Lyman Ward, an elderly wheelbound man, is writing a biography of his pioneer grandparents. As he traces the history their life and marriage, we also get a glimpse into his own failed marriage. What he learns about marriage from his grandparents may affect how he handles his own relationship with his ex-wife.
This is a big, sprawling novel. The first 50 pages were tough to get through, but it picked up after that. Some parts seemed really long and overly descriptive (definitely NOT a beach/vacation read and I'm not sure if I'll ever read it again because it wasn't necessarily an easy read), but it was worth it for the final 50 pages or so. The ending provides lots of food for thought....when do we forgive? what makes us trust again? when do we try to rebuild trust and when do we throw in the towel? what does it take for us to stay engaged and work through deep hurt and broken trust? can we ever fully heal from betrayal? what if we decide not to stay? what does that say about us? A serious, thoughtful book that requires some commitment and time, but the ending and the questions it raised made it worth it for me.
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