Meyer, author of many books for children and young adults (e.g., Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess), here has modest success as she tries her hand at an adult novel about three generations of women. Dorcas Buchanan, 55, acts as linchpin between her mother, Lavinia, and her daughter, Sasha. Each generation holds untold secrets, and the fun lies in their discovery. Lavinia, a respected Pennsylvania artist of Amish scenes, jumps late in life to the scandalous subject matter of male nudes. Dorcas, deep in a midlife crisis, breaks up with her lover, quits her job, and opens a bed-and-breakfast while also worrying over the long-buried identity of her daughter's real father. Sasha returns home to be with her dying father and announces her pregnancy and new life partner, Michelle. Most of the characters are fully and interestingly drawn, though the emphasis is clearly on the women and their friendships. Recommended for large public libraries.-Sheila Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
A perceptive, clear-eyed take on the familiar three-generations-of-women-finding-redemption theme. Children’s author Meyer’s first adult novel is narrated alternately by grandmother Lavinia and her daughter Dorcas, who have not been especially close over the years. When Lavinia, an octogenarian widow famed for her paintings of Amish farm life, unveils a series of erotic nude paintings at the annual town art show, the town is shocked. Even the national media has shown interest. Dorcas, a divorced teacher in her mid-50s who lives in Connecticut, alerted by an old friend, hurries home to Juniata, Pennsylvania, to see for herself. Dorcas’s job bores her, an affair is going nowhere, and she’s ready for a change. Staying with the feisty and opinionated Lavinia, Dorcas sneaks a peak at the picture her mother has hidden: the woman in the paintings is clearly a young Lavinia, but the handsome nude man is a stranger. When Dorcas impulsively decides to buy a once-grand old house, and turn it into a B&B, Lavinia isn’t sure it’s good idea, and says so. But Dorcas goes ahead and, with the help of old high-school buddy Rod, a recently divorced local builder, she successfully completes the renovation. While Dorcas is busy developing her business and contending with Rod’s interest in her, Lavinia decides to write her memoirs, revealing that she had an affair with the handsome young nude, once a stonecutter employed by her father. Dorcas also revisits her past when daughter Sasha arrives from California, pregnant and with a lesbian lover, en route to see her dying father, Alex (and whom Sasha adores, though Dorcas never loved him). As family secrets, old and new, are revealed—Lavinia is going blind,Sasha feels alienated from her lover—the three women draw closer. A deftly told tale that will charm more than it surprises. Author tour
