Featuring . . . Commuters by Emily Gray Tedrowe
This Friday and every Friday for the next several months I'll be featuring a book in the Harper Perennial Imprint. Some were recently published, some will be released later this year, all are worth a closer look.
Today's book sounds like it was made for me: Emily Gray Tedrowe's Commuters. Tedrowe writes about love and money and how they affect a newly blended family. Kirkus Reviews called the novel, "A lovely and literate family drama that wins bonus points for its sincerity and open-hearted delivery."
Here's the publisher's description:
At seventy-eight, Winnie Easton has finally found love again with Jerry Trevis, a wealthy Chicago businessman who has moved to the small, upstate town of Hartfield, New York, to begin his life anew. But their decision to buy one of the town's biggest houses ignites anger and skepticism—as children and grandchildren take drastic actions to secure their own futures and endangered inheritances. With so much riding on Jerry's wealth, a decline in his physical health forces hard decisions on the family, renewing old loyalties while creating surprising alliances.This book covers current issues that directly or indirectly affect almost everyone, such as the housing crisis, finances, healthcare, historic preservation, and intergenerational communication. One bonus for me is the importance that food plays in the novel, whether the characters are cooking, eating at home, or exploring New York City restaurants.
A powerfully moving novel told from alternating perspectives, Commuters is an intensely human story of lives profoundly changed by the repercussions of one marriage, and by the complex intertwining of love, money, and family.
Commuters was released just last week, and I am looking forward to getting to know Winnie's and Jerry's families.
The following bloggers have recommended Tedrowe's debut novel (click on the links for the full reviews).
- Kay from My Random Acts of Reading: "The storyline was not terribly intense, but rather was filled with small slices of life for the various characters. Even so, I was compelled to pick up the book over and over to see what would transpire."
- Bobbie from 'Til We Read Again: "The characters are fantastic, the writing is excellent, and it really gives you a look see into the lives of a dynamic fictional family."
- Grace from Books Like Breathing: "Commuters was an elegantly written novel that was a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good yet not too heavy drama."
This book was featured as part of my
Spotlight on the Harper Perennial imprint. For information about the imprint, please read Erica Barmash's welcome note posted here on June 18, 2010. I encourage you to add your reviews of Harper Perennial books to the review link-up page; it's a great way to discover Good Books for Cool People. You might also want to visit the The Olive Reader, the Harper Perennial blog.
Commuters at Powell's
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Published by HarperCollins / Harper Perennial, June 2010
ISBN-13: 9780061859472
9 comments:
Someone else reviewed this recently too and of course I can't remember who, but it sounds great. I think I could read nothing but these featured imprints and still not get through them all!
Thanks for mentioning my review here. I realized that one thing I forgot to mention in it was the literary references. I love it when authors tell us what the characters are reading. And this author does just that. Lots of books mentioned. That's one way to highlight your favorites.
I do recommend this book. It isn't a roller coaster ride, but it's a compelling read. Regular people living regular lives and I just had to know what came next.
This book sounds so good - I really want to get my hands on a copy.
I think it sounds good - on my wish list it goes! (and I made it my Friday Finds post after all the twitter buzz).
I put this one on my list after Kay's review. I love family dramas if they are done well. This one sounds like it's done very well.
Sounds really good. This is a gr8 feature :)
Interesting review, and what an appealing cover.
I can't wait to read this one!!! :)
Sounds promising. Whenever money and blended family is involved, I imagine sparks might fly.
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