An Accidental Woman

I was disheartened to read some of the reviews from this book. However, this doesn't take away anything away from my thinking. I loved this book from beginning to end. The ONLY thing that frustrated me is calling Lisa Heather after the fact. I loved this small town and all it's inhabitants and people sometimes really aren't what or who they seem to be. I haven't read any of Delinsky's other books, but won't hesitate to pick one up now!

Step into the peaceful valley of Lake Henry. Be blown away by thetrials and tribulations that it holds...Poppy Blake's closest friend, Heather Malone, has been arrested. It is up to Poppy to step in and take charge and to provide the support that Heather's family needs. Although confined to a wheelchair as a result of a snowmobile accident, Poppy refuses to let life's hardships stand in her way. Poppy's strength and courage is the foundation that bonds the family together. How will she feel when she learns that the person who has betrayed her best friend is the same person that she has developed feelings for?Secrets have a way of unrevealing, just when you least expect it. . . Writer Griffin Hughes first met Poppy while doing a news storyinvolving her older sister. He immediately was attracted to thefiercely independent determination that Poppy displayed. How will he ever be able to tell her that, by a slip of a tongue, he isresponsible for his closet friend incarnation? From the moment you turn and read the first page in BarbaraDelinksy's AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN, you quickly see that you areexperiencing one of the most touching and thought provoking novels in 2002. Always when I select a Barbara Delinsky novel, Immediately know that I am in for a very rewarding experience. By reading this book, there is no way you can not back up and read Heather's prior story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED . . .

I have to admit that AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN is my first Delinsky book, but it will not be my last. This wonderfully woven story about a tightly knit community thrown into turmoil over the discover that one of their 'adopted' own is a fugitive is everything a good book should be. Delinsky takes you into the heart and soul of her characters and she creates them with enough human frailty as to make them believable. Lake Henry, New Hampshire, and its citizens are honest, hard working and take care of their own. When federal agents show up at the home of Heather Malone and accuse her of being a woman named Lisa who killed the son of a very powerful politician, Lake Henryites are shocked. And no one more is more surprised than Poppy Blake, Heather's best friend. Confined to a wheelchair for 12 years since a snowmobiling accident, Poppy is determined to live a normal and independent life. She has her circle of friends and her life is organized and orderly, until Heather's arrest. Enter Griffin Hughes, the investigative reporter with more than a passing interest in Poppy and his own issues. He's there to help Heather, but he's also intrigued by Poppy. He met her when he was in Lake Henry to do a story on Poppy's sister and cannot get Poppy and her independent self out of his mind. Delinsky weaves the Poppy/Griffin love story with the Heather/Lisa mystery with great ease. I felt as though I had been to Lake Henry, seen the snow, experienced the wind and lived through the thrill of a sap run. This is not just a 'beach book.' You'll be thinking about Poppy/Griffin/Heather and the wonderful people of Lake Henry long after summer has gone! Enjoy!!!

The townsfolk of Lake Henry, New Hampshire consider Heather Malone as one of their own even though she only lived in the small New England town for fourteen years. Heather lives with Micah Smith and his two girls. They are a very happy family unit until the FBI arrests Heather. They believe she is Lisa Matlock, who killed a United States Senator's son fifteen years ago in California and then mysteriously vanished.Griffin Hughes, a journalist, feels terrible because it was his conversation with his FBI brother that led to Heather's arrest. He travels to Lake Henry to work on his current assignment and see if he can use his contacts to help Heather and to romance Poppy, a paraplegic who fears that he is confusing pity with love. Griffin is determined that he will prove his love to Poppy no matter how long it takes.Barbara Delinsky never fails to please her myriad fans and her latest mainstream work is no exception. AN ACCIDENTAL WOMAN stars a heroine who is impossible not to like and she's determined to be independent though she's wheelchair bound. The rather unusual courtship of Griffin and Poppy is realistic and charming. This novel will send Ms. Delinsky back to the New York Times bestseller lists.Harriet Klausner