So Happy Together

As a caregiver for an aging parent, supporting a spouse as he nears retirement and decisions it requires, and dealing with personal dreams not all fulfilled, this book really hit home with me. I had a very difficult time putting this one down!

This is a wonderful novel -- complexly structured, with complex characters dealing in complex ways with complex situations, but written very smoothly and often very movingly -- but best of all is McFadden's ability to evoke a sense of the place, of Cape Cod -- thanks to this novel we're now planning a spring vacation out there ... Definitely worth reading -- Though I'm a non-fiction writer myself (most recently of The 60-Second Philosopher: Expand Your Mind on a Minute or So a Day and The God Question: What Famous Thinkers from Plato to Dawkins Have Said About the Divine), this is exactly the sort of novel I'd like to write when I eventually try my hand at fiction ....

I found this book to be very interesting to say the least. I really enjoyed reading this book. The author was able to capture the feelings of the characters she is writing about. This was a book that I didn't want to put down till the very end. The author was able to keep you interested and put just enough details to keep you wanting more. Excellent written.

Really great book, by an author I was totally unfamiliar with. Her descriptions of the sun sets and sun rises on Cape Cod made me add it to my list of must see destinations - so descriptive I could actually see the beaches in my head. On top of that very good story! If you are a mother or daughter you can't not relate to the characters. So much emotion for the main character Claire - I felt her angst and guilt over caring for her mother and daughter - as a mother I have felt this guilt many times - wanting to do something for yourself but unable to enjoy it because of the guilt you feel for your children. The only negative to the book was that a few times I felt there were too many story lines going on. However all the story lines were so good I would not have enjoyed the book as much if any were left out.

Since the other reviewers have already given a synopis of the plot I won't bother to repeat it here in my review. I will however say that I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book and watching each of them discover new things about themselves and their own motivations as they discovered new things about each other. You'll find it hard not to get caught up in the drama of this family as they do what every family does; laugh, cry, get angry, forgive and love one another. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you're looking just one book to tuck into your bag to read on the beach or while sitting in shade this summer, pick this one. You'll be glad you did.