I saw that this author wrote a second novel so I grabbed it from the library. Although I liked his first one better, (you can find the book review here), this one was a pretty good story as well.
STORY SUMMARY
Chelsea Enright, an art teacher who lives in Syracuse, NY, has just inherited her maternal grandmother's summer cabin. Chelsea's family is quite wealthy. Her parents, Adam and Lucy are divorced but they remain friends. Lucy has never been to the cottage and has no interest in it. It's located in the northern Adirondacks and her grandmother, Brooke Bartlett, hadn't been there since about 1942! It is the 1990s and Chelsea knows there must be some kind of family history connected to the cottage.
The cottage is outside the village of Serendipity. The attorney for her grandmother's affairs, gives Chelsea a letter that states Chelsea is to go to the cabin and decide if she wants to keep it or not. While she is there, she discovers her grandmother's diary. And she also discovers that it contain secrets that Chelsea never would have suspected!
And Chelsea is in for another surprise....his name is Brandon Yale, the local doctor, and he lives in the cottage next door. She also discovers that this is the very cottage where a painter named Greg Butler lived during the time that Brooke spent the summer of 1942 there! Chelsea was only planning on staying at the cottage for a few days, but those few days stretch into the entire summer while she begins to unravel the mysteries contained in the journals' writings.
Meanwhile, she and Brandon begin a special friendship which quickly turns to love. The more that Chelsea learns about her grandmother's life during WWII, the more Chelsea's own life begins to change......and she knows nothing will ever be the same again.
MY THOUGHTS
Although this story is a bit predictable, I did enjoy it.
It's a little bit family saga/drama, and a whole lot of romance. It's not super sappy which I liked but it IS so predictable with a few surprising twists.
I was drawn to the book because I really enjoyed the first novel the author wrote. He is actually from upstate NY and because the setting is the Adirondacks, I was immediately drawn into the story.
I liked how the author resolved the conflict between Chelsea and her mother Lucy. Lucy comes to enjoy the cottage and Chelsea makes a decision regarding her grandmother's letters and diary. (Which I don't want to share here as I don't want to ruin it for you if you decide to read this novel).
The characters are very believable especially if you know anything about life in the Adirondacks.
I really enjoyed the minor characters in the book and how they were interwoven into the plot. I especially enjoyed the description of The Blue Rooster as there are so many diners in the mountains that fit that description!
The main themes in this book are love, marriage, conflict of emotions, friendship, and doing what's right.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
1 comment:
This sounds interesting. It's always fun to find a story that has a local area in it's plot.
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