Maggie’s Way

WOMEN'S FICTION:  Maggie is middle aged, about to be divorced and recently diagnosed with breast cancer. It goes without saying that she is having a very difficult summer. She doesn’t have the patience to deal with her husband’s attempts to assuage his guilt, her mother’s probing, or with the little girl next door. Chloe McIntyre is a lonely child with a not very good babysitter, that’s clear, and for some reason she chose Maggie to spend all of her time with. Her divorced father, John, isn’t too happy about it. Well, at least at first…

A very introspective, thoughtful story centered on a character different from most one sees in novels. Getting to like Maggie is no problem. She is prickly, a bit bitter, yet still warm and very relatable. Likewise, John is interesting and the slow development of feelings between them will make readers smile, guaranteed. Chloe, on the other hand, does not feel like a seven year-old girl. Her vocabulary and behavior just aren’t consistent with who she’s supposed to be. Also, the pace is quite slow, so the book would be better served if it wasn’t quite as long. It starts to drag, with everything taking forever to be resolved, which lessens the pleasure of reading “Maggie’s Way”. This book, however, will leave one feeling for the characters and wanting to know more about them, so the sequel will be very welcome.

Mimi Smith