Wayside Tavern by Norah Lofts (1980, Hardcover)

Recently, I decided to collect books by Norah Lofts because I love to read them over and over. A Wayside Tavern is one of my favorites by this author. She leads the reader through the lives of one family line who run the tavern from when it first came into being in 384 AD to the last owners in the 1970s. The connection through the years of the tavern to the little church that sits behind it is fascinating. Yet by the end of the book, the little church hasn't been used in years and no one knows why it was built so close to the tavern. The amount of history Lofts puts into her books is incredible but so is her skill in story-telling. What is striking about this book is how so much information is lost after only 2 generations yet their legacy lives on. It inspires the reader to want to record their own family history before it is long forgotten.

Lofts is one of my favorite authors because she doesn't soften the harsh realities of life, nor does she change history in order to be politically correct. Her characters seem as real as people in your own life with all their faults and quirks. Sex is always matter-of-fact in Lofts' books; a part of life, yet she feels no need to be graphic and I appreciate that.

If you've never read a Norah Lofts book, this is definitely one to start with. You'll soon regret having finished the book and will want to read more by this author.