The Farewell Tour by Stephanie Clifford

Lillian Waters is a country western singer/songwriter forced to call it quits after this last tour. Some see it as a publicity stunt especially with it ending in the little town she came from in Washington but Lillian knows why it has to be. She has pulled herself up by the bootstraps before and after leaving home during hard times in the 40's and never looked back. She sings and writes songs of what she knows - the hard fought gigs, the men who didn't care about her singing talent, all those endless bus rides from place to place and the relationships that didn't work. Charlie is the one person who has seen Lil at her best and absolute worst and even he couldn't stick with it forever. This is a snapshot of the early years (pre-Nashville) of country music focusing on the women who made it great and one woman's journey always pushing through to the front without looking back and what it cost her. This will strike a chord for lovers of the Queens of country music as well as those who appreciate a historical tale of a strong woman during the 40's through the 80's.  3 1/2 stars