Tumbleweeds

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After taking my super-long hiatus from blogging, I mentioned in my come-back post how one of my favorite reads during that time was Roses by Leila Meacham.  Well, within the past year Meacham came out with her newest book, Tumbleweeds.  This one was in high demand in our book club because almost all the girls had loved Roses so much.  Roses has been compared to Gone With the Wind...well, the setting fits (the south), but I think that's pretty much where the similarities ended.  But, I did love it and was excited to read Tumbleweeds.

The main premise surrounds Cathy Benson, who is recently orphaned, moving into a small Texas town that is (unsurprisingly) focused on the local football team.  Her grandmother asks the two star young men of the high school football team (John and Trey Don/TD) to "watch over" Cathy so that she settles right in.  The three become practically inseparable throughout the rest of their schooling, right up until it's time to set off for college.  Two  life-changing events occur, effectively ostracizing one of the teens from the other two.  Forty years later, the three come back together in their small town to discuss what went awry.  Is it too little too late?

So, what did I think?  Honestly, I felt like I was re-reading Roses.  There's a love triangle amongst the three and one of the game-changers is quite similar to the plot in Roses.  I would say that Meacham definitely has a style of writing.  And if I'd read Tumbleweeds first, I would probably love it like I do Roses...but, when you've read both it's hard to see major differences amongst the stories.  And that bothered me.  When I pick up a new book, I want a new story.  I give this one a solid 3 stars and I would definitely recommend Leila Meacham.  If you haven't read either, I'd recommend picking up one or the other.  If you've read Roses...I'd probably recommend Tumbleweeds, but just don't expect anything too different.  You'll probably be able to guess a lot of what happens.