As if being overwhelmed with all-consuming grief and the loss of her beloved husband are not enough, Susannah Gilmore is confronted with the economic realities of supporting her two children on her own and the snarky barbs of her sixteen-year-old daughter Cally who is intent on blaming her mother for her father's death. Their brownstone home in Brooklyn is filled with wonderful memories, but too expensive to keep, so Susannah decides to move to an inherited old family house on Primrose Pond, near the very small town of Eastwood, New Hampshire. It is the middle of winter and not the best time to move to a rural area with two city kids, but what can she do when someone offers cash for an early move-in date.

Despite some glitches, Susannah begins to believe she has found her safe haven, and her easy going affable son Jack is adapting well. Cally is another story, but surely she will settle down. What will happen if she doesn't?

As Susannah starts to organize things in the house, her perception and remembrances of her mother are completely turned around when she discovers an intriguing love note. As a distraction from her grief and her problems, Susannah starts to obsess about the note and wants to find out more. Meanwhile, she must pay the bills and as an historical writer, supposedly she can write from anywhere. Can she settle enough to write again?

Author Yona Zeldis McDonough is known for her inspirational stories of the heart and her existing and new fans are sure to enjoy this latest offering. THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND is a wonderful "story within a story". While a contemporary novel, McDonough very effectively uses Susannah's occupation as a writer to bring in an historical regional story that resonates many of the emotions Susannah is experiencing as she attempts to help her children adjust to their changed circumstances and learn more about the mystery in her mother's life.

THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND gives a realistic description of small town life, which McDonough has lovingly populated with interesting and likeable characters of varying ages who are dealing with what life has brought to their door. As part of the story, there is an intriguing interplay of love, grief and change in the triangle between Alice, an older neighbour, and Cally as they connect on common interests and Susannah as she misses the closeness she once had with Cally. A new relationship with a man also brings its own share of emotional turmoil as does past secrets. Can hearts be open to new possibilities?

THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND is a lovely heartfelt story of resiliency, compassion and emotional pain and healing. While there are some elements of predictability, McDonough offers some keen insights on handling children facing loss as well as in moving forward in difficult situations. While the story line makes THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND a wonderful stand-alone read, I for one would love to find out more about what happens to these well-crafted characters. So snuggle up and enjoy an intriguing winter read in THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND!

Book Summary

A compelling novel about one woman’s search for the truth from the author of YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME.

After suffering a sudden, traumatic loss, historical novelist Susannah Gilmore decides to uproot her life—and the lives of her two children—and leave their beloved Brooklyn for the little town of Eastwood, New Hampshire.

While the trio adjusts to their new surroundings, Susannah is captivated by an unexpected find in her late parents’ home: an unsigned love note addressed to her mother, in handwriting that is most definitely not her father’s.

Reeling from the thought that she never really knew her mother, Susannah finds mysteries everywhere she looks: in her daughter’s friendship with an older neighbor, in a charismatic local man to whom she’s powerfully drawn, and in an eighteenth century crime she’s researching for her next book. Compelled to dig into her mother’s past, Susannah discovers even more secrets, ones that surpass any fiction she could ever put to paper...

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