I just discovered Marie Bostwick, and I like what I've found. Think Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street novels, Kate Jacob's Friday Night Club, or Nancy Thayer's Nantucket-based novels. Women's friendships are a wonderful basis for stories focused on dealing with change and overcoming adversity. I think that's one of the reasons why the TV series The Golden Girls still has just as much charm and appeal as it did 30 years ago. Women reaching out to each other in friendship and supporting each other in times of trouble, with or without men in the mix, is a theme that never grows old and stale for women readers.
Recently divorced, 50ish Evelyn Dixon arrives in New Bern, CT from Texas to experience the beautiful autumn colors of New England for the first time. While exploring the town she discovers an empty storefront in an alley called Cobbled Court and decides to follow her life's dream of opening a quilt shop. After 6 long months of renovation and almost all of Evelyn's savings, she opens for her first quilting class, a breast cancer benefit. Her customers include Abigail Burgess, a wealthy, uptight scion of the town, Abigail's troubled niece, Liza, who is in Abigail's custody due to an unfortunate brush with the law, and Margot Matthews, a downsized marketing expert. This unlikely group forms a friendship, which strengthen even more when they pull together to help Evelyn through an unexpected (but not to the readers!) illness.
Bostwick creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere in this first of the Cobbled Court series. If you are anything like me, you'll be anxious to read the next installment because you'll feel like you've made some new friends. too.
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