Let’s take a look at The Next Always by Nora Roberts from a writer’s perspective.
This post contains spoilers.
The Next Always by Nora Roberts
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Summary: Clare Brewster returns to her hometown of Boonsboro, Maryland after losing her husband. Running a bookstore and taking care of her three sons keeps her busy, but somehow she finds time to check out the renovation of a local inn, and also the architect in charge of the project, Beckett Montgomery. He is also a busy man, but not too busy for Clare.
This novel is book one of the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy.
Karen has really already said it all in her review, which you should read first.
Where’s the Hook?
If you are a popular and prolific author like Nora Roberts, you don’t have to start your book with an obvious hook for the first line. Instead you can start with exposition about stone walls.
The stone walls stood as they had for more than two centuries, simple, sturdy, and strong.
Even though she does manage some nice alliteration, somehow I don’t think a beginning author could get away with that first sentence.
If you are a popular and prolific author, you can also get away with featuring your own businesses as most of the setting.
Characters
Nora Roberts is great at developing characters. Each individual in The Next Always is unique. I was particularly impressed with her male characters – the guys can often be cardboard cutouts in romances –so I located an interview with her to find out how she does it.
It turns out Nora Roberts has four older brothers and two sons. She has had plenty of experience with how men act. That is why the three Montgomery brothers and Clare’s three sons are so authentic.
Nora Roberts is also the queen of dialogue. Every character is not only unique, but also has their own agenda. The characters are often at cross purposes, just like people are in real life.
“What’s up?” Owen demanded. “We’re just knocking off.”
“And I want a beer,” Ryder added…{Beckett shows them a sign he made.}
“This is it, Anybody doesn’t like it, I’ll kill them with a sledgehammer. I’ll feel bad if it’s Mom or Carolee, but I’ll still do it.”
Ryder studied it, said, “Huh.”
“What font is that?”
“The one I picked,” Beckett told Owen, “I can kill you. I have a spare brother.”
Plot
The plot is straightforward. Beckett has loved Clare since school. Clare married someone else and has three young sons, but now has moved back because her husband died. The central story problem is whether the two will now find true love.
The story moves along quickly because it is mainly dialogue. In fact there is very little exposition. Opening randomly to pages 220-221, 7 lines out of 63 are exposition. The rest of the lines are all dialogue.
A side story is a thread of the plot that does not solve the main problem, but adds depth to the novel. In this case the side story involves a stalker who is obsessed with main character Clare. It is clearly the weakest part of the book. The stalker isn’t developed well enough to be believable. Apparently the side story was thrown in as an afterthought to add some tension, but Roberts heart wasn’t in it.
The stalker side story also involves an obvious Deus ex machina (which is when a problem in a story is solved by an unlikely device). In this case, the ghost tells everyone to get over to Clare’s house and rescue her from the stalker. Really?
Discussion
Overall, although it is an easy, frothy read, I did not enjoy The Next Always as much as Karen did. I won’t look for the others in the series. I haven’t, however, given up on Nora Roberts completely. I am going to look for the futuristic romantic suspense/police procedural series she writes as J. D. Robb.
Have you read any novels by Nora Roberts or J.D. Robb? What did you think?
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What are we reading next?
If you ever have questions about what we are reading next or when we’re starting the next discussion, check the 100 Book List tab in the navigation bar at the top of the blog. Links in the list go to the landing page from this blog where the discussion starts. However, this is an open-ended challenge so feel free to jump in with any of the books at any time.
The next book is number 58. Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good (2014) by Jan Karon – Discussion begins June 11, 2018
I’m trying to figure out why I liked this book so much. I think it’s threefold:
1) I really enjoyed the male characters – they seemed real, honest, handy, just the kind of guy you’d like to have in your house.
2) I liked the homey small-town feel of the story – and perhaps I’m missing that in my life lately, living in places that are not small towns.
3) It was light and breeze and quick to read – even with the small side plot of the stalker, it still felt lighthearted and fun, just what I needed to close out a crazy hectic March/April/May here.
I have to admit that I want to go stay in the Inn.