title: Our Wraparound Porch
author: French, Diana Daub
description: Marjie Jamison, five years a widow, steps out in love, faith, joy and hope. Life-long resident of Harry Truman’s home town, Independence, Missouri, Marjie lives life fully working as an activities director at Bingham Manor Senior Center where we meet lively and challenging residents. Romance ebbs and flows at the center and in Marjie's life when she reconnects with her late husband’s best friend, the former high school Romeo, and meets a mysterious real estate mogul, who she thinks may be a CIA operative. Can Marjie fit romance with two men into her life while working, running a youth program at church, delivering meals-on wheels to shut-ins, and spending time with her mother and five-year-old neighbor. As if Marjie’s life weren’t full enough, Marjie's unpredictable daughter, her flirty husband and their precocious five-year-old son move across the ocean from France to live with Marjie with plans to open a French restaurant on the historic Independence square. Joining the cast of characters are two sisters, a cackling top-notch bookkeeper and seventy-five going on sixteen, man-crazy, dog-lover. Get to know Marjie and her clan as they triumph with abounding humor, deep friendships and faith in God. This book was inspired by Jan Karon’s Mitford Series and Ann B. Ross’ Miss Julia Series.