What do you think?
Rate this book
The Broken Weathervane
Two co-workers seek the same information. One wants to publish it; the other has good reasons to keep it hidden.
As Leslie Wickersham, Raymond University grants officer, seeks information to unravel a family mystery, English professor Gregory Stafford seeks an elusive interview with one more Buckwalter relative for his upcoming author biography. While Greg and Leslie guard coveted details from each other, her goals are further complicated by letters of blackmail threatening to reveal all she has worked hard to hide.
In this dual timeline novel alternating between 2015 and the 1950s, loyalty is tested and secrets abound when family honor collides with truth. Leslie grapples with the trade-off: how far will a person go to help a loved one thrive?
As Leslie Wickersham, Raymond University grants officer, seeks information to unravel a family mystery, English professor Gregory Stafford seeks an elusive interview with one more Buckwalter relative for his upcoming author biography. While Greg and Leslie guard coveted details from each other, her goals are further complicated by letters of blackmail threatening to reveal all she has worked hard to hide.
In this dual timeline novel alternating between 2015 and the 1950s, loyalty is tested and secrets abound when family honor collides with truth. Leslie grapples with the trade-off: how far will a person go to help a loved one thrive?
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
13 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
September 4, 2025
So emotional! The enemies to more feel of Leslie and Greg's story was done perfectly. All the frustrations and angst as Leslie figures out her grandfather's history. The heartbreaking truth of mental illness. It all weaves together beautifully in this rich, multifaceted story. You can picture each scene clearly, as if you are there. So glad I read this one, even though it deals with some hard topics.
July 29, 2025
Laura DeNooyer beautifully uses a dual timeline to examine the best and the sometimes broken facets of familial love, illuminating the legacies both facets can create. Her respect for each character comes through clearly, with their development ringing true-to-life (especially noteworthy with her exploration into aspects of mental health). Believable motivations result in plausibe choices and realistic outcomes—sometimes heartbreaking ones. As each character struggles to be and give their best, DeNooyer gives us a story that kept me fully immersed and always picking it back up to read “just one more” chapter!
I received an advanced copy of this novel,and the opinions I’ve expressed are my own.
I received an advanced copy of this novel,and the opinions I’ve expressed are my own.
September 5, 2025
4.5 stars
“Whether someone’s broken or not, love isn’t bound up in the things you can do, whether or not you can fulfill your purpose. Love is about knowing you, all that you were, are, and will be, and still wanting you.”
Laura DeNooyer excels at writing complex characters with layers that go deeper than we first assume. In the process, she tells stories that prompt readers to see the people we encounter in real life through the same lens, as more than what we can deduce at first glance. Perhaps none of her books does this quite so well as The Broken Weathervane, a nuanced portrait of mental illness and its ripple effects through a family, some that last for generations. It’s also a story of grace, of love, and of growth, with a little romance and humor aptly included to keep the tone warm in spite of the tough subjects DeNooyer navigates.
Raymond University grants officer Leslie Wickersham and professor Dr. Greg Stafford both want to know the full story of famed author Fritz Buckwalter… just for very different reasons. Leslie hopes to unravel a family mystery, one her beloved grandmother has kept closely guarded. Greg doesn’t like leaving the research incomplete for his upcoming book, a book that could make or break his career goals. Unfortunately, Leslie can’t just ask Greg for help without revealing who she really is and undermining everything her grandmother has done to protect their true identity all these years. Of course truth can only stay hidden for so long in fiction and in real life, so you know it’s only a matter of time before everything blows up. But in the meantime, the more Leslie gets to know Greg the more she falls for him (the more we do too) and the more she risks with either option – coming clean OR continuing to deceive him. I absolutely adored their banter-esque interactions, especially those involved in her dragging his reluctant self into the world of social media and community events at the request of the university’s provost. Just about any time these two shared a page, my face had a smile on it.
As I mentioned earlier, The Broken Weathervane examines mental health in both of its timelines – the 1950s and 2015. Reading about its treatment in the 1950s made me grateful for the advances in medication and therapies available to us today and, while I also found that part of the story particularly heartbreaking, DeNooyer presents it with lots of grace, insight, and compassion. Her choice to write that timeline from the POV of someone closely impacted by a loved one’s struggle with mental illness, rather than the character himself, allowed this loved one to set the tone for how readers would respond to the patient too. And in so doing, it also helped me put myself in the shoes of the loved ones as well as the patient and feel the depth of their emotions from the highs of joy to the lows of anguish. The carryover of this theme into the 2015 timeline has several different threads that kept me invested even more fully in the whole story, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of pacing it out and tying it all together.
Bottom Line: The Broken Weathervane by Laura DeNooyer is a moving, multi-layered story that blends romance, family secrets, and history with a compassionate exploration of mental illness and its far-reaching impact. DeNooyer’s gift for crafting complex, relatable characters shines in both timelines, drawing readers into their struggles, joys, and discoveries with grace and authenticity. Tender, thought-provoking, and hopeful, this novel reminds us of the power of love, truth, and seeing people for who they truly are. A wonderful choice for fans of Melanie Dobson and Amanda Cox!
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited.)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
“Whether someone’s broken or not, love isn’t bound up in the things you can do, whether or not you can fulfill your purpose. Love is about knowing you, all that you were, are, and will be, and still wanting you.”
Laura DeNooyer excels at writing complex characters with layers that go deeper than we first assume. In the process, she tells stories that prompt readers to see the people we encounter in real life through the same lens, as more than what we can deduce at first glance. Perhaps none of her books does this quite so well as The Broken Weathervane, a nuanced portrait of mental illness and its ripple effects through a family, some that last for generations. It’s also a story of grace, of love, and of growth, with a little romance and humor aptly included to keep the tone warm in spite of the tough subjects DeNooyer navigates.
Raymond University grants officer Leslie Wickersham and professor Dr. Greg Stafford both want to know the full story of famed author Fritz Buckwalter… just for very different reasons. Leslie hopes to unravel a family mystery, one her beloved grandmother has kept closely guarded. Greg doesn’t like leaving the research incomplete for his upcoming book, a book that could make or break his career goals. Unfortunately, Leslie can’t just ask Greg for help without revealing who she really is and undermining everything her grandmother has done to protect their true identity all these years. Of course truth can only stay hidden for so long in fiction and in real life, so you know it’s only a matter of time before everything blows up. But in the meantime, the more Leslie gets to know Greg the more she falls for him (the more we do too) and the more she risks with either option – coming clean OR continuing to deceive him. I absolutely adored their banter-esque interactions, especially those involved in her dragging his reluctant self into the world of social media and community events at the request of the university’s provost. Just about any time these two shared a page, my face had a smile on it.
As I mentioned earlier, The Broken Weathervane examines mental health in both of its timelines – the 1950s and 2015. Reading about its treatment in the 1950s made me grateful for the advances in medication and therapies available to us today and, while I also found that part of the story particularly heartbreaking, DeNooyer presents it with lots of grace, insight, and compassion. Her choice to write that timeline from the POV of someone closely impacted by a loved one’s struggle with mental illness, rather than the character himself, allowed this loved one to set the tone for how readers would respond to the patient too. And in so doing, it also helped me put myself in the shoes of the loved ones as well as the patient and feel the depth of their emotions from the highs of joy to the lows of anguish. The carryover of this theme into the 2015 timeline has several different threads that kept me invested even more fully in the whole story, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of pacing it out and tying it all together.
Bottom Line: The Broken Weathervane by Laura DeNooyer is a moving, multi-layered story that blends romance, family secrets, and history with a compassionate exploration of mental illness and its far-reaching impact. DeNooyer’s gift for crafting complex, relatable characters shines in both timelines, drawing readers into their struggles, joys, and discoveries with grace and authenticity. Tender, thought-provoking, and hopeful, this novel reminds us of the power of love, truth, and seeing people for who they truly are. A wonderful choice for fans of Melanie Dobson and Amanda Cox!
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited.)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
September 30, 2025
The creative and captivating plot of The Broken Weathervane drew me in early, though I must say that it really hits its stride in the last quarter. Much of the book is driven by the mental illness of one of its characters, and I found the portrayal to be done with much care and carefulness. This topic brought out themes of human worth and dignity, challenging many of our cultural stories of what it means to live a life of value. Klara's words to Eddie express, what seems to me, the core concern of this novel: “Whether someone’s broken or not, love isn’t bound up in the things you can do, whether or not you can fulfill your purpose. Love is about knowing you, all that you were, are, and will be, and still wanting you.” Whether success or failure, health or profound illness, our lives matter because we are made in the image of God, and therefore intrinsically worthy. Klara holds onto Eddie through hardships that are difficult to imagine living out because her love sees to his core. I appreciate that this story doesn’t allow this truth to be sentimentalized. It’s not a magic pill that rights all the brokenness of life. It doesn’t guarantee healing. It doesn’t guarantee that the beloved will live into his true status as worthy, but love is what we are called to and, while we can’t save someone else, that love has the power to speak comfort and truth into the brokenness.
Laura Denooyer does a wonderful job writing family dynamics. She captures the complexity of living in relationship with those we are tied to deeply. I found Eddie and Fritz’s relationship particularly interesting. While there are many choices Fritz can be judged for, his love for his brother is obvious. His choices and reasons are very human, if not always noble.
One of the explorations most interesting to me is how secrets shape lives. I really like the fact that the various secrets held are not kept out of selfish intent. There are complex motivations that, even if not always pure, are very human and protective, probing the grey of "no easy answers." While there are times I sighed and shook my head over Leslie's choices to withhold certain truth, knowing she was digging herself into a hole, it was easy to have compassion and understanding for her. Other, bigger secrets felt so unanswerable. There is just no way to set everything right in this broken world.
The book struck me as a bit dialogue heavy, though that is perhaps a personal preference. I was also occasionally bothered by the many questions asked in the text, usually when we are inside Leslie's head. I found them too leading. I like to make those connections for myself, but it felt like as my mind was formulating its observations, it was handed to me in the next sentence. For those reasons, I lean toward the low side of 4 stars. All in all, The Broken Weathervane is well written, engaging, and thoughtful, and I’m glad I read it.
I was given an ARC and all opinions are my own.
Laura Denooyer does a wonderful job writing family dynamics. She captures the complexity of living in relationship with those we are tied to deeply. I found Eddie and Fritz’s relationship particularly interesting. While there are many choices Fritz can be judged for, his love for his brother is obvious. His choices and reasons are very human, if not always noble.
One of the explorations most interesting to me is how secrets shape lives. I really like the fact that the various secrets held are not kept out of selfish intent. There are complex motivations that, even if not always pure, are very human and protective, probing the grey of "no easy answers." While there are times I sighed and shook my head over Leslie's choices to withhold certain truth, knowing she was digging herself into a hole, it was easy to have compassion and understanding for her. Other, bigger secrets felt so unanswerable. There is just no way to set everything right in this broken world.
The book struck me as a bit dialogue heavy, though that is perhaps a personal preference. I was also occasionally bothered by the many questions asked in the text, usually when we are inside Leslie's head. I found them too leading. I like to make those connections for myself, but it felt like as my mind was formulating its observations, it was handed to me in the next sentence. For those reasons, I lean toward the low side of 4 stars. All in all, The Broken Weathervane is well written, engaging, and thoughtful, and I’m glad I read it.
I was given an ARC and all opinions are my own.
September 1, 2025
The Broken Weathervane
Laura DeNooyer’s new novel is another thoughtful, realistic look at an upper Midwest town and family from the 1950’s to present day.
The protagonist, Leslie Wickersham, is trying to get back on her feet after an abusive marriage and the remaining fallout. She has applied for the position of Grants Officer a Raymond University, a small liberal arts college in Avondale, Wisconsin. Being well-qualified for the job, she is offered it in the opening pages.
She is informed that in addition to being the grants officer she will be assisting a lead professor in overseeing his social media presence. This is Gregory Stafford, someone she has heard of but never met. Several years back she attempted an interview but was rebuffed with a curt dismissal of her magazine being “as inconsequential as a dog scratching fleas”. She is not excited about this addition to her duties.
But Dr. Stafford has other aspects that do interest Leslie. He is the foremost researcher on the Fritz Buckwalter family. Which happens to be Leslie’s family as well. She has hidden this connection for her whole life and wants to find the pieces of the story that can explain why.
So begins the fast paced search for both Leslie and Dr. Stafford as they try to get the full story on the famed Fritz Buckwalter. Dr. Stafford aims to complete his biography and become a full professor. Leslie aims to fill in the family gaps and become fully, well, Leslie. And might there be a little romance brewing between the taciturn Professor and his wounded colleague?
This novel addresses heavy topics of abuse, narcissism, and mental illness. The subject matter is deftly handled by Ms. DeNoyer’s compelling prose. The story shows the realities of living in the broken world without wallowing in the darkness.
I highly recommend this new book by Ms. DeNooyer.
I received an advance copy of this novel, but all opinions are my own.
Sue
Laura DeNooyer’s new novel is another thoughtful, realistic look at an upper Midwest town and family from the 1950’s to present day.
The protagonist, Leslie Wickersham, is trying to get back on her feet after an abusive marriage and the remaining fallout. She has applied for the position of Grants Officer a Raymond University, a small liberal arts college in Avondale, Wisconsin. Being well-qualified for the job, she is offered it in the opening pages.
She is informed that in addition to being the grants officer she will be assisting a lead professor in overseeing his social media presence. This is Gregory Stafford, someone she has heard of but never met. Several years back she attempted an interview but was rebuffed with a curt dismissal of her magazine being “as inconsequential as a dog scratching fleas”. She is not excited about this addition to her duties.
But Dr. Stafford has other aspects that do interest Leslie. He is the foremost researcher on the Fritz Buckwalter family. Which happens to be Leslie’s family as well. She has hidden this connection for her whole life and wants to find the pieces of the story that can explain why.
So begins the fast paced search for both Leslie and Dr. Stafford as they try to get the full story on the famed Fritz Buckwalter. Dr. Stafford aims to complete his biography and become a full professor. Leslie aims to fill in the family gaps and become fully, well, Leslie. And might there be a little romance brewing between the taciturn Professor and his wounded colleague?
This novel addresses heavy topics of abuse, narcissism, and mental illness. The subject matter is deftly handled by Ms. DeNoyer’s compelling prose. The story shows the realities of living in the broken world without wallowing in the darkness.
I highly recommend this new book by Ms. DeNooyer.
I received an advance copy of this novel, but all opinions are my own.
Sue
September 26, 2025
I am not an emotional reader meaning I don't ever shed tears when the story is sad or laugh out loud when it's funny and that's probably a character flaw, but when I tell you this book was one of the ones that got me I mean the last quarter of the book had me with tears in my eyes and tissue at the ready then sitting there with the biggest smile on my face all in a matter of pages, it was amazing. I loved the characters the dual timeline and the amazing story of a family touched by tragedy that somehow makes it through in an era that caused those living with such tragedy immense pain that carries throughout the generations. It's a beautiful story as well with loads of happy times as all families experience with all that means to each of them.
I'd never read anything by Laura DeNooyer so this was her debut for me, and I'm impressed. She writes in a way that welcomes me into each scene watching these characters at their best of times and their worst. Not many authors do that with me, and I love it. I look forward to more from Ms. DeNooyer. Happy Reading!
I'd never read anything by Laura DeNooyer so this was her debut for me, and I'm impressed. She writes in a way that welcomes me into each scene watching these characters at their best of times and their worst. Not many authors do that with me, and I love it. I look forward to more from Ms. DeNooyer. Happy Reading!
September 10, 2025
The Broken Weathervane is a compelling, dual-time, family saga dealing with a difficult, hot-button, contemporary but timeless issue -- mental illness. The believable, multi-layered plot is heart-breaking, yet not without hope, with well-developed scenes. Leslie and Greg are complex, compassionate, and authentic characters who are each searching for the truth for different reasons. Secondary characters are well-developed and important to the story. I recommend The Broken Weathervane because it's well-written story with a message that touches the heart.
September 1, 2025
Leslie Wickersham, the grants officer at Raymond University, is determined to reveal a family’s history. Gregory Stafford, an English professor, seeks one more interview to complete his biography of the Buckwalter family.
Both Gregory and Leslie possess crucial details about the family that must remain confidential. However, when blackmail letters are introduced into the mix, Leslie threatens to expose the family’s history once and for all.
“The Broken Weathervane,” a captivating dual-timeline novel by Laura DeNooyer, skillfully weaves the past and present. The future of the Buckwalter family hinges on the past. This intriguing story kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down until the very end.
I was thoroughly captivated by this storyline and the mysterious nature of the blackmail letters, held my attention throughout the narrative. I thoroughly enjoy DeNooyer’s writing style and am eager to explore more of her works. I highly recommend this extraordinary book.
Both Gregory and Leslie possess crucial details about the family that must remain confidential. However, when blackmail letters are introduced into the mix, Leslie threatens to expose the family’s history once and for all.
“The Broken Weathervane,” a captivating dual-timeline novel by Laura DeNooyer, skillfully weaves the past and present. The future of the Buckwalter family hinges on the past. This intriguing story kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down until the very end.
I was thoroughly captivated by this storyline and the mysterious nature of the blackmail letters, held my attention throughout the narrative. I thoroughly enjoy DeNooyer’s writing style and am eager to explore more of her works. I highly recommend this extraordinary book.
August 1, 2025
Family. A stoic professor who cannot meet his father’s expectations. A young woman who cannot understand why her mother abandoned her to be raised by her grandmother. A trio of brothers in the 1950s Midwest who go the extra mile to help the brother who is haunted by events of the past and mental illness. Present-day descendants who are estranged from one another because the difficult truths about family events and relationships in the past still remain hidden.
Ms. DeNooyer has written a complex story that is compelling from beginning to end. Some pages are read with a smile, and others are read with tears. It’s beautiful to read about the compassion the Buckwalter family has for a family member struggling with mental illness. And yet, with an unexpected twist at the end, we realize that throughout the story all was not as it seemed.
The romance between the aloof professor Gregory Stafford and his university assistant Leslie is refreshing. There is definite tension since Leslie holds the key to information that Dr. Stafford has longed to understand. However, revealing the information would come at great personal cost, not only to her, but also to her dear grandmother who carries a heavy burden of untold family secrets.
The Broken Weathervane is a compelling story filled with joy and sorrow. It’s a difficult book to put down while you are reading and difficult to forget when you are finished.
Ms. DeNooyer has written a complex story that is compelling from beginning to end. Some pages are read with a smile, and others are read with tears. It’s beautiful to read about the compassion the Buckwalter family has for a family member struggling with mental illness. And yet, with an unexpected twist at the end, we realize that throughout the story all was not as it seemed.
The romance between the aloof professor Gregory Stafford and his university assistant Leslie is refreshing. There is definite tension since Leslie holds the key to information that Dr. Stafford has longed to understand. However, revealing the information would come at great personal cost, not only to her, but also to her dear grandmother who carries a heavy burden of untold family secrets.
The Broken Weathervane is a compelling story filled with joy and sorrow. It’s a difficult book to put down while you are reading and difficult to forget when you are finished.
January 4, 2026
The Broken Weathervane by Laura DeNooyer is literary fiction where readers are introduced to a woman who seems to be standing at a crossroads. She has ambition, but also buried family history and unresolved personal trauma. Her name is Leslie Wickersham, and her life feels like it’s hanging between her hard-won job opportunity as Grants Officer at Raymond University, her narcissistic ex-husband, Vic, and a secret lineage that ties her to a celebrated American author. This sets an interesting tone for the professional and personal stakes to come.
The story gets off to a comical start with Leslie, now the Grants Officer and the person tasked to drag a reluctant Dr. Greg Stafford into the modern age of community engagement via social media. He is openly resistant to the idea. But there are also power struggles going on when he meets her ideas to make his grant proposal more concrete, with sarcasm, elitism, and this performative impatience. I immediately imagined a scene with a gatekeeper going toe to toe with what he perceives as an outsider. Leslie finds herself trying to prove she belongs there while Dr. Stafford does everything to prove that she doesn’t. But she does something amazing in response to his resistance; she learns how to wield power.
Character development is one of the novel’s strengths. DeNooyer did a great job painting each character. Leslie appears put together on the outside but she’s in a survivor mindset, her confidence is practiced, not natural and we see it early on when she’s focused on what people might think about a post she made or replaying interactions in her head, but the one critical thing that stood out for me was when she made the “washed up at thirty-five” comment about herself.
She wants her emotionally abusive ex out of her life, yet he’s still taunting her on his new number. He creates the pressure-cooker stakes with his demands of extortion. Greg Stafford is dismissive, sarcastic, and resistant, but in the classroom, he’s a savior who gets his students to think. I guess he’s more selective about where and to whom he performs humanity. So we have quite a bit emerging from Greg using his academic power, to Oma (Klara) representing family power as Leslie’s sweet grandma, and when she hands off the journal to Leslie, it doesn’t merely serve as a plot device, but more of a turning point.
DeNooyer did well with all of the time jumps. I especially found the jump back to 1952 interesting because we learned more about family secrets and dysfunctions, and it was just unsettling, but made me feel protective of Oma (Klara) all of a sudden. As the story progresses, it begins to feel like a gut-punch, especially when it exposes who has the power, who loses it, and who gets labeled when everything goes all wrong. Jumping back to 1952, it shifts to the fear around a pregnancy, institutional control, and the brutal reality of mental health care during a time period characterized by cold sheet packs, isolation, and experimental drugs. I felt so angry in this moment. But DeNooyer really knows how to drop the floor out from under us. There are heartbreaking moments, tender moments, and morally complicated ones. But I love the fact that DeNooyer doesn’t flatten any of the characters into saint roles or villain roles.
The Broken Weathervane is a fusion of historical fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, and a literary mystery. The multiple timelines expose a range of secrets, from family history to a literary legacy and a late-blooming romance, but it’s also about truth, no matter how deferred. I found myself really connecting to this novel. Readers who will appreciate it most are those who’ve read similar works, such as The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller or Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth.
The story gets off to a comical start with Leslie, now the Grants Officer and the person tasked to drag a reluctant Dr. Greg Stafford into the modern age of community engagement via social media. He is openly resistant to the idea. But there are also power struggles going on when he meets her ideas to make his grant proposal more concrete, with sarcasm, elitism, and this performative impatience. I immediately imagined a scene with a gatekeeper going toe to toe with what he perceives as an outsider. Leslie finds herself trying to prove she belongs there while Dr. Stafford does everything to prove that she doesn’t. But she does something amazing in response to his resistance; she learns how to wield power.
Character development is one of the novel’s strengths. DeNooyer did a great job painting each character. Leslie appears put together on the outside but she’s in a survivor mindset, her confidence is practiced, not natural and we see it early on when she’s focused on what people might think about a post she made or replaying interactions in her head, but the one critical thing that stood out for me was when she made the “washed up at thirty-five” comment about herself.
She wants her emotionally abusive ex out of her life, yet he’s still taunting her on his new number. He creates the pressure-cooker stakes with his demands of extortion. Greg Stafford is dismissive, sarcastic, and resistant, but in the classroom, he’s a savior who gets his students to think. I guess he’s more selective about where and to whom he performs humanity. So we have quite a bit emerging from Greg using his academic power, to Oma (Klara) representing family power as Leslie’s sweet grandma, and when she hands off the journal to Leslie, it doesn’t merely serve as a plot device, but more of a turning point.
DeNooyer did well with all of the time jumps. I especially found the jump back to 1952 interesting because we learned more about family secrets and dysfunctions, and it was just unsettling, but made me feel protective of Oma (Klara) all of a sudden. As the story progresses, it begins to feel like a gut-punch, especially when it exposes who has the power, who loses it, and who gets labeled when everything goes all wrong. Jumping back to 1952, it shifts to the fear around a pregnancy, institutional control, and the brutal reality of mental health care during a time period characterized by cold sheet packs, isolation, and experimental drugs. I felt so angry in this moment. But DeNooyer really knows how to drop the floor out from under us. There are heartbreaking moments, tender moments, and morally complicated ones. But I love the fact that DeNooyer doesn’t flatten any of the characters into saint roles or villain roles.
The Broken Weathervane is a fusion of historical fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, and a literary mystery. The multiple timelines expose a range of secrets, from family history to a literary legacy and a late-blooming romance, but it’s also about truth, no matter how deferred. I found myself really connecting to this novel. Readers who will appreciate it most are those who’ve read similar works, such as The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller or Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth.
September 2, 2025
The Broken Weathervane
By Laura DeNooyer Moore
This story started out straight-forward enough, but turned into an absolute tangled knot - to the point where I wasn’t even sure how it was going to end!
1950s: The Buckwalter Brothers Grocery Store is a Wisconsin small-town family success story. Run by brothers August, Fritz, and Edmund, everything appears ideal on the surface. But after their father dies, a storm begins to brew. Guilt turns to depression and erratic behavior. Soon, no price is too great to pay for the sake of normalcy and the family honor. But sometimes, the cost isn’t demanded up front, and future generations are left with more lies to tell.
Modern Day: Leslie Wickersham has secrets to keep. Not only is she being blackmailed by her ex-husband, she’s also trying to keep her heritage hidden. As the great-niece of famous Wisconsin author, Fritz Buckwalter, family privacy is something to be guarded, especially when there are stories her grandmother does not want told. When Leslie’s new job at a university pairs her with the gruff Dr. Stafford, a biographer and “expert” on Fritz Buckwalter, her secrets come closer and closer to the surface. Especially when she learns to understand the man behind the harsh exterior. But relationships are built on trust, and there are more than enough lies going around. And if Leslie tells the truth, it will destroy the Buckwalter legacy.
Pros: What can be more Americana than a 1950s Midwest family-owned grocery store? There was a heavy dose of nostalgia that had me thinking of Jerry Apps, Lake Wobegon, and Mayberry. And yet, it wasn’t all sugar-coated memories. Tough subjects like mental health, fraud, and family politics turned this book from an ice cream treat to meat and potatoes. While I had everything figured out by the first third of the book, the tangled web of deception turned into such a rats nest I was anxiously reading to figure out how it would resolve.
Cons: I read a lot of historical fiction, so I naturally gravitated towards the 1950s chapters as opposed to the modern day storyline. I also read a lot of suspense, so the book felt very slow at first. It took until the last third for me to finally get hooked. Readers who love women’s fiction and other lower-octane genres shouldn’t have a problem, though.
Bottom Line: A serving of Midwest nostalgia with a side of family secrets.
I read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
By Laura DeNooyer Moore
This story started out straight-forward enough, but turned into an absolute tangled knot - to the point where I wasn’t even sure how it was going to end!
1950s: The Buckwalter Brothers Grocery Store is a Wisconsin small-town family success story. Run by brothers August, Fritz, and Edmund, everything appears ideal on the surface. But after their father dies, a storm begins to brew. Guilt turns to depression and erratic behavior. Soon, no price is too great to pay for the sake of normalcy and the family honor. But sometimes, the cost isn’t demanded up front, and future generations are left with more lies to tell.
Modern Day: Leslie Wickersham has secrets to keep. Not only is she being blackmailed by her ex-husband, she’s also trying to keep her heritage hidden. As the great-niece of famous Wisconsin author, Fritz Buckwalter, family privacy is something to be guarded, especially when there are stories her grandmother does not want told. When Leslie’s new job at a university pairs her with the gruff Dr. Stafford, a biographer and “expert” on Fritz Buckwalter, her secrets come closer and closer to the surface. Especially when she learns to understand the man behind the harsh exterior. But relationships are built on trust, and there are more than enough lies going around. And if Leslie tells the truth, it will destroy the Buckwalter legacy.
Pros: What can be more Americana than a 1950s Midwest family-owned grocery store? There was a heavy dose of nostalgia that had me thinking of Jerry Apps, Lake Wobegon, and Mayberry. And yet, it wasn’t all sugar-coated memories. Tough subjects like mental health, fraud, and family politics turned this book from an ice cream treat to meat and potatoes. While I had everything figured out by the first third of the book, the tangled web of deception turned into such a rats nest I was anxiously reading to figure out how it would resolve.
Cons: I read a lot of historical fiction, so I naturally gravitated towards the 1950s chapters as opposed to the modern day storyline. I also read a lot of suspense, so the book felt very slow at first. It took until the last third for me to finally get hooked. Readers who love women’s fiction and other lower-octane genres shouldn’t have a problem, though.
Bottom Line: A serving of Midwest nostalgia with a side of family secrets.
I read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read
September 22, 2025This book is clean and has Christian elements (a character is referred to as a good man, partly because he attends church), but I wouldn’t call it a specifically Christian book. Too bad, because I would have loved to have seen the characters rely on faith or come to faith because of the events they endure.
That being said, this is a wonderful book. A split timeline about sixty years apart keeps the action moving. I lost sleep because I couldn’t put it down! The characters are engaging, and they all undergo some change and growth. Decisions made in the 1950’s are still affecting family members down the road in 2015. The world was a very different place in the 1950’s, and mental illness was less understood, more ostracized, and poorly treated. That leads to secrecy to protect the mentally ill and their loved ones, and the secrecy leads to complications that no one could anticipate. How long is too long to continue a lie to protect someone? Lies tend to take on a life of their own, and a minor fib can become a major deception over time. What about deception through omission of the truth?
I loved that there is no real “bad guy” in this book. Well, there are a couple of stinkers that cause trouble, but only one of them is genuinely mean, and he’s not a main character. Most are complex characters, just like in real life. It can be incredibly difficult to decide how to handle a family member’s bad choices, especially when mental illness is involved – talking from personal experience. Otherwise “good” people sometimes make “bad” choices to protect others. I know I have regretted decisions I made to protect loved ones, but we do the best we can with what we know in the moment.
I did figure out the big secret quite a while before the reveal, but I don’t think the author was trying to hide it. Unlike many books, I didn’t feel like she was manipulating things in an unnatural way. I could understand every decision each character made, even if I didn’t agree with it, and I could see the natural progression of events due to those choices. I loved the unraveling of the knots caused by lies and omissions. There is much grace, forgiveness, and understanding, which is what gives this book such beauty.
I highly recommend this book and will be looking forward to more from this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
That being said, this is a wonderful book. A split timeline about sixty years apart keeps the action moving. I lost sleep because I couldn’t put it down! The characters are engaging, and they all undergo some change and growth. Decisions made in the 1950’s are still affecting family members down the road in 2015. The world was a very different place in the 1950’s, and mental illness was less understood, more ostracized, and poorly treated. That leads to secrecy to protect the mentally ill and their loved ones, and the secrecy leads to complications that no one could anticipate. How long is too long to continue a lie to protect someone? Lies tend to take on a life of their own, and a minor fib can become a major deception over time. What about deception through omission of the truth?
I loved that there is no real “bad guy” in this book. Well, there are a couple of stinkers that cause trouble, but only one of them is genuinely mean, and he’s not a main character. Most are complex characters, just like in real life. It can be incredibly difficult to decide how to handle a family member’s bad choices, especially when mental illness is involved – talking from personal experience. Otherwise “good” people sometimes make “bad” choices to protect others. I know I have regretted decisions I made to protect loved ones, but we do the best we can with what we know in the moment.
I did figure out the big secret quite a while before the reveal, but I don’t think the author was trying to hide it. Unlike many books, I didn’t feel like she was manipulating things in an unnatural way. I could understand every decision each character made, even if I didn’t agree with it, and I could see the natural progression of events due to those choices. I loved the unraveling of the knots caused by lies and omissions. There is much grace, forgiveness, and understanding, which is what gives this book such beauty.
I highly recommend this book and will be looking forward to more from this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 7, 2025
Does your reading wishlist include a dual timeline story with a unique twist?
And a maybe-yes, maybe-no romance?
Also a decades-old family secret?
How about a deep dive into the trauma and treatment of certain mental illness since the mid 19th century?
Should it contain adult themes without “adult” content?
Read “The Broken Weathervane” by Laura DeNooyer and you’ll find a satisfying story destined to be at the top of many wishlists.
The dual timeline is a popular device. Here, DeNooyer carries us from a few months experienced by Leslie Wickersham in 2015, to several grim years endured by Klara Buckwalter in the 1950s. The unique twist occurs when the author opens Klara’s diary to us and to Leslie. And invites use to step in. We experience her world, but as omniscient observers. We alternate between partaking of Klara’s hopes and heartaches, and the ambitions and anxieties of Fritz Buckwalter, renowned and revered author. And chronic practitioner of alliteration.
The will-they, won’t-they romance is between Leslie, freshly hired college grants officer who needs to succeed at her job, and Professor Greg Stafford, who reluctantly accepts Leslie’s expertise in community relations and social media interaction. She is recovering from a divorce that drove her to therapy, and suffers from “self-criticism escalating to mental self-flagellation.” He is an imperious literature professor whose “presence engulfed the room the way a lake sunrise fills both sky and water, silently relishing its own brilliance.”
Klara has kept a secret in the pages of the diary for over fifty years. Now she shares it with Leslie and cedes to her the responsibility to either keep the secret and continue generation damage, or publicize it and rock the literary world.
In “The Broken Weathervane,” Ms. DeNooyer combines a creative story premise with meticulous research on various kinds of mental illness. She demonstrates how the conditions have have been perceived and treated, how the loved ones suffer along with the victims of the diseases. But she accomplishes it in a fascinating and compassionate manner that never feels clinical.
This is a well-crafted tale of family love that survives years of grievous wounds, and of family secrets that survive years of suppression.
Put it at the top of your reading wishlist!
And a maybe-yes, maybe-no romance?
Also a decades-old family secret?
How about a deep dive into the trauma and treatment of certain mental illness since the mid 19th century?
Should it contain adult themes without “adult” content?
Read “The Broken Weathervane” by Laura DeNooyer and you’ll find a satisfying story destined to be at the top of many wishlists.
The dual timeline is a popular device. Here, DeNooyer carries us from a few months experienced by Leslie Wickersham in 2015, to several grim years endured by Klara Buckwalter in the 1950s. The unique twist occurs when the author opens Klara’s diary to us and to Leslie. And invites use to step in. We experience her world, but as omniscient observers. We alternate between partaking of Klara’s hopes and heartaches, and the ambitions and anxieties of Fritz Buckwalter, renowned and revered author. And chronic practitioner of alliteration.
The will-they, won’t-they romance is between Leslie, freshly hired college grants officer who needs to succeed at her job, and Professor Greg Stafford, who reluctantly accepts Leslie’s expertise in community relations and social media interaction. She is recovering from a divorce that drove her to therapy, and suffers from “self-criticism escalating to mental self-flagellation.” He is an imperious literature professor whose “presence engulfed the room the way a lake sunrise fills both sky and water, silently relishing its own brilliance.”
Klara has kept a secret in the pages of the diary for over fifty years. Now she shares it with Leslie and cedes to her the responsibility to either keep the secret and continue generation damage, or publicize it and rock the literary world.
In “The Broken Weathervane,” Ms. DeNooyer combines a creative story premise with meticulous research on various kinds of mental illness. She demonstrates how the conditions have have been perceived and treated, how the loved ones suffer along with the victims of the diseases. But she accomplishes it in a fascinating and compassionate manner that never feels clinical.
This is a well-crafted tale of family love that survives years of grievous wounds, and of family secrets that survive years of suppression.
Put it at the top of your reading wishlist!
October 21, 2025
The Broken Weathervane tells the story of Leslie Wickersham, a grants officer carrying both ambition and the heavy weight of family secrets. She steps into a new job at Raymond University, only to find herself working alongside the proud and difficult Dr. Gregory Stafford, a man intent on finishing a biography of author Fritz Buckwalter. Leslie, however, has her own hidden connection to Buckwalter, one she has been asked to keep quiet. The novel weaves past and present together, drawing on family turmoil, mental illness, hidden journals, and long-buried truths. It’s a tale of secrets colliding with the need for honesty, of pride giving way to humility, and of love tentatively growing in unlikely soil.
Reading this book felt like being drawn into a living, breathing world. The writing was rich without being fussy, and it held me with its rhythm. I admired how the author took big, heavy topics like mental illness, shame, and betrayal, and approached them with care. Some scenes made me ache because they felt so true to life. Leslie’s self-doubt rang true to me, and her push-pull with Greg had the kind of sharp banter and underlying tenderness that I didn’t expect at first but grew to enjoy. I found myself rooting for her not just to succeed in her career, but to make peace with her past and claim her own story.
Greg’s arrogance rubbed me the wrong way, but that seemed intentional. I wondered if he could have shown more cracks sooner. The family history sections fascinated me, especially the 1950s journal entries, yet I sometimes felt yanked between timelines. Still, I can’t deny that the mystery of what really happened to Leslie’s family kept me hooked. I would sit down, meaning to read for half an hour and end up lost for an evening, chasing one more revelation.
The Broken Weathervane is a book about secrets and how they shape us, about how shame passes through generations until someone has the courage to face it. It left me thoughtful, a little sad, but also hopeful. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy family sagas with layered characters, a dash of romance, and questions that don’t have easy answers. If you like Amanda Cox or Lisa Wingate, this will probably be right up your alley.
Reading this book felt like being drawn into a living, breathing world. The writing was rich without being fussy, and it held me with its rhythm. I admired how the author took big, heavy topics like mental illness, shame, and betrayal, and approached them with care. Some scenes made me ache because they felt so true to life. Leslie’s self-doubt rang true to me, and her push-pull with Greg had the kind of sharp banter and underlying tenderness that I didn’t expect at first but grew to enjoy. I found myself rooting for her not just to succeed in her career, but to make peace with her past and claim her own story.
Greg’s arrogance rubbed me the wrong way, but that seemed intentional. I wondered if he could have shown more cracks sooner. The family history sections fascinated me, especially the 1950s journal entries, yet I sometimes felt yanked between timelines. Still, I can’t deny that the mystery of what really happened to Leslie’s family kept me hooked. I would sit down, meaning to read for half an hour and end up lost for an evening, chasing one more revelation.
The Broken Weathervane is a book about secrets and how they shape us, about how shame passes through generations until someone has the courage to face it. It left me thoughtful, a little sad, but also hopeful. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy family sagas with layered characters, a dash of romance, and questions that don’t have easy answers. If you like Amanda Cox or Lisa Wingate, this will probably be right up your alley.
October 9, 2025
The Broken Weathervane is a well crafted story with 3-dimensional characters that does not fit easily into one genre. It has a romantic element and it touches on the serious issue of mental health care, as well. Leslie Wickersham is the engaging protagonist who comes to Raymond University as the new grants officer. She meets Dr. Greg Stafford and she is tasked with bringing him into the 21st Century via social media and help him achieve full professor status. He is an expert on author Fritz Buckwalter. Leslie has a vested interest in the Buckwalter family, as well. The novel is divided between the present and the past that is revealed to us through Leslie's grandmother's journal kept between 1952 and 1958, mostly about her grandfather and his struggle with bipolar disorder. There is some mystery involved in the revelations of the journal, which adds to the nature of the story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really like Leslie except when she goes all school-girl over Dr. Stafford. Their relationship starts out rocky because, frankly, he is a jerk. I think the author was attempting Mr. d'Arcy and it didn't quite fly. There are lots of good quotes from various literary sources; that's fun. The way the author approached the mental health issues was from a position of strength; she knows her stuff. As does her character, Leslie, who has worked with mental health initiatives in the past. Leslie is a strong character and I found her teenage crush on Dr. Greg off-putting. She was hot and cold from being "engulfed in his spicy cologne" to considering Dr. Stafford "like Moby Dick to Captain Ahab, [he] could be her bane."
The secondary characters do their job: the attractive librarian who obviously has the hots for Greg, Leslie's ex, Vic, who is actually blackmailing her, and Jason Hendricks, a journalist with his own agenda. This story has been well-researched from the treatment of mental illness to the products that would have been available in Buckwalter Bros. grocery store in the 1950s. I highly recommend this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really like Leslie except when she goes all school-girl over Dr. Stafford. Their relationship starts out rocky because, frankly, he is a jerk. I think the author was attempting Mr. d'Arcy and it didn't quite fly. There are lots of good quotes from various literary sources; that's fun. The way the author approached the mental health issues was from a position of strength; she knows her stuff. As does her character, Leslie, who has worked with mental health initiatives in the past. Leslie is a strong character and I found her teenage crush on Dr. Greg off-putting. She was hot and cold from being "engulfed in his spicy cologne" to considering Dr. Stafford "like Moby Dick to Captain Ahab, [he] could be her bane."
The secondary characters do their job: the attractive librarian who obviously has the hots for Greg, Leslie's ex, Vic, who is actually blackmailing her, and Jason Hendricks, a journalist with his own agenda. This story has been well-researched from the treatment of mental illness to the products that would have been available in Buckwalter Bros. grocery store in the 1950s. I highly recommend this book.
July 28, 2025
Leslie Wickersham has secured a new position as a social media advisor for Gregory Scott Stafford, PHD, but he wants nothing to do with social media or her involvement in his life. Leslie needs this job to recover from a difficult divorce. She also wants to learn everything about what Gregory Stafford is about to publish because she is hiding secrets that the pompous professor would love to discover.
Greg Stafford has been working for years on a certified biography of the renowned author Linus Fritz Buckwalter. Once published, the biography will earn Greg a full professorship at Raymond University. His biography is as accurate as possible, except for one interview with Klara Buckwalter, the wife of Edmund Buckwalter, who is the deceased brother of Linus. The woman has avoided Greg for years. Linus Buckwalter’s first book, The Broken Weathervane, was dedicated to Edmund. Greg’s publication would be an immediate success if he could secure this one interview and uncover what truly happened to Edmund. Unfortunately, the university wants him to spend valuable time learning about social media from the annoying Leslie Wickerham.
Ms. Denooyer deserves praise for writing such an engaging, page-turning book that spans generations. The Weathervane connects the past and present, providing a satisfying ending. Her talent for evoking real emotion and bringing her characters to life is remarkable. The ending is shocking and will keep readers thinking about The Weathervane long after the last page has been turned. Bravo, Ms. Denooyer, for once again crafting a bittersweet story filled with tenderness and love.
Greg Stafford has been working for years on a certified biography of the renowned author Linus Fritz Buckwalter. Once published, the biography will earn Greg a full professorship at Raymond University. His biography is as accurate as possible, except for one interview with Klara Buckwalter, the wife of Edmund Buckwalter, who is the deceased brother of Linus. The woman has avoided Greg for years. Linus Buckwalter’s first book, The Broken Weathervane, was dedicated to Edmund. Greg’s publication would be an immediate success if he could secure this one interview and uncover what truly happened to Edmund. Unfortunately, the university wants him to spend valuable time learning about social media from the annoying Leslie Wickerham.
Ms. Denooyer deserves praise for writing such an engaging, page-turning book that spans generations. The Weathervane connects the past and present, providing a satisfying ending. Her talent for evoking real emotion and bringing her characters to life is remarkable. The ending is shocking and will keep readers thinking about The Weathervane long after the last page has been turned. Bravo, Ms. Denooyer, for once again crafting a bittersweet story filled with tenderness and love.
September 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¼
This novel, which I would classify as historical fiction (and yes, I believe the 1950s counts!), is told across two timelines: the 1950s and 2015. It tackles very heavy mental health topics with sometimes violent and explicit detail. The modern-day storyline delves into morality, lies, and the ripple effects of family secrets across generations.
For me, the pacing was uneven. The first half unfolded very slowly, but once the 1950s narrative picked up, the mystery unraveled quickly, with the resolution occurring within the final 10–15%. This led to a rushed ending. I had mixed feelings about the conclusion: while the two main characters in the modern timeline ended on a hopeful, romantic note, the direction the female lead’s future takes is not addressed at all, maybe implying it doesn't matter, except how it all would effect her life was a main plot driver, and there were still several other loose threads. The subplot involving the ex-husband felt unnecessary, and a few family member storylines were left unresolved. Honestly, had this been a movie, I would have assumed the ending was written with a sequel in mind.
I received a free copy of the book from BookSiren and am voluntarily providing an honest review.
Although parts of the book were compelling and well-written, I ultimately felt unsettled, with too many unanswered questions to feel completely satisfied. I also found the level of graphic detail concerning sensitive topics warranting a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide. Yet, these details cannot be addressed without being spoiler-heavy. I don't know how this could be resolved, but I felt it was important to mention it in my review.
This novel, which I would classify as historical fiction (and yes, I believe the 1950s counts!), is told across two timelines: the 1950s and 2015. It tackles very heavy mental health topics with sometimes violent and explicit detail. The modern-day storyline delves into morality, lies, and the ripple effects of family secrets across generations.
For me, the pacing was uneven. The first half unfolded very slowly, but once the 1950s narrative picked up, the mystery unraveled quickly, with the resolution occurring within the final 10–15%. This led to a rushed ending. I had mixed feelings about the conclusion: while the two main characters in the modern timeline ended on a hopeful, romantic note, the direction the female lead’s future takes is not addressed at all, maybe implying it doesn't matter, except how it all would effect her life was a main plot driver, and there were still several other loose threads. The subplot involving the ex-husband felt unnecessary, and a few family member storylines were left unresolved. Honestly, had this been a movie, I would have assumed the ending was written with a sequel in mind.
I received a free copy of the book from BookSiren and am voluntarily providing an honest review.
Although parts of the book were compelling and well-written, I ultimately felt unsettled, with too many unanswered questions to feel completely satisfied. I also found the level of graphic detail concerning sensitive topics warranting a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide. Yet, these details cannot be addressed without being spoiler-heavy. I don't know how this could be resolved, but I felt it was important to mention it in my review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2025
Two stories woven together with a central theme of understanding, love, and compassion. You will find this in Laura DeNooyer’s, The Broken Weathervane. The main characters, Leslie and Dr. Gregory Stafford, have strong personal motivation for their everyday actions that at times are unkind or deceptive. Each is hiding truths from the other regarding their personal history, as well as their present day experiences. Both of them have pasts that haunt them. As the story progresses they learn to see good in each other. Understanding replaces mistrust. The ramifications of mental health concerns affect the characters both past and present. Disclosure may be the only solution. However, disclosure may be the undoing of the individuals most needing compassion, love, and understanding.
The book begins with a fitting quote from Henry Van Dyke, “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” The Broken Weathervane is a story of enduring love overcoming what has been broken. Read The Broken Weathervane for enjoyment, as well as to contemplate the answers to difficult questions along with the characters!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. Opinions expressed are my own.
The book begins with a fitting quote from Henry Van Dyke, “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” The Broken Weathervane is a story of enduring love overcoming what has been broken. Read The Broken Weathervane for enjoyment, as well as to contemplate the answers to difficult questions along with the characters!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. Opinions expressed are my own.
September 7, 2025
Talented author Laura DeNooyer has penned a moving and compelling story in her novel, The Broken Weathervane. With a riveting plot and realistic, engaging characters, this book immediately caught my interest and kept it to the end. The dual timelines of the early 1950s and 2015 were integrated well with no confusion between the two. The author handled the subject of mental illness with sensitivity and compassion. It was interesting, but heartbreaking, to see the treatment of mentally ill people in the 1950s as compared to medical advances in 2015.
The characters were very well-drawn and multi-layered. I enjoyed meeting university grants officer Leslie Wickersham as she interacted with Professor Gregory Stafford while they were both interested in learning more about the Buckwalter family. As Greg tries to find the missing pieces of his biography about author Fritz Buckwalter, Leslie is also trying to unravel puzzling things about her family. I loved the banter between Leslie and Greg as they got to know each other better and their relationship began to change and grow.
Powerful themes of family, love, compassion, and grace give depth to this tale as it unfolds layer by layer. I'm looking forward to more stories from this author.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
The characters were very well-drawn and multi-layered. I enjoyed meeting university grants officer Leslie Wickersham as she interacted with Professor Gregory Stafford while they were both interested in learning more about the Buckwalter family. As Greg tries to find the missing pieces of his biography about author Fritz Buckwalter, Leslie is also trying to unravel puzzling things about her family. I loved the banter between Leslie and Greg as they got to know each other better and their relationship began to change and grow.
Powerful themes of family, love, compassion, and grace give depth to this tale as it unfolds layer by layer. I'm looking forward to more stories from this author.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
August 9, 2025
The Broken Weather Vane
Laura DeNooyer’s new novel explores a family’s history, slowly revealing the impact of mental illness across its generations.
In the 50s, we see the Buckwalter sons attempting to run a family business, raise families of their own, and pursue side careers as novelists. One brother’s progressively erratic behavior shifts from worrisome to threatening as witnessed by his brothers and wife. Driven by shame, they build a cocoon of secrecy around the family and work to ensure no one knows what’s happening in their private circle.
Generations later, DeNooyer’s contemporary protagonist, Leslie, takes a university job with a professor who’s researching the literary legacy of the Backwater family. His work is stymied by silence and secrets—secrets Leslie knows and a silence only she could break.
DeNooyer’s telling of multi-generational stories, the running soundtracks of period music, and her ability to vividly capture time, place, and conversation make page turners of her work. The Broken Weathervane also helps her readers vicariously live the successes, struggles, and profound heartbreaks of a typical family coming to terms with something they don’t understand.
Laura DeNooyer’s new novel explores a family’s history, slowly revealing the impact of mental illness across its generations.
In the 50s, we see the Buckwalter sons attempting to run a family business, raise families of their own, and pursue side careers as novelists. One brother’s progressively erratic behavior shifts from worrisome to threatening as witnessed by his brothers and wife. Driven by shame, they build a cocoon of secrecy around the family and work to ensure no one knows what’s happening in their private circle.
Generations later, DeNooyer’s contemporary protagonist, Leslie, takes a university job with a professor who’s researching the literary legacy of the Backwater family. His work is stymied by silence and secrets—secrets Leslie knows and a silence only she could break.
DeNooyer’s telling of multi-generational stories, the running soundtracks of period music, and her ability to vividly capture time, place, and conversation make page turners of her work. The Broken Weathervane also helps her readers vicariously live the successes, struggles, and profound heartbreaks of a typical family coming to terms with something they don’t understand.
August 18, 2025
In Laura DeNooyer’s latest split-time novel, The Broken Weathervane, the author skillfully switches between the present story and the early 1950s. University grants officer Leslie Wickersham struggles with what to do with newly uncovered family secrets that could impact English professor Dr. Gregory Stafford and his efforts to earn a coveted full professor status.
Leslie’s quest to learn the truth about her family’s history is brought to life through the reading of her grandmother’s diary. If Leslie pulls a thread, many long-held truths could unravel, family relationships could tumble like a house of cards, and a highly regarded professor’s future could be in jeopardy.
The Broken Weathervane includes a family history backstory that is thought-provoking, complex, and full of grey areas. The entire novel had numerous plot twists and plenty of surprises.
The author’s artful writing style includes witty puns, entertaining dialogue, and clever turns of phrase. Readers will enjoy the banter between the two present-day main characters as they exchange literary references throughout the story. They also develop a rapport of trust that hints at the potential to grow into something more.
Leslie’s quest to learn the truth about her family’s history is brought to life through the reading of her grandmother’s diary. If Leslie pulls a thread, many long-held truths could unravel, family relationships could tumble like a house of cards, and a highly regarded professor’s future could be in jeopardy.
The Broken Weathervane includes a family history backstory that is thought-provoking, complex, and full of grey areas. The entire novel had numerous plot twists and plenty of surprises.
The author’s artful writing style includes witty puns, entertaining dialogue, and clever turns of phrase. Readers will enjoy the banter between the two present-day main characters as they exchange literary references throughout the story. They also develop a rapport of trust that hints at the potential to grow into something more.
July 26, 2025
I enjoy literary mysteries and historical fiction. Lucky me: I got both with The Broken Weathervane. The story involves office politics and operations at a small private college which serves as the setting of the story. The author uses alternate chapters as she switches between the past and present. The past, however, isn’t so long ago that many of the same people are present in both timelines.
The protagonist embarks on a quest to obtain enriching employment at the college while balancing her family’s role in the unfolding literary mystery. She works for the professor who is researching her family for his book. Of course, he is unaware that his administrative assistant and tech advisor is part of his focal family of authors.
The book seems plausible to me and attracted me on several levels: literature, history, and social systems. The story moves right along, and a romantic thread evolves. I wouldn’t call this a “romance”, but the element is there. I enjoyed the story lines and the sum of its parts. There is an element of tragedy as well. The protagonist is engaged by all these elements in worthwhile quest. Well done.
The protagonist embarks on a quest to obtain enriching employment at the college while balancing her family’s role in the unfolding literary mystery. She works for the professor who is researching her family for his book. Of course, he is unaware that his administrative assistant and tech advisor is part of his focal family of authors.
The book seems plausible to me and attracted me on several levels: literature, history, and social systems. The story moves right along, and a romantic thread evolves. I wouldn’t call this a “romance”, but the element is there. I enjoyed the story lines and the sum of its parts. There is an element of tragedy as well. The protagonist is engaged by all these elements in worthwhile quest. Well done.
October 8, 2025
This is not just a feel good, happily ever after read. It is deep, insightful and often sad. The subject matter of mental illness, especially as it was diagnosed and treated in the 1950's, was difficult and often more destructive than helpful for long term effects. Also, the individuals in this novel are so realistically portrayed with all their flawed and self-focused thoughts, conclusions and rationalizations that one cannot help but step back and conduct self evaluation with regard to how costly the lack of truthfulness can be to relationships and reputation. Personally, I needed to refrain from binge reading because I felt so badly for Eddie and his family. I'm sure that speaks of the author's talent in bringing the reader into the story and circumstances. I am very grateful that there has been much progress with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, and hope that the efforts to even further minister in this medical arena will continue to vastly improve in the future.
I believe that reading this novel should help to encourage more compassion for those afflicted and for their families.
I believe that reading this novel should help to encourage more compassion for those afflicted and for their families.
July 28, 2025
The Broken Weathervane was a beautiful book to read, while at the same time a challenging one due to mental illness being at the center of the story. The dual timeline was very effective in showing the impact of such secrets carried through generations. DeNooyer was so sensitive in her well researched treatment of mental illness and its effects on a family, while creating a storyline that allowed good to come from such hard. Oma, the beloved and strong grandmother, swallowed so much pain to protect her family’s reputation and how they were remembered. While Leslie, her granddaughter, brought the dark things of her family full circle in her work with the very Mr. Darcy-like Professor Stafford.. The story definitely focuses on mental illness - bringing it to light, finding ways to better understand it, and accepting its reality while looking for ways to change the way it is dealt with in communities. The author accomplished that very well. I received a complimentary copy of The Broken Weathervane but that in no way influenced my review.
August 28, 2025
Laura has once again delivered a moving, layered story. With her gift for creating thoughtful, complex characters, she draws readers into the lives of Leslie and her grandmother’s generation, weaving a dual narrative across decades with honesty and heart. The treatment of Eddie’s mental health struggles in the 1950s is handled with remarkable sensitivity, shining light on both the lack of care available then and the deep ripple effects on future generations. While the dual timelines and large cast take a moment to settle into, they ultimately enrich the novel, offering a fuller picture of loyalty, family secrets, and the bonds that shape us. The slow-burn romance between Leslie and Greg adds a tender note amid the tension, making it easy to root for them. With themes of grace, forgiveness, and the cost of truth, this is a book I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys family dramas, literary mysteries, or books about good stories. Having had the privilege of reading an early copy in exchange for this review, I can say Laura’s storytelling continues to impress me!
July 25, 2025
DeNooyer’s split-time stories will encourage your heart and melt it at the same time.
As newly divorced Leslie begins a position at Raymond University working with a prestigious professor, she also has to keep family secrets hidden. When Leslie receives her grandmother’s diary, a heart wrenching story of mental health challenges and attempted suicide emerge.
Contemplating her history and how it will affect her future, Leslie navigates how much she can share with Dr. Stafford. The professor is writing a tell-all about Leslie’s famous uncle. Their budding relationship may end if the professor learns of the past and Leslie’s attempts to stay incognito.
Can Leslie and the professor ever hope to have a relationship beyond books and appreciation of a famous writer? We certainly hope so.
The Broken Weathervane is another memorable, realistic, and heartfelt story from DeNooyer.
I received an advanced copy of this novel, but all opinions are my own.
As newly divorced Leslie begins a position at Raymond University working with a prestigious professor, she also has to keep family secrets hidden. When Leslie receives her grandmother’s diary, a heart wrenching story of mental health challenges and attempted suicide emerge.
Contemplating her history and how it will affect her future, Leslie navigates how much she can share with Dr. Stafford. The professor is writing a tell-all about Leslie’s famous uncle. Their budding relationship may end if the professor learns of the past and Leslie’s attempts to stay incognito.
Can Leslie and the professor ever hope to have a relationship beyond books and appreciation of a famous writer? We certainly hope so.
The Broken Weathervane is another memorable, realistic, and heartfelt story from DeNooyer.
I received an advanced copy of this novel, but all opinions are my own.
August 13, 2025
This is a book I won’t forget. It’s a heartfelt story that touches on a difficult subject- mental illness. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy literary and complex plots with dual timelines. In the contemporary timeline, a lovely grant officer hired by a university to deepen community and social media exposure faces an obstinate professor who disdains such platforms. DeNooyer creates delightful banter and tension between the opposite personalities with a touch of romance. In the 1950’s timeline, DeNooyer unpacks the complexity of mental illness and its impact on family. Her careful research reveals how mental illness was often treated by ineffectual experimental procedures. As both stories and timelines unfold, characters face difficult choices. Should some truths be hidden or kept secret to avoid hurting others? DeNooyer is a gifted writer who makes both historic and contemporary characters come alive. I look forward to reading more of her books.
July 30, 2025
Denooyer’s Broken Weathervane weaves a tale of guilt, love, betrayal, and protection, all wrapped up in the heartache of mental illness and the cost of family secrets. A split-time novel set, on one hand, in our current social media age, and on the other, the “golden age” of the 50s, this meaningful story delves into the question, Does silence protect or imprison? No spoilers, but as you fall in love with these characters, you’ll realize with Leslie Wickersham that sometimes it isn’t so easy to tell.
One of the most wonderful parts of this story is how Denooyer handles the issue of mental illness. Compassion, both for those with the illness—and for those who love them—breathes across the page. No simple answers! But a full-bodied story that shows heart, care, and yes, the difference perspective makes.
Another great book club book from Denooyer.
One of the most wonderful parts of this story is how Denooyer handles the issue of mental illness. Compassion, both for those with the illness—and for those who love them—breathes across the page. No simple answers! But a full-bodied story that shows heart, care, and yes, the difference perspective makes.
Another great book club book from Denooyer.
July 31, 2025
Leslie Wickersham is a university grants officer tasked with enlightening an English professor in the world of social media. While she admires Greg Stafford’s flair for teaching, he can be curt and arrogant with her. He also has research on her family that she’s anxious to see. He doesn’t know she’s related to his last desired interviewee who’s rebuffing him.
A dual timeline goes back to the 1950s when Leslie’s Great Uncle Fritz gained fame as a novelist and her grandfather Eddie became troubled with issues that threatened to tear the family apart.
Liberally sprinkled with literary quotes and Instagram posts, and troubling questions on how to deal with mental illness.
Once Stafford gets over himself, he’s practically perfect in every way. Leslie, plagued with a blackmailing ex, is a sympathetic character you’ll love to cheer for.
August 1, 2025
The Broken Weathervane is a dual timeline book which will hook you in from the moment you start reading the first chapter. This book has hit many spots in what people of the 1950s and today have had to deal with. War aftermaths, mental crises, and family secrets (that remains hidden, and no one wants to talk about). I loved reading the banter between the Dr. Professor and Leslie/Renee, as well as Oma and Max as they are all delightful characters to read about in this book. This is by far the best book that I've read by this author. All of Laura DeNooyer's books are well-written and ones that you should pick up and read for yourselves on how good they are!
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed here are only my honest opinion.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed here are only my honest opinion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews