Book twenty-six: The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine

I thought I was in trouble when I read this:

"Her rescuer's hair was dripping wet, his long, dark eyelashes sparkling with drops of water. He was as pale as the morning sky; his high, pronounced cheekbones washed with the blush of youthful exertion...[she goes on to call him an Adonis]"

but the story is much better than the occasional lapse into Danielle Steele-esque/Harlequin romance-type passages. (And, yeah, I read those, back in high school.) Betty's husband wants a divorce after 50 years of marriage. 50, people. She moves with her two daughters into a cottage situated on a wealthy family member's land on the eastern seaboard. I feared Schine was going to produce a story where the women were made whole with the introduction of new men but it flits away from the predictable to the unpredictable in surprising and pleasant ways. It's definitely chick lit and it's definitely something light to read when on vacation. I thought this passage worthy of sharing (and not just to make fun of):

"No wonder people had children, she thought. A child replaced art and work and culture. A child, so small, so loud, took up all the time, all the energy, all the love. It was so easy: just to give in, just let your life be ruled by this simple and tender embodiment of need. No choices, no decisions except those that related to one person, one little demanding Napoleonic person."

26 down plus 26 to go.