Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale

March 12, 2012
When Faith Bass Darling hears the voice of God telling her to sell all her possessions because she will die that night, the reclusive heiress drags everything onto the lawn for a garage sale. Her sanity is questionable, but her neighbors’ opportunism is not. Local antiques dealer Bobbie Blankenship hears about the goings on and calls Faith’s estranged daughter, Claudia Jean, to alert her to her mother’s strange behavior. Claudia reluctantly returns home and reconnects with deputy sheriff John Jasper Johnson, who tries to help her end the sale and deal with the mother she hasn’t seen in 20 years. Faith reflects on her life and her values, from her troubling marriage to Claude, a violent man who married her for her money, to her falling out with Claudia Jean, and the death of her son, Mike, in an accident that changed John Jasper’s life. Rutledge, a fifth-generation Texan, paints a colorful portrait of a larger than life Texas matron, but her debut offers nothing new on the story’s well-trod themes of Southern racism, old money, and materialism.

April 1, 2012
Under the looming shadow of Y2K, the very proper Faith Bass Darling hauls all of her priceless family possessions onto her front lawn for a very improper yard sale in Rutledge's debut novel. Surprised and delighted to catch sight of the reclusive Faith, neighbors and strangers descend upon the Darlings' lawn to snap up Tiffany lamps and Spode china for quarters. Alarmed less by Faith's evident Alzheimer's than by the shocking loss of capital, Bobbie Ann Blankenship rushes over to save what she can. Now sole proprietor of the Yesteryear Antique Shop, Bobbie plans to keep Faith's possessions safe from unscrupulous buyers until Faith consents to a dignified estate sale, or until Faith's daughter, Claudia, comes home. But first, Bobbie might just take that mysterious elephant clock--the one item Faith does not want to sell. Claudia hasn't been home in 20 years, not since she hid a certain family ring, a ring passed down from her great-great-grandmother Belle, a ring replete with a three-carat diamond surrounded by seed pearls, a ring inscribed Love Eternal, a ring hidden in a desk on the Darlings' lawn. A failed Buddhist, Claudia doesn't want the ring for itself but for the chance it offers to invest in her dream of becoming part-owner of an upscale fitness club. Once home, Claudia must confront her mother's illness, as well as the return of her first love, Deputy John Jasper Johnson. With the help of John Jasper, Bobbie, Father George and Dr. Peabody, Claudia begins to understand her mother, her mother's illness and their relationship. Faith herself confronts the memories of her past as she moves from room to room, object to object. Those memories contain some dark family secrets having to do with the deaths of her husband, Claude Angus Darling, and her son, Mike. This potentially poignant story of misplaced emotional attachments and misremembered pasts falters under its wispy tone.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2011

It's the last day of the millennium, and wealthy Faith Bass Darling surprises everyone in Bass, TX, by emerging from 30 years of seclusion to start selling off all her possessions. Folks start thinking on the Bass family saga and how much memories and possessions shape us. A debut novel from the editor who brought you Kathryn Stockett's The Help, so watch; great for reading groups.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Suddenly moved by an eerily calm voice in her head, the extravagantly wealthy Faith Bass Darling decides to move her family's prized antiques to her front lawn for an impromptu yard sale. The townspeople of Bass, Texas, are noticeably shocked, not having seen much of the town's aristocratic recluse for the last 20 years, and flock to her estate to snap up their share of the family's heirlooms. As new customers and old friends end up on Faith Bass Darling's lawn to jostle for the Chippendale armoire or a Tiffany lamp, old family secrets begin to uncover themselves. Rutledge manages to cram an incredibly engaging story into a single unseasonably warm December day as Faith and her neighbors confront issues of possession, belonging, and life after death. Devotees of Mary Kay Andrews and Marian Keys will adore the wit and warmth of Rutledge's authorial voice. Bringing questions of family, community, religion, and the lure of a Queen Anne table to the forefront of the reader's imagination, Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale is a powerful first novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2012

It's a shock to everyone in Bass, TX, when wealthy Faith Bass Darling, a recluse for 20 years, throws open her doors and moves her antique furniture to the lawn. She tells Deputy John Jasper Johnson, a friend of her deceased son, that God had revealed to her that she would die on December 31, 1999, and that she should have a garage sale. As she divests herself of family heirlooms, a friend calls Faith's estranged daughter, Claudia. Now, a mother and daughter face the same questions. What is the value of possessions when they alienate family and loved ones? What if our memories and our lives are based on misconceptions? Rutledge's novel asks her characters to rethink everything they believed was true in their lives. VERDICT This solid debut is a fascinating character-driven story of misconceptions, family, and tragedy. Fortunately, Rutledge also alleviates the somber tone with moments of humor. Recommended for those who enjoy Southern fiction as well as book clubs and others who appreciate a story with multiple layers for discussion.--Lesa Holstine, Glendale P.L., AZ

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.