Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
"The Queen of Hearts". They were married for a long time and Rosie Campbell thought it was a good relationship until Frank told her about Sheila. At first Rosie is moping around the house, so depressed that her teenage son avoids her like the plague. However, her psychiatrist prescribes a powerful antidepressant that turns Rosie into a new model with new problems but at least she begins to reclaim her life.
"The Queen of Diamonds". In Spotsdale, New York, Lina Wolff, suffering from breast cancer, expects to die soon. All she wants from God is for someone to love her before she departs from the planet. God apparently answers her prayers, but will Lina recognize the miracle of love in the guise of a drunk?
"Me and Bobby DeNiro Out in Front of the BabaLand". Bobby DeNiro has just moved into this Hudson River Valley bedroom community. Artist Rita feels DeNiro is her ticket even if it is only to clean his new home. However, instead of DeNiro, Rita's ultimate fantasy is for her husband Trick to give her some attention without his remote.
The two novellas and short story that make up this amusing anthology are all disquieting with potent messages. THE QUEEN OF HEARTS: TALES OF MIDDLE-AGE PASSION pulls no punches on its take on life. The plot centers on love lost as once thriving relationships either died or remain in a comatose state. Using the female perspective, Millie Crace-Brown provides a discerning look with a witty wink that will entice fans of relationship dramas to want more of these left hooks into the gut stories from the author.