Marie Bostwick’s latest novel is for those who enjoyed her Cobbled Court Quilt series, or like their stories wrapped up neatly. The Second Sister brings a woman home to the town she fled years earlier.
Lucy Toomey hasn’t been home in eight years, despite her older sister’s pleas. Oh, she always took Alice someplace warm for Christmas, but Lucy didn’t want to return to Nilson’s Bay, Wisconsin. And, after her accident years earlier, Alice was only content at home, with her job at the animal shelter, her friends she quilted with, and her drawing. Lucy, on the other hand, was on the verge of moving to Washington, D.C. She’s been working with a political candidate for years, and the Governor might be elected President. But, then, Alice unexpectedly dies. When Lucy goes home to make arrangements, she finds Alice has left her their valuable home property, but only if Lucy lives there for eight weeks.
Nilson’s Bay is not where Lucy wants to be. She only has memories of making a fool of herself, tragedies, and her father’s bitterness and anger. But, forced to stay there a couple months, she tries to overcome her loneliness, and her past. But, it will take some work because the women who became Alice’s friends only think of Lucy as the sister who would never come home.
The Second Sister may be wrapped up a little too neatly, with the addition of an unexpected storyline involving Alice, but it’s still a satisfying book. Anyone who enjoys novels about sisters, women’s support for each other, or finding home, might enjoy Bostwick’s latest.
Marie Bostwick’s website is www.mariebostwick.com
The Second Sister by Marie Bostwick. Kensington Books. 2015. ISBN 9781617736551 (paperback), 344p.
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FTC Full Disclosure – A journal sent a copy of the book for review.
