my take: this is what i consider a great beach read…. i took it along to costa rica. i spotted it at a local bookstore just before the trip … mostly wanted to see why the store had stocked so many copies of this book and her other novels.

turns out she’s a local author … lives 40 miles from me … and must have been to sign copies at the book nook and java shop and the bookman. one of the great things about local authors: they visit little stores.

i must admit, i had low expectations. and so was very happy to discover great characters, meaty subjects, and familiar scenery (northern michigan). the tale of the family weekend is told from 4 different characters – an almost retired professor in first person and her three grown children in third person. and although i’ve had more than my share of these “character perspective” novels, this one told the story in a mostly linear way, so the plot moved along as i got a peek in each character’s life.

not too sweet, not violent, not too depressing. just what i needed.

my source: the book nook and java shop, montague, michigan

my verdict: good feel good read.