A Good Year for the Roses: A Novel

Library Journal06/15/2014
London-based Molly Taylor, a newly divorced mother of three boys, inherits her late Aunt Helena's manor house and bed-and-breakfast, located on the Devon coast in England. Her inheritance includes caring for her Uncle Bertie, a former navy officer, and his pesky parrot. McNeil (Knit One Pearl One) weaves together a story of family struggles and of a life/work balance, with a dash of love in this slowly unfolding novel. She uses Helena's rose garden to anchor the story, starting each chapter with a definition of a particular rose. We learn not only how the rose garden thrives after Helena's death, but how Molly and her boys grow and Harrington Hall becomes a welcome part of their lives. Molly's a heroine whom readers will root for, and the fun and quirky cast of characters (and animals) will keep the laughter flowing.