J. Courtney Sullivan, the New York Times bestselling author of "The Engagements" and "Commencement," will speak about her new novel, "Saints for All Occasions," at the Harry Bennett Branch of Ferguson Library on Wednesday, May 31 at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and a book sale and signing will follow the talk.
About the book: Nora and Theresa Flynn are 21 and 17 when they leave their small village in Ireland and journey to America. Nora is the responsible sister; she's shy and serious and engaged to a man she isn't sure that she loves. Theresa is gregarious; she is thrilled by their new life in Boston and besotted with the fashionable dresses and dance halls on Dudley Street. But when Theresa ends up pregnant, Nora is forced to come up with a plan—a decision with repercussions they are both far too young to understand.
Fifty years later, Nora is the matriarch of a big Catholic family with four grown children: John, a successful, if opportunistic, political consultant; Bridget, quietly preparing to have a baby with her girlfriend; Brian, at loose ends after a failed baseball career; and Patrick, Nora's favorite, the beautiful boy who gives her no end of heartache. Estranged from her sister, Theresa is a cloistered nun, living in an abbey in rural Vermont. Until, after decades of silence, a sudden death forces Nora and Theresa to confront the choices they made so long ago.
The Washington Post called it "This year's best book about family... Elegant... Captivating... A quiet masterpiece."
"A blockbuster...An engrossing family drama with feisty humor and transformative tough love," says Elle.
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