Achingly tender. A refreshingly frank story of a woman who is developmentally disabled and the family that loves her. ( )

Interesting premise. Adequate structure to hang the story on. Writing - uninspired - needed to be braver and go into each character's heart more deeply..

I am the mother of a 43 year old developmentally challenged daughter - in a group home Mon. - Friday. She has two younger sisters. I'm always interested in reading books (fact or fiction) on this topic because there are relatively few of us from way back then. Although I realize this book was set about a generation before I became a mother -- and yes, mothers really were often superficial, emotionally confused & vacant back then -- still it was very difficult for me to relate to Ella (the mother) andt to her relationship to her husband.

I did appreciate Lena's little world and her determination to stand her ground and do things her way. Her focus on taking the little children home, and her love of animals was sweet and true. Her shopping sprees were convincing, as was her general confusion at the beach and about her husband's absence. By the way, how could someone like Bob get a commercial driver's license!?

There were some very humourous and believable bits: the dance at the charm school, the dinner party was great. The grandchild Shelley was well depicted, as she gradually realized that she, not Aunt Lena, was the adult.

The ending was well done, which left me more caught up in this book than it really warrented. ( )