Annabell and I

Chris Anne Wolfe
1883573963
Windstorm Creative Ltd.

The author, Wolfe says of Annabel & I in her introduction that she wrote the story as "a romance to celebrate magic and joy." She was quite successful. Annabel & I is an enchanting tale of the power of love in overcoming the restrictions of time itself.

The novel is the story of Jennifer Cassel. A shy tomboy, Jenny is struggling to deal with the loss of her mother and her emotionally distant father. She finds home and family every summer that she spends at Chatauqua, New York, where her uncle runs a lakeside lodge. It is also the story of Annabel, a girl that Jenny meets the first summer after her mother's death. Their friendship develops over the years as the two spend every summer of their adolescence together.

As the girls grow older they become more aware their differences. For Jenny, born in 1960, is growing up through the 1970s and 80s; while Annabel, born in 1879, is living in the 1880s and 1890s. Annabel's grandmama, the family matriach makes it clear that the girls should enjoy their friendship and not question the impossibility of it.

As a young adult Jenny finds herself attracted to women and eventually realizes that she is in love with Annabel. There are a few required misunderstandings before the two young women recognize that their love and attraction is mutual. Just as the young women discover the depth of their love for one another, their happiness is threatened by Annabel's brother, Richard. Having recently gained control of the family business, Richard is determined to force his "head strong" sister into a marriage that would increase the family assets. In a desperate effort to outwit Richard's machinations, Jenny and Annabel come to understand the magic of their time together and the plans, past and future, that Grandmama has been working on for years.

Annabel & I is a delightful little romantic fantasy that only asks the reader to suspend her disbelief and enjoy. Several pen and ink illustrations by Chris Storm are included and add an old fashioned charm to the story as well. It is a perfect love story for a lazy afternoon.

-MJ Lowe