Review: In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, utter charm and heartwarming emotion
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 25, 2014
No writer charms like Jackie Weger. With her novels, the reader can always trust that, despite the chaos experienced by families that have been uprooted and unmoored, the bonds of love, affection, and generosity will always, somehow, hold.Software designer Justine's life has been turned upside down. When her husband has a midlife crisis and deserts the family to "find himself," Justine is left as the sole anchor and breadwinner for two children and two widows – her squabbling mother and mother-in-law. When they all move into the old, rambling House on Persimmon Road, they quickly acquire an unexpected and even more discombobulating extended family: a handsome contractor-turned-cookbook author and his unpredictable father, as well as a churlish "caretaker" who spends day after day doggedly digging holes around the property, and another widowed lady, a devoted homemaker who is very discontented with her current, unfortunate state of being dead and in limbo.As Tevye would say, Sounds crazy, no? And it is – but it is also entertaining, heartfelt, surprising, and immensely touching and charming. The pace is somewhat leisurely until a sudden whirlwind of activity at the climax of the story. The romance is sweet, with no explicit scenes. The characters are quirky, even eccentric, but absolutely irresistible.Make your day brighter. Read The House on Persimmon Road!