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The Orange Blossom Special
When we first meet Tessie Lockhart in 1958, she is pinning her hair into a French twist, dabbing Jean Naté on her wrists, and getting ready to change her life. This widowed mother of a thirteen-year-old has decided it's time for a fresh start for both of them, time to leave behind Carbondale, Illinois, and the pain of loss. Tessie and her daughter move to Gainesville, Florida, where they discover that they aren't the only ones struggling to move forward in the wake of tremendous grief.
Betsy Carter has perfectly captured both the innocence of the 1950s, when even the complex events of our lives seemed somehow easier to endure, and the startling and irreversible changes of the 1960s. A story about the relationships people develop in the face of loss, The Orange Blossom Special introduces us to a remarkable cast of characters, all of whom are tested―and transformed―by the changes in their midst.
In her own touching and funny style, Carter shows us the unexpected ways in which strangers can become family.
Betsy Carter has perfectly captured both the innocence of the 1950s, when even the complex events of our lives seemed somehow easier to endure, and the startling and irreversible changes of the 1960s. A story about the relationships people develop in the face of loss, The Orange Blossom Special introduces us to a remarkable cast of characters, all of whom are tested―and transformed―by the changes in their midst.
In her own touching and funny style, Carter shows us the unexpected ways in which strangers can become family.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2005
23 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Carter
11 books189 followersI am the author of the novel, Swim to Me, which was published in August 2007 by Algonquin Books who also published, The Orange Blossom Special in 2005. My memoir Nothing to Fall Back On was a national bestseller. I write for O: The Oprah magazine, Good Housekeeping, New York, Glamour and Hallmark, among others.
I was a reporter at Newsweek for nine years, and then served as the Editorial Director of Esquire magazine. I was the founding editor-in-chief of New York Woman as well as My Generation Magazine. I was also the Executive Editor of Harper’s Bazaar and editor-in-chief of New Woman magazine. I live in New York City. My novel, The Puzzle King, will be published by Algonquin Books in the fall of 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 14, 2008
I enjoyed this story that follows friends through almost 30 years of their lives living in Florida. The book was filled with quirky characters that had me laughing out loud in some parts. The book also had its sad moments. This was the first book I have read by this author.
September 14, 2016
The Orange Blossom Special begins in 1958 when Tessie Lockhart, who has relied on alcohol to cope with her husband's early death from a heart attack, decides to move to Gainesville, Florida and start a new life with her teenage daughter Dinah. In their new surroundings, the two meet what are supposed to be eccentric and colorful characters, but are really not much off center of normal. The novel spans several decades, from 1958 to 1986, but there is no plot, and the story line is all over the place and jumps from character to character and year to year (the reader is plucked from 1958 and dropped in to 1962, flung into 1966, then slammed in to 1986-skipping the 1970s entirely-for a brief rounding up of the characters' lives) which makes describing what little story there is, rather difficult.
Having grown up in Florida, I was looking forward to reading The Orange Blossom Special; and, although it started out ok, I quickly became disappointed by the lack of plot/story, which would have been all right if not for the weak characters, clunky and bad dialogue, poor writing and execution.
The Orange Blossom Special, a train that used to run from New York to Miami, and the name of a Saloon in the book, has little to do with the novel, and only comes in late in the book and has little to do with anything, making it an odd choice for a title.
By choosing the 1960s as the main time setting of the novel, the author had an opportunity to explore an interesting time when America was entering a new and exciting age; but even with this the author fails to do anything with it. There’s a scene that touches on the civil rights movement, but during the entire incident, the main characters are huddled in fear in a nearby beauty salon and miss out on the entire thing. The author goes a little bit more into the Vietnam War, but barely, when one of the characters is injured and returns home with severe hearing loss; and another minor character is killed in action. The parts about Vietnam seem added in only because the author kind of had to because of the time period she chose for her story, and adds nothing new or anything that hasn’t been done better somewhere else. It, like most of the elements of the story, get lost in the jumbled mess of this book.
Most of the characters in the book are unlikable and so thin they are closer to an onion skin than a fully formed person, which made it extremely difficult for me to sympathize with them or want to spend any time with them. The few who are likable, Eddie Fingers, Jesus and Sonia for example, are barely in the novel long enough to register, and Reggie appears and is developed too late in the book for the reader to grow as attached to him as they should. All of the characters seem to only exist for the scenes and have no life outside of the scenes they are in. The author’s attempts to flesh out characters, for instance, giving one of the women a crush on a young woman who works at a beauty parlor, the author never follows through. In this case, the relationship and the straight laced and proper character’s attraction to women, is never explored beyond a brief swim in a pool and once this aspect is played out early on in the book, the young woman, Sonia, is never mentioned again until the end. The characters don’t change, and even though the author attempts to make it seem as if they grow over the course of the novel, they remain the same people at the beginning of the novel as they are at the end, older, yes, but no wiser.
The author credits seven people with helping her editing the book, but a lack of editing is one of the major flaws of the book. On page 62, for example, a character refers to Gainesville as being in central Florida, however, Gainesville is in the northern part of Florida, not central, and no one that I know of considers it to be so, which also means the book was poorly researched. On page 93 the author writes, “When Ella, Charlie, and Dinah walked into the Kamfer funeral parlor…” neglecting to mention the fourth character, Crystal, who we have been told is also going to the funeral with them, and who just magically appears a few paragraphs later because she was not included in the opening line of the scene. A poor job was done by the author and editors of keeping track of the internal references and time frame of the novel. Early in Tessie’s relationship with Barone, her employers, the Bechs-Senior and Junior-mention that Barone is a ladies man and has had many extra marital affairs, but has nothing on the promiscuity of his wife. However, we learn later in the novel that Barone’s wife, is an invalid, incapable of having sex with Barone or anyone else, which leads to him seeking love and sexual gratification with other women. This is an obvious attempt to make Barone and Tessie more likable, although, for me it didn’t work, but they forgot to remove the earlier reference to Barone’s wife being promiscuous. The instance of this that made me want to close the book for good occurs on page 252, when Tessie and Barone go to Palm Beach for the weekend “to celebrate their tenth anniversary.” This occurs in the beginning of Part 3, which takes place in 1966, so it would be impossible for them to be celebrating a tenth anniversary because they only met in 1958. It is a major mistake and took me completely out of the book.
A sentence that really bothered me was, “The air was close and sticky, as if it hadn’t been changed in days.” It seems that the author is trying to make an allusion to sheets or clothes, but it is such an odd reference and not one that makes sense. Another sentence that bothered me was on page 263 when Dinah calls her mother to see if she wants to have dinner that night. Tessie says yes, and Dinah responds with, “I’m available.” Why would she ask her mother to have dinner that night if she wasn’t available? It makes no sense.
The author not only skips across the years without an explanation as to what happens in between, but she often skips important parts of a scene or brushes over them. For example, after Dinah faints when she thinks she sees the dead body of her friend move, Charlie, “…whispered something in her ear. She said something back to him.” This, to me, just seems like lazy writing to fill in gaps because the author couldn’t think of what to have the characters say to each other.
Characters often act in ways that are contrary to how they have been presented. For instance, when Tessie discovers that she is pregnant, she insists on raising the child on her own, even though she has not been given any indication by the father that he does not want to take care of the child, and is an odd move for someone who has been clinging to her daughter and to the memory of her husband for several decades. She has been presented has needy, and ineffectual on her own, yet somehow, out of the blue, she’s ready to raise a child on her own?
The train named The Orange Blossom Special, was apparently something to see, a sleek and fancy transport, a ride not to miss; but this Orange Blossom Special, isn’t special at all and is a ride to nowhere worthy only of being passed over for the next and better ride.
Having grown up in Florida, I was looking forward to reading The Orange Blossom Special; and, although it started out ok, I quickly became disappointed by the lack of plot/story, which would have been all right if not for the weak characters, clunky and bad dialogue, poor writing and execution.
The Orange Blossom Special, a train that used to run from New York to Miami, and the name of a Saloon in the book, has little to do with the novel, and only comes in late in the book and has little to do with anything, making it an odd choice for a title.
By choosing the 1960s as the main time setting of the novel, the author had an opportunity to explore an interesting time when America was entering a new and exciting age; but even with this the author fails to do anything with it. There’s a scene that touches on the civil rights movement, but during the entire incident, the main characters are huddled in fear in a nearby beauty salon and miss out on the entire thing. The author goes a little bit more into the Vietnam War, but barely, when one of the characters is injured and returns home with severe hearing loss; and another minor character is killed in action. The parts about Vietnam seem added in only because the author kind of had to because of the time period she chose for her story, and adds nothing new or anything that hasn’t been done better somewhere else. It, like most of the elements of the story, get lost in the jumbled mess of this book.
Most of the characters in the book are unlikable and so thin they are closer to an onion skin than a fully formed person, which made it extremely difficult for me to sympathize with them or want to spend any time with them. The few who are likable, Eddie Fingers, Jesus and Sonia for example, are barely in the novel long enough to register, and Reggie appears and is developed too late in the book for the reader to grow as attached to him as they should. All of the characters seem to only exist for the scenes and have no life outside of the scenes they are in. The author’s attempts to flesh out characters, for instance, giving one of the women a crush on a young woman who works at a beauty parlor, the author never follows through. In this case, the relationship and the straight laced and proper character’s attraction to women, is never explored beyond a brief swim in a pool and once this aspect is played out early on in the book, the young woman, Sonia, is never mentioned again until the end. The characters don’t change, and even though the author attempts to make it seem as if they grow over the course of the novel, they remain the same people at the beginning of the novel as they are at the end, older, yes, but no wiser.
The author credits seven people with helping her editing the book, but a lack of editing is one of the major flaws of the book. On page 62, for example, a character refers to Gainesville as being in central Florida, however, Gainesville is in the northern part of Florida, not central, and no one that I know of considers it to be so, which also means the book was poorly researched. On page 93 the author writes, “When Ella, Charlie, and Dinah walked into the Kamfer funeral parlor…” neglecting to mention the fourth character, Crystal, who we have been told is also going to the funeral with them, and who just magically appears a few paragraphs later because she was not included in the opening line of the scene. A poor job was done by the author and editors of keeping track of the internal references and time frame of the novel. Early in Tessie’s relationship with Barone, her employers, the Bechs-Senior and Junior-mention that Barone is a ladies man and has had many extra marital affairs, but has nothing on the promiscuity of his wife. However, we learn later in the novel that Barone’s wife, is an invalid, incapable of having sex with Barone or anyone else, which leads to him seeking love and sexual gratification with other women. This is an obvious attempt to make Barone and Tessie more likable, although, for me it didn’t work, but they forgot to remove the earlier reference to Barone’s wife being promiscuous. The instance of this that made me want to close the book for good occurs on page 252, when Tessie and Barone go to Palm Beach for the weekend “to celebrate their tenth anniversary.” This occurs in the beginning of Part 3, which takes place in 1966, so it would be impossible for them to be celebrating a tenth anniversary because they only met in 1958. It is a major mistake and took me completely out of the book.
A sentence that really bothered me was, “The air was close and sticky, as if it hadn’t been changed in days.” It seems that the author is trying to make an allusion to sheets or clothes, but it is such an odd reference and not one that makes sense. Another sentence that bothered me was on page 263 when Dinah calls her mother to see if she wants to have dinner that night. Tessie says yes, and Dinah responds with, “I’m available.” Why would she ask her mother to have dinner that night if she wasn’t available? It makes no sense.
The author not only skips across the years without an explanation as to what happens in between, but she often skips important parts of a scene or brushes over them. For example, after Dinah faints when she thinks she sees the dead body of her friend move, Charlie, “…whispered something in her ear. She said something back to him.” This, to me, just seems like lazy writing to fill in gaps because the author couldn’t think of what to have the characters say to each other.
Characters often act in ways that are contrary to how they have been presented. For instance, when Tessie discovers that she is pregnant, she insists on raising the child on her own, even though she has not been given any indication by the father that he does not want to take care of the child, and is an odd move for someone who has been clinging to her daughter and to the memory of her husband for several decades. She has been presented has needy, and ineffectual on her own, yet somehow, out of the blue, she’s ready to raise a child on her own?
The train named The Orange Blossom Special, was apparently something to see, a sleek and fancy transport, a ride not to miss; but this Orange Blossom Special, isn’t special at all and is a ride to nowhere worthy only of being passed over for the next and better ride.
September 10, 2020
My Mrs Mac read xx
July 20, 2010
Oh boy. This story started out with such promise and then fizzled into nothing. Having now read three Betsy Carter books, I have concluded that she doesn't really know how to wrap up a story. I really liked The Puzzle King but felt the ending was rushed. I recently read Swim to Me and felt like it wasn't really a story, just a telling of events with no ending at all. Now (after giving this author one more chance) I'm feeling the same way about The Orange Blossom Special. It's kind of like when someone asks you about your day. If something really interesting happened, you tell the story--there's a beginning, a middle, a climactic point, and an ending, a resolution of some sort. If it was an uneventful day, you might say something like, "Well, I woke up and started to do some laundry, but I was out of detergent. Then I took the dog for a walk, went to the grocery store, called a friend to chat, and now I'm just trying to figure out what to make for dinner." Carter tends to lean toward the latter. You keep feeling like maybe something is coming that will make the read worthwhile, but it never really does. Even the "surprise events" in the story are predictable. An even more obvious flaw in Orange Blossom is the timeline. The story beings in 1958, yet we're to ignore the fact that ten years have supposedly passed by 1966, when Part 3 begins. How did an editor not catch this? To end my review on a positive note, Carter's character development is good, which is why I give this book 2 stars. Can't say I'd read another one though.
September 29, 2017
I kept reading on through this book thinking something might improve. I was glad that 2 of the characters finally got together romantically but aside from their relationship and the one 'civil rights' scene in the novel which didn't amount to much, there was really nothing else that appealed to me in this novel. The plot was weak and seemed to go nowhere except to chronicle some events in the life of the characters and only a few of the characters were likeable. There were so many situations and descriptions in the novel that did not make sense. I felt the novel was poorly written.
November 17, 2020
This story is mostly about Tessie Lockheart and her daughter Dinah, who leave Carbondale, ILL. for a new life in Gainesville, FLA. after the death of Tessie's husband/Dinah's father. They become friends with Victoria Landry and her daughter Krystal, and son Charlie, and Ella, who works for the Landry family. The story begins in 1958 and ends in 1986, so the times they are a changin'. The times are actually almost another character in the story. It's a coming of age story for all the characters, as well as the times. Well written.
July 12, 2018
A light novel for ladies. I enjoyed the funny happenings and quirky characters, but as others here note, it takes a good plot and fine words to make a great read. It's nice as a distraction early, gets serious and like the friendships becomes disjointed. There are better books, but sometimes a quirky one can be the best brain food. We can't read only the best books, the imperfect ones can be memorable too.
June 7, 2022
A very light summer read. I especially liked it because it was set in my hometown of Gainesville Fl. But really none of the references that the author made reminded me of Gainesville. Not even the school names. Still... it was a sweet story.
November 10, 2022
Orange Blossom Special, the Carter, Betsy 3 Hist.F Hist. 1960s 1950-60s widowed mother raises her daughter in Gainesville Fl along with self centered woman's daughter too during Vietnam Race relations & women's roles turmoil 2015 1/28/2015
September 10, 2019
A story whose theme is difficult to discern. In spite of using the Matheson for historical reference, not all places familiar to me --- guess I wanted an historical fiction...
August 4, 2020
I loved this book start to finish.
November 10, 2020
From Illinois to Florida. From the 1950's to the 1960's. Good characterization. Humorous.
June 5, 2021
it was just ok, no wow factor, just was, could have been better
June 20, 2021
Love this book alot
July 31, 2021
This is by far one of the best books I have read this summer
September 21, 2023
Good story...took a star away because... IMHO... the ending was abrupt
April 30, 2024
This book was just beautiful, completely took me by surprise! I could not put it down. The characters were all so much fun and it reads like you're just watching a movie! I truly loved this one!
June 18, 2012
The characters are definitely the driving force for this book. It took a little time for me to get invested in their trials and tribulations, but once I did, I looked forward to spending time with them to see how their lives would eventually play out. Friendships are forged, broken, and eventually mended; families are created, splintered, and reconfigured in the most surprising and peculiar ways; and the dead play just as important a role as the living. While the focus is placed on the most tragic moments and how they change the people and the trajectory of their lives, it still manages to be light read with amusing nuances.
The two main characters, Tessie and Dinah, are mother and daughter. They fall at opposite ends for the spectrum for me. While Tessie is one of the characters I like in the book, Dinah is my least favorite. Tessie is sufficiently quirky enough to be endearing. She is courageous enough to make a huge change to allow her daughter and her to move one from Jerry’s passing. And yet she invokes him through notes and “signs” to help her through each crisis and turn of events. Dinah, on the other hand, is moody, stubborn, and close-minded. She has some redeeming moments, but for the most part, I found her to be abrasive. Each of the Landys has a predominant characteristic that makes them interesting and likeable—even Mrs. Victoria Landy with her self-centered and shallow existence. Charlie Landy is probably my favorite character of all. He brings a sort of calm and sensibility to the lot of outrageous and slightly off-center characters. Though all of the characters suffer tremendous grief and loss, it is his story that made me the saddest of all.
I read one review of this book that said it is just a rambling story, like someone telling you about their day with no real point of the telling. I disagree. It had a definite beginning, middle, and end. I felt like it came full-circle, and I was not disappointed in how in ended. My one criticism is that a few sections ended a bit abruptly. I would feel like I was on the cusp of an important change, and then the next thing I knew a year or more had gone by. From the content, I was able to glean what happened previously, but I would have preferred the telling of it in the moment. Other than that, I found the book to be an entertaining, light read. I enjoyed taking the journey with this predominantly female cast. I shook my head in dismay; I frowned at the audacity; I got teary-eyed from the touching moments; and smiled at the insanity.
The two main characters, Tessie and Dinah, are mother and daughter. They fall at opposite ends for the spectrum for me. While Tessie is one of the characters I like in the book, Dinah is my least favorite. Tessie is sufficiently quirky enough to be endearing. She is courageous enough to make a huge change to allow her daughter and her to move one from Jerry’s passing. And yet she invokes him through notes and “signs” to help her through each crisis and turn of events. Dinah, on the other hand, is moody, stubborn, and close-minded. She has some redeeming moments, but for the most part, I found her to be abrasive. Each of the Landys has a predominant characteristic that makes them interesting and likeable—even Mrs. Victoria Landy with her self-centered and shallow existence. Charlie Landy is probably my favorite character of all. He brings a sort of calm and sensibility to the lot of outrageous and slightly off-center characters. Though all of the characters suffer tremendous grief and loss, it is his story that made me the saddest of all.
I read one review of this book that said it is just a rambling story, like someone telling you about their day with no real point of the telling. I disagree. It had a definite beginning, middle, and end. I felt like it came full-circle, and I was not disappointed in how in ended. My one criticism is that a few sections ended a bit abruptly. I would feel like I was on the cusp of an important change, and then the next thing I knew a year or more had gone by. From the content, I was able to glean what happened previously, but I would have preferred the telling of it in the moment. Other than that, I found the book to be an entertaining, light read. I enjoyed taking the journey with this predominantly female cast. I shook my head in dismay; I frowned at the audacity; I got teary-eyed from the touching moments; and smiled at the insanity.
June 19, 2013
When Tessie Lockhart's husband dies, leaving her all alone with her eleven-year-old daughter in Carbondale, Illinios, she decides there is a need to make changes. Gainsville, Florida seems to be just the change they need.
Tessie and Dinah both adjust to life in Florida and to the death of Tessie's husband, Dinah's father. Tessie gets a new job, struggles to make a life for her daughter and begins an affair with a married mogul. Dinah befriends the richest, most popular girl in school and also develops a friendship with Eddie, a boy with an extra finger and no friends to speak of.
From the late 1950's to 1986, this book follows a unique cast of characters through the pivotal years in their lives. It's a story of survival, friendship, and moving on.
Read this book if:
*you like southern fiction
*you like books that take place in small towns
*you like stories about mothers and daughters
Tessie and Dinah both adjust to life in Florida and to the death of Tessie's husband, Dinah's father. Tessie gets a new job, struggles to make a life for her daughter and begins an affair with a married mogul. Dinah befriends the richest, most popular girl in school and also develops a friendship with Eddie, a boy with an extra finger and no friends to speak of.
From the late 1950's to 1986, this book follows a unique cast of characters through the pivotal years in their lives. It's a story of survival, friendship, and moving on.
Read this book if:
*you like southern fiction
*you like books that take place in small towns
*you like stories about mothers and daughters
October 9, 2011
I decided to read this book based on the wonderful book cover.....and I was not disappointed. It was a fun little story about a mother and daughter working to pick up the pieces after the husband/father dies....the move to Gainsville, Florida and there begin a new life with new friends......lovers.....and jobs.
The family dynamic is a bit different in this book in that each family ends up with a new member in their family that originally started out in their own family and so on and so on.....the characters are likeable enough and it you don't like them......you do learn to tolerate them.
I enjoyed this book and like that Tessie and Dinah had silly little quirks that made me feel as if I'm not the only one who does weird stuff....HA. I would recommend it for a time when you want an easy...light read.
It
The family dynamic is a bit different in this book in that each family ends up with a new member in their family that originally started out in their own family and so on and so on.....the characters are likeable enough and it you don't like them......you do learn to tolerate them.
I enjoyed this book and like that Tessie and Dinah had silly little quirks that made me feel as if I'm not the only one who does weird stuff....HA. I would recommend it for a time when you want an easy...light read.
It
November 1, 2012
In 1958, Tessie Lockhart and her daughter Dinah leave their home in Carbondale, Illinois, after mourning the death of their husband and father for the past two years, moving to Gainesville, Florida, looking for a fresh start. There, their lives intertwine with the with the wealthy Landy family. Dinah becomes fast friends with their daughter Crystal and solemn son Charlie. Even Tessie and the snobbish Victoria Landy cement a rocky friendship.
This novel takes place from the late 1950's through the tumultuous 1960's, and throughout that time, bonds of love, friendship and family are formed despite social class or race.
I really liked this novel, full of quirky but lovable characters. The author's writing style reminds me a lot of Fannie Flagg's.
This novel takes place from the late 1950's through the tumultuous 1960's, and throughout that time, bonds of love, friendship and family are formed despite social class or race.
I really liked this novel, full of quirky but lovable characters. The author's writing style reminds me a lot of Fannie Flagg's.
March 22, 2013
The characters go through a lot of turmoil and don't really handle it well, some of her characters aren't even likeable, and although the ending was satisfying it definitely wasn't as happy as it could have been. But I think it's because I feel like I kinda know who these people are. Instead of just following one main character she gives us the history and view points of all the main characters. Some people might not like the book for that reason but it makes me feel like I understand a little bit about why they act the way they do. I'm not exactly 100% sure what it is about her books but they definitely draw me in!
October 22, 2011
I first read this book back in early January 2005, and gave it 3 stars. I just re-read it, and am disappointed with it. It's not particularly well-written, it is poorly plotted, I don't really care one way or the other about the various characters, the dialogue at times is anachronistic and the whole thing was poorly-edited and appears not to have been copy-edited at all. I wonder if this was the author's attempt at a Fannie-Flagg-type novel. If so, she failed. Not really recommended.
September 2, 2013
I've had this book on my reading list for years and finally got around to requesting it from the library and I must say I was a little disappointed. It was a good story and I liked the characters, they were easy to relate to but the story had issues and the end could have been better. People magazine said "a tender yet wickedly funny novel..." I didn't think it funny at all. Oh well, I guess I can cross that off my list at least and move on to the next book.
February 14, 2011
Likeable characters, but no central event or crisis, or even any real change. It read like a travelogue of a few people's lives, and then after a while it ended. I assumed that the Orange Blossom Special might actually have something to do with the book, but it didn't really enter the plot until the last chunk, and it wasn't really at all pivotal. A pretty directionless book.
February 19, 2015
Orange Blossom Special is about a woman and her daughter who move to Florida after the death of her husband and build a new life there.
I read Orange Blossom Special right after reading Swim To Me and then read The Puzzle King right after that. All were really good books!
I read Orange Blossom Special right after reading Swim To Me and then read The Puzzle King right after that. All were really good books!
September 4, 2007
Set in Gainesville, Florida, a fun read about fictional people and places in our own beloved city.
November 7, 2007
This is a quick read.
February 1, 2010
Interesting characters. Kind of like a train wreck--was all over the place but I couldn't put it down.
February 9, 2009
Two families collide in 1956 in Gainsville, FL. All their lives and interactions for the next 30 years are fun, touching and unexpected. Fun for FL residents and a good read for all.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews