American journalist Anna Quindlen has transitioned from Pulitzer-prizewinning columnist to bestselling novelist. Her long experience as a commentator may give rise to novels somewhat loaded with “issues” but she is highly skilled at setting up and resolving a storyline.
Rebecca Winter is forced into a new life when she can no longer afford to stay in the Manhattan apartment she bought with the money she once earned as a successful photographer. Years ago, her Still Life with Bread Crumbs became an iconic image of the women’s movement but didn’t prevent her marriage from souring. Rebecca’s English husband, Peter, was a monster of waspish egotism while her mother was queen of put-downs – Quindlen paints their awfulness a little too unremittingly, perhaps.
Now Rebecca has rented out her New York place and taken a ramshackle cottage in the boondocks, where she worries about money and slowly connects with the small community. Tightly focused on a few characters, this is engaging, immaculately constructed storytelling, with a warm message about the chance of happiness later in life. It’s good on photography, too.
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