Notes of Interest:
I found out about this book via Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited. I chose it because I’ve become very keen on reading fiction about single and divorced women, now that this is a personal topic in my own life. Perhaps it’s a need to see how other women solve their problems, even if it’s still framed in a fictional, happily-ever-after-as-a-strong-independent-woman or new-love fairy tale. Or perhaps it’s just instinct to want to know I’m not alone. Or to know there is a light at the end of the “long, dark dungeon with no music,” as one friend so aptly described divorce. The story is not really about divorce, though. It’s about coming out from under the rock after a life-altering event and learning how to put the pieces back together. More specifically, it’s about learning how to open your mind and heart to reconciliation and new relationships after being in a broken state of retreat, for whatever reason.
What could have made it better for me:
I had absolutely no complaints about this book. The character of Mrs. Saint did get under my skin a bit at first, and not liking certain characters can make a story difficult to stick with. But that is entirely what Mrs. Saint is supposed to do. She gets under Markie’s skin. Since her persistence and insistence is a personality type that usually irritates me in reality, the author succeeded at making Mrs. Saint very real in that sense. In other words, this isn’t a complaint, but more so a congratulations, and a reminder that I need to be more patient-yet-firm myself when it comes to well-intentioned people who tell me what I should do to “fix” my life, whether I asked for their opinion or not.
What I liked about it:
Besides the relativity of the subject matter, I liked the warmth and personality of the writing. This includes Mrs. Saint’s “French-Canadian” accent, Markie’s inner dialogs, and the narrative voice itself. The characters are all unique in their presentations and personality quirks. And I love that the theme of this story is flawed character traits and the fact that everyone has them. It demonstrates that no one is perfect, so accepting people as they are without expectations can save yourself and them a lot of grief. I started off focusing on Markie and her narrative, but a few chapters later I found myself wanting to know more about the defectives and wishing they lived next to me. (Of course, that is where I remind myself to balance fiction against reality. When real people with character flaws antagonize each other, conflict resolution may never happen.)
The author had some wonderful nuggets of wisdom in her narrative. The two I’ll remember are these: “She had a past to reconcile and a future to sort out, and she couldn’t do either without solitude,” and later, “The thing about setting your life up so you could be completely alone was that you ended up completely alone.” To me, this perfectly sums up what it’s like to need time to lick your wounds and heal. By the time you’re ready to face life again, everyone else has left you behind. This is true of any life change that drastically alters us and requires a period of transition to settle into a new and very different normal.
As the story unfolds further and some of the secrets truths about the characters are told, it truly does go from being a story about a divorceé and her son, to being about the defectives and their nosy, stubborn guardian. In the end, I was lead to question the balance between my focus on healing myself and helping others. We all wish someone was “stubbornly” there for us when we’re imperfect, flawed, and hurting, but few people have the patience, time, or compassion to be available to others in those situations. In the end, Markie realizes she has as much to learn from her defective neighbours as she does about them … particularly Mrs. Saint. And that is a universal lesson for all of us.
Recommendation:
This book was an easy read, but has a literary genre quality to it. It has a wonderful, light sense of tongue-in-cheek humor, but is also rich with drama, past and present. The writing is clean and textured. In a word, it was a delight. I’m glad I took a chance on adding it to my collection.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Sacha murtonen
Heartwarming and infuriating all at the same time
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2020
NicShef❤️Reading
... with very quirky and unique characters it was a delight to read
Reviewed in Australia on June 30, 2017
EAP
Great story line with wonderful characters
Reviewed in Australia on March 12, 2018