A Loved Place

About the Book

In A Loved Place: Paradise Lost, Bonnie Smith is growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the 1930s. She moves from town to town as her musician father struggles to put food on the family table. With each move, she looks for a best friend who will connect her to that place. The story covers the time from 1932 to 1960, during which she realizes people with money are the favored in life’s competitions. In her quest for wealth, she sets her sights on Alfeo Strong, the richest boy in town and her brother’s best friend. When Alfeo’s sister dies in a car accident, Bonnie both likes and fears the attention of his heartbroken mother as she gives Bonnie the dead girl’s clothes and speaks to her like her lost daughter. Who will she be marrying, she asks herself? Alfeo or Alfeo’s mother?

About the Author

Jean Bell is a graduate of St Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. She is no stranger to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where she spent her childhood and the area continues to be a favorite vacation spot. She enjoys writing short stories and is an ongoing participant in the Sand Castle Writers forum. This is her first novel.