A Life of Bright Ideas: A Novel

Nine years ago Freeda and Winnalee blew town leaving behind grieving Button, her mother and Aunt Verdella. Each had learned so much from the free spirited, tough talking, brassy, Freeda and her inventive, imaginative and full of spit and vinegar younger sister, Winnalee. Together as young 10 year olds, Winnalee and Button kept a "Book of Bright Ideas" that they were sure held the key to their happy futures.Nine years later Evelyn(Button) is 19 and working her mother's bridal shop in the same tiny town in Wisconsin. Those nine years have scathed her life with harsh realties and grown-up responsibilities. Aunt Verdella and Uncle Rudy are their same giving, loving selves and aid Evelyn, but her load is heavy. Not only is she shouldering very adult responsibilities, she also has few friends, crushing on a boy she believes she has no chance with, grieving Vietnam and missing Winnalee.Lo and behold, Winnalee, with her hippy heart zooms back into Evelyn's life driving a multi-colored painted van to stay with Button. Angry at Freeda, she is coming back to the only people that ever felt like family to her. What a contrast these two 19 years old make....Evelyn, hard working, morally responsible, dedicated to aiding her family,introspective, quiet soul; Winnalee,the free wheeling, protesting, Woodstock going, drinking, sexing, artistic, everything is groovy, wild child.We fans of "The Book Of Bright Ideas" have been clamoring for this sequel and Ms. Kring dramatically delivers in this descriptive, heartrending, humorous, and thoughtful sequel. Sandra writes with such understanding of human nature, polished yet colloquial, descriptive dialogue and plots that run true to the time and setting. I was so excited to finally read this much wanted book that I shed a tear when it ended. Perhaps another book following these friends could be in the works? We can hope.Sandra Kring is a gift to a reader with her extraordinary story telling ability. I would give yourself this present wrapped in it's delightfully detailed 1970's cover. Brew a hot beverage, unfold a cozy blanket, curl up in your reading spot and enjoy "A Life of Bright Ideas;" it is a mini vacation to refresh your soul.If you had not read "Book of Bright Ideas" this story would stand alone, but what fun it would be to read them back to back!!

I love Sandra Kring and I loved the first book. I was so excited for the sequel, I think I downloaded and started reading it just minutes after finishing book one.Unfortunately, this one just didn't hit the spot for me... Button and Winnalee were just hitting adult hood but Kring still used phrases that made it sound like they were seeing the world from their eight year old perspective. Along with some awkward, clunky, wording, there wasn't much of a story line. The characters had problems and you knew by the end that it would be resolved, but there didn't seem to be one event like in the previous book that I was waiting for... you know, the moment you hold your breath the entire book for. By the end, I was satisfied with where things ended up for the characters but I wasn't quite sure how they had gotten there.But like the title of this review says, you can't go wrong with a Sandra Kring book. Even though it wasn't my favorite, it still gets 4 stars, because a sub par book from Kring is still better than a lot of other books!!

Sandra Kring's book The Book of Bright Ideas is my favorite book that I've read all year. I loved it so much that I bought this book immediately afterwards.Kring impressed me with her ability to bring a more mature tone to this book, while still preserving the unconditional love and friendship that made her first book such a treasure. In this book, Evelyn and Winnalee are 18, and Kring does not shy away from this fact. Winnalee's wild side has gotten much wilder, and she has experimented with drugs and casual sex. She has made, and will continue to make, some absolutely disgraceful decisions.But the beauty of their friendship, and the friendship between their families, is that they love and help one another through thick and thin. Evelyn and Winnalee have a beautiful friendship that has matured and evolved as the girls grew into women, and Kring has captured this evolution so beautifully and realistically. Both this book and its prequel hold a special place in my heart.

This was a sweet book. It certainly wasn't any sort of literary classic, it wasn't profound or emotional although I think the author may have intended it to be. It was, however, well written. It was a quick and easy read. You already love the characters because it is a sequel to The Book of Bright Ideas. It's easy to follow. There are some great quotes in it.It was somewhat melodramatic at times. It tended towards hard to believe/ relate to at times. It is worth reading especially if you are between books or just want something To make you smile.

I read this author's "Book of Bright Ideas" which intrigued me until the very end when she left her well drawn characters high and dry and left me there with them. She had taken her readers on a very enjoyable ride until the very end, when the main characters, who had changed and grown as the story progressed, virtually lost all the ground gained when two of the main characters suddenly left the scene, probably forever, leaving those behind worse than they were to start with. For me a very disappointing ending to an otherwise very good book.Now, years later, the author decides to write this sequel, stating it was because her fans wouldn't stop asking for it, so I decided to read it just to see if she redeemed herself in any way, but this second book was just O.K. I probably will not read this author again because she really let me down the first time.