Synopsis: “A war widow and a neglected boy form a chosen family in a profoundly moving multigenerational saga about the transformative power of kindness by New York times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

It’s 1970 in rural California where Shirley Bennett, a forty-year-old Vietnam War widow, lives with her two sons. It’s a routine life until she sees Cash Pierce, a scruffy eleven-year-old boy, trailing the fence alongside her Appaloosa, Phoenix. The horse has never given such a welcoming nicker to anyone but her late husband. Even her stubborn old dog Edsel takes to the boy. Out of curiosity and compassion, so does Shirley.

Abandoned by his father, his mother in jail, and being raised by his teenage brother, Cash is lonely, bullied, but smart as a whip and starved for attention. Shirley begins inviting him for dinners, providing lunch money, sewing his shirts, and offering the maternal care he desperately needs. Neither realises that such simple acts of kindness create a bond that will span five decades and redefine family itself. No matter where life takes Cash, he will never forget her.

Through war, loss, grief, illness, second chances, and years of separation, they will meet again. Shirley was there for Cash. Now it’s his turn to be there for Shirley when she needs him the most.“

My Review

This was such a lovely story from an author who is definitely becoming one of my favourites.

The story is told from Shirley’s point of view, through the years starting in 1970 and finishing in 2026. It’s a wonderful family saga about everything that life throws at Shirley and her nearest and dearest, including those who aren’t related by blood.

I loved Shirley and Cash, both wonderful characters that had me rooting for them all the way through the book. Even though Cash is really only in the beginning and the end of the book, he was written so well that just like Shirley and her son Curtis I kept wondering what he was up to and when he would reappear again.

I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I starting reading, it felt like a comfort read straight away, even though some of the subject matter was quite heavy at times. I don’t normally enjoy family sagas, and actively avoid anything with saga in the title, but this worked so well for me.

I’ve read three books by Catherine Ryan Hyde now, and I’m looking forward to reading many more!

Highly recommended if you enjoy books full of hope.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my digital ARC.