Sudden Moves

From Booklist Popular author Allen continues the story she launched in Fresh Air [BKL My 1 03] featuring Lucinda Hunter, a Connecticut woman in her forties who has long suffered from severe agoraphobia. Lucinda's life began to open up when she met Katanya, a young girl from Harlem sent to the country by the Fresh Air Fund, and they have remained close as Katanya becomes an outspoken teenager and Lucinda discovers her deceased father's African American family. Lucinda relishes contact with her "new" relatives, especially her aged grandmother. She is determined to spend as much time as she possibly can baby-sitting the neighbor's precocious child and visiting with friends and family, and then she meets her grandmother's doctor, Eli Carter. He is also of mixed heritage, but she is very uncomfortable with the attraction she feels for him since she hasn't been involved with a man since she was 19. Just as Lucinda seems to be making progress, the tragedy of September 11, 2001, radically changes her life and perspective. Once again, Allen offers readers moving insights into the heart and mind of a woman rediscovering the world with the help of a loving family and friends. Patty Engelmann Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved