Eighteen year old Sadie Marsh is the product of divorced
parents who were unable to keep their marriage together.
The only "right" thing they have done together is Sadie,
whom they love with all their heart and tend to over
protective. John lives in Minnesota and Irene in California,
whom has custodial rights of Sadie. Sadie has a new
boyfriend, Ron Savage, but she hides this fact from her
parents, fearing their interference .
When tragedy strikes Sadie, Irene and John are brought
together again in supporting their beloved daughter. Not
agreeing with Sadie's decisions, Irene and John must revisit
their own past relationship and their present feelings for
each other in order to completely support their daughter.
Both John and Irene are faced with renewing their desires
for the future and determining what went wrong in their
marriage. The extreme bond between this small family is
severely tested but brings them together through the love
that they share and gives each of them renewed outlooks on
life.
ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS YOU is an emotional story that
shares the inner most feelings of a mother and father who
are totally devoted to their only child, in spite of their
own failing at marriage. This is a true vision of what love
and family ties can do. Irene is forced to evaluate her life
as a child and how it has affected her own marriage and
decisions. Elizabeth Berg is a very expressive author who,
through her words, allows the reader to really "see" her
characters.
Even on their wedding day, John and Irene sensed that they
were about to make a mistake. Years later, divorced, dating
other people, and living in different parts of the country,
they seem to have nothing in common-nothing except the most
important person in each of their lives: Sadie, their
spirited eighteen-year-old daughter. Feeling smothered by
Irene and distanced from John, Sadie is growing more and
more attached to her new boyfriend, Ron. When tragedy
strikes, Irene and John come together to support the
daughter they love so dearly. What takes longer is to
remember how they really feel about each other. Elizabeth
Berg's immense talent shines in this unforgettable novel
about the power of love, the unshakeable bonds of family,
and the beauty of second chances.