Under the Circumstances is a heartwarming tale of a gutsy teenage mother in 1920s Georgia. Poor and mostly alone in the world, Millie finds a home in a most unlikely place. You’ll cheer her every triumph over obstacles to make a good life for her and her baby daughter.

You will taste the crispy fried catfish and hush puppies, smell the biscuits baking and hear the singing of gospel hymns as spunky Millie Martin Stapleton strives to make a better life for herself while working in the kitchen of a whorehouse. And you will be rooting for her as she does the best she can, under the circumstances, to find a good life is possible, even when she stumbles a bit along the way. Full of humor and keen observations about Southern life in a much harder time, this novel will remind you that all things are possible for those who have faith and pursue their dreams.

I recommend reading this story. It is engaging, entertaining and thought provoking.

This story captured me from the very beginning, kept me engaged until the end, and left me wanting more. I liked how faith, love, strength, courage and resilience were presented. My favorite place to be in the story was in the kitchen. There I could smell and taste the food prepared and experience the unconditional love that was present. When I finished the story, I made homemade biscuits for the first time and created a playlist with every song mentioned.

A powerful thing was how the story caused me to self reflect and grow. As I was reading, I questioned why some things were presented the way they were. In particular, why they were not presented in the way I expected them to be. My biases and prejudice concerning certain things came forward.

I wonder what I would have done if I had been under the circumstances of the characters in this story.

Under the Circumstances, delightfully introduces the main character, Millie who tirelessly survives life’s circumstances.

I quickly related to Millie and her attributes of determination. As the chapters unfolded, I became increasingly intrigued and wanted to connect with this young woman.

It was warming to listen to Miss Cora’s morning kitchen lessons and enlightening conversations as she mentored Millie. I came to expect the dinner menus scheduled for each day of the week. The visual smells of Tuesday evening’s, fried chicken painted a sense of satisfaction.

Susan Middleton’s readers will anxiously await Millie’s reactions to her circumstances. I know I did, and think Miss Cora did the same!

I generally only read the daily newspaper and certain periodicals. However since the author is a friend of mine, I read it from cover to cover and really enjoyed it. I’ll be sure to read all other novels that she writes.

I really enjoyed these characters! I was rooting for Millie the whole time!

This book was very interesting and I am sure that it reflected what life was like during the time period. Very enjoyable reading. It was hard to put down.