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Keeping Time
Daisy Phillips is tired of being treated like an old lady. Sure, there was that incident with the lawn mower and the mud. And she did get trapped at the top of a ladder. But that doesn’t make her incapable of living on her own, as her son Dennis seems to think. Now Dennis is pushing her to sell the family home in Liverpool and move into a retirement community. To make matters worse, her best friend is going away for the summer and the new boss at the library politely informed her that her services as a volunteer are no longer needed. Is it any wonder that Daisy is feeling distressed?
But the unflappable Daisy won’t go down without a fight. What she needs to boost her spirits is an adventure. A long-forgotten watch found in a box in the basement provides the perfect start. The watch belonged to her first love, an American soldier stationed in England during World War II. With a decades-old Brooklyn address as her only clue, Daisy embarks on a trip to New York City with plans to track him down and return the valuable keepsake, and maybe get a peek at the life she might have had.
But first there’s a haphazard family reunion, where she meets and settles in with her colorful American cousins on Long Island. Elisabeth is the harried working mother who’s engaged in a fashion battle with one of her five sons. Richard, her attorney husband, might be taking his enthusiasm for the game of darts too far. And their sullen teenage son Michael is on the brink of failing all his final exams. Though Elisabeth can barely keep up with the life she already has, she eagerly jumps on board with Daisy and her quixotic quest, determined to help Daisy find her long-lost love—an adventure that holds surprises for all involved.
But the unflappable Daisy won’t go down without a fight. What she needs to boost her spirits is an adventure. A long-forgotten watch found in a box in the basement provides the perfect start. The watch belonged to her first love, an American soldier stationed in England during World War II. With a decades-old Brooklyn address as her only clue, Daisy embarks on a trip to New York City with plans to track him down and return the valuable keepsake, and maybe get a peek at the life she might have had.
But first there’s a haphazard family reunion, where she meets and settles in with her colorful American cousins on Long Island. Elisabeth is the harried working mother who’s engaged in a fashion battle with one of her five sons. Richard, her attorney husband, might be taking his enthusiasm for the game of darts too far. And their sullen teenage son Michael is on the brink of failing all his final exams. Though Elisabeth can barely keep up with the life she already has, she eagerly jumps on board with Daisy and her quixotic quest, determined to help Daisy find her long-lost love—an adventure that holds surprises for all involved.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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774 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
August 15, 2023
I read this quite a while ago, and thought I had already posted it on Goodreads. So, here it comes now.
Is it possible to have happily ever after at 77?
This is the story of Daisy, a sweet, plucky 77-year-old woman trying to navigate the process of getting old gracefully. Her husband has passed away and one of her sons, Dennis, thinks she can't take care of herself and her beautiful old house and garden anymore.
The plot isn't anything unique – older woman proves she has vitality and value and reinvents herself.
The characters are well drawn, coming across as eccentric and fun. Mostly because the author did a great job of revealing the characters personalities and thoughts without over-explaining; just a brief sentence here and there and you get the whole picture on your own.
Overall, Keeping Time reminded me of the importance of female friendship, as well as the value and influence different generations have on each other.
Is it possible to have happily ever after at 77?
This is the story of Daisy, a sweet, plucky 77-year-old woman trying to navigate the process of getting old gracefully. Her husband has passed away and one of her sons, Dennis, thinks she can't take care of herself and her beautiful old house and garden anymore.
The plot isn't anything unique – older woman proves she has vitality and value and reinvents herself.
The characters are well drawn, coming across as eccentric and fun. Mostly because the author did a great job of revealing the characters personalities and thoughts without over-explaining; just a brief sentence here and there and you get the whole picture on your own.
Overall, Keeping Time reminded me of the importance of female friendship, as well as the value and influence different generations have on each other.
April 5, 2012
1 star/Fiction
Did not finish.
This sounded like such a good story and it got such high reviews here at GR that I was disappointed that no one mentioned that this book is written by a playwriter and reads as such. The sentences are so fragmented and disjointed that I couldn't get past the first few chapters.
Let me write the rest of my review with a taste of what you will find if you decide to attempt this book:
This is terrible, me saying. Really. Shared with family, laughing. Sigh, me. Toss book across room. Not worth a minute of time. Questioning. Who published this? Stupid. Drop book off at library. Drive away, fast. Glad that is over. Picks up better book. Smile.
Did not finish.
This sounded like such a good story and it got such high reviews here at GR that I was disappointed that no one mentioned that this book is written by a playwriter and reads as such. The sentences are so fragmented and disjointed that I couldn't get past the first few chapters.
Let me write the rest of my review with a taste of what you will find if you decide to attempt this book:
This is terrible, me saying. Really. Shared with family, laughing. Sigh, me. Toss book across room. Not worth a minute of time. Questioning. Who published this? Stupid. Drop book off at library. Drive away, fast. Glad that is over. Picks up better book. Smile.
November 29, 2010
Keeping Time is the story of Daisy, a sweet, plucky old lady trying to navigate the process of getting old gracefully. Her husband has passed away and one of her sons, Dennis, thinks she can't take care of herself and her beautiful old house and garden anymore. Of course there was the episode with the shower head she tried to fix and the one with the lawn mower in the mud....Desperately trying to prove that there is life in her yet Daisy goes jetting off to America hoping to find an old boyfriend to return his valuable watch and to meet some long lost relatives.
The plot isn't anything unique - old lady proves she has vitality and value and reinvents herself. The characters are well drawn, coming across as eccentric and fun. I especially liked Elizabeth, harried mother of 5 boys, trying so hard to get it right and, instead, getting it oh-so-wrong. What really turned me off about the book was the writing style. About half the sentences are written incompletely. I think this was meant to make it more realistic, like this is how people really talk or think. Instead it came across as choppy and interrupted and was distracting for me. In the end I just couldn't like this book as much as I wanted to.
The plot isn't anything unique - old lady proves she has vitality and value and reinvents herself. The characters are well drawn, coming across as eccentric and fun. I especially liked Elizabeth, harried mother of 5 boys, trying so hard to get it right and, instead, getting it oh-so-wrong. What really turned me off about the book was the writing style. About half the sentences are written incompletely. I think this was meant to make it more realistic, like this is how people really talk or think. Instead it came across as choppy and interrupted and was distracting for me. In the end I just couldn't like this book as much as I wanted to.
June 22, 2017
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Keeping Time through First Reads. It is the story of seventy-seven year-old Daisy Phillips, a Liverpool native who fell in love with one Michael Baker, an American solider, during World War II. Their romance ended abruptly when he went back to the States and stopped communications, Daisy never getting an explanation why. Now, looking for closure, an escape from her son who is trying to sell her house and put her in a senior center, and armed with only Michael’s letters and a prized pocket watch to guide her, Daisy embarks on a journey in search of her long-lost love, unaware of how it will touch the lives of those around her.
Daisy stays with unfamiliar family, cousins she had never met before, in Port Washington, Long Island, New York. Her relatives have their own issues to sort out, namely Elisabeth, a haggard working mom, worried her husband has an unhealthy hobby involving darts and that one of her sons, Michael, is drifting further and further out of her reach. Is Daisy the glue her cousins need to piece their lives whole again?
This is a novel that should be savored over a steaming cup of tea and dainty caramel scones. I loved the characters instantly and wholly, their warbles and missteps as real as they were endearing. (I loved how Elisabeth handled Michael’s appalling clothing choices. Priceless!) Small, everyday details made the story relatable and inviting, as though you might have experienced them yourself or know someone who has.
McGlynn uses an interesting, almost short-cut style of prose that takes a few chapters to get accustomed to, but which works pretty well for this novel, if perhaps it did a bit more ‘telling’ than ‘showing’ at times.
Overall, Keeping Time reminded me of the importance of female friendship, as well as the value and influence different generations have on each other. The first part of the book especially made me miss someone who meant a lot to me and who used to be in my life more than she is now. Only a very good book can evoke those types of feelings.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! I’m passing it off to my mom now, who can’t wait to read it herself after I told her how much it meant to me.
Daisy stays with unfamiliar family, cousins she had never met before, in Port Washington, Long Island, New York. Her relatives have their own issues to sort out, namely Elisabeth, a haggard working mom, worried her husband has an unhealthy hobby involving darts and that one of her sons, Michael, is drifting further and further out of her reach. Is Daisy the glue her cousins need to piece their lives whole again?
This is a novel that should be savored over a steaming cup of tea and dainty caramel scones. I loved the characters instantly and wholly, their warbles and missteps as real as they were endearing. (I loved how Elisabeth handled Michael’s appalling clothing choices. Priceless!) Small, everyday details made the story relatable and inviting, as though you might have experienced them yourself or know someone who has.
McGlynn uses an interesting, almost short-cut style of prose that takes a few chapters to get accustomed to, but which works pretty well for this novel, if perhaps it did a bit more ‘telling’ than ‘showing’ at times.
Overall, Keeping Time reminded me of the importance of female friendship, as well as the value and influence different generations have on each other. The first part of the book especially made me miss someone who meant a lot to me and who used to be in my life more than she is now. Only a very good book can evoke those types of feelings.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! I’m passing it off to my mom now, who can’t wait to read it herself after I told her how much it meant to me.
January 4, 2016
I enjoyed this story so much that I read half the first night. I liked that the main character, Daisy, is an old woman, almost 80, and she's smart and determined. In fact, there are a half-dozen characters in this book who are over forty, and they're portrayed as smart and inventive. There are several related subplots going on at once, which makes the book much more interesting. The characters are well-developed; you can see them, and they're sympathetic and relatable. They have goals and fight their way through obstacles to try to reach those goals (often with a lot of humor); they learn and grow. The only thing a bit off is that the author's style is to employ frequent use of incomplete sentences, but it's a minor objection. Keeping Time is a good enough book that I am curious to know if she's written anything else. A pleasure to read.
June 13, 2012
The story was quite good, but the writing style drove me nuts. It was written in the stream of consciousness mode which really isn't appealing to me. I prefer the use of action verbs and sentence structure please!
October 15, 2011
This was one of my Book Club Reads, translated that means this is not a book I would ever go pick off a shelf to read. I always love it when I am pleasantly surprised and drawn into a book that I wouldn't naturally choose. I am especially surprised with books like this that take me by surprise, draw me in, and hold my interest until the end.
As a writer myself I try to guess or think about how I would end a story and see if it measures up. I do say I had a different ending in mind but was pleasantly surprised with how it did end.
I give this book a four out of five and that is a high rating from me, it's an almost perfect, and it is Stacey McGlynn's first novel. I will definitely read more of her work, looking forward to it.
I think any avid reader will be taken away by this book!!
As a writer myself I try to guess or think about how I would end a story and see if it measures up. I do say I had a different ending in mind but was pleasantly surprised with how it did end.
I give this book a four out of five and that is a high rating from me, it's an almost perfect, and it is Stacey McGlynn's first novel. I will definitely read more of her work, looking forward to it.
I think any avid reader will be taken away by this book!!
August 6, 2017
Wow! I fell in love with it when I started it. It was worth the one month wait to get it from the library. It is Stacey McGlynn's first book and it is a winner, at least in my book!! I could not put it down and read it in one day and a half. What surprises are in it I cannot tell you for I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. I will say it spans the ages and it should appeal to all age groups. We are all in there! Do sign up for it..........all libraries in my area have a wait list and I live in the "burbs" of metro-Detroit. Better yet, buy your own copy and your family and friends will want to borrow it.
April 12, 2011
Skimmable novel--most sentences start with gerunds, not a happy style. Pre-fab plot lines jangling together--British woman getting older, son (mostly greedy daughter-in-law) wants her to move to senior cottages; long lost boy friend in USA, so reconnecting with cousins there bring out old family secrets and deus ex machina swoops in to tie everything a pretty package. No depth. Don't mean to be snarky, but I was so disappointed.
February 21, 2011
I really loved this book. The story was sweet, and I loved the characters. The author did a great job of revealing the characters personalities and thoughts without over-explaining; just a brief sentence here and there and you get the whole picture on your own. A unique story-telling style with a fast pace made this a quick and enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to her next novel.
April 25, 2011
I am not sure how this book made it past an editor because it was written almost entirely in sentence fragments. The story premise was good, but it was so poorly written, it wasn't worth trying to get through it.
July 30, 2021
I laughed out loud, cried tears of grief, cried tears of joy, and stayed up until 3am frantically turning page after page to find out what happens next. The spirit of this book has followed me around for days, giving me a sense of warmth and leaving me contemplating the things in life that mean the most and that really make life worth living. I’ve found myself cuddling Blake and Hattie, calling my mother, baking pies, and having a rather strong urge for a cup of tea in good company. What a wonderful hidden gem that I happened to pick up from one of my library’s displays! I plan to buy a copy to send to my mother and place on my own bookshelf. May we all pursue life like Daisy Phillips! A brief warning that the author has a background in screenplay, and the book is written in that style (rather than first person). It took a moment to orient myself, but then I enjoyed the little insights into the various characters’ perspectives. I also love the fact that this novel was inspired by true events in the form of a visit from the author’s English cousin.
February 4, 2022
After checking out five books at the library and then returning all of them having not read any of them because they were uninteresting, I discovered on my shelves this book Keeping Time that I just got at a family Library book sale. It is a sweet book and one that obviously you can read quickly as I did in one day although I must say the weather helped with that, an icy storm came our way.
It is the story of a 70 year old woman trying to decide if she should sell her house and what then would she do with her life?
Looking back into her life a surprise awaits her. She discovers new things about herself and new family members and it goes on from there. Yes the style of the author is unusual but then I got used to it and actually ended up liking it quite a bit the style that is.
It is the story of a 70 year old woman trying to decide if she should sell her house and what then would she do with her life?
Looking back into her life a surprise awaits her. She discovers new things about herself and new family members and it goes on from there. Yes the style of the author is unusual but then I got used to it and actually ended up liking it quite a bit the style that is.
August 27, 2017
I thought Stacy McGlynn's first book was wonderful. It's the story of Daisy and English woman going to America to find her lost love Michael. The writing had a different style which seemed to grow on me. Daisy was quite a lady. I'm sure you will enjoy her travels. Hope Stacy McGlynn comes out with another book soon.
August 2, 2024
What a sweet story! A feel-good book… like a story you might find on the Hallmark channel. If you’re looking for something light-hearted, this is it!
June 6, 2019
Another book told by an old woman who gets ‘fired’ from her volunteer job, has a son who wants her house, and is feeling a bit superfluous in her present situation. Daisy take steps, though, to hunt down a lost love.
Alway nice to read about a mentally active, even if slowed physically by 'old age' lady. Found book to be enjoyable.
July 4, 2016
Kept me hooked right to the end. McGlynn is adept at putting the reader right in the midst of the frenzied action when it occurs, like in the kitchen when the children, the husband, and the wife are all busy starting their day, work and school.
January 10, 2011
Originally I picked this up because the author shares my name. Then,I couldn't put this book down ! A delightful, quick read. Poignant, the characters became my friends. When's the next book coming out ?
February 11, 2016
Daisy Phillips is tried of being treated like an old lady. To prove to her two sons that she is still quite capable, Daisy embarks on a journey to find her long lost love. She uncovers past family secrets and finds a whole new family along the way.
This was a great, light read!
This was a great, light read!
November 21, 2010
A elderly woman from England travels to America to meet her family and try to search for an old beau. Somewhat Maeve Binchy-like.
January 8, 2011
I loved this book! It was my second free one from readitforward.com.
January 26, 2011
I hope that when I get to be Daisy's age that I have her spirit and determination. I found this book delightful, and I would highly recommend it.
February 8, 2011
This is a quiet little book that turns out totally enjoyable.
April 23, 2012
While I thought the story had great promise, I felt the style in which it was written was not as smooth as it could have been. At times it read like a narrative but just seemed "jerky" throughout.
September 27, 2018
This book was such a great surprise! If anyone needs a pick-me-up or would like to read a love story that stands the test of time and coincidences, this is the perfect book.
Daisy is an older woman, a widow, who lives in England. Her sons are grown and have long moved out. Dennis is on his second marriage to Amanda, much younger, who seems to only enjoy his money and “certain” inheritance, if only his mother would sell her home. Lenny surprises everyone by deciding to marry Sarah, mother to three daughters. (There goes part of the inheritance.)
Dennis is constantly telling his mother that she will be better off selling the house and moving to what seems to be an assisted living facility. Dennis and Amanda will be moving near the facility, to a more expensive part of the country. Daisy would rather not move out of her home, but certain unforeseen circumstances have her thinking. Daisy is very proud of herself for successfully replacing a washer in her leaking shower head. But a freak accident in the basement has water flooding it. Daisy tries to find out what is causing the flooding, and luckily is on a ladder when the water gets to the electric, resulting in Daisy not being able to move from the ladder until her son finds her the next day.
It’s been raining practically every day, and when a couple of nice days come about, Daisy is grateful that a friend’s grandson will come to cut the lawn. Unfortunately, the yard is muddy from all the rain and the lawnmower gets stuck. Daisy runs out to help, but in the process, both of them get caked with mud. Another situation where Dennis questions if his mother can live by herself.
Thankfully, Daisy got three things out of the basement before it flooded: her sons’ baby blankets and a jewelry box containing a watch her long lost love gave her. Michael was an American soldier who came to England and met her at her family’s bakery. They became close enough to get engaged, but Michael suddenly didn’t write to her anymore. So she got on with her life. But now she was thinking...and made a decision... that she would go to America and find Michael, giving him back the watch engraved from Author Rubinstein, to give to his children. And that’s just what she did. She would stay with a long lost cousin’s daughter, Elisabeth, in her Long Island home.
Elisabeth is a great character. There should be more forty-something premenopausal women in books. So relatable! Elisabeth, mother of five boys, CPA, does her best to keep her family going, and welcomes Daisy the best she can. Along with the normal activities of five boys, the job of being a mom, her never ending tax returns she does at her job, and her struggles with skipped periods, her mind obsesses over whether her husband is throwing darts at unsuspecting women on the street while riding his bicycle, and would rather look at pictures of puppies than do tax returns while at work. In her sleepless nights, she travels into the city...searching her husband’s office and finding a dart board on the back of his door and taking his bicycle out of its locked garage and putting it where someone can take it.
It turns out Daisy is the best thing that has happened to this family in a while. When they learn why Daisy came to America, middle son Michael not only wants to help Daisy find Michael, he is influenced by her and suddenly wants to do well in school again. The last known address of Michael is in Brooklyn. Daisy, Elisabeth, and Michael find the building, and meet Hulda Kheist, a 93 year old who has lived in her apartment since the 30’s. She doesn’t remember Michael or his family until days later when she comes across newspaper clippings of a fire where his parents were killed and Michael, trying to save them, injures his hand, making him unable to play the piano again. The article says he went to live in New Hampshire. So that’s the next trip...Elisabeth, Daisy, Michael, and Hulda on an adventure. No one in the small town knows who Michael is. Then, Hulda requests to go on a cog railway up Mount Washington. They all have a great time, but on the way down the mountain going home, they realize Hulda is missing. Not until days later when Michael opens up Hulda’s purse does he see the postcards addressed to them saying this is where she wanted to end her life, rather than alone in her apartment.
So does Daisy ever meet Michael again? Well, because of Hulda and the search party to find her, then Daisy thinking she recognized Michael from the search party, and young Michael shouting to him if he was Michael Baker... these circumstances set into motion not only a long lost reunion, but the beginning of a love story with Michael’s daughter, Catherine, and Daisy’s son Dennis, unhappily married at that time. Elisabeth also realizes that life is more than staring at a computer screen doing tax returns and will probably be doing something she enjoys much more.
Daisy is an older woman, a widow, who lives in England. Her sons are grown and have long moved out. Dennis is on his second marriage to Amanda, much younger, who seems to only enjoy his money and “certain” inheritance, if only his mother would sell her home. Lenny surprises everyone by deciding to marry Sarah, mother to three daughters. (There goes part of the inheritance.)
Dennis is constantly telling his mother that she will be better off selling the house and moving to what seems to be an assisted living facility. Dennis and Amanda will be moving near the facility, to a more expensive part of the country. Daisy would rather not move out of her home, but certain unforeseen circumstances have her thinking. Daisy is very proud of herself for successfully replacing a washer in her leaking shower head. But a freak accident in the basement has water flooding it. Daisy tries to find out what is causing the flooding, and luckily is on a ladder when the water gets to the electric, resulting in Daisy not being able to move from the ladder until her son finds her the next day.
It’s been raining practically every day, and when a couple of nice days come about, Daisy is grateful that a friend’s grandson will come to cut the lawn. Unfortunately, the yard is muddy from all the rain and the lawnmower gets stuck. Daisy runs out to help, but in the process, both of them get caked with mud. Another situation where Dennis questions if his mother can live by herself.
Thankfully, Daisy got three things out of the basement before it flooded: her sons’ baby blankets and a jewelry box containing a watch her long lost love gave her. Michael was an American soldier who came to England and met her at her family’s bakery. They became close enough to get engaged, but Michael suddenly didn’t write to her anymore. So she got on with her life. But now she was thinking...and made a decision... that she would go to America and find Michael, giving him back the watch engraved from Author Rubinstein, to give to his children. And that’s just what she did. She would stay with a long lost cousin’s daughter, Elisabeth, in her Long Island home.
Elisabeth is a great character. There should be more forty-something premenopausal women in books. So relatable! Elisabeth, mother of five boys, CPA, does her best to keep her family going, and welcomes Daisy the best she can. Along with the normal activities of five boys, the job of being a mom, her never ending tax returns she does at her job, and her struggles with skipped periods, her mind obsesses over whether her husband is throwing darts at unsuspecting women on the street while riding his bicycle, and would rather look at pictures of puppies than do tax returns while at work. In her sleepless nights, she travels into the city...searching her husband’s office and finding a dart board on the back of his door and taking his bicycle out of its locked garage and putting it where someone can take it.
It turns out Daisy is the best thing that has happened to this family in a while. When they learn why Daisy came to America, middle son Michael not only wants to help Daisy find Michael, he is influenced by her and suddenly wants to do well in school again. The last known address of Michael is in Brooklyn. Daisy, Elisabeth, and Michael find the building, and meet Hulda Kheist, a 93 year old who has lived in her apartment since the 30’s. She doesn’t remember Michael or his family until days later when she comes across newspaper clippings of a fire where his parents were killed and Michael, trying to save them, injures his hand, making him unable to play the piano again. The article says he went to live in New Hampshire. So that’s the next trip...Elisabeth, Daisy, Michael, and Hulda on an adventure. No one in the small town knows who Michael is. Then, Hulda requests to go on a cog railway up Mount Washington. They all have a great time, but on the way down the mountain going home, they realize Hulda is missing. Not until days later when Michael opens up Hulda’s purse does he see the postcards addressed to them saying this is where she wanted to end her life, rather than alone in her apartment.
So does Daisy ever meet Michael again? Well, because of Hulda and the search party to find her, then Daisy thinking she recognized Michael from the search party, and young Michael shouting to him if he was Michael Baker... these circumstances set into motion not only a long lost reunion, but the beginning of a love story with Michael’s daughter, Catherine, and Daisy’s son Dennis, unhappily married at that time. Elisabeth also realizes that life is more than staring at a computer screen doing tax returns and will probably be doing something she enjoys much more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2019
This is a lovely little story. Seventy-year-old Daisy is charming and spunky as she seeks to stay in her home (despite her son and daughter in law trying to move her to senior living). As she travels to the US to find her long-lost fiancé, we meet a cast of interesting family members and other characters who are all affected by Daisy in some way. Nothing groundbreaking here, just a sweet story about an older lady and those around her.
So why didn’t I rate this higher? As other reviewers have noted, the writing style is extremely off-putting. This author is a screenwriter, and it’s very evident. Stream of consciousness writing, fragments, etc. I thought I would get used to it, but I never did. If you love good grammar and sentence structure, you will likely find this style to be like nails on a chalkboard. I kept reading because I liked Daisy and this story.
So why didn’t I rate this higher? As other reviewers have noted, the writing style is extremely off-putting. This author is a screenwriter, and it’s very evident. Stream of consciousness writing, fragments, etc. I thought I would get used to it, but I never did. If you love good grammar and sentence structure, you will likely find this style to be like nails on a chalkboard. I kept reading because I liked Daisy and this story.
December 19, 2023
Daisy, a woman in her late seventies from Liverpool, decides she wants to find out what happened to her former American fiance from New York.
The build up takes a while. She has a son and, especially, daughter-in-law, who want her to sell her house and settle in a retirement home. She has relatives near New York City, on Long Island, who are living extremely over-booked, over-stressed, job-focused lives. But the daughter of her cousin agrees she can stay with them and so off she goes. Daisy wins over a disaffected teenage son, Michael, and, eventually, all the American relatives. During the search for the long lost fiance, Daisy and her relatives are joined by a home-sick Swiss nonagenarian who plays a key role in solving the puzzle. Nearly everything turns out well, perhaps a little too well, but it is a very sweet story.
The build up takes a while. She has a son and, especially, daughter-in-law, who want her to sell her house and settle in a retirement home. She has relatives near New York City, on Long Island, who are living extremely over-booked, over-stressed, job-focused lives. But the daughter of her cousin agrees she can stay with them and so off she goes. Daisy wins over a disaffected teenage son, Michael, and, eventually, all the American relatives. During the search for the long lost fiance, Daisy and her relatives are joined by a home-sick Swiss nonagenarian who plays a key role in solving the puzzle. Nearly everything turns out well, perhaps a little too well, but it is a very sweet story.
May 28, 2017
This little book was just what I needed! Very light and a tad bit zany :D
The premise of finding and searching for one's first love after having lived a full satisfying life at the age of 78 appealed to the romantic in me. Daisy's refusal to give up at home and take the daring chance and go to America was wracked with doubt but she kept determined and the ensuing adventure with her American cousins was very entertaining but also grounded in reality. But for the very end, things were not too coincidental, just sweet and true.
One thing I have to say, as a reader, I wasn't sure I really liked the author's approach to writing in incomplete sentences. But by the end of the book I found it less distracting.. I was just caught up in a good story!
The premise of finding and searching for one's first love after having lived a full satisfying life at the age of 78 appealed to the romantic in me. Daisy's refusal to give up at home and take the daring chance and go to America was wracked with doubt but she kept determined and the ensuing adventure with her American cousins was very entertaining but also grounded in reality. But for the very end, things were not too coincidental, just sweet and true.
One thing I have to say, as a reader, I wasn't sure I really liked the author's approach to writing in incomplete sentences. But by the end of the book I found it less distracting.. I was just caught up in a good story!
May 7, 2019
I just loved this book. I loved the main character, Daisy Phillips (age 77) and her spunkiness. Daisy's search for her relatives in America and her search for the owner of a special watch is a very sweet story.
It took me a while to get used to the author's different style of writing... but I found that I really enjoyed it. Lots of short statements getting to the point. The way we think. We seldom think about things in complete sentences.
I could NOT put this book down. I found myself laughing out loud in places... Stacy McGlynn did a beautiful job with this novel and I hope she is at work on more great reads like this.
It took me a while to get used to the author's different style of writing... but I found that I really enjoyed it. Lots of short statements getting to the point. The way we think. We seldom think about things in complete sentences.
I could NOT put this book down. I found myself laughing out loud in places... Stacy McGlynn did a beautiful job with this novel and I hope she is at work on more great reads like this.
August 10, 2018
Too bad so many reviewers had issues with the writing style. I found it quite delightful and a real change of pace. The story itself was very predictable - I kept waiting for something earth shattering to occur. Even though that didn't happen, it was fun to read something fairly light since I often read very heavy-duty historical novels. Living in New Hampshire myself, I especially enjoyed that part of the book when they all head to the White Mountains to continue the search for Michael. This was a good summer read - took only two evenings to complete.
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