House on Willow Street
Kelly’s latest novel features four women—all beautiful, all wounded in one way or another, and all facing life crises at the same time. Sisters Suki and Tess hail from an Irish town where the postmistress, Danae (a woman of mystery to curious townsfolk), is joined by her heartbroken niece, Mara—romances ensue. Stories with four main characters are bound to be complex, and this one is no exception, but plots and subplots are well handled. Secondary characters are quirky and add to the reading fun. The omniscient narration covers 20 years in the lives of the women through flashbacks, artfully placed to shed a little light on present-day happenings and just enough information to ensure a suspenseful read. Kelly’s readers will take comfort in her recognition of the humor in daily life, the necessity of friendship to women, and the strength of bonds among families. This modern-day fairy tale, which starts out sad and ends up just fine, will please Kelly’s fans and appeal to more mature readers of chick lit. --Ellen Loughran--This text refers to thePaperbackedition.