Dames Quixote by Jane Roop

Congratulations to my friend, Jane Roop, on the upcoming release of her new books, Dames Quixote, Books I and II, soon to be published by S & H Publishing. I was honored to edit these fun stories, and I can’t wait to share the cover and book details. Soon! Until then, here is my reaction to Dames Quixote, Book I: Queen and Book II: Warrior.

In the books of her new series, Dames Quixote, Jane Roop writes about Jean Reeves and her three friends. These women are smart, funny, involved in their community; they like their wine and cocktails and somehow find themselves on the front page of the local newspaper in the middle of the latest local scandals. Roop has written these lovely stories convincingly set in southeastern Washington where I live; these are women I wish were my friends, family and neighbors!

In Queen, Roop introduces us to Lucile, who when we meet her is a woman unsure of herself, with seemingly little support from her husband. One thread of the story involves challenges in Lucile’s life. In the course of the story, Lucile struggles with her situation, and comes to a difficult decision – whose telling prompts Roop’s protagonist, Jean Reeves, to reflect.

It was the longest and most logical speech I ever heard Lucile make. I stood and went to the window. The landscape of mountains, rivers, desert and marsh calmed me, but only a little. From up here it looked beautiful and safe. Down there in the sagebrush, coyotes stalked rabbits and rattlesnakes ambushed baby quail. From the air hawks hunted field mice. All hunters took advantage of weakness, ill health and handicaps. We humans expect more from each other.
– Jane Roop, Dames Quixote, Book I Queen

Lucile’s speech represents a turning point for her; the character at the end of the story is not the same timid and insecure woman we first meet. “Watching” her evolve is one of the pleasures of Queen.

In Queen, Roop deals with a difficult subject with fidelity and finesse. But that’s not to say it’s all dark and grim story telling. In one scene, Jean follows her office neighbor, Archie, into his office.

“What happened to the diet?” The smell of sausage and hash browns made my mouth water. High salt. High fat. My favorites. I had eaten a healthy breakfast. Oatmeal and yogurt and now I felt cheated. – Jane Roop, Dames Quixote, Book I Queen

This simple scene made me laugh; it also resonated with me so strongly that by the end of the sentence I was annoyed with Archie as well!

I enjoyed meeting Jean and Roop’s other characters in Queen, watching the story unfold, getting to know them all better, and I was happy to see the story come to a satisfying end.

In Warrior, Jean Reeves confronts a puzzle directly related to her work as an investment counselor. Roop continues the development of the four Dames Quixote as she lays out their latest mis-adventure. The story line in Warrior moves quickly, and as with Queen, Roop braids the storylines together and ties them off nicely.

What I enjoyed in Warrior even more than in Queen were Roop’s turns of phrase. Some favorites include:

• Greg started slowly inflating the question like a balloon.
• My suspicions doubled like rising bread.
• Because he was shaking a martini canister filled with ice, gin and vermouth, I kept my mouth shut.
• She … stared at my naiveté with feigned disbelief.
  – Jane Roop, Dames Quixote, Book II Warrior

While most of her expressions made me smile, one took my breath away. Roop describes a character, saying “She was stuck in the past, hoarding unresolved tragedies.” In a profound, powerful characterization, Roop conveyed everything the reader needs to know about that character and set the tone for her role as the story plays out.

As with Queen, Roop takes on a difficult subject and deftly weaves her story around it. It was gratifying to see the story end as it did, leaving me to look forward to the next adventure of the Dames Quixote.