Grace had not had twelve people at her table for a while. This wasn't the kind of family who shared regular Sunday meals. But you don't turn 70 every day.
As her friends and family arrive for lunch, memories are rekindled but not all of them are welcome. As the meal is served, it becomes clear that events of the past have left their mark on everyone at the table in vastly different ways. Grace is reminded that age is no guarantee of wisdom and there is much still to learn from the young at heart. As the family finally confront a shocking event in their past, Grace is forced to face her own shortcomings as a parent and wife and left to contemplate the ways in which grief and regret have resonated through her life.
This moving and often funny novel dissects the lives of women over three generations, explores the pull and power of memory and celebrates the triumph of endurance.
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[Grace hooked her nail under the sticky tape and pulled back the gift paper]***
(Legend Press, 1 August 2019, 288 pages, ebook, ARC from @Legend_Press and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogtTour 13 August #Legend100)
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I found this book engrossing and absorbing. The story moves effortlessly between the past and Grace's memories of her own mother and father, Grace's memories of her getting married and her life with her now deceased husband and children and the present. Grace's memories of the past gradually reveal how she's been affected by her own parent's marriage. Grace's memories of her marriage to her late husband Des are quite bitter at times. It's implied but never clearly stated that she wasn't happy with him and regretted saying yes when he proposed. The scenes set in the present were difficult to read at times. There is a lot of animosity between Grace and her daughter. Flashbacks reveal a tragedy when Des was still alive that still continues to cause pain and bitterness in her heart. This book will stay with me for a long time.