Lorna Landvik
accumulated a large following of fans who loved the endearing
characters and humor in novels such as Patty Jane's House of Curl
and The Tall Pine Polka.
Humor and likable characters make Welcome to the Great Mysterious,
her fourth novel, an enjoyable read even though its plot
is predictable.
Broadway star Geneva Jordan is 48, menopausal, and aching from being
dumped by her costar and lover, Trevor. Her fraternal twin, Ann, coaxes
Geneva back to small-town Minnesota for a month to care for 13-year-old
Rich, who has Down syndrome, so Ann and husband Riley can have a
much-needed getaway.
It's not to be expected that a childless, self-centered Broadway diva
would be a natural with kids, particularly a child with special needs,
and Geneva and her nephew have some anxious testing-you moments. But
Geneva doesn't have to go it alone: Rich has a best friend, Conrad, a
delightful boy who is able to joke about his cerebral palsy. Conrad's
mother, Barb, is a steady, caring woman who quickly becomes a close
friend. The local mailman, James, a corporate dropout and closet
musician, has a daughter almost Rich's age, giving him reason to spend
time with Geneva and Rich. There's attraction between James and Geneva,
though she's not sure what it means.
Along with finding friends in the small town, the big-city star finds a
scrapbook she and Ann created as children. In "The Great Mysterious,"
as they titled it, they had invited their elders to answer big
questions (What is the meaning of life? What is true love?). As Geneva
rereads the answers of her parents and grandmother, she reassesses her
life — but not so much that she isn't tempted when Trevor
reenters the picture and proposes marriage.
The grounding Geneva regains returning to her roots help her to choose
between Trevor and James. Like most everything else in the novel, the
choice isn't a surprise, but Welcome
to the Great Mysterious is still too heartwarming to
leave readers really disappointed.
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