In this book, the McCloud family's hopes, dreams, fears,
and feelings are focused upon. Ruby is the oldest
generation, she was an orphan who was able to marry her
sweetheart; however, she made a bad mistake when she was
younger that still haunts her today. Jill is Ruby's
daughter and had to give up her life to raise Fee, she
still longs for what could have been and for a man who
abandoned her. Fee is the innocent one, she wants a life
of her own where she is free to make her own mistakes
rather than deal with the mistakes of others.
The trouble really starts when Keith decides to go home- he
was Jill's childhood sweetheart- and asks Jill to play host
for his aunt's funeral. The reader is taken on a tale of
interconnecting relationships with bitter feelings at the
heart of all of them.
The story is definitely interesting; however, the reader
may be a bit confused in the beginning-the reader is placed
in the middle of the action and has to catch up on the
relationships between the characters. The characters are
all developed very well; the reader will feel as if he/she
knows them as friends. Jill is the most sympathetic of the
characters; she wants love after having to give up
her "young" life. Ruby is the older one who is "set in her
ways," she is very secretive and enigmatic. Fee is the
refreshing character; she is young and a little carefree.
Out of all of these, Jill is the character the reader will
likely most connect with.
The plot is focused around old secrets and past mistakes;
there are several subplots as there are several
characters. The book switches between Ruby's, Jill's, and
Fee's points of views. This can be a little bit of a jolt
to the reader, but it doesn't detract too much from the
novel. The events are fairly fast-paced, not too fast or
too slow. This book is recommended to those who enjoy true
women's fiction.
The McCloud Home for Wayward Girls, once a haven for unwed
mothers, is now a bed-and-breakfast that houses three
generations of women-and their many secrets...
In the early 1960s, Ruby, a spunky unwed teen mother was
wooed and won over by the founder of the McCloud Home. Now,
forty years later, the historic property has been converted
into an inn that Ruby runs with one of her daughters, Jill.
When Jill's fourteen-year-old daughter begins to search for
the identity of her father, she sets in motion events that
will test the bonds that bind mothers, daughters, and sisters.
Jill unwittingly aids the forces of upheaval when she agrees
to host the wake of the town matriarch. As the
guests-including the matriarch's handsome nephew and Jill's
vivacious, irresponsible sister Jocelyn-return to the small
town, the convergence of people and memories uncovers
rivalries, sparks romance, recalls heartbreak, and reveals a
shocking family secret, one that could separate the McCloud
women forever or lead them to the renewal of their powerful,
enduring connection.
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