There is nothing like a mansion in the English countryside to draw me to a novel. I enjoyed this one, but I have some mixed feelings. The story was good: Martha invites all of her children and grandchildren to Winterfold, the family home, for her eightieth birthday, during which she plans to reveal a long-held family secret (or two). Daisy, the eldest daughter, left to do charity work in the Middle East more than 25 years ago, leaving her infant daughter, Cat, behind and visiting just 4 times in the ensuing years. Son Bill, the local Doctor, has a grown daughter named Lucy and a second wife, Karen, who is increasing dissatisfied with Bill's lack of concern over their infertility issues. Florence, the youngest, is a brilliant but eccentric art historian and professor living in Italy. Granddaughter Cat lives in Paris and is harboring secrets of her own while Lucy struggles to make a career as a writer.
Martha's husband, David Winter, is a successful cartoonist. The two were born and brought up in the slums of London and have worked hard to make Winterfold a family home of which to be proud, a place to which all of their children and grandchildren can come home. Why don't they? David is keeping the facts about his heart condition from his children, Cat worries about repeating her mother's mistakes, Lucy founders at her job, Bill seems oblivious to his wife's worries, Florence has let love overrule her good sense, and Daisy is MIA.
I found it difficult to sort out all of the characters in the story because each chapter throughout the novel is devoted to a different person and written from their point of view. Once I finally figured out who was who, though, the storyline and setting took over and I enjoyed the book. I felt that at the end there were a couple of loose ends, but nothing major. It seemed more like a privacy issue for the characters (as if they were real people) than an oversight by the author. I would read more!
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