Bettina

June M. Blurton is a retired speech/language pathologist.

Bettina, the heroine of this love story, is a bus, who started her
working life in France. Every Friday night, when she traveled between
Paris and Lyons, she carried a young student. On one trip, he met a girl
and told her about his favorite book, a 14th-century tale of courtly
love. Bettina listened, but when she realized that he would be unable to
finish the story before reaching Lyons, Bettina broke down. By
sacrificing herself, she enabled the student to complete the story and
find love with the girl.

Now old and in North America, Bettina is falling apart. Phoebe and
Spencer are star-crossed lovers who come together to fix the bus. Soon
Bettina is carrying a diverse group of passengers across the continent.
Deeply concerned about Phoebe and Spencer, whose relationship is going
through a bad spell, she tries to help them find love.

The characters in this first novel are wide-ranging and for the most
part well drawn. However, there is a certain distancing at play that
keeps us from becoming totally involved in their predicaments. Some
readers will appreciate the lyrical prose and the many allusions to
classical and modern spiritual writings.