The Prodigal Wife: A Novel

by Marcia Willett

Overview

"Deservedly compared to her countrywomen, Binchy and Pilcher, Willett is an equally gifted storyteller."—Booklist


The Keep - that beautiful, ancient family home where the Chadwick family had lived for generations - is still a haven from the heartbreaks and storms of life. Jolyon Chadwick, a famous television presenter, takes his new girlfriend Henrietta home meet his extended family - and also to meet Maria, the mother who deserted him and his father many years ago, now re-appeared and seeming to want forgiveness. Jolyon, however, is not in the mood for forgiveness - although his father Hal, now married to his cousin and childhood sweetheart, feels a lingering guilt about Maria and wants them all to be friends. And Henrietta, still vulnerable from the break-up of her own parents' marriage, is not sure whether she can move on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312672294
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/18/2011
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

The Prodigal Wife is MARCIA WILLETT'S eleventh novel to be published in the U.S. Her novels are available in over ten countries around the world. She lives in Devon, England.

Reading Group Guide

About the Book

"Deservedly compared to her countrywomen, Binchy and Pilcher, Willett is an equally gifted storyteller." —Booklist

In Marcia Willett's latest novel, Jolyon, who had been abandoned by his mother, Maria, is living at the Keep with his father and his stepmother Fliss. Now that Jolyon is a successful television presenter of gardening programs, the recently widowed Maria, lonely and impressed by her son's fame, reappears and hopes to step back into his life. But Jolyon finds it difficult to trust his mother and forgive the hurt she had inflicted on him.

Discussion Questions:

Is Jolyon justified in fearing Maria will ruin everything? Is Henrietta justified in fearing her relationship will mirror her mother's? Does Hal's announcement of his impending wedding happen at the right moment? Does Cordelia underestimate the danger she's in from the mysterious intruder? Do Jolyon and Henrietta seem to be a well-matched couple or will their respective baggage from their childhoods make for problems? Does Cordelia interfere too much in Henrietta's life? Are Maria's motives for attending Jolyon's birthday party understandable? How often do the dogs in this novel serve to help their human counterparts get through difficult moments? Will Elinor ever be free of Simon's power? Are the men and the women in this novel equally afraid of love?

Editorial Reviews

"[A] gentle, charming novel of indiscretion, grudges, love, and mortality . . . The plot clicks along with pleasant, cathartic rhythms and an intriguing mystery subplot.'' - Publishers Weekly

''The institutions of marriage and family come under particularly keen scrutiny in Willett's reliably tender hands.'' - Booklist

From the Publisher