I could not put this book down! The main character Jessie is at a crossroads, she was a housewife and mother but now her daughter is leaving for college and she is experiencing the empty next. She is a smart creative woman who kept her talents in a box (literally), and now she isn’t sure what she wants. She must go to her childhood home and confront her past. She realizes that maybe home isn’t so bad, it is actually a beatiful and peaceful place. There, she falls in love with another man, one who isn’t attainable (for reasons you’ll have to read to find out). Jessie is able to discover herself again, by rediscovering the beauty of her home and family and friends. Her reasoning for going home is slightly disconcerning, and was the only part of the book I disliked. The story is incredibly well written, and made me wish I could escape to my own natural retreat.
I think all women should be able to escape to a place of beauty. This book at least let me escape to this imaginary world that Sue Monk Kidd created, for a short while.