"Deep relationship drama"
Angela and Conlan Malone divorce after fourteen years of
marriage because she never recovered from emotional
setbacks caused by her infant's death and a failed
adoption. The advertising guru flees Seattle for her
hometown of West End, a few hours away. In town, her
recently widowed mom and her sisters welcome her home, but
the siblings still hold some resentment on the special
treatment their dad provided to his Princess while they
slaved in the family restaurant, DeSaria's. Since the fourth grade, Lauren Ribaldo has worked to
insure she would never duplicate the loser life of her
mother. When she lost her job due to cutbacks, she
searched for employment to pay the rent, but high school
seniors have limited opportunities. Angela needs to help
the teen, finally hiring her as a waitress while she
struggles to save the family business. As she helps
Lauren improve her life, Angela feels she receives more
back as she has the child she always wanted, though she
thought it would be playgrounds for a while not fancy
dates. Déjà vu will soon test the relationship between
these proud folks. Readers will appreciate this deep relationship drama
starring a solid female protagonist struggling with
emotional setbacks and a fine support crew that brings
Angela further alive for the audience. The story line is
filled with emotional excitement whether it is the
restaurant, the broken link with Conlan or the growing
relationship between Angela and Lauren. Fans of a five
tissue box character study will enjoy THE THINGS WE DO FOR
LOVE and want a future tale starring an older Lauren. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 3, 2004
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The youngest of three daughters, Angela DeSaria Malone was
always "the princess" of the family, a girl who thought
she knew how her life would unfold. High School. College.
Marriage. Motherhood. That was how it had gone for her
sisters, her cousins, her friends. But it didn't work out
that way for Angie. She and her husband tried desperately
to have a child; year after year, their perfectly
decorated nursery remained empty. Finally, their marriage
collapsed under the weight of lost dreams.
After the divorce, Angie moved back to her hometown and
rejoined her loud, loving, slightly crazy family. In West
End, a place where life rises and falls in time with the
tides, she will find the man who once again will open her
heart to love . . . and meet the girl who will change
Angie's life.
Lauren Ribido lives in a rundown apartment in a bad part
of town with a mother who cares more about her next drink
than about her daughter. At seventeen, Lauren knows that
her aspirations in life may never come to pass.
From the moment they meet, Angie sees something special in
Lauren. They form a quick connection, this woman who is
desperate for a daughter and the girl who has never known
a mother's love. When Lauren is abandoned by her mother,
Angie doesn't hesitate to offer the girl a place to stay.
But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching
repercussions of this act of kindness. In a dramatic turn
of events, she and Lauren will be tested in a way that
mothers and daughters seldom are. Together they will
embark on an intensely moving, deeply emotional journey to
the very heart of what it means to be a family.
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