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South of Superior
A debut novel full of heart, in which love, friendship, and charity teach a young woman to live a bigger life.
When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she isn't prepared for how much her life will change.
Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It's a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurtles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she's learned in a lifetime.
A heartwarming novel, South of Superior explores the deep reward in caring for others, and shows how one who is poor in pocket can be rich in so many other ways, and how little it often takes to make someone happy.
When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she isn't prepared for how much her life will change.
Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It's a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurtles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she's learned in a lifetime.
A heartwarming novel, South of Superior explores the deep reward in caring for others, and shows how one who is poor in pocket can be rich in so many other ways, and how little it often takes to make someone happy.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
122 people are currently reading
2779 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Airgood
6 books216 followersI grew up on a small farm, the youngest of four children. My father was a blacksmith and a schoolteacher. For the last nineteen years I’ve been a waitress in Grand Marais, Michigan. I was twenty-five when I came to this tiny, Lake Superior town, on a camping trip with my sister, and fell in love with the man who made my cheese sandwich and chocolate malt at the local diner. We met, exchanged assessing, almost challenging gazes, and six months later we got married. I told my sister we would, on the way back to our campsite that first day. “You’re crazy,” she said worriedly. But pretty soon she grinned, shook her head, started getting into the spirit of it. “Well,” she said. “This is going to be interesting.” And it has been.
I’ve never been sorry. My husband Rick and I run a diner together, a job which is always consuming, often punishing, and hugely fulfilling. Most of what I know about maturity and compassion, not to mention story, I’ve learned from waiting tables. We work eighty to a hundred hours a week together almost year around, and one way or another we’ve faced the constant barrage of setbacks and frustrations and equipment failures that restaurant work is, the high stress and long hours. There is so much satisfaction in it, though: the goodness of hard work, the joy of feeding people a meal they love, the delight of long friendships, the pride in a job well done. All kinds of people come here from all kinds of places, and we get to meet them, to hear their stories, and pretty often we get to make them happy for the time that they are here.
This is the route I took to becoming a writer. I didn’t get an MFA or study writing in school. I could have learned about life anywhere, but fate brought me here, to the end of the earth and a tiny town that time forgot. My customers have given me good practice as a storyteller, too. It’s a matter of survival. If I can entertain people, draw them over to my side, they won’t murder me when I’m the only waitress of the floor and the cook is swamped and the wait is long and we’re out of silverware and I didn’t know the fish was gone when I took their order.
I’ve never been sorry. My husband Rick and I run a diner together, a job which is always consuming, often punishing, and hugely fulfilling. Most of what I know about maturity and compassion, not to mention story, I’ve learned from waiting tables. We work eighty to a hundred hours a week together almost year around, and one way or another we’ve faced the constant barrage of setbacks and frustrations and equipment failures that restaurant work is, the high stress and long hours. There is so much satisfaction in it, though: the goodness of hard work, the joy of feeding people a meal they love, the delight of long friendships, the pride in a job well done. All kinds of people come here from all kinds of places, and we get to meet them, to hear their stories, and pretty often we get to make them happy for the time that they are here.
This is the route I took to becoming a writer. I didn’t get an MFA or study writing in school. I could have learned about life anywhere, but fate brought me here, to the end of the earth and a tiny town that time forgot. My customers have given me good practice as a storyteller, too. It’s a matter of survival. If I can entertain people, draw them over to my side, they won’t murder me when I’m the only waitress of the floor and the cook is swamped and the wait is long and we’re out of silverware and I didn’t know the fish was gone when I took their order.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 836 reviews
August 5, 2011
The premise of this book was not believeable. What 35 yr old engaged woman is going to give up her job, apartment, and relationship in order to go wipe some stranger's butt in another state just because her dead estranged grandfather's lover asks her to? Only a fool does that. Are we supposed to think Madeline is some kind of good person and martyr for doing this? Dumb is the only thing that comes to my mind.
Madeline's mother was pregnant with her at 15 and dropped out of high school to work the streets in Michigan and after she gave birth, abandoned her daughter and just left. Her father refused to take custody of Madeline so she ended up being raised by a neiighbor, Emme, who then moved to Chicago. This woman loved Madeline and raised her like a mother would. But then she got sick, Madeline tended to her care and inherited her apartment and some money when she died. She worked as a waitress and had been with her fiance for 3 years. Ok, so she really didn't have a career and spent her most recent times taking care of an elderly woman. So it would make sense if she used this time now to think about her career and do something for herself. But she gets a letter in the mail from a lady, Gladys, she never met who dated her grandfather whom she doesn't remember other than knowing that he didn't want to take care of her when her mother left. So we are supposed to believe that she quits her job, breaks off her engagement, and is on her way the next day to Michigan to take care of a stranger.
Gladys had promised room and board and a small amount of money in return for tending to Arbutus. When Madeline finally arrives Gladys is super mean to Madeline and full of secrets and guilt, everyone in town is poor and can't pay their bills, so Madeline won't be getting paid for her services and they don't have enough money to buy groceries. Gladys is being sued by the grocery store for not paying for her food, she hasn't paid her property taxes or utility bills, and owns a decrepid, nonfunctional hotel. Madeline barely watches over Abutus, goes on tons of walks, and ends up getting a job as a waitress. How is this better than her life in Chicago?
Madeline went to Michigan because "she had nothing to lose" despite having a job, apartment, fiance, and friends. After being raised by a kind, caring, loving, and compassionate woman she still felt the "emptiness inside was more real and more pressing" having been abandoned by her biological family. Why would she even care about them? She never met them. She was just a baby and then Emme took her and raised her like her own daughter in Chicago. Why would she care about a family that didn't care about her? And didn't she care about her fiance? To up and leave him like that is absurd. Isn't that like what her real mom did to her? Didn't she resent that?
After a while, Madeline feels invested in the town. This occurs after crashing her boss's truck and not showing up to work getting her fired from her job. And to think that she has the nerve to call her ex-fiance and ask him for money to fix the truck! And he said yes! Who are these people? She also left candles burning in the abandoned hotel which ended up starting a fire. She was super rude and judgemental of the people in town. But she adapts and ends up caring for all of them, selling her Chicago apartment, buying the hotel, falling in love with her former boss (who only started a relationship with her after the druggie, prostitute lady he loved crashed her car and got paralyzed and pushed him away) and they raise the druggie woman's son together.
But Madeline "wanted to stay there and be a part of something". "Everybody in this tribe didn't love each other. They disagreed and gossiped and argued; they laid traps for each other and rejoiced when the trap was sprung; they relished placing blame wherever it would stick and took pleasure in one another's mistakes. But when there was trouble there was help." Pretty messed up that a woman born into a dysfunctional famiy but raised by a normal one can only find true comfort in a dysfunctional town. I'd say this book is quite a bit ways south of superior.
Madeline's mother was pregnant with her at 15 and dropped out of high school to work the streets in Michigan and after she gave birth, abandoned her daughter and just left. Her father refused to take custody of Madeline so she ended up being raised by a neiighbor, Emme, who then moved to Chicago. This woman loved Madeline and raised her like a mother would. But then she got sick, Madeline tended to her care and inherited her apartment and some money when she died. She worked as a waitress and had been with her fiance for 3 years. Ok, so she really didn't have a career and spent her most recent times taking care of an elderly woman. So it would make sense if she used this time now to think about her career and do something for herself. But she gets a letter in the mail from a lady, Gladys, she never met who dated her grandfather whom she doesn't remember other than knowing that he didn't want to take care of her when her mother left. So we are supposed to believe that she quits her job, breaks off her engagement, and is on her way the next day to Michigan to take care of a stranger.
Gladys had promised room and board and a small amount of money in return for tending to Arbutus. When Madeline finally arrives Gladys is super mean to Madeline and full of secrets and guilt, everyone in town is poor and can't pay their bills, so Madeline won't be getting paid for her services and they don't have enough money to buy groceries. Gladys is being sued by the grocery store for not paying for her food, she hasn't paid her property taxes or utility bills, and owns a decrepid, nonfunctional hotel. Madeline barely watches over Abutus, goes on tons of walks, and ends up getting a job as a waitress. How is this better than her life in Chicago?
Madeline went to Michigan because "she had nothing to lose" despite having a job, apartment, fiance, and friends. After being raised by a kind, caring, loving, and compassionate woman she still felt the "emptiness inside was more real and more pressing" having been abandoned by her biological family. Why would she even care about them? She never met them. She was just a baby and then Emme took her and raised her like her own daughter in Chicago. Why would she care about a family that didn't care about her? And didn't she care about her fiance? To up and leave him like that is absurd. Isn't that like what her real mom did to her? Didn't she resent that?
After a while, Madeline feels invested in the town. This occurs after crashing her boss's truck and not showing up to work getting her fired from her job. And to think that she has the nerve to call her ex-fiance and ask him for money to fix the truck! And he said yes! Who are these people? She also left candles burning in the abandoned hotel which ended up starting a fire. She was super rude and judgemental of the people in town. But she adapts and ends up caring for all of them, selling her Chicago apartment, buying the hotel, falling in love with her former boss (who only started a relationship with her after the druggie, prostitute lady he loved crashed her car and got paralyzed and pushed him away) and they raise the druggie woman's son together.
But Madeline "wanted to stay there and be a part of something". "Everybody in this tribe didn't love each other. They disagreed and gossiped and argued; they laid traps for each other and rejoiced when the trap was sprung; they relished placing blame wherever it would stick and took pleasure in one another's mistakes. But when there was trouble there was help." Pretty messed up that a woman born into a dysfunctional famiy but raised by a normal one can only find true comfort in a dysfunctional town. I'd say this book is quite a bit ways south of superior.
June 23, 2015
What do you do when the sister of one of your best friends really has a novel published? I mean, once you get over your envy that she did what you have only fantasized, but not acted upon? I pushed myself to read it and, my own self-recrimination pushed aside, I am very happy that I did. I grew up in a small town of 250 people and could relate to the characters in this story. They are believable. Madeline wants to understand the truth of her family, not just the facts. And this takes a willingness to embrace people in a way that I find personally challenging, because there is knowing and understanding, but embracing takes a surrender that few can maintain. I could relate to Madeline's decision to leave Chicago for something greater than a metropolis; for something greater than ordinary expectations. I kept thinking, "Ellen, this is amazing. I can tell you really know your characters. You are wise beyond your years. You know love in a way that few people would even be able to imagine." The word I use for Ellen is earthy, and by that I mean rich and deep, nourishing, vital. South of Superior reflects this. I am now reading it again, hopefully, with less mixed feelings (love, loyalty, pride, anxiety and envy being a few). And I will let you know about that here. Meanwhile, I am also enjoying Ellen's blog: one particular favorite being written in response to a reader's query as to how she actually gets the work of writing accomplished. There is a bounty of practical wisdom there which does not surprise me any more, when it comes from Ellen.
May 12, 2020
Superficial character development and light on prose. The dialog was choppy and sometimes difficult to follow. Oh well, I read it for my book club.
March 4, 2014
With reluctance, I've turned the last page of this book, only to find myself hoping that it's a particularly cold and stormy winter on the northernmost shore of Michigan's U.P, so that Ms. Airgood can get started on her next novel! Her characters (and this reader) are just crying out for a sequel!
I'd just finished another novel set in a small town in a location that has personal significance for me, so this seemed like a good choice for another light read. Having family in the 'thumb' of Michigan, it's a location that holds many memories. I confess that I was leaning towards liking this book based only on the setting. As it turns out, however, Ms. Airgood is an excellent writer, and among all of her strengths, her character development is outstanding. Whether the reader falls in love with the array of small-town characters or finds them frustrating, nosy, and too stubborn for their own good, you can't help wanting to peer down the road to see where life will take them next. If you read it with an open mind, and set aside the general tendency to set limits on the capacity of small-town folks, you'll realize that we're all seeking the same treasures. They may appear differently depending on the degree of urbanization in your neighbourhood and in your heart, but the treasures of the soul are the same.
I'd just finished another novel set in a small town in a location that has personal significance for me, so this seemed like a good choice for another light read. Having family in the 'thumb' of Michigan, it's a location that holds many memories. I confess that I was leaning towards liking this book based only on the setting. As it turns out, however, Ms. Airgood is an excellent writer, and among all of her strengths, her character development is outstanding. Whether the reader falls in love with the array of small-town characters or finds them frustrating, nosy, and too stubborn for their own good, you can't help wanting to peer down the road to see where life will take them next. If you read it with an open mind, and set aside the general tendency to set limits on the capacity of small-town folks, you'll realize that we're all seeking the same treasures. They may appear differently depending on the degree of urbanization in your neighbourhood and in your heart, but the treasures of the soul are the same.
December 31, 2016
This was a terrific and well written debut novel. A book that you don't want to race through but letting the complicated relationships take time to develop as you gently fall in love with a small town in Michigan on Lake Superior.
August 12, 2019
Set in a fictional town on the shore of Lake Superior, SOUTH OF SUPERIOR tracks the arrival of Madeline Stone into a closely-knit community marked by intense winters and the struggle for survival. As Madeline discovers the truth about her roots, she also finds the person she was meant to be and the community she was meant to be part of. Loved the setting and the crusty characters!
September 28, 2011
This book took me quite awhile to finish simply because I lost interest somewhere in the middle. It was honestly kind of depressing as well, and not in the gloriously depressing, "Romeo and Juliet" sort of way, but more in a mundane, day to day life and troubles sort of way.
There were, among those struggles however, several "rising above the situation" moments and some relationships and character development things I really enjoyed. Good people doing good things. Definitely in keeping with the spirit of the "up north" small town (one of which I happen to be born and raised in!).
It was just way too "real" and close to home on a lot of things to be a really fun read. There were also several scenes that seemed a bit of a stretch for me. Not very realistic. I also feel like some of the dialogue was really forced and unnatural.
I did enjoy the ending. The last few chapters really brought things around finally and even though nothing was perfect, at least people were content and not EVERYTHING was going wrong. It had a cute ending that made me smile... which boosted my opinion of the book in general.
Overall, a rather heavy book with a few cute or poignant moments thrown in. For me it was just "ok".
There were, among those struggles however, several "rising above the situation" moments and some relationships and character development things I really enjoyed. Good people doing good things. Definitely in keeping with the spirit of the "up north" small town (one of which I happen to be born and raised in!).
It was just way too "real" and close to home on a lot of things to be a really fun read. There were also several scenes that seemed a bit of a stretch for me. Not very realistic. I also feel like some of the dialogue was really forced and unnatural.
I did enjoy the ending. The last few chapters really brought things around finally and even though nothing was perfect, at least people were content and not EVERYTHING was going wrong. It had a cute ending that made me smile... which boosted my opinion of the book in general.
Overall, a rather heavy book with a few cute or poignant moments thrown in. For me it was just "ok".
October 7, 2025
I picked this book up at Uglyfish Baking Co. way up north near Lake Superior. The absolute highlight of my summer. What an adorable little place with baked goods, coffee and gifts. Turns out - it’s owned by the author! I had already read her other book, Tin Camp Road and was so excited to pick this one up.
Grand Marais is my absolute favorite place on earth and this book is set in a fictional town just like Grand Marais. The book described so much of the Upper Peninsula’s culture, history and geography!
I loved this book, makes me want to move to the UP even more.
Grand Marais is my absolute favorite place on earth and this book is set in a fictional town just like Grand Marais. The book described so much of the Upper Peninsula’s culture, history and geography!
I loved this book, makes me want to move to the UP even more.
January 28, 2015
A pleasant surprise--a book that isn't from any of my favorite genres, and I still really liked it! South of Superior is set in the fictional UP town of McAllaster, along Superior's shore. Knowing that the author lives in Grand Marais and runs the charming West Bay Diner gives the book more credibility and really reinforces the authenticity.
The premise of the story is a little far-fetched, that a Chicago woman would agree to come north to care for an older woman she never met and isn't related to, but I've known people to do stranger things with less reason. Once you get past that, the transplanted Madeline discovers the charms of small towns and gorgeous northern Michigan. Enter the characters!
Madeline meets Gladys and Arbutus, the women she will live with, before she leaves Chicago. Arbutus, or Butte, is a sweet, cheerful lady who needs someone with her to help her get up and down. Gladys invited Madeline to come up north, thinking it an opportunity to make up for the guilt of years when her companion, Joe, ignored his grandaughter Madeline. But Gladys is prickly. As Madeline settles in to McAllaster, she realizes that Gladys is not going to be chatty about the past and the family history. Ah, well.
Then there's Mary Feather, the local fishmonger, among many other things. She lives in a mashed-together cabin with no mod-cons or amenities and sells what she harvests from the wild. Old Emil lives in a stinky cabin with his dog and chops wood, mostly. The Bensons run the modern grocery and try to run off the locals by cutting off their credit. Randi had a baby at age 17, and now she leaves young Greyson wherever while she goes off to take care of something. Paul runs the local pizzeria and works in the prison kitchen mornings. They mostly care for each other, that shows. And everyone loves the Lake--the description of winter storms is worth the book, if nothing else. This book reinforces my wish to see Lake Superior in winter. What a nice new addition to Michigan books. ~Tessa J. Eger 4 out of 5 stars
The premise of the story is a little far-fetched, that a Chicago woman would agree to come north to care for an older woman she never met and isn't related to, but I've known people to do stranger things with less reason. Once you get past that, the transplanted Madeline discovers the charms of small towns and gorgeous northern Michigan. Enter the characters!
Madeline meets Gladys and Arbutus, the women she will live with, before she leaves Chicago. Arbutus, or Butte, is a sweet, cheerful lady who needs someone with her to help her get up and down. Gladys invited Madeline to come up north, thinking it an opportunity to make up for the guilt of years when her companion, Joe, ignored his grandaughter Madeline. But Gladys is prickly. As Madeline settles in to McAllaster, she realizes that Gladys is not going to be chatty about the past and the family history. Ah, well.
Then there's Mary Feather, the local fishmonger, among many other things. She lives in a mashed-together cabin with no mod-cons or amenities and sells what she harvests from the wild. Old Emil lives in a stinky cabin with his dog and chops wood, mostly. The Bensons run the modern grocery and try to run off the locals by cutting off their credit. Randi had a baby at age 17, and now she leaves young Greyson wherever while she goes off to take care of something. Paul runs the local pizzeria and works in the prison kitchen mornings. They mostly care for each other, that shows. And everyone loves the Lake--the description of winter storms is worth the book, if nothing else. This book reinforces my wish to see Lake Superior in winter. What a nice new addition to Michigan books. ~Tessa J. Eger 4 out of 5 stars
May 15, 2012
This book was a delightful suprise. I am one of those people that (sometimes wrongly) judge a book by it's cover, and this cover design was not at ALL indicative of the complexities of the story within. In fact, after reading the whole book I still have no idea where in the world the cover design came from. I'm glad I overcame my initial skepticism and bought the book! This is Airgood's first novel and I will be watching for more. I am attracted to stories of women who have had it a little tough and still choose the hard but interesting route to the rest of their lives. The setting,in Michigan's upper penninsula was attractive to me because even though it is in a neighboring state it is in the nether reaches of that state, a place I have gotten close to, but never close enough. Who knew, that right around the corner, the climate and the terrain can still present the challenges we associate with days gone by? Madeline Stone, in her thirties, living in Chicago and engaged to be married, leaves her old life behind to travel to the upper penninsula and care for elderly almost-relatives that just may hold the key to her past. I don't generally read mysteries but I do like a story with a little mystery in it, especially if it has to do with missing parents. We all have a fundamental need to know where we came from, and Madeleine's heritage in revealed to her bit by bit as she learns to love the tough, cranky woman who was her grandfather's lover, and as she takes over the running of an old, falling apart inn at the same time she sort of inherits a young boy. Yes, it's complicated - oh, and there is a new love for Medeline, too - but none of it comes easy.
July 9, 2011
When Madeline Stone is requested by her late grandfather's girlfriend, Gladys, to move in with them to look after Gladys' sister, Arbutus, she decides to take up the offer. Feeling disillusioned with her current life in Chicago and no longer feeling any love for her fiance, she welcomes the change brought on by moving to a town near the coast of Lake Superior in Michigan, even though her grandfather had abandoned her as a child. In her new life, she relishes looking after Arbutus but strangely Gladys is occasionally very hostile with her. She yearns to learn more about her family, which has its origins in that town, but Gladys isn't yet ready to get intimate with Madeline. Over time, she begins to connect with other residents and begins to transform from being a big city girl to a small town one.
South of Superior was a delightful summery read about people and their relationships in a small town that was as much a primary character of this book as the people were. There is a whole potpourri of characters that lend plenty of vibrancy to this novel as Madeline tries to connect with the town at a deeper level. The two sisters - Gladys and Arbutus - are octogenarians, who find that in spite of their old age, bureaucracy can be very rude - declining their loan applications or demanding on-time payments on all bills. Another principal character, limping Paul Garceau, keeps two jobs so that he can pay the tons of bills that he gets every day. His handicap is a matter of unresolved internal crisis that still plagues him many years later. In addition, there are several minor characters who know each other very well in this small town. Most of the story is told from Madeline's perspective; occasionally Gladys, Paul, and a few minor characters weave in their narrations as well. While I found this gave a holistic view of the characters, their feelings and murky situations, I found it jarring occasionally, since there didn't appear to be much of a system in the narration shift.
I found Madeline Stone much of a mystery initially. She appeared to me to be a character who was being fleshed out as I turned page after page, rather than having a strong persona from the very start. Not that it's a bad thing, since it made me curious to know whether she'll turn out to be likable. But that just made me take a long time to appreciate her either way. Eventually, I began to identify with her completely. Her desire to help the sisters and her indignation on behalf of those having troubles was so easy to relate to. Gladys, on the other hand, sounded wonderful on page one when she asks for Madeline's help, and after that, it was as if a different person took up residence in her body. I found her very unreasonable, as she appeared very disapproving of Madeline most of the time. Even in spite of her old age and set mannerisms, she didn't have much consideration for Madeline and her willingness to work hard.
South of Superior is a breezy fast read. I was occasionally surprised to see that I had read quite a lot in a short while. For a 350+ page book, that's always a plus. I did have some trouble getting into this book initially. The writing wasn't magical and that was what mostly turned me off. There were quite a few repetitions and sometimes too many phrases stitched together into a sentence. It took me about a 100 pages to actually want to read more of it.
While the book is primarily about relationships, it is also about the many problems the residents of a small rustic town face, in light of zoning and urbanization plans. Several things happen that disrupt their lives - the new owners of a grocery store cut their regular customers off their credit because of outstanding bills, the council's plans to modernize the town mean having to relocate some of those who have been living on their own properties for decades. It also shows how money, or the lack of it, is usually at the crux of many problems, contrary to what the optimists' say that "money isn't everything". Coincidentally, many of the characters run into monetary troubles quite so suddenly. There is every hint that the problems have been around for a while and they just accelerated due to certain circumstances, but I did found it very shaky. Still, I liked how the author covered this aspect.
Overall, this was a quick delightful read about life in a small town. It is also about finding and accepting your roots - however embarrassed or disappointed you are of it. This element was touched many times through several characters - how you should not be held ransom to your past. It is also about not clinging to the past just because it happened. Someday you wake up in a situation that demands a different action. I found this a very interesting thought because I, like many others, tend to be very sentimental about the past and sometimes hesitate to "move on". Even though this book didn't quite impress me much, I loved the topics that were explored in it and am glad that I didn't give up on it.
South of Superior was a delightful summery read about people and their relationships in a small town that was as much a primary character of this book as the people were. There is a whole potpourri of characters that lend plenty of vibrancy to this novel as Madeline tries to connect with the town at a deeper level. The two sisters - Gladys and Arbutus - are octogenarians, who find that in spite of their old age, bureaucracy can be very rude - declining their loan applications or demanding on-time payments on all bills. Another principal character, limping Paul Garceau, keeps two jobs so that he can pay the tons of bills that he gets every day. His handicap is a matter of unresolved internal crisis that still plagues him many years later. In addition, there are several minor characters who know each other very well in this small town. Most of the story is told from Madeline's perspective; occasionally Gladys, Paul, and a few minor characters weave in their narrations as well. While I found this gave a holistic view of the characters, their feelings and murky situations, I found it jarring occasionally, since there didn't appear to be much of a system in the narration shift.
I found Madeline Stone much of a mystery initially. She appeared to me to be a character who was being fleshed out as I turned page after page, rather than having a strong persona from the very start. Not that it's a bad thing, since it made me curious to know whether she'll turn out to be likable. But that just made me take a long time to appreciate her either way. Eventually, I began to identify with her completely. Her desire to help the sisters and her indignation on behalf of those having troubles was so easy to relate to. Gladys, on the other hand, sounded wonderful on page one when she asks for Madeline's help, and after that, it was as if a different person took up residence in her body. I found her very unreasonable, as she appeared very disapproving of Madeline most of the time. Even in spite of her old age and set mannerisms, she didn't have much consideration for Madeline and her willingness to work hard.
South of Superior is a breezy fast read. I was occasionally surprised to see that I had read quite a lot in a short while. For a 350+ page book, that's always a plus. I did have some trouble getting into this book initially. The writing wasn't magical and that was what mostly turned me off. There were quite a few repetitions and sometimes too many phrases stitched together into a sentence. It took me about a 100 pages to actually want to read more of it.
While the book is primarily about relationships, it is also about the many problems the residents of a small rustic town face, in light of zoning and urbanization plans. Several things happen that disrupt their lives - the new owners of a grocery store cut their regular customers off their credit because of outstanding bills, the council's plans to modernize the town mean having to relocate some of those who have been living on their own properties for decades. It also shows how money, or the lack of it, is usually at the crux of many problems, contrary to what the optimists' say that "money isn't everything". Coincidentally, many of the characters run into monetary troubles quite so suddenly. There is every hint that the problems have been around for a while and they just accelerated due to certain circumstances, but I did found it very shaky. Still, I liked how the author covered this aspect.
Overall, this was a quick delightful read about life in a small town. It is also about finding and accepting your roots - however embarrassed or disappointed you are of it. This element was touched many times through several characters - how you should not be held ransom to your past. It is also about not clinging to the past just because it happened. Someday you wake up in a situation that demands a different action. I found this a very interesting thought because I, like many others, tend to be very sentimental about the past and sometimes hesitate to "move on". Even though this book didn't quite impress me much, I loved the topics that were explored in it and am glad that I didn't give up on it.
January 25, 2025
Mc Allister a small town on the Southern edge of Lake Superior, Michigan is where Madeline Stone, leaves Chicago to care for an aging friend.
Madeline is pulled into the town and her life changes forever. Getting close to the dramas of friends and family she discovers love and goodwill.
This is the authors debut novel.
Madeline is pulled into the town and her life changes forever. Getting close to the dramas of friends and family she discovers love and goodwill.
This is the authors debut novel.
August 18, 2014
Madeline Stone receives a letter from her late grandfather’s girlfriend Gladys offering her a job as a caregiver. She is at loose ends since her surrogate mother, Emily, passed away. Madeline had been abandoned in Chicago as a toddler and Emily had taken her in and raised her as her own daughter. But Madeline has always felt alone and unwanted because her own grandfather, Joe, turned his back on his daughter and granddaughter after they left town. Gladys, however, has tried to stay in touch and knows that Madeline cared for Emily through her long battle with cancer. Now Gladys and her sister need someone to help them as Arbutus recovers from a fall. In a spur of the moment decision Madeline quits her waitressing job, breaks her engagement to Richard, packs her meager belongings, and heads five hundred miles north to a small town on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, “to maybe fix what was broken in her, if anything could.”
If that paragraph sounds incoherent and vague, well … that’s how I felt about this entire book. I’m struggling with what to say about it. It’s not terrible, but it’s far from good.
The dust jacket promises: A rich debut novel … [that] celebrates taking joy in the simple things, and the deep reward that comes from caring for others. The characters and the setting are so real and heart-felt that you will be drawn immediately into their world… I didn’t get any sense of joy or deep reward. As for the characters – I got really tired of the irascible Gladys, the sweet Arbutus, the confused Madeline, the stoic Paul, etc.
I heard about this book from a website I frequently use for ideas on what to read next. I like books that deal with personal journeys. I knew this wouldn’t be great literature but was hoping to find a heart-warming story. I was disappointed. If it hadn’t fulfilled a challenge, I would not have finished it.
If that paragraph sounds incoherent and vague, well … that’s how I felt about this entire book. I’m struggling with what to say about it. It’s not terrible, but it’s far from good.
The dust jacket promises: A rich debut novel … [that] celebrates taking joy in the simple things, and the deep reward that comes from caring for others. The characters and the setting are so real and heart-felt that you will be drawn immediately into their world… I didn’t get any sense of joy or deep reward. As for the characters – I got really tired of the irascible Gladys, the sweet Arbutus, the confused Madeline, the stoic Paul, etc.
I heard about this book from a website I frequently use for ideas on what to read next. I like books that deal with personal journeys. I knew this wouldn’t be great literature but was hoping to find a heart-warming story. I was disappointed. If it hadn’t fulfilled a challenge, I would not have finished it.
June 17, 2011
This book starts off a little slow, but in the end you will like how the story progresses and the characters end up. It's a story that really opened my eyes to the dynamics of a small town where people don't have much, but they all share what they can. It took a little while for me to get the family tree straight, but it didn't really make a difference because the whole town seems like part of the family eventually. I found that I was really hopeful for these characters as I read, feeling like they deserved all the happiness they could get, especially after enduring some of the hardships they had been through. While the main character Madeline goes to McAllaster to take care of Arbutus, she is also looking for answers about the family that she never knew. After realizing that there is more to the story of her mother and grandfather, she turns to developing herself and comes full circle in terms of what she was looking for in terms of her family.
Reviewed by Gabi for Book Sake. http://booksake.blogspot.com
Reviewed by Gabi for Book Sake. http://booksake.blogspot.com
April 30, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Five stars for this laid back story of self discovery.
Madeleine is a 30 something cafe waitress in Chicago with a rich boyfriend who wants to marry her when she gets a letter from her deceased grandfather’s old girlfriend asking her if she would consider coming to McAllister, Michigan to help care for Gladys’ (the old girlfriend) sister, Arbutus, who is arthritic, uses a walker and needs a caregiver. Gladys herself is in her 80’s and can’t do it all by herself.
So Madeleine goes to the place of her birth because she’s not really living the life she wants to be living anyway. A sort of absurd premise for the start of a story that wound itself around my heart. I’m not a fan of reviews that tells the story - I love diving into a book without expectations - so I won’t go there. But if you’re in the mood for heartwarming, this novel would be a good choice.
ATY Goodreads Challenge 2022
Prompt #43- A book set in a small town or rural area
Five stars for this laid back story of self discovery.
Madeleine is a 30 something cafe waitress in Chicago with a rich boyfriend who wants to marry her when she gets a letter from her deceased grandfather’s old girlfriend asking her if she would consider coming to McAllister, Michigan to help care for Gladys’ (the old girlfriend) sister, Arbutus, who is arthritic, uses a walker and needs a caregiver. Gladys herself is in her 80’s and can’t do it all by herself.
So Madeleine goes to the place of her birth because she’s not really living the life she wants to be living anyway. A sort of absurd premise for the start of a story that wound itself around my heart. I’m not a fan of reviews that tells the story - I love diving into a book without expectations - so I won’t go there. But if you’re in the mood for heartwarming, this novel would be a good choice.
ATY Goodreads Challenge 2022
Prompt #43- A book set in a small town or rural area
August 17, 2011
I usually assign high scores to the books that I review because I do not spend time reading the books that I do not like. After reading about 50 pages, I know how I feel about a title. If I don't enjoy it, I return it to the library. When I have not read the entire book, in the majority of the cases, I do not add a Goodreads review. It does not seem fair to write a review when I have not read the entire work.
Enough said.
I really enjoyed "South Of Superior". I grew up in Northern Illinois on the Wisconsin border. We spent many of our vacations on Lake Superior. Consequently, this book had great regional appeal for me. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. I hope that Ms Airgood will write a sequel to this book; I hated to say "goodbye" and would love to read more about the village of McAllaster and all of the colorful, courageous inhabitants.
Enough said.
I really enjoyed "South Of Superior". I grew up in Northern Illinois on the Wisconsin border. We spent many of our vacations on Lake Superior. Consequently, this book had great regional appeal for me. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. I hope that Ms Airgood will write a sequel to this book; I hated to say "goodbye" and would love to read more about the village of McAllaster and all of the colorful, courageous inhabitants.
January 7, 2012
Too trite, poor plotting, clumsy writing. Just couldn't finish it.
December 24, 2011
I loved this book. I kept wanting to get back to it when I wasn't reading it. Great characters. Great author. Can't wait for more!
July 3, 2024
شجاعت برای رویارویی با زندگی
جنوب دریاچه سوپریور، داستانی جذاب از مبارزه و کشف میباشد. سرشار از توصیفهای زیبا که خواننده را در داستان غرق میکند. مدلین استون با فقر و بدون هیچ خانوادهای به جز اِمی، زنی که تنها سرپرست او بوده، و او را بزرگ کرده است. زندگی میکند. اما در همان ابتدای کتاب متوجه میشویم که زندگی مدلین استون با تصمیمی که میگیرد دستخوش تغییراتی بزرگی میشود تغییراتی که در روند شناخت بیشتر خود و تواناییهایش در جهت رشد و بهبود شخصیت خود برمیدارد. این درحالیست که امیِ محبوب او یکسال پیش فوت کرده است و او تا حدی ازین موضوع غمگین است. فقدانی که تحملش برای مدلین سخت بوده است.
مدلین قرار است با نامزد ثروتمندش ازدواج کند، به خانهی زیبای او نقل مکان کند و در نهایت به مدرسهی هنر برود که بسیار دوست دارد. اما به دلیل بیماری امی به تعویق میافتد.
مشکل اینجاست که او متوجه میشود که این زندگی، آن چیزی نیست ک�� او میخواهد. در اوایل کتاب او تصمیم میگیرد به نامه ای که از خانواده قدیمیش، بدستش رسیده، عمل کند و میشیگان را به مقصد مکآلستر (شهری در قسمت جنوبی دریاچه سوپریور) ترک کند.
مدلین با بههم زدن نامزدیاش و ترک کردن او، و رانندگی طولانی، با ماشین نه چندان سالمش، تقریباً همه را در زندگیاش شوکه میکند. مراحل تغییر او، از این تصمیم و رسیدن به مکآلستر آغاز میشود.
سرانجام وقتی دریاچهی سوپریور را با آن بزرگی و زیبایی خیره کننده و کوههای یخیای که در مقابلش ظاهر میشود، میبیند مجذوب آن میشود. عظمت دریاچه سوپریور با زندگی در شهر کوچکی که مدلین اکنون باید به آن عادت کند، کاملاً در تضاد است. حال که مکآلستر در بحبوبهی تغییر است، و شهر در حال مدرن شدن و به نوعی پوست اندازی. تغییری که توسط افرادی خارج از شهر که خانههای عظیم میسازند و مقررات جدیدی وضع میکنند، به وجود آمده است. ساکنان قدیمی شهر دیگر نمیتوانند با اعتبار خرید کنند تا با تغییر فصل درآمدشان بهبود یابد. آنها بایستی برای فروش محصولات و کسب و کارشان، مجوز بگیرند.
ساکنان مکآلستر(خصوصیت مردم شمال)، سرسخت، سختکوش و مستقل اما مهربان هستند که با وجود اختلاف نظر با یکدیگر، در هنگام سختی به یاری یکدیگر میشتابند.آنها مردمانی هستند که با وجود تغییر شرایط قادر خواهند بود، دوباره مسیر خوشبختی را پیدا کند.
#جنوب_دریاچه_سوپریور
#الن_ایرگود
#آرتمیس_مسعودی
جنوب دریاچه سوپریور، داستانی جذاب از مبارزه و کشف میباشد. سرشار از توصیفهای زیبا که خواننده را در داستان غرق میکند. مدلین استون با فقر و بدون هیچ خانوادهای به جز اِمی، زنی که تنها سرپرست او بوده، و او را بزرگ کرده است. زندگی میکند. اما در همان ابتدای کتاب متوجه میشویم که زندگی مدلین استون با تصمیمی که میگیرد دستخوش تغییراتی بزرگی میشود تغییراتی که در روند شناخت بیشتر خود و تواناییهایش در جهت رشد و بهبود شخصیت خود برمیدارد. این درحالیست که امیِ محبوب او یکسال پیش فوت کرده است و او تا حدی ازین موضوع غمگین است. فقدانی که تحملش برای مدلین سخت بوده است.
مدلین قرار است با نامزد ثروتمندش ازدواج کند، به خانهی زیبای او نقل مکان کند و در نهایت به مدرسهی هنر برود که بسیار دوست دارد. اما به دلیل بیماری امی به تعویق میافتد.
مشکل اینجاست که او متوجه میشود که این زندگی، آن چیزی نیست ک�� او میخواهد. در اوایل کتاب او تصمیم میگیرد به نامه ای که از خانواده قدیمیش، بدستش رسیده، عمل کند و میشیگان را به مقصد مکآلستر (شهری در قسمت جنوبی دریاچه سوپریور) ترک کند.
مدلین با بههم زدن نامزدیاش و ترک کردن او، و رانندگی طولانی، با ماشین نه چندان سالمش، تقریباً همه را در زندگیاش شوکه میکند. مراحل تغییر او، از این تصمیم و رسیدن به مکآلستر آغاز میشود.
سرانجام وقتی دریاچهی سوپریور را با آن بزرگی و زیبایی خیره کننده و کوههای یخیای که در مقابلش ظاهر میشود، میبیند مجذوب آن میشود. عظمت دریاچه سوپریور با زندگی در شهر کوچکی که مدلین اکنون باید به آن عادت کند، کاملاً در تضاد است. حال که مکآلستر در بحبوبهی تغییر است، و شهر در حال مدرن شدن و به نوعی پوست اندازی. تغییری که توسط افرادی خارج از شهر که خانههای عظیم میسازند و مقررات جدیدی وضع میکنند، به وجود آمده است. ساکنان قدیمی شهر دیگر نمیتوانند با اعتبار خرید کنند تا با تغییر فصل درآمدشان بهبود یابد. آنها بایستی برای فروش محصولات و کسب و کارشان، مجوز بگیرند.
ساکنان مکآلستر(خصوصیت مردم شمال)، سرسخت، سختکوش و مستقل اما مهربان هستند که با وجود اختلاف نظر با یکدیگر، در هنگام سختی به یاری یکدیگر میشتابند.آنها مردمانی هستند که با وجود تغییر شرایط قادر خواهند بود، دوباره مسیر خوشبختی را پیدا کند.
#جنوب_دریاچه_سوپریور
#الن_ایرگود
#آرتمیس_مسعودی
July 16, 2019
Sweet story. Predictable. I enjoyed the second half better so if you kind of like it stick with it. And it's set in Michigan!
September 6, 2025
Read this book on the shore line of Lake Superior (well mostly). Sweet story about the beauty and hardship of living in a rural town in the UP. Feeling a lot of Michigander pride
July 24, 2020
Loved this easy, gentle read that I picked up from the library as I overhead the ladies in line discussing it. Setting is small tourist town on Lake Superior and characters are the old timers who live there year round. Hotel Leppinen is a prominent part of the story, as is Madeline tracing her roots. Enjoyed the Finnish words and foods, as well as the winter landscapes, which took me back to good times living in Finland, a much needed escape this summer.
April 13, 2015
RATING: 2.5/5
After losing the woman who raised her to cancer, Madeline receives a letter of condolence in the mail from Gladys the girlfriend of her deceased maternal grandfather. In the letter she asks for Madeline’s help taking care of her aged and ailing sister Arbutus. This would mean a move back to the town of her birth: McAllaster Michigan on Lake Superior’s Upper Peninsula. Deeply affected by the abandonment of first her mother then her grandfather as a young child, Madeline is curious to understand why they made the decisions they did and to learn more about her family. She agrees to take on the job of Arbutus’s caregiver and moves to the small town to live with the two sisters.This debut novel by Ellen Airgood examines life in small towns and how they are affected by the modern ideals of outsiders who move to the area. But most importantly South of Superior is about a woman who is trying to find a life and purpose for herself while reliving the pain of her past.
Although I don’t think that it was written badly, it certainly didn’t meet the expectations I had as a result of the quotes on the front and back cover. I felt sad for Madeline, considering the abandonment she dealt with as a young child, but I wasn’t able to relate to her very much. As for the other characters, they were ok.
Ellen Airgood’s strength is clearly in her descriptions. Some of which were so vivid I could see the town clearly in my mind. And due to McAllastar’s poverty and location it physically made me feel damp and cold, but not in a haunting way. The pace of the story moved along at an even keel throughout telling its history a bit at a time.
Although I think the author is a talented writer, Madeline’s story just didn’t grip me like I had hoped so I have no plans to read South of Superior again.
Read my full review of South of Superior at my blog:
http://mlsmanyreads.blogspot.ca/2015/...
After losing the woman who raised her to cancer, Madeline receives a letter of condolence in the mail from Gladys the girlfriend of her deceased maternal grandfather. In the letter she asks for Madeline’s help taking care of her aged and ailing sister Arbutus. This would mean a move back to the town of her birth: McAllaster Michigan on Lake Superior’s Upper Peninsula. Deeply affected by the abandonment of first her mother then her grandfather as a young child, Madeline is curious to understand why they made the decisions they did and to learn more about her family. She agrees to take on the job of Arbutus’s caregiver and moves to the small town to live with the two sisters.This debut novel by Ellen Airgood examines life in small towns and how they are affected by the modern ideals of outsiders who move to the area. But most importantly South of Superior is about a woman who is trying to find a life and purpose for herself while reliving the pain of her past.
Although I don’t think that it was written badly, it certainly didn’t meet the expectations I had as a result of the quotes on the front and back cover. I felt sad for Madeline, considering the abandonment she dealt with as a young child, but I wasn’t able to relate to her very much. As for the other characters, they were ok.
Ellen Airgood’s strength is clearly in her descriptions. Some of which were so vivid I could see the town clearly in my mind. And due to McAllastar’s poverty and location it physically made me feel damp and cold, but not in a haunting way. The pace of the story moved along at an even keel throughout telling its history a bit at a time.
Although I think the author is a talented writer, Madeline’s story just didn’t grip me like I had hoped so I have no plans to read South of Superior again.
Read my full review of South of Superior at my blog:
http://mlsmanyreads.blogspot.ca/2015/...
February 4, 2018
Perhaps it's because I'm from Michigan, or perhaps it's because I've traveled Up North, seen "Gitche Gumee" and meet the locals, that I loved this story. In reality, it is simply a wonderful story of the healing journey of Madeline Stone. Full of anger, guilt, and regrets, Madeline moves from Chicago away from a future with her fiance, a job, plans to go to art school, and an apartment that holds dear memories of the woman who rescued and raised her. She leaves all that security behind to go live with her deceased grandfather's paramour, Gladys, and care for Gladys's elderly sister. Life up north is vastly different from big city Chicago, but as she learns to love the life and people, she learns truths about herself. She learns to accept that the future will come, not always in the way you expect, but it will be all right; as Gladys says repeatedly, "It'll work out." And it does. "She watched in anticipation for what would happen next." (370)
The search for her family history forces her to confront disappointment, anger, guilt, and regret. She come to realize the strength of the human spirit as she learns to have hope, to accept, to try, and to forgive. She recognizes those strengths in the people around her and realizes that is how they are able to endure and enjoy the isolation and sometimes desperate conditions of living south of Superior. Folks in McAllister may not like each other, may even be openly antagonistic with each other, but when a crisis occurs, differences are put aside and they all pull together to help.
The search for her family history forces her to confront disappointment, anger, guilt, and regret. She come to realize the strength of the human spirit as she learns to have hope, to accept, to try, and to forgive. She recognizes those strengths in the people around her and realizes that is how they are able to endure and enjoy the isolation and sometimes desperate conditions of living south of Superior. Folks in McAllister may not like each other, may even be openly antagonistic with each other, but when a crisis occurs, differences are put aside and they all pull together to help.
April 9, 2011
I read an ARC of this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were great and were believeable which is important to me. Madeline, the main character, was adopted at 3 years old by Emmy after she was abandoned by her mother . After Emmy dies of cancer, Madeline is contacted by Gladys and Arbutus, two older ladies from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan who request her help nursing Arbutus. Madeline moves away from Chicago and the life she has known, back to the small town her family had originally been from. Because Madeline was abandoned and had never known her real family, she was resentful. During the novel, the reader sees Madeline grow as a person, and she becomes part of the family of all the residents of this small town. Madeline isn't perfect; the reader sees her make mistakes. This contributes to the realism of the story. I loved all the descriptions of the hardhips lived by these people, and the enjoyment they received from the simple things in their lives, and especially from caring for eachother. This is the kind of book that makes you feel good and makes you want to be with friends and family.
September 8, 2012
Meet the people of McAllaster, a tiny rough and tumble town on the edge of Lake Superior, where times are hard and people are tough, but generations have looked out for each other. There's Mary Feather, a Scotswoman and her terrier, Jack, who lives in a couple of tool cribs bolted together and who makes maple syrup like no other. Then there is Albert the fruit and vegetable man and his helper, Gus, who set their stand up anywhere and are run off by the politically and socially correct in town.
Citified Madeline Stone from Chicago arrives in McAllaster to live with stalwart Gladys Hansen and help care for her sister, sweet Arbutus. Gladys and Arbutus are as unlike as night and day. Madeline doesn't know it yet, but Gladys has a few secrets about Madeline's estranged grandfather that had abandoned her when she was a young orphan. Feeling ever the outsider, Madeline slowly begins to fall for the town and its unusual, strong-willed characters.
A wonderful story - it reminds me of my own little hometown growing up. Some of my grandmother's friends were so independent and were such characters - so much fun to be around!
Citified Madeline Stone from Chicago arrives in McAllaster to live with stalwart Gladys Hansen and help care for her sister, sweet Arbutus. Gladys and Arbutus are as unlike as night and day. Madeline doesn't know it yet, but Gladys has a few secrets about Madeline's estranged grandfather that had abandoned her when she was a young orphan. Feeling ever the outsider, Madeline slowly begins to fall for the town and its unusual, strong-willed characters.
A wonderful story - it reminds me of my own little hometown growing up. Some of my grandmother's friends were so independent and were such characters - so much fun to be around!
August 8, 2011
I picked this one up at the library on impulse, and was actually pleasantly surprised by the author's skill in creating the characters. Gladys and Arbutus are well-crafted and rounded women living in their impoverished town in Michigan, trying to survive old age and prevent the yuppification of the tiny town on shores of Lake Superior. When Madeline, a relative in her 20s, comes to them to help care for Arbutus, Madeline becomes involved in the affairs of the town and begins to help "fix" the problems of the townsfolk.
As the plot unfolds, the reader can begin to see how Madeline's influence is affecting the lives of all around her, and she herself begins to change and grow.
Although I'd say this is a "women's" book, and a light read, I think it's an enjoyable book if you're looking for something easy to read, and a book to enjoy before going to sleep at night. The plot is fairly transparent, and you can see what's coming a mile away, which was the only thing that prevented me from giving this book more stars.
As the plot unfolds, the reader can begin to see how Madeline's influence is affecting the lives of all around her, and she herself begins to change and grow.
Although I'd say this is a "women's" book, and a light read, I think it's an enjoyable book if you're looking for something easy to read, and a book to enjoy before going to sleep at night. The plot is fairly transparent, and you can see what's coming a mile away, which was the only thing that prevented me from giving this book more stars.
August 13, 2013
LOVED this book! Such a 'real' story that made me stop and think a few times about how good life really is. Such struggles in this small town just to survive. I loved how the main character finally came to terms with her past and found happiness. This is not a read that will wrap you up till you find you're turning the pages faster and faster. This is a book that will quietly sneak up on you, wrap you up in its pages, and have you picturing the characters and the place in your mind.
Yes, I recommend this one!!
Yes, I recommend this one!!
September 10, 2013
Small town life charms a big city girl. Easy read entertaining BUT if the author used the word up once it was used a million times! Five times on one page!! Many times unneeded drove me UP to distraction! AARGH!!!!
January 31, 2023
A very enjoyable read!
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