“But, she thought, her story wasn’t over yet.  Possibilities remained.  Sometimes Agnes felt frozen in the expectation of a remarkable destiny that might still materialize” (p 36).

“She had this reaction at church when a familiar hymn was sung, at the symphony when the violins were exquisite, even at baseball games when the tenor began the nation anthem.  The music was a kind of trigger that summoned emotions normally kept in check.  Reverence.  Gratitude.  A sense of something greater than herself.  Sorrow.  Heartache.  Loneliness” (p 243).

This is a reunion story,  about a group in the early 40’s that haven’t seen each other since high-school, coming together for a wedding in the Berkshires.  The entire book is about one weekend, with snippets of a fictional story written as a means of escape and control by one of the characters, letters written to lovers and spouses, and stories told of the past.

I loved this book.  I finished it, and I wished that it was me that had written it.  The story, and the characters, and how life turns out… it wasn’t a happy story, but it was so very well written.  The dialogue was simplistic, but meaningful.  The descriptions and the emotions raw and beautiful.

I loved it.