Best of
Chick-Lit

1999

A Walk to Remember


Nicholas Sparks - 1999
    Every April, when the wind blows in from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister. A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood. No other author today touches our emotions more deeply than Nicholas Sparks.Illuminating both the strength and the gossamer fragility of our deepest emotions, his two New York Times bestsellers, The Notebook and Message in a Bottle, have established him as the leading author of today's most cherished love stories. Now, in A Walk to Remember, he tells a truly unforgettable story, one that glimmers with all of his magic, holding us spellbound-and reminding us that in life each of us may find one great love, the kind that changes everything...

Reach For Tomorrow


Rita Bradshaw - 1999
    Her mother falls apart, leaving Rosie in charge of her two sisters. Rosie is determined to keep the family together. She secures a job and finds a man she could love. But life is never that simple.

Sullivan's Island


Dorothea Benton Frank - 1999
    But years later, she is a conflicted woman with an unfaithful husband, a sometimes resentful teenage daughter, and a heart that aches with painful, poignant memories. And as Susan faces her uncertain future, she realizes that she must go back to her past. To the beachfront house where her sister welcomes her with open arms. To the only place she can truly call home.

Cloud Nine


Luanne Rice - 1999
    But against all odds, she beat the disease that threatened to take her life and she reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine. It is a new beginning for Sarah --- a fresh start at life that few are given. And Sarah is determined to take advantage of her newfound opportunity. On her first adventure --- a ride in a small chartered plane --- comes a chance meeting with a man who will change the course of her life.These two fellow travelers find each other a kindred spirit and a bond that will give them the courage to confront the past and have faith in the future ... no matter how uncertain.

Summer's Child


Diane Chamberlain - 1999
    Daria's parent's had adopted the infant, but now they are dead and she has accepted responsibility for Shelly--who has grown into a beautiful, slightly handicapped young woman. Without consulting Daria, Shelly contacts Rory Taylor, host of TV's True Life Stories, to ask his help in finding her birth mother. Rory has a personal interest in Shelly's story since he'd been one of the many teenagers hanging out on the beach the summer the baby was found. Daria, meanwhile, has been keeping to herself the crush she's had on Rory for years--along with Shelly's true story. Here, as in previous offerings, Chamberlain (Breaking the Silence) creates a captivating tale populated with haunting characters.

The House on Olive Street


Robyn Carr - 1999
    Elly—The intellectual who has hidden herself within the walls of academia, afraid to admit she is tired of being alone. Barbara Ann—The talent behind twenty-six romance novels wakes up one day to discover she's lost control of her career, her sanity and her family. Beth—Her popular mysteries have become the only way she can fight against the secret tyranny of an abusive husband. In The House on Olive Street, away from their troubles, the four women discover something marvelous: themselves. And along the way they realize a dream. For, in telling the story of a remarkable woman, their own lives begin to change.

Truly Madly Yours


Rachel Gibson - 1999
    . .When pretty hairdresser Delaney Shaw returned home to Truly, Idaho, for the reading of her stepfather's will, she planned on paying her respects and getting out of town. But it seems the will has some unexpected stipulations-like the one that says if Delaney wants her inheritance she needs to stay put and have nothing to do with sexy Nick Allegrezza. . .for an entire year!There's no wayTen years ago, Nick had swept Delaney off her feet and onto his Harley, and that's when she really let down her Hair! Back then, he was a love-'em-and-leave-'em man, and Delaney learned the hard way that she was just a fling. But Nick is as irresistible as ever. And when the ladies at Tuesday night Bingo see Nick and Delaney making after-hours whoopee through the window of a local beauty parlor, Delaney knows it's time to decide if Nick is truly, madly the man of her heart.

Taking Chances


Susan Lewis - 1999
    Chambers agrees to track down the killers. But his need for vengeance soon overrides their desires.In London, high-flyer Sandy Paul, helping to raise finance for the film, still harbours a fierce passion for Michael, and aims to remove Ellen from his life.Love, lust, jealousy and ambition take the stage with high finance, power and mortal danger. Torn loyalties, male pride and female desires turn the movie into a terrifying trap of death threats and destruction...

The Quilter's Apprentice


Jennifer Chiaverini - 1999
    In the meantime, she agrees to help seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate, Elm Creek Manor, for sale. As part of her compensation, Sarah is taught how to quilt by this cantankerous elderly woman, who is a master of the craft.During their lessons, Mrs. Compson reveals how her family was torn apart by tragedy, jealousy, and betrayal, and her stories force Sarah to face uncomfortable truths about her own alienation from her widowed mother. As their friendship deepens, Mrs. Compson confides in Sarah the truth about why she wants to sell Elm Creek Manor. In turn, Sarah seeks a way to bring life and joy back to the estate so Mrs. Compson can keep her home -- and Sarah can keep her cherished friend.The Quilter's Apprentice teaches deep lessons about family, friendship, and sisterhood, and about creating a life as you would a quilt: with time, love, and patience, piecing the miscellaneous and mismatched scraps into a beautiful whole.

Dance With Me


Victoria Clayton - 1999
    But her lack of education and experience are no disadvantage for her job at the Society for the Conservation of Ancient Buildings, otherwise known as SCAB. Viola and her boss are sent to assess Inskip Park, a huge house with an incredible facade and domes like Brighton Pavilion. The roof leaks, the walls drip with damp, the food is terrible and the servants distinctly odd - but Viola is enchanted. She loves everything about the house, the garden, and the peculiarly eccentric Inskip family - particularly Jeremy, the handsome, lazy and utterly charming son and heir. Five days later Viola returns to London having made some life-changing decisions. Even an unexpected marriage proposal fails to deflect her from her declared purpose: to acquire an education...

Notting Hill


Richard Curtis - 1999
    Curtis's screenplay of the film--which stars Hugh Grant as an ordinary British bookstore owner and Julia Roberts as the world-famous actress who waltzes into his store and his life--makes for an effective and enjoyable read, chock full of the snappy, witty dialogue that made Curtis's Four Weddings and a Funeral such a hit. Fans of the movie will be pleased to relive such moments as Roberts's and Grant's first embarrassing meetings and her appearance at a small dinner party for Grant's sister, where she turns the situation upside-down. On the page, the story is charming if a bit slight (it doesn't feature a rowdy and riotous supporting cast á la Four Weddings), but as wish fulfillment and romantic comedy, it's irresistible and will leave a smile on your face to rival that of our heroine. In addition to the finished script, the book includes scenes that didn't make the final cut (great ones, too--it's too bad they won't be seen); loads of color stills from the movie; an engaging introduction by Curtis detailing the genesis of the film; and an affable if offbeat afterword from Hugh Grant himself. Mark Englehart

Searching for Stardust (Palisades Pure Romance)


Lorena McCourtney - 1999
    Then the unthinkable happened: Tim, their only child, a young man enmeshed in drugs, committed suicide. Now Jan and Mark find themselves reluctantly thrown together in a quest to discover the truth about Tim's death. But they get more than they bargained for when they learn that a young woman named Stardust may be carrying their grandchild! As they search for her, neither can deny that long-buried feelings of love between them are slowly being rekindled. But can Jan ever trust Mark again? Dare she believe that his newfound faith in God has, as Mark assures her, made him a new man? She doesn't know -- not until they face the ultimate challenge, one that threatens their hopes for the future and forces them both to rely on God'sprovision and promises.

Justice Just Us Just Me


Mary B. Morrison - 1999
    This must read collection covers the spectrum from pain to pleasure.

Hens Dancing


Raffaella Barker - 1999
    While Venetia’s life may not be as glamorous as the one she left behind in the city ten years ago, it certainly isn’t dull. She has two exuberant young boys and one splendid baby girl–known simply as The Beauty–to feed and outfit and keep happy. Other responsibilities include upkeep of a lovely but ramshackle old house, complete with a garden growing with wild abandon, and the care of a variety of bloomered bantam hens. Then there’s her mother, sometimes helpful and supportive but more often busy tossing back vodka and smoking cigarettes; a rather cute but presumptuous bathroom contractor and his oversexed Labrador; and various other friends, relations and country characters who dart in and out of Venetia’s life, wreaking havoc along the way.Fortunately for her, Venetia is the sort who can find beauty in the surrounding mayhem, and fortunately for us, she records it all with wry wit and great verve, sharing the joys and sometimes dubious pleasures of raising a family in the English countryside.

Playing Around


Gilda O'Neill - 1999
    . . Angie is eighteen years old, and, with the help of a mini skirt, a pair of false eyelashes and a tube of pale pink lipstick, has made herself into a beauty. She's living in London in the Swinging Sixties, and knows she's in the best city in the world at the best possible time. She's got that world at her pretty, white-booted feet as she dances the night away with every handsome bloke on the booming, strobe-lit floor of the Canvas Club. She's heard all the scare stories of course, about what drink, drugs and discotheques can do to young girls, but Angie knows she's different. After all, she's only playing around. But that was before that rainy night, when Angie got into the big, shiny car, leaving her friend Jackie in Soho to find her own way home.

Winter Kittens


Kirkwood - 1999
    Intrigued, Stonehill follows the feline Felix, and finds the puss has a young family—and a new friend, the lovely Miss Margaret Whitmore, an avowed bluestocking. Stonehill thought London held no new pleasures … until Felix introduced the jaded peer to this special young lady.Rescuing Rosebud by Judith A. LansdowneHaving lost his water, his intended bride, and his favorite horse, Lord Carrington is in no mood to be enchanted by the sweet kitten that tumbles down his chimney. Rosebud’s mistress, Miss Winifred Bittle, finds Carrington’s coldness a great puzzle. Why should such a handsome gentleman rebuff all company? She’s not even certain she wishes to further the acquaintance. But Rosebud soon has them both under the cat’s paw …The Four-Penny Cat by Jeanne SaveryThe reclusive Lord Manningford is delighted when the widowed author Carolyn Weston replies to his gift of a kitten—worth only a penny—with charm and wit. Alas, their hopes of a friendship are threatened by Manningford’s knowledge of a betrayal in Carolyn’s past. Can the one-penny kitten who brought them together inspire romance in two troubled people and prove himself a four-penny cat?

The Weeping Tree


Audrey Reimann - 1999
    They fall in love but the tides of war separate them and Flora, in desperate trouble, travels to Andrew's home on the Ingersley estate. There she meets the autocratic mistress of the estate who offers help and shelter. In a world that surrounds them with danger Flora and Andrew have only their faith in one another to help them but someone is intent on keeping them apart. They have a long, hard path to follow before the vows they made under a weeping tree can be fulfilled.