Allie and Bea: A Novel

I've loved every book from this author I've read so far. Her writing captures the trials people face so beautifully and I always find myself fully immersed in the plot and rooting for the characters. This book is no different and it charmed me from the start. After the passing of her husband, Bea has lived alone, struggling to make ends meet. When she falls victim to a scammer and is left penniless, she has no choice but to leave her home and live in her van. Taking only her cat, favourite chair and a few necessities, she sets off on the road, unsure how she will survive each day. Then she meets Allie, a young girl who through no fault of her own has also found herself homeless. As they embark on a journey in the van, they begin to form a friendship that sees both of them change their outlook on life. Thoughtful and truly heartwarming, I loved this uplifting story about hope, kindness and friendship.

Allie and Bea is an entertaining story presented in a way that provides unchallenging enjoyment to the reader. There are moments of seriousness, reflecting some of the more negative aspects of modern society and others of hilarity in how the characters get themselves out of difficult situations. There is also some heart-warming descriptions of where there remains a great deal of human kindness in an otherwise hardened world. This is an easy, mostly gentle, read. The story and the relationships feel, sometimes, a little superficial but for a bit of escapism it is ideal.

Enjoyed the book.

Great book , easy reading . Didn't want book to end. Lovely story, happiness and sadness . Will definitely read more of Catherine's books .

To my surprise I really enjoyed this book. There were serious events written about but it was light hearted too. Showed the difference between the poor & well off in the US & the lives they lived. A satisfying ending too.

really good read!

A teenager and a pensioner get together under different circumstances. They decide to go on a road trip, have an adventure. They meet a couple of people along the way. The police catch up with the runaway teenager, she ends up going back home and asks the pensioner to stay. That's about it really. Not much of an adventure but an easy read.

Great insight into character and change.. In its own way a beautiful story but with such a strong message underneath. In fact a highly moral tale with a happy ending.

Pacific Ocean. What did the IRS call Beatrice “Bea” Ann Kraczinsky (75+, widow) about? Now Arthur (landlord) was paying her a visit also. What was Bea doing in the Buy Mart parking lot? Officer Johnnie Macklin had to notify CPS on Alberta “Allie” Keyes (15). She didn’t exactly tell the social worker the truth. LA, CA. New Beginnings for girls group home. Allie liked this better than juvy lockup. Lisa “Brick” Brickell is her roommate. Jasmine was another foster kid & The Elf was the foster parent. DSS was going to get Allie enrolled in school. Fast forward Allie had run away from Victor (Jasmine’s pimp) & had ended up in front of a closed store. Bea was close by & happened to ask how she was doing? Allie had slept quite peacefully in Bea’s van. Allie decides she is going to switch to rabbit food only (vegetarian). Phyllis (Bea’s tortoise shell cat) greeted everyone. How will Allie & Bea’s lives turn out? I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one. A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written adventure book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great adventure movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars. Thank you for the free Author; Lake Union Publishing; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

A well written book about how a teenager and an old woman's paths cross and how they get along. I would recommend this book to everyone.

The protagonists in this novel are at opposite ends of the age spectrum, and neither at an age usually associated with the Coming of Age, but that's where they're at in this book.. This is a delightful story about two incongruous personalities on an equally incongruous life journey. The whole book only covers a short period of time, but because of the 'adventures' these two have, it seems much longer. The dialogue is fast-paced and witty, matching the characters perfectly. The characters themselves are very convincing and well crafted. It would be sad to suppose that the events portrayed in this book actually happen regularly in real life. I am sure they do, and we are all the better for being reminded of how good our lives are.

I really enjoyed reading Allie and Bea, as it is a story of two characters, who could not be any more different, coincidently run into each other and set out on a journey together that is pretty much doomed right from the start. But as they travel together they start to learn from one another. They begin to see the world from the eyes of their companion, and it makes them both so much richer. There is a lot of heart ache to feel with the two protagonists, but there is also so much hope. A must-read!

What a nice story…social systems, family and non-family relationships. The type of story that should be made into a feel-good movie. It would be beneficial for families to look at it together.