Novel web site: http://www.romanticnovel.homestead.com/intro.html
Author web site: http://www.homestead.com/henaut/index.html
The novel can be purchased at: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/12986
December 12, 1997 is an extraordinary day in Robert Mascaux’s life, involving him in a family funeral, his second wedding and a birthday party for a celebrity.
This romantic novel begins with a flashback to 1959, in Northumbria, a coastal community in Nova Scotia. Robert, a high school student, resides at the Manor, a private nursing home owned by his parents, Bertha and Camille, immigrants from Belgium. Robert’s home life is enriched by his ‘foster grandparents,’ the Manor residents. When Robert becomes a member of a Connie Francis fan club, he begins a lengthy correspondence with Rachel Turner, the club’s teenage president, who lives on an estate in Flanders Cove, Connecticut, with her reclusive, artistic aunts, fondly called ‘the bouquet.’
The reader discovers the enduring power of love through the struggles and triumphs that Robert and Rachel encounter during their friendship, spanning 38 years. The novel depicts the influence that singers can have on their fans and also reveals parallels that can exist between the lives of singers and their admirers. The music of Connie Francis is the thread of continuity for the couple for whom fate, an international border, family responsibilities, and a sinister villain delayed their marriage until December 12, 1997.
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Robert returned his albums to the cabinet and slowly made his way to his bedroom where he found comfort listening to Connie’s movie theme songs: “Where the Boys Are”, “Follow the Boys” and “Looking for Love.” He liked the beat of “Looking for Love.” It always lifted his spirits. His mind wandered from Connie to Rachel and then to Leah. He had never really had an official date. He and Leah had gone places, but he had never asked any girl to go on a date with him. He wondered if this were normal. Most of the other guys his age in the neighbourhood had found themselves a steady girlfriend, a few had already gotten married. He knew he was shy about meeting people, and lacked the self-confidence to approach any girl and risk a refusal, but he had never really met someone he wanted to ask for a date. Then there was Rachel. He knew it was ridiculous to think about her romantically. They knew so little about each other. They had never met, had never spoken to each other. They were separated by an international border. She was an American, her family had wealth, and she had responsibilities that confined her. She was just a friend.
But his friend would not leave his thoughts. He tossed and turned in bed. He found himself smiling at Rachel, teasing her, laughing with her about the antics of her aunts. He touched her hair, felt her body move closer to him. As he lay in bed, he realized that his body was responding to his fantasy. He felt uncomfortable, as if he had lured Rachel unwillingly into his embrace. He closed his eyes again hoping that sleep would engulf him, but within a few minutes he was walking along the beach holding hands with Rachel, looking into her eyes, savouring every look, every movement. They were together. Connie’s hit, “Together” drifted into his consciousness helping him to fall asleep with his American dream.