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Book Review of Blessings

Blessings
Blessings
Author: Anna Quindlen
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Substores
Book Type: Hardcover
reviewed on + 26 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


Blessings is the swankiest house/property around. The old house has been in the Blessing family for as long as anyone can remember; and Skip, fresh out of prison, has found employment there. He also found a baby in a box left outside his apartment over the garage. Skip decides to care for the baby on his own, but is careful not to let Lydia Blessing, his employer, find out about the newborn. Lydia Blessing has lived at Blessings her entire adult life, and now she mainly lives in the past. In her eighties, she lives alone and is quite unhappy. She's not close to her only child, Meredith. She was widowed by WWII mere months after her wedding; and her best friend died years ago. Inevitably, Lydia finds out about the child, but instead of insisting the Skip leave or turn the baby over to authorities, she begins to help him care for the child and an unlikely friendship begins.

I agree with other reviewers that the book was slow to begin, but after it picked up, I really enjoyed it. The characters--especially Lydia--are well-defined. It's a story of new beginnings, which always involve re-examining the past. Both Skip and Lydia evolve over the course of the novel--Skip eager for the change; Lydia, not so much. It's a nice story and a good read.