"Louis Charles Lynch (also known as Lucy) is sixty years old and has lived in Thomaston, New York, his entire life. He and Sarah, his wife of forty years, are about to embark on a vacation to Italy. Lucy's oldest friend, once a rival for his wife's affection, leads a life in Venice far removed from Thomaston. Perhaps for this reason Lucy is writing the story of his town, his family, and his own life that makes up this rich and mesmerizing novel, interspersed...

Irene is a single career woman in her 40s with a job to die for. As the secret critic, she checks into the world's finest hotels to assess their standards. Her elegant, unattached lifestyle affords her the freedom to jet around the globe at a moment's notice to experience a world of luxury, but doesn't leave her with much of a personal life. After a chance meeting, she's compelled to re-examine her choices and charts her own path to happiness, despite...

A troubled young girl must choose between a carefree and exciting life in the city and a hard-work, no frills country lifestyle in order to learn who she really is and what she wants out of life.