Complex yet easy to read tale of mother's effect on her daughters, and her resolution.

This is a gentle and very comfortable read. It has been hard for me to find these books that describe so well the pleasures of life. I choose to stay away from books that showcase the sometimes hideously ugly realities of life. For me, while I'm fully acquainted with reality, I choose to focus as much of my energy on the beautiful, and that includes my choices of light fiction. So, if you agree with me in your own choices of light reads, I believe you will find a lot to enjoy in this book.

If you love New England, specifically Maine, reading this will be like taking a seaside retreat. Three sisters are surprised by a summons from their mother, Ginny. Out of character, she has bought a lovely vacation house and claims she wants to spend more time with her daughters. The daughters come together in Maine from various well-to-do backgrounds and so begins their story. You might see something of yourself in the matriarch, the lawyer, the housewife or the socialite.

If you love gardening, you will revel in the descriptions of the early summer garden. If you love baking, your hands will long to knead the dough for the artisanal loaves one of the sisters creates. If you love romance, there are love stories from the past and the present that will move you. If you like a little mystery, you will enjoy wondering about the literal and figurative remoteness of Ginny. Why is she arranging all of this for her daughters? Where is she? Who is that tall, dark and handsome gardener?

And for a little humor, Barbara Delinsky adds two crusty old characters from the village, who sit on a bench outside the General Store, smoking their pipes, and speaking in the old Maine accent. It's not annoying - it's hysterical! In occasional and short passages, these two curmudgeons give unintentionally amusing commentaries on the sisters (the "outsiduhs") and how all the world (their village) is going to hell in a handbasket because of tourists and "computahs." It's a gentle but affectionate poke at characters like these. I know- I used to live there.

This is a delight!

The book arrived in great condition-very quick service-I still have not had a chance to read it, altho Barbara Delinksy is one of my favourite authors-

As daughters, we tend to forget that our parents, mother in this case, was young once and had passionate feelings just like us. Three daughters are brought together, by their mother, to learn about her youth and lost love. Also, once the secret is brought into the light, their childhood makes much more sense. They had felt their mother was cold to them and their father. They didn't know how marriages were handled when her parents were young and what was expected of young women in a different time. All in all, a good read. I enjoyed it very much.

Barbara Delinsky knows women. She is one of the best modern writers for revealing the emotions involved in relationships. The women in this story could be your mother and sisters. They display the underside of sibling rivalry and the misunderstanding of mothers. The layers of the family are peeled away like an onion. The surprises in the plot are page-turners. This is Delinsky at her best.