Thirteen Buttonholes
Joann C. Odenwelder 

Reviewed by Tiffany Kleinhaus

Annie Capelli is a typical American teenager working as a buttonholer in a Navy uniform mill during World War II. Knowing the young man she loves will never need to go and fight, she decides to marry him and start a family. Several years later, Annie is shocked when her husband Kenneth, along with her sister and brother-in-law, gets the idea that they should all pack up their lives in Pennsylvania to run a motel and restaurant in Texas. But then, when her marriage later falls apart, can Annie survive as a single working mother in the 1950’s?

In general, I found the story this book told to be quite good and interesting. The characters were likable, the plot realistic, and the settings believable. However, I noticed that the beginning of the book has a message about it being printed with no editorial input, and unfortunately, even without that message, it would be clear that no editor had worked on the book. While it had the potential to be really good, I found that there were not only some errors, but there was also a noticeable flaw in the style of the writing. There was a tendency by the author to tell about events rather than show them. This prevented me from being able to be drawn into the story the way I usually am.

 So, while I did enjoy the story, I do feel it could have used some more work prior to publication. That being said, I had no problem reading it through to the end, and don’t regret the time taken reading it.

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