This romantic thriller takes a fictional “what if” look at the JFK assassination. Suppose accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had lived to defend himself. Imagine if 50 years after the assassination someone stepped forward to reveal the truth of what happened that day. What if the assassination was a conspiracy and the impact of those revelations reached into the 21st century? This is the story of … of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. You’ll never look at your neighbors the same way.
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View From The Sixth Floor: An Oswald Tale is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read this year. For those who love romance, mystery and alternate history, this is the book for you. Dedicated to both President John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, it’s a story that burrows deep inside and presents the intrepid widow, Olivia (Livvy), whose iron will makes her more than worthy of the task ahead.
I think one of the most poignant visuals I have of this book is Livvy watching the snow fall over the ice rink in front of the British Museum. “I can’t say I was lonely. I can’t say I wasn’t lonely. I guessed I was in a sort of limbo.” At this point, I had that belly-tingling feeling this story was going exceptional. The writing style is personal and although I’ve never been a fan of first person, this book has changed my mind.
As we rewind to the beginning – to an old Victorian house in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina – it’s the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination and words like “Did Oswald Act Alone?” have become a mantra in the streets. Assassination theories on the TV, an unfamiliar car in the street, Bill’s rising anxiety and a hang-up call on the house phone provide the catalyst to a new adventure. Livvy’s fascination to relive history is further whetted by two young man canvassing the neighborhood on the pretext of offering special deals on security systems. It was warp speed ahead after that.
As special agents speak into their cuffs and play cat and mouse, you can’t help rooting for Livvy. At least twice, I almost jumped up out of my chair and shouted YOU GO GIRL! Livvy is a determined character, armed with healthy traces of skepticism. She has great charisma and that’s what drew me to her.
If I could describe the pace, it would be fast. I hated every distraction that came my way because it forced me to put away such a compelling journey for a time. For me, it’s a curl-up-in-bed book, an evening-by-the-fire book, a just about every-occasion book. A deeply satisfying book about a friendship bursting with devotion and an ending that quite simply blew my socks off!
I have actually read this book several times. I yearn for a sequel! This is a tender story about a retired school teacher and her late husband’s best friend on a quest to find out the true story of the JFK assassination as the 50th anniversary of the day approaches. Olivia has always accepted the facts as presented and never questioned any of it until an encounter with a strange man in the grocery store who asks if she thought Oswald did it.
Having never thought about it much she decides to do a little research. She reads several books, watches documentaries on tv and finds she has more questions than answers and so decides she wants to go to Dallas. When she tells her friend and neighbor Bill about her plans he does everything he can to talk her out of it but Olivia is determined and so Bill makes plans to join her on the journey that will change their lives.
I too, always accepted the facts as presented about the assassination until I read this book. I began to look at things differently too!
Elizabeth Horton-Newton is an awesome storyteller. Her characters come alive and you feel as if you know them. Olivia’s growth is something I particularly enjoyed watching. I was also thrilled to read a love story that didn’t involve twenty-somethings but was a mature relationship that grew from a good friendship.
This is one of my very favorite books and I highly recommend it! I give it 5 0ut of 5 stars!