Good book but the writing jumped around making story hard to follow at times. Ending was good. ( )

I was looking for a light, quick read and this one filled the bill in that respect. In fact it was a little too fast. There were a lot of characters, each with his or her own story, and it would have been interesting to have the stories more developed. I was a little turned off when it went to “fantasy land” toward the end. ( )

Loved this story. Family forgiveness ( )

Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley is set in the lovely Southern city of Charleston. It encompasses the lives of Willa Bellemore, her daughter, Lady, and Nell, her best friend. Nell's mother was the Bellemore's maid and also Willa's best friend but then she suddenly - and sadly - passed away. Willa then adopted her daughter and even paid for her to go to go onto nursing school. This book takes place during two different time periods; one when the girls were young and then when they are adults with children of their own.

It is during the 1970s when the girls are young when the story begins. Nell (who was black) was raised in a white household and she felt she was subject to a lot of racist remarks and behavior because of this. There was a turning point at a birthday party of Lady's that changed the course of the relationships between all three of the women for decades. Something happened to Nell but she didn't say anything to the others, she kept it all in, blaming some who maybe should not have been held responsible.

As adults, Nell and Lady 'found' each other again when Willa was dying. The women also found out that their own children were best friends and academic rivals at school. The three women were finally able to confront what happened all those years ago and put the past behind them.

This book didn't give any twists and turns but it was a lovely feel good story about love and family - where family always came first. There are some difficult social issues that came up in the storylines and they will really make you think while reading, such as how you treat others, racism, alcoholism, and male aggression. I really did enjoy the book and highly recommend it to others. Hey!!! And let me know what you think after you read Nell and Lady.

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ( )

Ms. Farley brought to life the characters within this story. Which is a great thing as this book is very character driven. Without the characters, you would have ending up with an "alright" story. The main focal characters are Willa, Nell, and Adelaide aka Lady. Each woman had a story to tell and I wanted to sit and listen to their stories. Yet, I will say that I instantly warmed up to Willa. Lady and Nell equally, I liked them but did take a bit longer to warm up to them both. In the beginning, Lady came off as a spoiled brat towards Nell. Being in her shoes, I could see why Lady was resentful towards Nell. Her mother doled on Nell. When it came to the present though, Nell wanted to distance herself from Willa and Lady.

The way that this book is laid out is nice. It is spilt about eventually between the three women with their voices. The different woman's name was listed at the beginning of the chapter as to help with who was speaking in the moment. Again, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books from this author. ( )