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Thirty Days Late is set in Virginia during the depression. The economic situation both is a catalyst for and a roadblock to the romance between Grace and Nathaniel.
Grace is trying to raise her younger brother Henry and hold on to the farm their father left them when he died. It’s a difficult life, but Grace knows no other. Without parents to help them, Grace struggles to try to make the mortgage payment on the property.
Nathaniel became president of the bank when his father retired. He’s young and some of the men who work for him don’t want him to be successful. He decides to serve the papers on the farm himself.
The book opens with Grace and her brother rescuing Nathaniel after his car turns over. Because of the damages to his car, and because there are no hotels or boardinghouses in town, Grace and her brother allow Nathaniel to stay in their father’s room while he recuperates. Grace knows that he has come to take the farm from her, but as they get to know each other better, Nathaniel seems to change his mind, telling her he will take care of things. When two other men from the bank arrive, Grace decides that Nathaniel has lied to her.
Ms. Carrington writes a delightful story. Her character development is good for a short book. However, there are some continuity problems. The brother pumps water in the basement when there isn’t a pump there. Grace drives the truck home after Nathaniel drove her to town and took the truck back to the farm. Although these happen, and a few words are misused, the story is an interesting read.
Reviewed by Lena Nelson Dooley
for The Road to Romance
October 3, 2004
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