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With Love, With Connie has a dual setting. Hit HERE to view Northumbria and Flanders Cove! |
Reviews of the Novel as posted on Amazon. Com: "Even if you'e not a fan of singer Connie Francis, this is a heartwarming, romantic story of the struggles and triumphs that only love can endure and conquer. It also shows how the power of song, sung by a power of a voice can influence our lives. Reading you won't want to put down until the very last word. And then pick it up and read it again." ~John Donatelli, Jr. (NJ, USA) Webmaster for a Major Connie Francis web site! Other Comments: "Like most good novels, this one has co-existing plots that compliment each other and become entwined. Perhaps the characters are one-sided, but they reflect a cross-section of all the people we hope will be part of our own lives. And we all have a Trevor to contend with. We all enjoy music and recognize its influence. We all have favourite entertainers. The use of Connie Francis recalls an age when life was supposedly more innocent. The novel captures life with its joys and sorrows, struggles and triumphs ~it's a delcious slice of life! " Who's Sorry Now?" Not the reader!" |
December 12, 1997 is an extradionary day in Robert Mascaux's life, involving him in a family funeral, his second wedding and a birthday party for a celebrity. This romantic novel begins with a flashback to 1959, in Northumbria, a coastal community in Nova Scotia. Robert, a high school student, resides at the Manor, a private nursing home owned by his parents, Bertha and Camille, immigrants from Belgium. Robert' s home life is enriched by his 'foster grandparents' the Manor residents. When Robert becomes a member of a Connie Francis fan club, he begins a lengthy correspondence with Rachel Turner, the club's teenage president, who lives on an estate in Flanders Cove, Connecticut, with her reclusive, artistic aunts, fondly called 'the Bouquet' The reader discovers the enduring power of love through the struggles and triumphs that Robert and Rachel encounter during their friendship, spanning 38 years. The novel depicts the influence that singers can have on their fans and also reveals parellels that can exist between the lives of singers and their admirers. The music of Connie Francis is the thread of continuity for the couple for whom fate, an international border, family responsibilities, and a sinister villain delayed their marriage until December 12, 1997. |
Reviews of the Novel as posted on Amazon. Com: "Even if you'e not a fan of singer Connie Francis, this is a heartwarming, romantic story of the struggles and triumphs that only love can endure and conquer. It also shows how the power of song, sung by a power of a voice can influence our lives. Reading you won't want to put down until the very last word. And then pick it up and read it again." ~John Donatelli, Jr. (NJ, USA) Webmaster for a Major Connie Francis web site! Other Comments: "Like most good novels, this one has co-existing plots that compliment each other and become entwined. Perhaps the characters are one-sided, but they reflect a cross-section of all the people we hope will be part of our own lives. And we all have a Trevor to contend with. We all enjoy music and recognize its influence. We all have favourite entertainers. The use of Connie Francis recalls an age when life was supposedly more innocent. The novel captures life with its joys and sorrows, struggles and triumphs ~it's a delcious slice of life! " Who's Sorry Now?" Not the reader!" |
Pauline and George holding a copy of the novel!. |
Novel and flowers from the Book Launch! |
Autographed photo of Connie beside novel! |
With Love, With Connie A story of enduring love, an incredible journey, and a sinister villain! |
Among My Connie Francis Souvenirs.... |
Mike Wright, a webmaster for a comprehensive Connie Francis web site, presents the novel to Connie after her successful concert in Las Vegas in November 2002! |
Literary Feature Local author spins tale of enduring love By Rosalie MacEachern The Evening News ~ New Glasgow March 22,2003 The romance novel makes a comeback in With Love, With Connie by New Glasgow' George R. Henaut. When a local author brings out a book even people with no intention of reading it ask the question, "What is it about?" In this case there is no short answer - it is about family and friends, life in an old-fashioned nursing home, the influence of a singer on her fans, people who keep diaries of various sorts and perhaps even the definition of manliness. Published by 1st Books Library, it contains poetry, psalms, and even a recipe for Belgian waffles. As with many first novels, there are strong autobiographical components - the setting of Northumbria easily doubles as Pictou County 40 years past. The main character' s Belgian ancestry and association with a family nursing home is something Henaut shares. Likewise, the profession of teaching, the interest in thye Healing Order of St. Luke and the love of gardening. And there is the devotion to the music of Connie Francis. The tale of enduring love has many characters and Henaut links them in ways that may require some readers to suspend their disbelief. Main character Robert Mascaux is a devout Connie Francis fan who moves from his lonely teens into comfortable middle-age. Most of the other strong characters are female, the resourceful and resilent Bertha, the ever-patient Rachel and the truly bizarre Bronte-like sisters, Iris, Daisy, and Rose who are fondly known as "the bouquet". Two male characters, Trevor and Big Al, serve primarily as foils for Robert the Reliable. The story begins with young Robert joining a Connie Francis fan club - not just any club but the one that emerges from his research as the best. The club is run by a young, lonely American named Rachel who is led by circumstances to bring some vestige of the modern world to her aunts, the midtwentieth century Bronte sisters. There is more than an interest in Connie Francis from the start but this is the kind of novel in which romance is wrought with substantial hurdles. Long years pass before it is revealed that a peculiar link once existed between Robert' s poor immigrant mother Bertha and Rachel' s wealthy grandfather. Henaut effectively uses diaries to move back and forth between periods of Robert' s life. With another character this technique could become cumbersome but it seems to suit Robert who is a methodical and deliberate sort. Many years into their friendship Rachel becomes inexplicably ill and Robert rushes to her side. Thankfully, it takes more than a kiss from Prince Charming to save her but it becomes clear the pair just may have a real future together. The book concludes in unlikely fashion with a wedding, a family funeral and a birthday party all in one day but then the author might well argue that' s the way of romance - things happen when least expected. |
George promoting the novel at the Nova Scotia Sampler in Pictou at the deCoste Entertainment Centre, April 6, 2003. |
Sharon and Gilles Gauthier and Frances Campbell read reviews of the novel at the Book Launch!! |
Robert and Rachel invite you to share their journey! |
Rachel's first bouquet of roses. |
The sun sets in Flanders Cove; Rachel's home. |
Winter in Northumbria at the Manor; Robert's ancestral home. |
Robert and Rachel enjoy sharing their garden! |
Connie Francis is the uniting theme of the novel! |
With Love, With Connie has a dual setting. Hit HERE to view Northumbria and Flanders Cove! |
Check out this terrific site! |
Excerpts from the novel! Click below! |
