No One Could Have Guessed the Weather
Lucy’s husband loses his job and moves the family from posh London to a very nice life in New York (no private school for the two boys but a good public one). She is untethered and unhappy until the death of her alcoholic mother, when everything snaps into place, and she loves her husband again. Lucy then connects with three other women, including Julia, a scriptwriter and apparent ice queen, who chooses a month away at therapy over her husband and children, and Christy, married to a very old, very rich man and who, when her nanny quits, finds purpose and fun in raising her two daughters herself. Smart writing keeps each woman’s path to happiness from being too sappy, and the humor is dry and subtle. The main plots play against each other like a series of connected short stories, with one more about regular-mom Robyn, who decides to fall for a rich man who can make her life easier. Casey, a scriptwriter, doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, but her novel makes for a quick and amusing read. --Susan Maguire