The Prodigal Wife

The extended Chadwick Family we first met in Looking Forward, Holding On, and Winning Through is back in this fourth installment. Although Fliss, Hal, and Prue are prominent, new characters come into play to show that sometimes the Chadwicks do move outside the family and off the grounds of The Keep, the ancestral home that has been a safe haven for generations. Jolyon, the young boy hungry for his mother's love, is now a grown man and has seemingly moved past his abandonment. Now a famous TV star with his own gardening show, he is thrown off course when his mother, Maria, decides it is time for her to make up for past wrongs. Jolyon also meets Henrietta, a young woman with whom he falls in love. Her view of marriage is as skewed as Jolyon's because of her mother's infidelity and her father's abandonment. Can two such emotionally damaged souls heal? Henrietta's mother, Cordelia, also is a major character in this story. A suspenseful stalking story involving her seems intriguing, but falters badly. In addition, we don't see enough of Suzanne, Gus, and their family. However, the feel-good atmosphere that always surrounds the Chadwicks is here in full force and readers will rejoice as the family exchanges Christmas presents and the curtain closes on a fairy-tale ending.

I am currently reading this book and loving it. Marcia Willett is a wonderful writer. I love England and she paints pictures with words. I can "see" the places and people she writes about.

Renowned TV gardening show host Jolyon accompanied by his beloved girlfriend Henrietta returns to the family estate the Keep that has been owned and occupied by Chadwicks for several generations, to celebrate a birthday with family. However, he is unaware that his mother, whom has not seen in about fifteen years, has come to the Keep to spend quality time with him. Jo's father Henry and his stepmother Fliss worry how he will react to seeing the woman who abandoned him. Maria feels alone since her spouse Adam died. She wants to make amends with her son as spending Christmas alone for the first time weighs heavy on her. Although Hal is receptive and Fliss kind, Jo refuses to believe his mother wants to end their estrangement; instead he assumes Maria wants a piece of his fame. Hal feels guilty for his role in the break-up as he never emotionally moved beyond his Fliss even after he was married to Maria and Henrietta struggles with the end of her parents' marriage. Although constantly rejected by her son, Maria refuses to quit trying as she knows she failed Jo. The latest Chadwick Family Chronicle (see Looking Forward, Holding On and Winning Through) is an engaging entry that focuses on Jo and Maria as the latter tries to atone for the hurt she caused to the former. The story line is character driven as the Chadwick family look back to events already showcased in the previous entries, but with new perspective especially at Maria who came across as an uncaring rat whenever mentioned in the earlier tales. Although the Christmas Tree ending provides some closure, it feels more of a set up for book five rather than a clean climax. Still fans of the saga will relish this fine entry. Harriet Klausner