The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, by Bridget Asher, is the kind of book that I can enjoy, but usually can't find anything worth saying about. Unabashedly chicklit, with all the usual pluses and minuses, but of the sweetest kind.
The brokenhearted are Heidi and her eight-year-old son Abbott, who, after two years, are still mourning the death (in a car accident) of Henry, their husband and father. Heidi's French mother has a house in Provence, owned for generations, and she and Heidi's sister Elysius (El-lishus; after listening to the first few chapters, I found myself searching out the book in print just to figure out what her name was) decide that Heidi should take Abbott and Elysius' difficult 16-year-old stepdaughter, Charlotte, there to supervise some renovations after a fire. The house, and Heidi's mother, have secrets, and everything unfolds the way a contemporary romantic novel should.
The writing is a little overwrought in places, but it felt good to spend some undemanding time in Provence. And the strength of this book is in the characters. I found myself liking all of them and the way they were drawn, especially Abbott and Charlotte. And Henry. I have a little crush on Henry.
{Pottery found here. We're daydreaming, after all...}
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1 comment:
Sounds like a perfect summer read!
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