Book Review by Cathryn_Conroy

A Sweet, Sentimental Story Written with Flair and Genius: Captivating and Delightful

This book grabbed my heart on page one and never let go. While it's a lot more sentimental than other Ann Patchett books, that's just fine. Sometimes sentimentality is just what we need.

Jonathan and Daphne Fuller are enjoying a rare free afternoon by touring the Metropolitan Museum of Art in their hometown of New York City. At age 70, he is recently retired as a hospital administrator; she is 53 and teaches literature at a posh private girls' school. Jonathan is leaving the next day to fly to Wisconsin to help his sister clean out their mother's house after her death six months ago. As they are strolling through the American Wing, Jonathan notices a strange man following them. Daphne laughs it off. But the man is definitely following them, and eventually Jonathan sidles up to him to find out why.

And what a reason he has for following them! The man is Eddie Triplett, and once upon a time a very long time ago for just a very short time, he was Daphne's stepfather, the second of her mother's three husbands. It was Eddie that Daphne and her younger sister Leda loved the most of their three fathers, but they were only nine and seven when the divorce happened—and poof! Eddie disappeared from their lives forever. Until now. For reasons that made total sense to a nine-year-old, Daphne has always carried enormous guilt because she knows she was the cause of the divorce.

Daphne and Eddie reunite, and this new adult relationship is beautiful, filled with love and laughter, and a bit of sentimentality. Old memories are shared, and new memories are made as they get to know each other all over again.

It is during one of the most poignant scenes in the book that Eddie tells nine-year-old Daphne the story of Whistler, the horse. It's only a few pages long and occurs well into the novel, but that story is the groundwork for it all. (Just so you know, this is not a book about a horse, despite the beautiful cover art.)

And the ending? Oh, it's perfect…I cried happy tears.

This sweet novel is the story of this delightful—often funny and sometimes sad—reunion, and it's written with such flair and genius that it's also a captivating tale that's hard to put down. Most of all, this is a story about forgiveness and love, a very special love that we all wish we could have.

(07/07/26)