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Book Review: Fin & Lady

Cathleen Schine's journey to becoming an author included brief stints in medieval history and shoe buying at Bloomingdale's. Not a likely trajectory toward a profession as a novelist, especially since she turned to writing as a fall-back career. But it seems to be a perfect fit for Schine. She's had eight books published since 1983, and the ninth--Fin & Lady--will be released this week.

Fin & Lady takes place in rural Connecticut, the isle of Capri and the Upper East Side of New York City. The main events, however, occur in a Greenwich Village brownstone during the changing times of the 1960s.

On the day of his mother’s funeral, 11-year-old Fin is taken from his life on a dairy farm in Connecticut to live with his half-sister, Lady, in New York City. Lady is no domestic, but she does have a generous heart, a spirited approach to life, and a trust fund.

Once they're settled as a make-shift family in their new home, Lady assigns Fin the task of helping her find a husband before she turns 25. With just a year to choose a spouse for Lady, Fin has three suitors to consider: The first is an investment banker who needs the connection. The second is an immigrant with a colorful past; his unpredictable relationship with Lady should derail his candidacy, but instead makes him Fin’s favorite. And the third is a jock with a penchant for parties, but who will soon be drafted.

Schine places Fin and Lady in a world surrounded by civil rights riots, the development of alternative public schools, and the dawn of the Vietnam War. With clever writing and loveable characters, she delivers once again.

Beth Golay is KMUW's Director of Marketing and Digital Content. She is the host of the KMUW podcast Marginalia and co-host with Suzanne Perez of the Books & Whatnot podcast. You can find her on Wichita Transit in conversation with other riders for En Route, a monthly segment on KMUW's weekly news program The Range.