After passing by and admiring the lovely, tranquil book cover of this women's fiction novel several times over the past year or two, I finally picked it up.

As I got into the reading, I enjoyed watching Maggie and Jo's friendship grow. I also liked seeing how Jo gradually comes to grips with what happened in her marriage and how she has to reevaluate the way she deals with her former husband.

Now, while I was definitely into Maggie's journey, there's a key "twist" I found to be unsurprising but also not that convincing for her character. Especially considering that Maggie is well-traveled and into serious art, it seems that somewhere over the course of seventy years, she would have thought of at least the possibility of that type of "twist" on her own.

As for Jo, though I see why there's romance in her storyline, I'll admit it isn't the kind that really moves me. For me to find a developing romantic relationship compelling, I need to find both parties to be compelling as romantic characters, and not just concerning their physical looks or inward feelings. I like both parties to be outwardly interesting contributors to the relationship—with both sides of their conversations, what each one does for the other, etc. showing that they're an equal match. Personally, I didn't get a good sense of that kind of chemistry in this case.

Style wise, I think the novel could have used fewer descriptions that are clichéd or rather on the nose. And the narrative details and characters' comments are sometimes repetitive.

Even so, the plot in general kept me reading. And the story handles some tough and even tragic parts of Maggie's and Jo's lives in a way that tugged on my heart without dragging me down. I think the book's length is a good match for the story it tells, and overall, its essence is one of hope. ( )