have to endure their selfish mother, who does not allow them to attend the funeral of their dad.

Louise, the mother is now forced to go to work, to support them, stating she has to find a man to marry her. Tess thinks she could have saved her dad, as she has to make Birdie come to grips with reality that their dad is dead, as she thinks he is living in Boca (funny as Boca is about 20 minutes south of me).

Boy, oh boy, what entertainment and imagination by the author! She is a comedian (guess this comes from her vast background),as she has some great one-liners, I was busy bookmarking. Having grown up in the fifties/sixties, I could so relate, and felt like I was stepping back in time (I was the mischievous one, grounded most of the time; with bratty, tattle tale younger sister and nosy grandmother living next door).

Great character development, with two lovable sisters which will draw you into their complex world with this funny, bittersweet, and moving coming of age e-short story; a perfect prequel for the continuation of these two fun loving sisters in THE RESURRECTION OF TESS BLESSING.

Having just finished an ARC of, The Resurrection of Tess Blessing which I read first and loved (when I requested via NetGalley at the last minute, was unaware there was a prequel short story). Immediately after reading, purchased the novella, as was so intrigued and curious about the earlier childhood of Tess and Birdie. The books can be read as a standalone; however, trust me, you will want to read both!

The novella is a great introduction into the girl’s lives in the fifties growing up, and continues in the full novel with THE RESURRECTION OF TESS BLESSING, where Tess is now married, in her late forties, with two children, and Birdie her estranged sister, is living in Boca. Tess is still making lists; however, now they are more grown up issues.

Where has Lesley Kagen been all my life, as just now hearing about her? She has a unique way of capturing voices, emotions, thoughts and feelings with much depth.

Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to such a talented author. Wow, now I have to read all her previous books, as she has just been added to my favorite author list! Highly recommend both; I am still smiling!

 

12/9/2014

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing

By Lesley Kagen