Ginny and William are a retired couple in their 60s with three grown-up children. They are enjoying a peaceful summer in their home in Vermont when their eldest daughter Lillian arrives with her two young children, fleeing problems in her marriage. Next, son Stephen and his pregnant wife Jane drop in for a weekend visit, which becomes a prolonged stay due to a medical problem. And finally their youngest daughter Rachel appears, seeking comfort to mend her broken heart. Soon the house is full to bursting, and Ginny and William revisit the chaos of hands-on parenting as each adult child works through their problems and learns to accept the responsibilities of adulthood.
Meg Mitchell Moore is a great storyteller with a real understanding of the complexities of human emotions and relationships. Her characters and their dialogue ring true and she really captures the mixture of love, loyalty and frustration of family life. Her novel is clever, funny, moving and honest. This is Meg Mitchell Moore’s first novel, and I eagerly await her next! Trade paperback, $33.
