York, Lynn 1957-

views updated

York, Lynn 1957-

PERSONAL:

Born 1957, in NC; children: Anna Lee, Will. Education: Duke University, earned bachelor's degree; University of Texas at Austin, earned master's degree.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chapel Hill, NC. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Worked in telecommunications in Washington, DC, until 1995; business consultant and commercial construction project manager in NC. Teaches writing workshops.

WRITINGS:

The Piano Teacher (novel), Plume (New York, NY), 2004.

The Sweet Life (novel), Plume (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Lynn York is an American writer. York grew up along the North Carolina/Virginia border and graduated from Duke University and the University of Texas at Austin. York left her job in telecommunications in Washington, DC, in 1995 to move back to North Carolina to begin writing and raising her children.

York published her first novel, The Piano Teacher, in 2004. Miss Wilma teaches piano on an upright model she owns in the rural North Carolina town of Swan's Knob, in the late 1970s. Miss Wilma comes home from playing organ at a wedding one day to unexpectedly find her daughter, Sarah, and granddaughter, Starling, on her doorstep after not seeing them for over seven years. Harper, Sarah's husband, arrives the night a local deputy is murdered, and hitches a ride together with Jonah Branch, who is arrested for the murder. Branch's original intention, unbeknownst to Harper, was to find Sarah. Sarah, confronted with all that is happening, needs to deal with her past problems before she can move forward with her life.

Writing on the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site, Vivian Outen noted that the novel "is much more than" Southern fiction. Outen remarked that "Swan's Knob could easily generate a series as there are plenty of colorful characters in this small town. Readers will be on the lookout for more novels by Lynn York." Booklist contributor GraceAnne A. DeCandido commented that "sad family stories leak out of direct, well-wrought prose. Romance, justice, and family win."

In 2007 York published her second novel, The Sweet Life. The novel continues with the townspeople of Swan's Knob. Wilma ponders her eight-year marriage with Roy, as she gets the feeling that they are acting more like brother and sister than husband and wife. When Harper and Starling come to live with them for a year, Wilma disapproves, while Roy seems to enjoy it. Harper takes advantage of Roy's kindness, who suffers a major stroke, leaving Wilma to tie up relations.

Janie Franz, writing on MyShelf.com, called the novel "heartwarming comedy at its best." Franz commented that "York's deft characterizations and witty turns of phrase … make the folks of Swan's Knob so real, the humor so rich, and the human drama that unfolds so poignant." Franz wrote that the novel "is an absolute must-read." Kym Oetting, writing on the Romance Reader at Heart Web site, called the characters "real and true," described the plot as "easy to follow, simple, but interesting," and noted that "the story line flowed together excellently." Oetting declared: "I truly enjoyed" reading The Sweet Life. Booklist contributor Patty Engelmann mentioned that this sequel presents "the reader with true insights into marriage, gender differences, and what is shared across generations." A critic writing in Kirkus Reviews found that, "sadly, York leaves too many questions unanswered at the end of the novel." The same critic called the novel a "disappointing effort from York, a writer with plenty of potential but too few fresh ideas." However, a contributor to Publishers Weekly noted that "quixotic hijinks, quirky characters, and affecting romance" give "insights into the imbroglios of small-town types searching for happiness."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2004, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of The Piano Teacher, p. 1141; October 15, 2006, Patty Engelmann, review of The Sweet Life, p. 29.

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2006, review of The Sweet Life, p. 1045.

Midwest Book Review, October, 2004, Debra Hamel, review of The Piano Teacher.

Publishers Weekly, October 2, 2006, review of The Sweet Life, p. 35.