The Children by Ann Leary

Set in modern day world of blogs and cell phones (and dependent on these for certain plot devices which in my opinion takes away from the book instead of adding to it), this is a novel about a home bound (mostly) woman and the family dynamics that take on a life of their own one summer.  Some of the things that I liked about this book included a) the girls' relationship with their mother-accepting of her flaws, tolerant of her ignorance, loving and mocking in equal measure while never losing sight of the fact that she was their mother-I thought it was well portrayed... b) the house...it reminded me a little of my grandparents house on the Hill, sprawling, never changing but never quite the same, always needing upkeep that it never seemed to quite get but never being truly run down to the point of being uninhabitable, though surely some would see it so...it made me nostalgic...c) I thought her relationship with the caretaker/boyfriend was done well enough for me to buy it...a little to the left or right and it would have been too much or too little...  I did think that the climax was a little too predictable, not the how exactly but the overall theme-but maybe not.  Overall it was a decent "summer" read, good enough to make the "Liked It" list.  Worth picking up at the library if you just simply want something enjoyable to pass the time; maybe not worth buying unless its on the sale rack.

Rating:  #4 Liked It