The entire village of Finch is gathered for a funeral on a rainy, chilly May day in spite of no one ever actually knowing the deceased. Hector Huggins may have lived in the village but he was practically a stranger. No one knew him or got past his gate to catch a glimpse of his home. When a handsome stranger arrives out of the blue, everyone is shocked to learn Hector Huggins had a nephew from Australia who has arrived in settle his uncle's affairs. What affairs could such a careful and anonymous man have? Lori and the Finch gossip vine sent out to find out. When Jack asks Lori and Bree Pym to tea, they offer to help get his uncle's garden in order so the house can be sold. Everyone is exciting when Lori and Bree discover a wishing well and Lori's wish for better weather comes true! Soon all the residents of Finch are making wishes and those wishes are coming true! Soon the villagers get everything they wished for but those wishes are causing chaos in the village. Aunt Dimity fears a trickster is at work and sets Lori on the path to find out what is happening once and for all and put a stop to it.
Normally I love the stories set in Finch but this one didn't wow me. I figured out most of the mystery pretty early on. I wasn't completely sure when Lori discovered evidence that supported her theory but Lori usually jumps to conclusions and this series is always so gentle, I knew I had to be right. There's another big surprise at the end I guessed too. There are a couple of inconsistencies in this series and the timeline is very vague but just go with it and accept it.
Lori's wandering eye has ceased to be now that Bill is hunky and loving. He does a lot more parenting now the twins are older too. I can guess what his wish is and that's easy for him to wish for because he doesn't have to do anything. He's a loving, attentive husband in this book. I guess he got the message that if he's not sexy enough, his wife will stray. Yes she had a good excuse but only ONCE. Lori is still immature. She's immersed in the Finch gossip hotline and eager to spy on her neighbors at the expense of her own health and never mind any laws. Lori is a drama queen. She banged her thumb with a hammer, as have many others, and suddenly it's the end of the world? Bill makes a bigger deal out of it than needs be too, egged on by Aunt Dimity. Aunt Dimity is as always the voice of reason and is still raising Lori but doesn't have much to do in this story. I liked the stories where Lori has to learn more about Dimity's past and I miss the colorful crowd at the Flambororugh Hotel in London. Now Aunt Dimity is back to playing cosmic matchmaker with Lori's help. I think they need to butt out!
Mr. Hector Huggins was a mild mannered, meek man. He was virtually anonymous. I believe he was agoraphobic and couldn't bring himself to mix with the nosy Finch villagers. He was happiest at home in his garden, a wildlife sanctuary. He seems like he was passionate about birds and truly worked to make his garden a special place. He was kind to his nephew and thoughtful as well. His actions towards Jack were very sweet and their relationship was special. Jack is a fun young man, energetic and eager to join in village life while he is there. He has a sense of humor and is calm in the face of Bree's barbs. He does seem to take perverse delight in the villagers believing in a wishing well though. I don't want him to be a malicious prankster! Jack seems into Bree so I think for her sake he should back off and come clean if he is a prankster.
Poor Bree has little trust in men, and strangers. It doesn't help that this one is an Aussie and there seems to be prejudice against Aussies in New Zealand. That rivalry wasn't fully explained except for a stereotype that Aussies are beer guzzling and rude but no explanation as to why or whether Bree has first-hand experience. Her life hasn't been easy and she needs time to heal. I don't think she should be rushing into romance right now. She should be going to college, having adventures, meeting new people outside Finch. The Pym sisters wouldn't have wanted her to be shut up in their old house all the time. What I didn't like about Bree was how her personality changed at the end of the book. That was disappointing.
Sally Pyne is eager to believe in the wishing well. She has big dreams for herself and for Henry. Sally is very naïve at times. She's an older woman and life hasn't been easy. Wishing is easy and could make all her dreams come true. Everyone agrees she's a talented baker and they love her treats, especially the men. She bakes with love and care because she enjoys it. Her dream is to become famous and rich. She wants to share her treats with the world and make her tea room world famous. This does not sit well with Peggy Taxman who wants to be the most important woman in the village. She's very scary and this time she goes too far. She loves Finch and wants the best for the village and shouldn't that include having tourists come to the tea room? Peggy wants all the attention, power and control for herself. That would make her a dictator, the very type her father died fighting against. The men who love these two strong women are helpless and at the mercy of their women's wishes. Poor Jasper Taxman is so mild mannered. He wouldn't wish for anything for himself but maybe he needs to! Henry Cook made a wish that aligns with Sally's but it was half-hearted at best. They're both small village people, content to be big fish in a small pond and don't really want to work to achieve notoriety, hence the wishing well.
It was great to get to know the "Handmaidens" individually. Opal Taylor is proud of her jams, jellies and preserves. She sells them through the Emporium and Sally uses the jam in her baking. Who wouldn't love a Sally scone topped with Opal jam? Like Sally, Opal has grandiose dreams but doesn't want to work for her dream. It's amazing how many lazy people there are in Finch! Elspeth, a retired teacher, secretly longs to be creative but knows her limits. She believes if she can surround herself with a creative person/artist, she'll soak up the creativity and atmosphere. Her wish comes in the form of her niece, Jemma, a famous photographer. Jemma turns out not to be as expected. I know art photographers and they're not like Jemma. Yes they are encouraged to push the envelope and be more creative but not at the expense of other people. She's rude not edgy. Millicent Scoggins is a little snippy but she's in pain so that's allowed. Selena is proud and a bit snooty. A wedding planner by trade, she is eager to plan Finch's wedding of the year and feels hurt and left out when plans change. She sounds entitled and yes she spent a lot of time planning but that was her choice and her thing. She offered.
Mr. Barlow deserves what he gets. He's worked hard and enjoys what he does. Someone else can take over as sexton. Someone younger, perhaps. He does owe Rev. Bunting an apology and a replacement though. Mr. Wetherhead is a dear. I hope his wish is legitimate and not as Lori fears. Emma Harris, of course, deserves help! I don't know when she started the riding center or why because I thought she worked in IT and was a horticulturalist. Whatever she taught Lori about computers finally stuck at least. Why can't Kit help with the business? I thought Peter was to be the next Earl and go live with his grandfather and learn about estate management? What will Emma do then?
The worst thing the wishing well does is cause Charles and Grant to have a fight. Charles is fussy and a neat freak. Organizing Grant's junk collection is weird and arranging it is even more weird. I can see why he's excited to find a rare painting but not why he's so snippy to Grant. I doubt a trained art restoration specialist would need to practice but OK. Their very public fight is shocking and it's truly sad. They have different personalities but up until now they've always supported one another and gotten along. The painting seems to make Charles mean.
Peter and Cassie are fun characters but should have gone to his grandfather if he's going to manage the estate for Derek. Of course Derek and Emma's home is more comforting and lively but he wanted to be the heir.
The recipe at the end of the book is for a summer berry bread pudding. It's similar to an Apple Charlotte. It was really good with raspberries and cut in wedges with heavy cream poured on top. Pair with a berry tea or spice tea.