After witnessing her father's death at a young age and spending the rest of her childhood in the shadow of her cruel and unpredictable mother, it's no wonder that Tess Blessing and her sister Birdie carry with them a life of trauma and fear. Even into middle-age, Tess is riddled with paranoia and hassled by the cynical voice of her now dead mother that haunts her thoughts. Lately, it seems like it's even harder for her to cover up her tendency toward unexpected panic attacks and irrational fears, especially as she suspects that her husband Will's extra time spent running the family diner might actually be spent having an affair, her daughter Haddie leaves for art school while struggling with an eating disorder, and her formerly sensitive, lovable baby boy, Henry, turns into a sullen teenager. When Tess is feeling at her most hollow and helpless, life deals her another blow - a diagnosis of breast cancer. The Resurrection of Tess Blessing gives us the story of how Tess, facing the possibility of her own imminent mortality, must set out to repair her family and herself before the cancer can claim her.

Once again, I've managed to read an entirely Lesley Kagen book and yet only realize while paring it down to its summary what a very dark, depressing book it appears to be. It seems Kagen is a master at dealing with devastating topics with a light touch, and The Resurrection of Tess Blessing highlights that talent yet again. Part of the way Kagen accomplishes that lightness is with her unusual choice of a narrator. The story is told from the perspective of Grace, Tess's imaginary friend, who's always around but only shows herself in times of extreme need. As Tess undergoes treatment and chisels away at her pre-death to-do list, Grace is always there to add a little levity and a sympathetic inside look at Tess's life thus far.

Despite its clever telling and its light touch, I struggled a little with The Resurrection of Tess Blessing because it took me a long time to actually start liking the characters. The husband that glibly drops his wife off for a lumpectomy and then heads to work, the prickly daughter with her hostile responses to her mother's efforts to get her to eat food, and the typical teenage boy who can't be bothered by those around him but requires a certain amount of babying all the same are necessarily aggravating because, of course, they have redeem themselves with flying colors at some point, right? Tess herself with all her groundless fears, quirks, people-pleasing tendencies, and paranoia was a hard character for me to love, too. I feel as if she is the sort of character that moms everywhere will see parts of themselves in, but for the rest of us who aren't moms and just have one, this book gives us plenty of reasons to feel guilty about the dozen tiny ways we might hurt our own mothers ever day.

On the whole, though, The Resurrection of Tess Blessing is a sweetly told tale of a woman's life flashing before her eyes at length. Characters that rub the wrong way at first are all part of a touching payoff that's totally worth it. By the end, you will be rooting for Tess to overcome her fears, see her family members for who they really are, and rediscover the life she'd imagined. ( )

By Lesley Kagen

Tess Blessing is fast approaching the age of fifty when she gets the unexpected bad results of a mammogram. Suddenly she is trying to deal with the reality of breast cancer. Now Tess feels she must resolve several issues before what she is sure is her impending death. So, she makes a “To Do” list.

Not to be confused with a “Bucket List” of wishes, Tess’s list involves many serious issues. She is dealing with a stagnate relationship with her spouse, her daughter’s eating disorder, a teenaged son who needs guidance, a longtime estrangement from her sister, and her own leftover childhood issues. Tess is resolved to handle all of this on her own, in her own way.

However, there are things happening that she does not know or see. Tess is not alone on life’s journey or in her current mission. She has a very unique, perhaps divine, personal “helper”. There is extraordinary magic here.

Lesley Kagen is a very special author. She skillfully blends drama, tragedy, and life events with her trademark heartwarming sense of humour. Ms. Kagen flawlessly makes every situation she tackles both touching and inspiring.

I am sure you will love Lesley Kagen and The Resurrection of Tess. I also recommend the “sister” novella The Undertaking of Tess. This sweet book tells the story of Tess’s childhood, giving both background and depth to Tess.

However, please do not stop there. Lesley Kagen has written several fine books. Her ability to bring to life the complexity of sisterhood, relationships, childhood memories, and life events is incomparable. This is an author not to be missed. ( )

I really loved this author's book Whistling in the Dark. So I was excited to read her newest book. I really struggled with this book. This saddened me. I could not relate to the characters. I have read other books where the characters are dealing with personal issues and connected with them on an emotional level that drew me in and wanted to continue their journey through the highs and lows. This did not happen for me. I kept reading hoping this would change for me as again I loved the other book I read by this author. Although I did like the narrator, Grace. She did try her hardest to pull me into Tess's world. I finally had to put this book down after only a third of the way in. ( )

A special thank you to SparkPress and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

EXTRAORDINARY! When I see advance praise for a new book, from my two favorite authors, Beth Hoffman and Diane Chamberlain, I know this is an author and a book I need, want, and have to read!

Lesley Kagen's The Resurrection of Tess Blessing does not disappoint. Immediately after finishing, I purchased the novella to learn more about Tess and Birdie’s childhood. Recommend reading both.

Set in Ruby Falls, Wisconsin, we pick up with character Tess Blessing (the OCD “list making” queen), from the novella, The Undertaking of Tess (formerly Tess Finley), now forty-nine years old, married to Will, for thirty years, and mother of Haddie and Henry, and lovable golden retriever, Garbo (the only one who seems to cooperate).

Will is the owner of the local popular Main Street 50’s style diner, Count Your Blessings where Tess helps out as well. Tess has all sorts of worries and fears (like her childhood); appears tragedy follows her everywhere she goes.

She is no longer the star of her children’s lives and she still holds on to her favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and continues to experience panic attacks. Now her concerns are real adult ones, so she has still has her imaginary friend, Grace to help her bear the load.

A list of Tess’ new problems:

• Will, her husband is going through a mid-life crisis. She suspects he is having an affair with sexy Connie from the diner. (No sex action between the sheets at home. He disappears on Wed nights returning with blond hairs and smelling of Tabu) not good signs.

• At her age she still has Grace, her IF (imaginary friend), thank goodness. Her sister Birdie, has IF (Bess).

• Tess has just discovered she has breast cancer and may die; no religious faith, and cannot tell anyone in the family of her illness. She is alone with PTSD and OCD among other fears

• Haddie, her eighteen year old daughter has an eating disorder; anorexia and bulimia, and she does not know how to help.

• Henry, her fifteen year old son, is distant, cruel and does not give her the time of day.

• Louise, her bitchy, self-centered mother (from novella), has recently died; her mother still talks to her from the grave, with continued sarcastic remarks and chimes in on every thought. She has to bury her once and for all and scatter her ashes.

• Birdie, her main problem. She has to get her to talk to her. Her fragile, agoraphobia, OCD, much loved sister is living in Boca and is not speaking to her, because they had a difference of opinion of trying to save their mother. Now she has to get her to help her spread their mother’s ashes. Thus far Birdie is ignoring her, and she may have to play the "cancer card".

If any of you have read my review of The Undertaking of Tess, you will learn how excited I was to discover this newfound author. The Resurrection of Tess Blessing is a poignant, emotional, and moving story, of a woman’s journey of dysfunction and life’s messiness, mixed with humor and wit. I laughed so hard, as Kagen has some great one-liners and so loved Tess’ To Do Lists and the way she strikes through the ones checked off. Priceless.

A page-turner you will not be able to put down, fast paced, keeping you in suspense to learn what the heck is going on with Will, dying to find out about Birdie, and rooting for some much needed happiness for Tess.

Lesley’s writing is unique as her character development is superb, with insightful feelings and thoughts, crossing over to psychological. The book reminded me a little of Elizabeth Hein’s How to Climb the Eiffel Tower (cancer, bad childhood, social issues, and funny as heck), Claire Cook’s sense of humor, and Amy Hatvany and Jennifer Weiner’s style of tackling highly-charged subjects with brutal honesty and hilarious laugh out loud humor and wit.

A book for every woman of any age, crossing many genres from marriage, relationship, family, dysfunction, sisters, siblings, love, motherhood, fears, mental illness, social issues, tragedy, grief, redemption, forgiveness, cancer, and most of all the humor.

If you love complex, poignant, funny, and uplifting self-discovery reads, The Resurrection of Tess Blessings is for you!

Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
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