Monday, July 6, 2009

101 - So Happy Together; Maryann McFadden





So Happy Together
Hyperion; Pub. Date. July 7, 2009





Claire Nobel is a 46 year old single mother and history teacher who is close to early retirement. Claire thinks she may finally be able to start enjoying her life. Having spent the last several years working hard, and caring for her elderly parents (her father has Parkinson's disease), her parents have seemed to settled into new accommodations that will require less of Claire. She is planning to pursue her interest in photography for the summer on Cape Cod, and, she is even planning for her fall wedding to Rick Saunders. Just as everything seems to be falling into place, Claire finds herself being stretched even further.


Claire’s adult daughter, Amy, comes home after being away for several years. Claire and her daughter have had a tenuous relationship in the past, and now additional strains are put on their relationship. Amy is single, pregnant, and soon she surprises her mother as she gives birth to a baby girl. Claire finds that her life is not her life at all, in reality she is part of what is now referred to as the "sandwich generation”. She soon learns that even the best laid plans do not always work out as we dreamed they might.


From New Jersey, to the beautiful dunes of Provincetown, MA, Maryann McFadden weaves together a tender tale of three generations of women. Many middle age women will be able to relate to this tender tale. The writing style really appealed to me, and the cover art was just gorgeous. So Happy Together was an enjoyable summertime read. Unfortunately, in real life most stories that we hear about the “sandwich generation”, do not have a story book ending like this one did. If you are looking for an enjoyable beach read, give this one a try.



I’d also like to recommend Maryann McFadden’s earlier book: The Richest Season which I really enjoyed and review in 2008. My review to The Richest Season can be found here.





RATING – 4/5 - COMPLETED – 7/6/09

Where From: My Stacks Review




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6 comments:

  1. JillJuly 7, 2009 at 9:02 AM

    Yea! Glad to hear her latest delivers! I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this one...

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  2. serendipity_vivJuly 7, 2009 at 10:00 AM

    I just love the cover! I have to admit I have never heard of her, but I shall definitely look her up.

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  3. LisaJuly 7, 2009 at 10:40 AM

    That is a beautiful cover. This looks interesting. I'm quickly approaching this stage of life. At 42, I've got two kids in college and my parents are still relatively healthy. However, I know how quickly things can change, and I'm not sure I'm going to be ready for what may lie ahead.

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  4. Beth FJuly 7, 2009 at 11:32 AM

    Sounds really good -- I've never read any of her books.

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  5. bermudaonionJuly 7, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    That does sound like the perfect read for a middle aged woman - for that time in our lives when we're still taking care of our children and have to begin taking care of our parents.

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  6. Missy B.July 7, 2009 at 4:45 PM

    I'd love to read this....especially since I used to live on the Cape! Thanks for the review!

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