House and Home - Softcover

Kathleen McCleary

3.46

492 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1401341047 ISBN 13: 9781401341046

Publisher: Hyperion, 2009

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"[One] of the most engrossing books this season."
--O at Home

"Altogether so superior it's hard to believe that it's a debut."
--Booklist

"This novel is a delight. It grabs you from the opening paragraph . . . and holds you with its cathartic exploration of home and family."
--The Oregonian

Ellen Flanagan has two precious girls to raise, a cozy neighborhood coffee shop to run, terrific friends, and a sexy, if irresponsible, husband. And she adores her house, a yellow Cape Cod filled with quirky antiques, beloved nooks, and a million memories. But as her eighteen-year-roller-coaster marriage heads toward divorce, she's about to lose it all--her house, her husband . . . and her sanity.

Set in the gorgeous surroundings of Portland, Oregon, Kathleen McCleary's funny, poignant, curl-up-and-read debut strikes a deep emotional chord and explores the very notion of what makes a house a home.

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About the Author:

Kathleen McCleary is a reporter and writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, More, and Health. A column she wrote on marriage for USA Weekend magazine generated more mail than any other first-person column the magazine had ever run. She is also a regular columnist for HGTV.com; one of her pieces sparked such huge reader response that it launched a TV series on the HGTV network, "Bad Bad Bath."

From Booklist:

Ellen can stand losing her husband. With his weird inventions and obsession with magic tricks, he has ignored family finances and sent them plummeting into financial hell. It is the loss of the beloved home that she has decorated so lovingly over the years that threatens to shatter her. The fact that her daughters don’t want to leave the house, either, only adds to Ellen’s sorrow. To make matters worse, the perky new owner shows up early to measure windows, check out the walls, and make notes for her contractor. As this oblivious woman rambles on about the changes she is going to make, it becomes obvious to Ellen what she needs to do. In McCleary’s poignant, gently humorous novel, the characters seem utterly alive, and the locations are exquisitely described. This book also has one of the best opening paragraphs in recent memory, and is altogether so superior it’s hard to believe that it’s a debut. Readers who enjoy fine women’s fiction, such as Mary Alice Monroe’s Sweetgrass (2005), will be delighted to discover this new author. --Shelley Mosley

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