Eve's Hour

by Norma Newcomb

Eve's Hour

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the 2nd book I have read by this author and I wish I could find some more. This book is obviously about Eve who repairs clocks and watches for a living. She is 23 and is self-supporting earning $1000 per month which was quite a bit back in '63. She lives in a small town and manages to pull down this salary because of her chance meeting with a gentleman who dropped his $1500 watch in the river and needed it repaired. He stands over her while she fixes it watching her with a skeptical eye. Months after he returns to the big city he has his business in, the watch is still keeping perfect time. He tries to interest Eve in a job with his firm but she refuses so he contracts out the more difficult repairs to her shop. She also happens to own 5 acres on the river that the town council wishes to purchase purportedly for a recreational area for the the citizens of the town. But there is a lot more to it than that and Eve suspects everything is not above board and refuses to cooperate. The town council then threatens to seize her property by eminent domain. There is also the rivalry between Eve and Lois Hill, daughter of the owner of a pharmaceutical company. Really the rivalry is for the most part all on Lois' side. The book details the many different ways she tries and fails to get the better of Eve.