She has always been funny. Now retired in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (What a change from Provo, Utah!), Elouise adds a hint of nostalgia. As always, she captures in a few words the essence of a situation—such as what it has been like being a woman then and now.Mostly she finds irony in life’s little absurdities. But she also offers an honest, bittersweet reminiscence of her late, reclusive father that may draw readers into their own private reverie. She contrasts quaint, country-ish cafes of bygone days with lackluster chain restaurants. She thinks about how we used to say “Sir” or “Miss” and now opt for the politically correct “Umm.”But whether reaching into a past century to “cheer the sublime plums of pioneer Patty Sessions,” remembering a magnificent watchdog named Maggie, musing about “sleeping beauties who wake up,” or relating her funniest night at the opera, she reminds us of a common humanity: a persistent awkwardness with ourselves and the occasional goodness that we all share. Read Less