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"A lucidly described coming-of-age tale" about a young boy and three teenage sisters who have "a mysterious, almost mythic feminine glamour." - Kirkus Reviews In this coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, a lonely boy finds acceptance when he spends the summer in a loving family with three beautiful daughters. Twelve-year-old Joey Roland is sent away to family friends while his parents try to work things out. He's eager to leave sadness and secrets behind in Chicago and head downstate to the small town of Greenberry, where the Vitale family awaits him. He thinks of their town as boyland-a world of bike riding, fishing, and going barefoot. Though initially shy of the teenaged daughters-Anne, Vita, and Beth-they welcome him into their lives of adventure, beauty, and dreams. Joey especially bonds with the middle sister, Vita, and her all-or-nothing pursuit of an acting career. Joeys "there must be more" merges with Vita's "I must make it happen" resulting in a magical summer where the town of Greenbury becomes the crucible for two desperate dreamers.
Set in Seattle amid sensuous garden beauty and lush summer evenings, The Garden House is about finding meaning in the second half of life. Turning fifty has Miranda re-evaluating her life now that her two children have left the nest. In an attempt to rediscover the thrill and hope of her younger days, she decides to convert the garden house into an artist studio – only to find that her husband has already rented it to a somewhat mysterious young man. Though Miranda at first welcomes the shy tenant, she soon develops a sense of unease about him. Is he the nice man he appears to be? Or is he the reason behind her increasingly disturbing dreams? An uplifting – and sometimes suspenseful – story about a woman who pursues a life of love, creativity, and beauty. “I was completely swept away by this tale. I was engaged in the mystery, the confusion and all the secrecy….This book is one that will definitely test your intuition.” – NetGalley Review “Mahkovec’s prose is sharp and fluid, building tension in small domestic scenes….The premise is a fun one, and Miranda is a finely drawn character.” – Kirkus Reviews
Seven brief tales depict various expressions of love – unwanted, unrequited, passionate, and enduring — from the bright beginnings of youth, through the doubts and changes of middle age, to the comfort and familiarity of old age.
Christmastime 1940: A Love Story, Book One in the series, is set in New York City against the backdrop of impending war. It tells of the unlikely romance of a struggling young mother who is trying to make a fresh start in life and a man who has lost his connection to humanity. The curmudgeonly Charles Drooms is content with his life as the owner of a successful accounting firm. However, when the beautiful widow, Lillian Hapsey, and her two young sons move down the hall from him, his narrow world is shaken. Three converging forces - Lillian, the Christmas season, and a mysterious little boy - combine to stir up powerful memories, forcing Drooms to make a life-altering decision.
It was a summer of love, and a summer of secrets. She has built a good life: a husband who adores her, a daughter she is fiercely proud of, a home with warmth and love at its heart. But things were not always so good, and the truth is that she has done things she can never admit. Then one evening a phone call comes out of the blue. It is a voice from long ago, a man from a past that she has tried so hard to hide. He knows who she really is and what she has done. Now he is dying and he gives her an ultimatum: either she tells the truth, or he will. And so we are taken back to that long hot summer of 1976 to a house by the sea on the southern coast of England, where her story begins and where ...
Harry Dietrichson is an American correspondent reporting from Asia. He is sent to Shanghai on the eve of the Second World War. In Cosmopolitan Shanghai - the Paris of the East - British, French, and other Western expatriates continue leading opulent lives seemingly oblivious to the world crumbling around them. Harry meets and falls in love with a young woman named Viktoria who comes from a prominent Russian family that has lived in Shanghai for decades. Before they can be married, Harry is called back to the States. When the war breaks out Harry is unable to return to Shanghai. We witness Viktoria's self-sacrificing efforts to save her family from starvation and persecution. She confronts moral ambiguity on a daily basis. Meanwhile, Harry takes a commission in the Marines and endures a bloody slog of battles across the Pacific, as he attempts to survive and make his way back to Shanghai. As the war ends, Harry returns to war-torn China in search of Viktoria. This book traces the paths of two young lovers whose life together has been interrupted by war. It's a story of love, family, and perseverance.
Your sister or her baby. Who do you choose? A moving page-turner with a heart-pounding dilemma. Fans of Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes will love Kelly Rimmer. As children, Lexie and Annie were incredibly close. Bonded by the death of their beloved father, they weathered the storms of life together. When Lexie leaves home to follow her dream, Annie is forced to turn to her leatherbound journal as the only place she can confide her deepest secrets and fears... As adults, sisters Lexie and Annie could not be more different. Lexie is a successful doctor and happily engaged. Annie is an addict - a thief, a liar and unable to remain clean. When Annie's newborn baby is in danger of being placed in fos...
The million-copy bestselling author B A Paris returns with a breathtaking thriller. ‘We’re in a new golden age of suspense writing now, because of amazing books like Bring Me Back’ Lee Child ‘Made me stay up way beyond my bedtime!’ Jane Corry
These six interrelated pieces tell the story of Maggie, a vibrant individual who is also Everywoman: daughter, dreamer, nurse, friend, wife, mother. Spanning over eighty-five years, they follow her from her youth in Depression-era Illinois to the time when she ventures forth to 1940’s Hollywood and coastal California, and her return to the rural Midwest. Bittersweet and poignant, celebratory and inspiring, these stories portray the exuberance of youth, the delight of friendship, the adventure of going forth into the world, and the disappointment and heartache that are a part of life.