If you should listen when E.F. Hutton talks, then you should read when Carter Taylor Seaton writes.
Her new book, “The Other Morgans,” takes place in West Virginia and Virginia and tells the story of AJ, a young widow living in Gimlet Hollow with her daughter and mother. Life isn’t easy. The farm is hard work and the taxes get harder and harder to pay with each passing year.
One day the mail brings a letter that will set forth a chain of events that will change AJ’s life forever. A relative she never knew has left his estate to AJ, which could be the answer to her prayers. She’s hopeful there’s some money involved, or at least something of value that can be sold and put towards the tax bill. But, before she can collect, she must agree to the conditions set forth in the will. Deciding to abide by them, and now understanding how much money is at stake, AJ moves alone to Langford Hall where she’ll live and learn to manage the estate for the next year. During her time in Virginia she finds her new life competing with her old and winning. After all, $12 million would make you rethink a lot.
So, what do you do when a life you never knew you wanted comes calling? Do you give up the only life you’ve known, or do you grab the new life and never look back? AJ finds herself wrestling with this decision as life in Gimlet Hallow is all she’s ever known. Will she give up everything and make Langford Hall her new home? Will she find a way to have a life in both, or will she finally decide that there’s no place like home?
This book had me from page one. Taylor Seaton does a great job at making the characters some to life and writing them in a way where you love some, doubt others and wonder who can be trusted. The descriptions of both West Virginia and Virginia are well crafted and I could visualize every detail — from the drives on Interstate 64 to the mannerisms and traits of the people. She takes the story through plot twists and turns and by the end, I found myself rethinking my stance on what AJ’s decision should be.
“The Other Morgans” should definitely find its way onto your reading list. Who knows — you might find yourself wondering if there’s a life out there, beyond what you’ve always known, waiting for you … and what you would do if, one day, the mail brings you a letter saying as much.
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