Fiction Review

The Wish I Wish Tonight
by Barbara Elliott Carpenter
ISBN-10: 1434342301
Review by Heather Froeschl


Can you really go home again? While our memories of childhood, teenaged years, and college may be bittersweet or even deep dark chocolate delicious, going back in time is a difficult task to attempt. Dare we even try? In Barbara Elliott Carpenter’s novel “The Wish I Wish Tonight,” the drive to move forward and hang onto the past is a struggle many can relate to. Letting go of the past is sometimes a better option.

This concluding book in Carpenter’s Starlight Trilogy is a completion of certain chapters in the main character’s life. Sissy Bannister has gone through some challenging times and her character has been a joy to have known. Readers who are new to the series will be able to enjoy this book and all three in any order, but for those who have witnessed her growing up in the trilogy this last title is a satisfying conclusion. Following Sissy in her career to New York City is exciting and fulfilling, and witnessing her homesickness for West Virginia is something we can all relate to as we make our own lives away from family. The emotional roller coaster of her high school reunion is again a familiar encounter with poignant moments to recall in real life. Some lingering questions are answered, some new ones are addressed. In this stage of her existence, Sissy faces some of her demons, some of her family’s demons, and is attacked by yet another one along the way. The result is a growth that only time and experience can provide.

This work of fiction reaches out to readers on many personal levels. The issues are ones that are familiar, and so the reader can relate to the characters and plot. It is an entertaining work but also a thought provoking one. Getting lost in a fictional world is delightful and coming away from a book with some lingering thought to goals, life lessons and family is a blessing. As always, Carpenter presents a polished and well rounded offering. She has a true gift for evoking emotion, showing her plot like a well loved home movie, and depicting real life, even when it is a made up one. With hope for from this author, I heartily recommend her works.

Fiction Review

Wish I May, Wish I Might. . .
by Barbara Elliott Carpenter
ISBN-10: 1420860100

Finding yourself is the greatest endeavor in life. Sometimes it takes great challenges or tragedies to help us to look within. Sometimes we get there through laughter and love. Mostly, it takes a lot of everything, ups and downs, to understand ourselves. In Barbara Elliott Carpenter’s novel, “Wish I May, Wish I Might…” readers witness one girl’s journey to inner self.

In 1954, Sissy Bannister moves from the place she knew as home in Illinois, to West Virginia. At 14, she isn’t happy about leaving behind her world, but she soon finds a brand new one waiting to be explored. Making new friends is just the beginning. Sissy experiences differences in beliefs and attitudes in the people around her and begins to learn what she believes in herself. Desegregation, varying religious beliefs, and class relationships are all part of her lesson plan. Dealing with family trials and tribulations isn’t easy either and Sissy learns how important family bonds are, many times over. A schizophrenic uncle, an almost missing sister, and the stories of her parents’ lives are woven into her soul’s fibers. Her friendships, with other teens and with other adults bring more chances to learn about life, and herself. As the years pass, Sissy grows into a young woman she can be proud of, holding on to her fiery youth but also embracing the heart-touching moments of her life.

Barbara Elliott Carpenter leads readers on a journey of small town America, coal mines, colorful characters, romance and fun, heartbreak and tragedy. “Wish I May, Wish I Might” evokes varying emotions, reaching out through vignettes of life that have a homey familiarity. Sissy is so real she leaps off the pages and into your heart. Watching her come into her own was a pleasure. Carpenter offers a memorable and enjoyable read. I laughed, and I cried, and I loved every minute of it. Well done!

Fiction Review

Starlight, Starbright
by Barbara Elliott Carpenter
ISBN-10: 1410716864
Review by Heather Froeschl

Growing up in the forties and fifties was in some ways very different than going through life in subsequent decades, but several things remain the same. How a child feels when their family makes a move and starts a fresh life is universal in time and place. New friends are made and your entire world is completely changed. The process of adjusting and exploring a new environment, while growing up, is what "Starlight, Starbright" is all about.

Sissy comes of age before our eyes under the guidance of her parents and in the companionship of her brother and sister, the neighborhood widows, a trash lady and two very different grandfathers. Her normal, every day escapades range from discovering what it is like to use the indoor bathrooms at her new school to understanding who Santa Claus is; from squinting at fairies hidden in the roots of a tree to spying a princess in the eyes of a forgotten woman.

Sissy develops into a young lady with dreams and desires and begins to understand that life is sometimes not fair and often unkind. The widows share stories of truth-based gossip and Sissy comes to know why male statues wear fig leaves. In her early teens she finds her first love, experiments with red lipstick and flusters from her first kiss. Along the way, she is true to her friends and close to her family.

Barbara Elliott Carpenter offers a look back at the not so distant past and opens a window to what growing up in the forties and fifties was like. Many things are different now, but many still remain the same. Children have lessons to learn and life to explore and those are universal moments. Sissy is a character so real that you will feel you too grew up with her. The descriptive settings in the book are as vivid as your own memories and the stories shared are much like those that are passed down in families from every corner of the earth.

"Starlight, Starbright" will keep you turning pages until you are through and then leave you with satisfaction that you've just shared something very special.