Having immersed herself in romantic possibilities promoted by Nicholas Sparks' novels, Scarlet abandons a thirty-year marriage and staid life to search for love and drama that will lead to a new and better outcome. Unfortunately, life and love aren't that easy, so her foray into the wild world of South Carolina (as opposed to North Carolina, where most of Sparks' romances take place) leads to unexpected events in The Scarlet D. Scarlet is wise enough to know that a move further north would lead to untenable expectations about that type of romance.
However, she isn't wise enough to leave old patterns behind. As she becomes involved with a younger man and also encounters a better choice in one older but more seasoned, Scarlet comes to realize that there is more involved in new beginnings than selecting men who are edgy.
From the start, her first-person reflections lend a realistic, engrossing countenance to her evolutionary process: My decades-long marriage is over. My children were raised and live life mostly on their terms. I embrace that before I become too old or bitter or resentful for a life not fully lived, it's time to try the unfamiliar parts. I want green and the ocean. I want history at my doorstep. I want weekend trips to Europe. On my own. Divorced. God, that's such a strong word. I would say it was mutually earned, but, in the end, I deserve more credit for the demise of my marriage than he ever did, acknowledging that no marriage solely ends at the hand of one person. Both are complicit. Maybe we share credit. But the blame is on me.
Scarlet is wise enough to know that the attractive Ben will likely never be more than a passing passion. Beau, on the other hand, represents the very image of the type of man with whom she could develop a lasting relationship: Other than Ben and outside of my ACE hardware trip, he was the first man I'd met here. And he genuinely piqued my interest. There was something familiar about him, too. But I knew that wouldn't be possible. His accent told me he was a southern man, likely born and bred. Before I moved here, I had not known any authentic Southerners... Beau. Of all the men I never saw myself meeting or falling in love with. He was worth trying to let go of my self-perceived inadequacies.
As considerations of ageism, evil influencers who can quash good things, and family connections loom to make relationship difficulties come to light, readers are treated to not just a singular romance, but an important psychological consideration of how love changes everything -- including one's ambitions, choices, and perceptions. Kirsten Pursell is especially astute at pointing out the pitfalls and perils of good intentions gone awry, presenting these insights via memorable, realistic characters whose special interests both coalesce and clash at different times.
Libraries seeking an evocative, empowering read about a woman determined to change the nature of her life and relationship choices, who is savvy enough to be cognizant of many (but not all) of the pitfalls involved in so doing, will find The Scarlet D of special interest. It will attract women and book clubs interested in probing the nature of romantic expectations and their incarnation in more complicated real-world relationships.
Scarlet's experiences makes for heady, involving reading that imparts much food for thought along the way, making for a top pick for both leisure readers and those who seek stories that hold no easy solutions or singular avenues of discovery.
Diane Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
https://www.midwestbookreview.com/calbw/feb_25.htm#generalfiction