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Waiting on Wednesday (July 8)

July 8, 2009 by Darlene


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.


I am eagerly waiting for That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo. It’s to be released on August 4, 2009 by Knopf. Here’s a bit about it from Random House…

Following Bridge of Sighs—a national best seller hailed by The Boston Globe as “an astounding achievement” and “a masterpiece”—Richard Russo gives us the story of a marriage, and of all the other ties that bind, from parents and in-laws to children and the promises of youth.

Griffin has been tooling around for nearly a year with his father’s ashes in the trunk, but his mother is very much alive and not shy about calling on his cell phone. She does so as he drives down to Cape Cod, where he and his wife, Joy, will celebrate the marriage of their daughter Laura’s best friend. For Griffin this is akin to driving into the past, since he took his childhood summer vacations here, his parents’ respite from the hated Midwest. And the Cape is where he and Joy honeymooned, in the course of which they drafted the Great Truro Accord, a plan for their lives together that’s now thirty years old and has largely come true. He’d left screenwriting and Los Angeles behind for the sort of New England college his snobby academic parents had always aspired to in vain; they’d moved into an old house full of character; and they’d started a family. Check, check and check.

But be careful what you pray for, especially if you manage to achieve it. By the end of this perfectly lovely weekend, the past has so thoroughly swamped the present that the future suddenly hangs in the balance. And when, a year later, a far more important wedding takes place, their beloved Laura’s, on the coast of Maine, Griffin’s chauffeuring two urns of ashes as he contends once more with Joy and her large, unruly family, and both he and she have brought dates along. How in the world could this have happened?

That Old Cape Magic is a novel of deep introspection and every family feeling imaginable, with a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one, his daughter’s new life and, finally, what it was he thought he wanted and what in fact he has. The storytelling is flawless throughout, moments of great comedy and even hilarity alternating with others of rueful understanding and heart-stopping sadness, and its ending is at once surprising, uplifting and unlike anything this Pulitzer Prize winner has ever written.

I’ll be reading this one closer to the release date and I can’t wait. One of my favorite books was Empire Falls so I’m really looking forward to this newest one. What about you? What are you waiting for? Leave me a comment or your link.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandy Nawrot says

    July 8, 2009 at 9:58 am

    I'm with you on this one. Not only do I love the cover, it sounds like the perfect book to curl up with.

  2. Beth F says

    July 8, 2009 at 11:46 am

    I love Russo! Can't wait for his new book and I'm glad the setting is back in New England.

  3. Scrap girl says

    July 8, 2009 at 11:50 am

    I love the cover and the title. Can't wait to hear more.

  4. Kaye says

    July 8, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    This is definitely going on the list. I do miss the cape and that area until the winter and then I am glad I am in Fl. But, I still love to read books set there.
    I hope you're having a great week Dar and happy reading.

  5. Kristen says

    July 8, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    This one looks really interesting. Definitely makes it look like a summer read by the cover, but it's got some depth to it. 🙂

  6. bermudaonion says

    July 8, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    This one sounds like a winner!

  7. MISSY says

    July 8, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    Oh Dar, how funny! I almost picked this for my WOW! And I also love the cover…you know….sucker for beach scenes. 🙂

    Have a great afternoon!

  8. Mary says

    July 9, 2009 at 12:02 am

    Since he's my favorite author I'm waiting right there with you, Dar! I kind of have high hopes for this one.

  9. Kristi says

    July 9, 2009 at 3:57 am

    Wow – that's it – just wow – sounds like a great book!

  10. Toni says

    July 9, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    I love Richard Russo. Can't wait for this. Might have to buy it on that day and just sink into a comfy chair.

  11. Zibilee says

    July 9, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    I, too, love Richard Russo, so this one is a must read for me. I am eagerly awaiting this one!

  12. Veens says

    July 10, 2009 at 12:26 am

    Sounds really good and that cover is interesting 🙂

  13. Alice Teh says

    July 10, 2009 at 1:36 am

    I don't think I've read this author but this one sounds good, Dar!

  14. JoAnn says

    July 11, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    I love Richard Russo, but didn't know he had a new book coming out! You can be sure I'll be rushing out to buy this is hardcover. I'll have to readjust my August reading plans 😉

  15. naida says

    July 12, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    This does sound like a good book.
    I havent read this author before, i'll have to check him out.
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

  16. Dar says

    July 20, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    Thanks everyone for visiting my Waiting on Wednesday post. It seems like a lot of us really like Richard Russo. I enjoy his writing style and can't wait to read this newest of his.

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