Two sisters. One with a great job, fancy car, seaside cottage, and good-looking boyfriend who doesn’t demand much. The other with a devoted husband, two grown sons, and a stable home life. Each one is grateful for what she has, yet a bit envious of what the other has as well.

After Charlene’s marriage falls apart, she wants nothing to do with her hometown in Michigan. She moves far away, starts earning a lot of money as a real-estate agent, and sets up a life for herself by the seaside in Maine. She leaves behind her parents and her sister, Janni, who with her husband now runs the family’s maple farm. But as her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary approaches, Charlene knows it is time for a visit back home.

As soon as she arrives in Tappery, MI, she runs into the gossip she had expected – and dreaded. But during her time at home, she runs into a lot more than that. Her parents seem to be having problems – putting into jeopardy the anniversary bash! Her sister seems to be hiding something. And an old friend is causing her pulse to race. . .

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I found myself discovering as I read it that I am starting to enjoy books about older women – now, why could that be? These women are about middle age, I guess, and it is interesting for me to peek down the road a few years to see what sorts of emotions and situations I will be facing.

The book is funny. Diann Hunt has developed her characters well, and I liked the interplay between all the personalities. Some of the themes are universal – women dealing with their eating habits, people wanting to prove themselves to those who knew them first, children wanting approval from their parents and siblings, and of course, wanting to be known and loved by someone special. These topics are easy to relate to for most of us and make the book engaging.

Be Sweet is available from Thomas Nelson Publishers. It includes a Reading Group Guide at the end.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 2:00 am

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