Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Sometimes they’re a little skewed, right?  And sometimes they give off the wrong vibe–occasionally an entirely different vibe than the book itself.

Sometimes, on the other hand, they’re just plain wrong.  Whoever wrote the blurb on the back of Britt’s ARC of Susan Wiggs’ Family Tree had either an earlier draft of the plot or a lamentable tendency to mix up plot points at random.  Yes, the main character was in an accident that put her in a coma for a year, and yes, upon waking she returned to her family’s farm in her small Vermont hometown; yes, she reconnects with her high school boyfriend.  What happens next, however, is a bit different.  That being said, here (in no particular order!) are my impressions of the book.

1.  Oh, New England.  The setting was a big part of why I read the book in the first place, and Wiggs treats it like a major character.
2.  At least, a romanticized view of it.  None of the characters seem to be actually hurting for money, even the ones who are ‘scraping by.’
3.  The back and forth of the love story was wearing thin by the end.
4.  The descriptions of family life, family meals, and family time together were lyrical.
5.  The story grabbed my attention, which is why I could get past occasional bits like, “The weekend turned into a rampant sex fest.”
6.  Modern fiction never really acknowledges the sacrifices you make pursuing a career and a family.  Distance and place are presented as the major obstacles in Annie and Fletcher’s relationship, but the fact is, you really can’t have it all.  There aren’t enough hours in the day.
7.  Who doesn’t love an eminently despicable ex?
8.  This was fun, escapist fiction, and I’m likely to try another book by Susan Wiggs when I’m in the mood for same.