September 15, 2019
Maeve Binchy and Rosamund Pilcher fans are sure to be delighted by the story of the Blyths: father Hugh; mother Marguerite; daughters Felicity, Charity, and Honor; and son Bruno. Heart's Ease, the charming, rambling old house in the English countryside where Hugh and Marguerite began married life and where the children were born, is the epicenter of the family. Now all grown, the kids are dramatically different from one another: Felicity is focused on becoming a superwoman; Charity on her academic career; Honor on caring for the elderly; and Bruno on having a good time. Each of the family members faces their own challenges, and Harrison tracks them all: Felicity realizing that being a superwomen isn't everything; Charity falling in love with a man 40 years her senior; Honor worrying that life is passing her by; Bruno starting to think he really ought to take life more seriously; and Hugh and Marguerite feeling the pangs of empty nesters. Through it all, though, the family provides succor. Touching but never saccharine, this is a charming novel that family-saga devotees may well gobble up in one marathon reading session.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
December 1, 2017
Barbara Delahay lived a privileged life as a girl growing up in rural England. Her wealthy father and doting mother showered her with love; she lived in a big house with all the horses and dogs a young girl could want; she had plenty of friends; and she went to the best schools. Her charmed life didn't stop when she made her debut in the 1920s. After some anxiety about finding the right husbandat least on her parents' partBarbara is surprised to receive a proposal from one of her father's friends, a former soldier twice Barbara's age, whom she'd been seeing as a friend for some months. Flustered, Barbara refuses and is once again at sea romantically, until she meets the dangerously charming Jonny Eldridge. After that, her life is never the same. Switching between the 1920s and the 1950s, Harrison's tale is both enthralling and distressing, as the reader sees Barbara making one unfortunate decision after another. This mix of historical fiction and romantic suspense will have readers of both genres eager to see what becomes of a surprisingly complex heroine.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)