I only made it through about 70 pages before I had to put the book down. I have read this author before and liked her other books, but I didn't really like any of the characters enough to keep going in this one.
A compelling novel of loss, love, and choice. In the idyllic small town of Tucker, Vermont, life flows at a rhythmic pace for pediatrician Paige Pfeiffer. But when Mra O'Neill, her best friend and midcial partner, inexplicably kills herself, Paige's comfotable world is suddenly shattered. Temporaily caring for Mara's newly adopted baby daughter while she comes to grips with her grief, Paige clings to the hope that, in time, her orderly life will return. What she hadn't counted on were the unexpected pleasures that often come with change, including the touch of a man who offers Paige things she never thought she wanted. She hadn't counted on fiding the meaning of life in the death of a friend.
In the idyllic little town of Tucker, Vermont, life flows at a slower pace for everyone. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lives of thirty-nine-year-old pediatrician Paige Pfeiffer and her colleagues. However when Mara O'Neill, Paige's medical partner and best friend since college, inexplicably takes her own life, the consequences of that one irrevocable act shatters Paige's peaceful life, and throws the lives of the three other doctors who practiced with her into absolute chaos.
For Angie Bigelow, grieving Mara's death becomes the final straw in the disintegration of her once well-organized - and ostensibly happy - home and marriage. Peter Grace, whose relationship with Mara was much more complicated than he admits publicly, is left with a sense of desolation at her death. He has difficulty coping with his feelings of grief and feels a growing discontentment with life; a feeling which has its roots in his youth.
Paige deals with her own feelings of loss and deep sadness by temporarily caring for Mara's newly-adopted baby daughter. As she slowly comes to terms with her grief, Paige clings to the hope that, in due time, she'll understand why Mara chose to end her life. And that her orderly life will eventually return.
What Paige hadn't counted on were the unexpected pleasures that often come with change. In the wake of such a tragedy, Paige never realized that she would ultimately discover true meaning and purpose in her own life; including the touch of a man who offers Paige things she never thought she wanted. But before she can allow herself to fully embrace a future she never imagined, Paige must let go of the past and learn to trust her new found happiness.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was a relatively quick read for me, and was very well-written. The story featured a wide variety of well-developed characters, and was written with a true understanding of the complexities of human nature and the intricacies of relationships.
This wasn't necessarily my favorite book by Barbara Delinsky, but it certainly was well worth reading anyway. I give Suddenly an A!
Delinsky is an excellent writer......this book is an emotionally, moving story about 3 women. Recommend this book very highly.
