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CHEER UP, MR. WIDDICOMBE
By: Evan James
Atria Books
April 2019
On Sale: March 26, 2019
288 pages
ISBN: 1501199617
EAN: 9781501199615
Kindle: B07GNTL6D9
Hardcover / e-Book
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Trade Size (reprint - January 2020)
Humor | Fiction Family Life
Named one of 2019βs most anticipated reads by LitHub and Entertainment Weekly From a bright new voice in contemporary fiction comes a hilarious and sophisticated comedy of manners about a delightfully eccentric family and the absurd happenings that befall them during one frenzied summer at their home in the Pacific Northwest. The inimitableβsome might say incorrigibleβFrank Widdicombe is suffering from a deep depression. Or so his wife, Carol, believes. But Carol is convinced that their new island homeβWillowbrook Manor on the Puget Soundβis just the thing to cheer her husband up. And so begins a whirlwind summer as their house becomes the epicenter of multiple social dramas involving the family, their friends, and a host of new acquaintances. The Widdicombesβ son, Christopher, is mourning a heartbreak after a year abroad in Italy. Their personal assistant, Michelle, begins a romance with preppy screenwriter Bradford, who also happens to be Frankβs tennis partner. Meanwhile, a local named Marvelous Matthews is hired to create a garden at the manorβand is elated to find Gracie Sloane, bewitching self-help author, in residence as well. When this alternately bumbling and clever cast of characters comes together, Willowbrook transforms into a circus of uncovered secrets, preposterous misunderstandings, and irrepressible passions. Written in a singularly witty and satirical style, Cheer Up, Mr. Widdicombe is perfect for fans of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Andrew Sean Greer's Less, and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins.
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