When March Murray travels East with her teenage daughter to attend the funeral of the beloved housekeeper who looked after her when she was growing up, March's past comes rushing up to meet her. The present is quickly dominated by the lurking presence of her former lover, Hollis, who has patiently awaited her long overdue return. The tale is populated by those for whom love brings more sorrow than happiness: a woman afraid to commit to a relationship, a husband in love with someone other than his wife, two young people who fall for each other only to find they are close relatives, and the self-destructing love of Hollis and March. While love has the power to transform those who fall under its spell--devotion to an old racehorse turns March's daughter, a sullen teenager, into a strong young woman--the love March herself suffers robs her of nearly all sense and goodness. Hoffman deftly weaves her characters' stories against a vivid New England landscape where the past always has a grip on the present. And the listener is left at the end both satisfied and longing to hear more. --Anne Depue


After nineteen years in California, March Murray returns to the small Massachusetts town where she grew up. Here she will encounter Hollis--the boy she loves so desperately, the man who has never forgotten her--and the past will collide with the present as their reckless love is reignited.

Alice Hoffman's hearbreaking, wise, and complex novel reminds us that in heaven and in our dreams, love is simple and glorious--but it is something altogether different here on earth.