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Joan Livingston
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The Sweet Spot Kindle Edition

by Joan Livingston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 146 ratings
Edie St. Claire is smack in the middle of what's going on in Conwell: her in-laws' general store, the Do-Si-Do Bar, and this small town's biggest scandal in years.

Her father is a crusty so-and-so who runs the town dump. Her wisecracking aunt is as fiery as her dyed red hair. Both live next to Edie and her young daughter on this dead-end dirt road.

Edie is an "I gotta go" kind of woman, pretty and direct, but she holds onto an old sadness: the death of her husband in Vietnam. She tries to ease her grief with his married brother, Walker.

But when the affair comes to a tragic end, Edie does her best to survive the blame with the help of her rough-sawn family and a badly scarred man who has arrived for his fresh start.
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  1. Print length
    330 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    February 13, 2017
  4. File size
    2.5 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I am grateful to the folks living in the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, who made our family feel welcome for so many years.

I began my career in journalism as a reporter covering these small towns, 1,200 people and under. I wrote about politics, feuds and country fairs. I interviewed the famous and the humble.

Certainly the hilltowns inspired this novel although I attest the town, characters, and story come strictly from my imagination. But I'd like to think I could plunk the fictional Conwell near Worthington, Cummington, and Chesterfield, and it'd fit just fine.

About the Author

Joan Livingston is the author of novels and short stories for adult and young readers. An award-winning journalist, she started as a reporter covering the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, where The Sweet Spot is set.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06VVZP3QV
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Casa Rosa Books (February 13, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 13, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 146 ratings

About the author

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Joan Livingston

Joan Livingston

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Joan Livingston is the author of novels for adult and young readers, including the Isabel Long Mystery Series, featuring a longtime journalist who becomes an amateur P.I. solving cold cases in rural New England.

Joan draws upon her own experience as a longtime journalist in Massachusetts and New Mexico to create Isabel Long, a sassy, savvy widow who uses the skills she acquired in the business to solve what appears to be impossible cases. She also relies on her deep knowledge of rural Western Massachusetts, where she lives, to create realistic characters and settings.

She also relied on those insights while writing The Sacred Dog, Northern Comfort, and The Sweet Spot, all set in the fictional hilltowns of Western Mass.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
146 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with well-developed characters and a good storyline that keeps them turning pages. The writing style receives positive feedback, and customers describe the book as heartwarming.

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8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very enjoyable to read, with one customer particularly appreciating the little vignettes in each chapter.

"...I hope you read and enjoy each chapter z little vignette about life on one's own terms." Read more

"...book had many lessons learned with a variety of characters, both likeable and not...." Read more

"...I'm sure it would be just as sweet a read as THE SWEET SPOT." Read more

"A story of small town folks in hardship and good times and how everything works out in the end. The characters pop off the page and into your heart." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting that the characters have depth.

"...She portrays her characters so realistically you can picture them clearly as well as hear their voices...." Read more

"This book had many lessons learned with a variety of characters, both likeable and not...." Read more

"...The characters have depth, while the story provides a glimpse into the politics of small town living...." Read more

"A tapestry of finely crafted characters..." Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, with one mentioning it has many twists and turns, while another notes that the story and dialogue kept them turning pages.

"...Ms. Livingston weaves an intriguing, well-written tale...." Read more

"...The story and dialogue kept me turning pages and the ending was satisfying, allowing the reader to use his/her imagination...." Read more

"I liked the story line very much and it had such potential for me giving it 5 stars...." Read more

"This is a complicated story with so many twists and turns, feelings, and motivations. In the end, there is resolution and perhaps a happy ending...." Read more

3 customers mention "Heartwarming"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book heartwarming.

"This is a complicated story with so many twists and turns, feelings, and motivations. In the end, there is resolution and perhaps a happy ending...." Read more

"...The characters pop off the page and into your heart." Read more

"...It was sad but heartwarming also. Definitely enjoyable." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book.

"...It is a series that is well worth reading g and experiencing." Read more

"Edie has 99 problems and men are most of them. Well written, fast reading and made me want to go kick my jerk neighbor. Learn how to behave, idiots!" Read more

"Very enjoyable read and style of writing..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Teresita DP
    5.0 out of 5 stars A tapestry of finely crafted characters
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    You know how small towns are. They aren’t the best places to keep secrets, and Edie St. Claire, a young widow, finds out when an affair she is having with her married brother-in-law ends in the worst way possible. But what’s a girl to do? Life goes on, and Edie isn’t a quitter. She soldiers on, with the help of a cast of characters led by feisty red-haired Aunt Leona and a mysterious stranger that has just come to town…
    In “The Sweet Spot” descriptions are so vivid that readers breathe in the beer and burger smells of the Do-Si-Do Bar and the sour and dusty stench of the town’s dump. Strong storytelling and a very enjoyable read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • e fuller
    4.0 out of 5 stars Even if you find.her.impossible to understand at times,
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I think you will have to live her and applaud her ability to make.her world and those in it work Even when they don't or won't her persuasive ways lead to change. I hope you read and enjoy each chapter z little vignette about life on one's own terms.
    Helpful
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  • Frederick Fullerton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic, Gritty, and a Must-Read Novel
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    As a former reporter who covered the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, author Joan Livingston knows the area and the people who live there well. She not only captures the landscape of rural New England and rhythms of the seasons, but also the often conflicted hearts and minds of the people who live there. The fictional town of Conwell epitomizes small-town politics, factions, family loyalties, rumors, and grudges, and the fallout when someone crosses the line of accepted norms. When an affair explodes into a full-blown scandal and then tragedy, there's hell to pay, especially for Edie St. Claire. Ms. Livingston weaves an intriguing, well-written tale. She portrays her characters so realistically you can picture them clearly as well as hear their voices.

    If you liked Peace, Love, and You Know What and Professor Groovy and Other Stories, you'll love The Sweet Spot.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Margie-Philadelphia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read and style of writing
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book had many lessons learned with a variety of characters, both likeable and not. The story and dialogue kept me turning pages and the ending was satisfying, allowing the reader to use his/her imagination. I highly recommend this book and author.
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
    Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of those books that follows a formula. Is not a romance because instead of kisses, we have punches. Poor girl and rich boy fall in love. His family is not very happy but if the son is happy, they will do the best to love her. Her name is Edie and his name is Gil. Edie is pregnant with a baby girl, but Gil has to go to Vietnam. He died and never met her daughter. For 6 years everything is fine. Until Gil's brother Walker decided that Edie should be his. And everything goes from worse to worst. There is a lot of drinking, more than casual sex, a lot of physical abuse and bullying. Walker was married but still was claiming Edie has his. But, he physically abused Edie, black and blues, bruised ribs and broken lips.
    But, I will stop here. But Edie eventually had her happy ending.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • JReader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet Read
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Edie Sweet's disposition is identical to her last name. She is sweet and lovable, the type of woman who never meets a stranger. She's sweet in spite of losing her husband, Gil, to the Vietnam War. But maybe she's a little too sweet and lovable, because she doesn't make the best choices when it comes to men. This is clearly evident in her affair with Gil's brother, Walker: a married man. The town of Conwell is too small and interconnected for extramarital affairs. Edie's and Walker's is an affair of astronomic proportions; the kind that can cause grief for generations to come. Will Edie survive it? What role will a scarred stranger play in her survival?

    I loved the way Joan built Edie. She was sweet but flawed. Aren't we all? And Walker? I pitied the boy because he had it bad. In love with his brother's woman but stuck in an unhappy marriage where he can't express that love openly. Joan also paints for us the struggle Walker has with his parents. They clearly loved Gil more. Why do parents do that? Why pick favorites? Don't they know that favoritism can have detrimental effects for years and years. That the affected child can grow into an adult and still deal with it? Take it out on their children. Even on their spouse?

    I loved the dynamic between the Sweets, St. Claires, Crockers, etc. How the Sweets were looked down on in Conwell because patriarch, Benny, worked the town dump. You see this kind of thing in small towns, small communities, and unfortunately in churches. I can't stand it, though. No one should be ostracized because of their lineage. No child should be picked on at school because someone feels that their family is beneath others. I could get on a soapbox about this issue but I don't want to belabor the time or space for this review.

    I enjoyed this novel and would love to see what's next for Edie. Hopefully Joan Livingston will follow up on the good folks of Conwell in a subsequent novel. I'm sure it would be just as sweet a read as THE SWEET SPOT.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good story line...
    Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the story line very much and it had such potential for me giving it 5 stars. But having much sympathy for the main character, Edie, was very difficult for me. She sounds like the town's "Good Time Girl", wink wink. So very friendly to every single male she meets, laughing, giggling and flirting with them all. Then she decides to have an affair with her deceased husband's brother assuming who would find out? In such a close-knit little town? When he kills himself over her I do blame her a lot. She kept him coming back to her again and again. She feels compelled (apparently) when a drunk insists she sits down with him and his drunken friends for a drink....really??!! Surprise surprise, she nearly gets raped. I've been in similar situations and never acted the way this woman did. Just flipped through last few chapters, knowing how it all was going to end. IDisappointing.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Mrs. Sharen Sleater
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is a complicated story with so many twists and turns, feelings, and motivations. In the end, there is resolution and perhaps a happy ending. I want the story to continue for a long time. It is a series that is well worth reading g and experiencing.
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • snowdrop1941
    4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book, although it was a bit slow to start with. The characters were really interesting and believable. I found myself engrossed in the story about love and loss.
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