In this book, the McCloud family's hopes, dreams, fears, and feelings are focused upon. Ruby is the oldest generation, she was an orphan who was able to marry her sweetheart; however, she made a bad mistake when she was younger that still haunts her today. Jill is Ruby's daughter and had to give up her life to raise Fee, she still longs for what could have been and for a man who abandoned her. Fee is the innocent one, she wants a life of her own where she is free to make her own mistakes rather than deal with the mistakes of others.

The trouble really starts when Keith decides to go home- he was Jill's childhood sweetheart- and asks Jill to play host for his aunt's funeral. The reader is taken on a tale of interconnecting relationships with bitter feelings at the heart of all of them.

The story is definitely interesting; however, the reader may be a bit confused in the beginning-the reader is placed in the middle of the action and has to catch up on the relationships between the characters. The characters are all developed very well; the reader will feel as if he/she knows them as friends. Jill is the most sympathetic of the characters; she wants love after having to give up her "young" life. Ruby is the older one who is "set in her ways," she is very secretive and enigmatic. Fee is the refreshing character; she is young and a little carefree. Out of all of these, Jill is the character the reader will likely most connect with.

The plot is focused around old secrets and past mistakes; there are several subplots as there are several characters. The book switches between Ruby's, Jill's, and Fee's points of views. This can be a little bit of a jolt to the reader, but it doesn't detract too much from the novel. The events are fairly fast-paced, not too fast or too slow. This book is recommended to those who enjoy true women's fiction.

Book Summary

The McCloud Home for Wayward Girls, once a haven for unwed mothers, is now a bed-and-breakfast that houses three generations of women-and their many secrets...

In the early 1960s, Ruby, a spunky unwed teen mother was wooed and won over by the founder of the McCloud Home. Now, forty years later, the historic property has been converted into an inn that Ruby runs with one of her daughters, Jill. When Jill's fourteen-year-old daughter begins to search for the identity of her father, she sets in motion events that will test the bonds that bind mothers, daughters, and sisters.

Jill unwittingly aids the forces of upheaval when she agrees to host the wake of the town matriarch. As the guests-including the matriarch's handsome nephew and Jill's vivacious, irresponsible sister Jocelyn-return to the small town, the convergence of people and memories uncovers rivalries, sparks romance, recalls heartbreak, and reveals a shocking family secret, one that could separate the McCloud women forever or lead them to the renewal of their powerful, enduring connection.