Ann Leary crafts narratives that delve into the intricate tapestry of human relationships and the inner landscapes of her characters. Her writing offers a profound exploration of themes such as love, loss, and the search for self. Leary is celebrated for her refined literary style and her remarkable ability to create deeply authentic and nuanced individuals. Her stories invite readers into worlds rich with emotional resonance and life's complexities.
In 1927, when eighteen-year-old Mary Engle, while working at an institution for mentally disabled women, learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is an inmate, who begs Mary to help her escape, it forces Mary to make a terrible choice with life-altering consquences.
Hildy Goodová žije od narodenia vo Wendoveri, pôvabnom starosvetskom mestečku na Severnom pobreží severne od Bostonu, a pozná tam skoro každého. Vie o všetkom, čo sa v meste odohrá, a keďže je úspešnou realitnou agentkou, matkou a babičkou, cez deň sa takmer nezastaví. No keď si jej dcéry vezmú do hlavy, že priveľa pije, a donútia ju absolvovať protialkoholické liečenie, Hildine večery začnú byť veľmi osamelé. Jej život sa zmení, keď sa do mestečka prisťahujú bohatí manželia McAllisterovci. Hildy sa s Rebekou McAllisterovou spriatelí. Spoločne zaháňajú smútky neškodnými klebietkami a potajomky aj fľašou vína pri kozube. Lenže onedlho sa v meste začne klebetiť aj o Rebeke. Hildy sa ju pokúša chrániť, no jej dávny priateľ Frank Getchell ju pred Rebekou varuje. To, čo spočiatku vyzeralo ako nevinné tajomstvo, sa postupne prepletá s inými tajomstvami a udalosti naberú nečakaný spád.
Hildy Good has reached that dangerous time in a woman's life - middle-aged and divorced, she is an oddity in her small but privileged town. But Hildy isn't one for self-pity and instead meets the world with a wry smile, a dark wit and a glass or two of Pinot Noir. When her two earnest grown-up children stage 'an intervention' and pack Hildy off to an addiction centre, she thinks all this fuss is ridiculous. After all, why shouldn't Hildy enjoy a drink now and then?