Left at the OBCZ at Martha's Pantry unregistered, so I'm registering it and will re-release it, possibly reading it first ;)

"When Manda Frank gives birth to an astonishing eleven babies, the world descends on her home town of Three Chimneys, Virginia. Beneath the intense media spotlight the town begins to give up it's long-held secrets: from unrequited love to more dangerous and subversive passions. Meanwhile, cheesemaker Margaret Prickett decides to highlight the plight of the rural community by creating 'The Mammoth Cheese' - a 1235 pound wheel of Cheshire which she plans to parade all the way to Washington - while failing to notice the plight of her own teenage daughter Polly, who is caught up in the dangerous romance of rebellion, and veering precariously towards tragedy..."

I finally finished this waiting for my colleague to arrive because I haven't learnt how to change a flat tyre on a car - go figure I'd get one alone in the middle of nowhere on a Friday night! But anyway, the book!

It was interesting, to say the least! The focus of the book wasn't so much on Manda Frank (who gave birth to an incredible 11 babies!), but more on a few select members of the Three Chimneys community - the pastor (Leland), his wife (Mrs. Vaugn - how can I have forgotten her name!) and son (August), and a cheesemaker (Margaret) and her daughter (Polly), who are all in fairly close contact with Manda and her family.

The book follows Margaret and her financial trouble trying to run a dairy farm to make cheese. She is extremely passionate about a politician, who has promised if he gets elected to give farmers amnesty on their debt. She works fervently to get him elected, and fails to notice that her daughter is falling off the rails, and that she has feelings for someone right under her nose....(danged spoilers!).

I'm going to send this to Skyring to release in Amsterdam in April - I hope whoever picks it up enjoys it (and if you're at the convention I'm SOOOOOOOO incredibly jealous!)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to Skyring

We always remember our first time. I'd seen my father change tyres - in mud on a dark night, usually - so when I had to change a tyre on my first car, I was glad it was in broad daylight. I put on the spare and drove away. After a while, a vibration became apparent. Hmmm. Stopped on the side of the road, looked at everything. All looked fine. Drove on. Rattle rattle rattle. Getting worse. Stopped again, looked at the wheel I'd changed - at an odd incline. Hmmm.

Took off the hubcap - we had hubcaps in those days - and the nuts were almost completely worked loose. I hadn't tightened them enough! Went around them again with the wheelbrace and when they were all tight, drove away again, and it was all good. But I came this [C-\------F] close to having my wheel fall off!

So I appreciate this book all the more. Sounded like a long and lonely wait for help!

"Sent to Skyring" - with chocolate. New Zealand Hazelnut chocolate. Sorry. The choc won't get all the way to Amsterdam. Won't leave Canberra. Hazelnut because Discoverylover and I are both fans of the band Sister Hazel. You read this book, you HAVE to listen to Sister Hazel.

Can't promise to read this book in the week and a bit before Amsterdam, but I WILL leave it there!

Well, I didn't leave the book in Amterdam. I hadn't finished it and I wanted to see what happened to all the characters. Took it with me to Switzerland and read it in the car, but didn't get it done until yesterday in San Francisco.

Some fairly satisfying conclusions, but I guess the real character was American democracy. How it's changed since the Revolution. And what happens to the cheese. There's a few deaths, a few loves, a few dramas. No flat tyres, but car accidents and breakdowns.

Thanks, DL, I enjoyed this book immensely. May all the Amandas we know have eleven children and find happiness!