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Cross the Line, Already! ADeadHeart reviews ‘Crossing the Line’, the thrilling conclusion (unless there is more to come) to ‘The Thin Pink Line’. From dating to diapers (without the stretch marks).In this less than believable, yet still heartwarming chapter of the amusing Jane, we find her much changed. Her stomach might be as flat as it ever was, and yet in her arms she carries a lively bundle of Joy, found alone and wailing on the church steps, predictably enough on Christmas Eve. A beautiful girl child who looks deceptively like Jane herself, with one very noticeable difference. Emma is black.
‘Crossing the Line’ takes us thru Jane’s familial (and romantic) trials as she comes clean to all, including the faithful Tolkien, her Scotland Yard champion, and reveals that while the last 9 months have been nothing short of a fraud, fate has attempted to cleanse the wounds by dropping a baby in her lap.
Even after her Mother and her sister, who remain true to form (sort of) take pause to consider before passing judgment, Jane discovers that her true battle will be with the prim and proper Stephen Triplecorn, a social servant who values the letter of the law…to the letter.
Wrought with the difficulties or raising a child who is not hers, taunted with the unattainable culture she seeks, and hoping for acceptance from her sister - who is as arrogantly maternal as ever, her mother – who may have taken a lover not quite fitting what Jane might have pictured, and Tolkien – the tragic love nearly lost, Jane relies on the help of her co-workers and her gay best friend, David for assistance.
Thinking to myself that I would not be as engrossed in this novel as the first, I find I must admit that I was drawn in to the world of the irrepressible Jane and her cohorts…applauding with each spliced piece of red tape, smiling at Emma’s every antic, and rolling my eyes at each new wall placed in front of the ridiculous Jane as she tries to prove to the world that she is, despite her deception, a mother worth of adopting her little miracle.
In a not so surprising turn of events, we discover and keep the secret of Emma’s birth mother and await the changes such knowledge must bring. We root and cheer for Jane as she matures and grows into someone deserving of motherhood…because, in the end, doesn’t every woman who really wants one deserve a child? And we laugh, sometimes (often) out loud at the antics, satirical humor and mishaps that frequent nearly every page.
I truly enjoyed ‘Crossing the Line’ and look forward to what the author has left open-ended in perhaps a third chapter in the series…? A well rounded suggestion from ADeadHeart, though I must also warn you to prepare yourself to read it in one sitting – even if you don’t plan to.
I will be interviewing Lauren Baratz-Logstead in the near future and hope to pry out a few much needed details for said future writings! (And shall nudge Gracie into getting her hands on her other books – that I may, read, enjoy and review!)
© ADeadHeart.
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