Lincoln Ladies
New England Trilogy, Book 3
by Suzy Duffy
Release Date: October 30 , 2014
Genre: FICTION/ Contemporary Women/ Romance/Contemporary
ISBN e-book: 978-1-61213-274-7
~~SUMMARY~~
Kate Kavanagh is happy raising her daughter and focusing on work, but when the girl moves to New York for a fantastic job and ends up moving in with her philandering father, things get complicated.
Her best friend, Madeline Stein, has been a career girl all her life. As a single mom, her job defines her, so when she loses it, Maddy needs to find something or someone else to make her forties fun.
Portia Kavanagh hits New York with a bang, but she’s so hungry for adventure she bites off more of the Big Apple than planned. Portia retreats to what she thinks is the sanctuary of her father’s home and soon discovers she’s not the only one in the family with an overactive appetite.
Kate and Maddy find themselves leaving their lovely hometown of Lincoln, outside Boston, for the fertile and romantic hills of Tuscany. However, blue skies, rich wine, and charming Italians bring the women a whole new world that they have to maneuver with the grace and style of a Lincoln Lady. Portia’s high-octane life in Manhattan comes at a price, too. Out of the millions of men she could have, she chooses the only one she’s meant to avoid. Her quandary: Has she made a mistake of epic proportions or found the one in a million?
This is a story of three fantastic women on a journey of self-discovery. With more ups and downs than a Florentine fairground, the ladies survive love, loss, and fresh pasta by laughing at life and using a doggie bag. There are lots of thrills and spills along the way, but in the end it’s all about friendship, attitude, and walking off that fabulous food. Come on an adventure and enjoy the ride with the lovely Lincoln Ladies.
Suzy Duffy’s New England Trilogy is like the entertaining version of The Real Housewives franchise. There’s a couple of middle aged housewives who are facing the proverbial fork in the road. One is usually a stay-at-home wife while, then there’s the best friend who is corporate powerhouse, then the of-age daughter(s) who is going through life changes that can be challenging to cope with. All three books are women’s stories which we can all relate to in some ways.
It is romantic installment. It continues the theme of relationships, of family, of loss, of hope. Kate Kavanagh is seemingly happy watching her daughter grow up into a beautiful and independent girl. She sees her of to the train station as she heads to New York for a new job where she will be staying with her father. Of course, things don’t pan out exactly as planned.
Meanwhile Kate needs to tend to her best friend, Madeline Stein - a single Mom whose has just lost her job. Although it takes more pages than I would like to get there, the three girls find themselves in romantic Tuscany - blue skies, good wine and those pesky but charming Italian men. Any more description and I’ll give the story awa
The pace is fast enough without you having to worry about holding on to your seat; the characters are vivid and alive; the writing is just smooth and flowing throughout. Suzy makes it easy for you to move along with the story; to laugh along with the girls; to worry about their predicament and to, finally, enjoy the journey to the last page.
I also liked the idea that the novel is inspired by the movie, Under The Tuscan Sun. Kate and Maddy saw the movie and decided to take a trip to Italy where they found love, friendships, and some sort of an awakening. Getting out of one’s comfort zone is one of the predominant themes in this book and Duffy illustrated it really well.
~~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~~
Suzy Duffy is an international and #1 best-selling author. She writes laugh-out-loud, life-affirming stories about women from five to ninety-five. (Sometimes she writes about men, too, but only for comedic purposes, and pets—if they’re funny.)
Her books have won numerous awards and critical acclaim. They’ve been published in Norwegian and German, and she gives 10% of her royalties to www.FOBH.org
Her New England trilogy includes:
Wellesley Wives – September 2012
Newton Neighbors – September 2013
Lincoln Ladies – September 2014
- “Five Star rating . . . An all-American heart-warming romantic comedy.”
“Suzy Duffy . . . I had wondered who would be filling Maeve Binchy’s shoes . . . EXCELLENT . . . Highly Recommended.”
“Duffy isn’t just a good writer, she’s a darn good storyteller, too—a rare combination.”
Suzy is Irish and currently lives in Boston with her husband, five children, and one dog. She was recently a guest speaker at the Sydney Writers Festival in Australia. She loves connecting with readers, book clubs, and writer’s events.
“If you can't be a good example, at least be a terrible warning.”
It’s funny the things that stick with you from childhood – even when you don’t quite understand them. I had a very colorful grand aunt who would announce at five o’clock in the evening that it was wine o’clock. Being about seven years old, I had no idea what she was talking about but after her second glass of wine, she’d sometimes accept a third and look to us kids saying, “If you can’t be a good example, at least be a terrible warning.”
The theory was we’d see how badly she was behaving and never make the same mistake ourselves. Flash forward thirty years and I’ve been known to accept a third glass, laughing to myself and thinking fondly of her. Did she serve as a terrible warning? No. Quite the opposite in fact, she was a shining example of how to live life to the max and celebrate every day. I’m not suggesting we all down a bottle of wine every night, but it is smart to make the most of every day. I aim to live by the 5:2 rule. 5 nights a week, I try to be a good example to my children; eating healthy, I get my writing & editing done and head to bed early. Then for 2 nights a week – I can be a terrible warning. That’s when I stay up to late, maybe go out with friends or watch movies and eat fast food. In the spirit of true confessions, I’ll admit I’ve been known to have a third glass of wine now and again too. Who wants to be a good example all the time? Boring!
It would also be a pretty unrealistic aspiration to burden the kids with.
Children need to see balance in life. We’re all muddling through trying to do our best and most of the time, most of us get it right but to slip up is pretty normal too and I think our kids need to know that. Dieting is the divil’s own for me. I start every week with great intentions, limiting my calories and sticking to fresh fruit snacks. I’m pretty good when I’m writing because I’ll bring a huge mug of coffee and an apple up to my desk. If it’s in front of me, that’s what I’ll eat. But when Saturday rolls around and I’m on the road with the kids doing soccer runs and – worse again, after-game pizza parties – well, I’m done for. All bets are off and so is the diet. I’d guess I probably lose about 2 lbs most weeks and then gain them back every weekend. Crazy? Perhaps but it’s my crazy. It works for me and I love to let my hair down at the weekend.
I didn’t set out to use this expression in Lincoln ladies but it’s funny, it just fitted. Maybe my colorful aunt had more of an impact on me that I realized.
I suggest we let the children make of it what they will. I’m striving to be a good example and if I can’t pull it pull it off, well it’s wine o’clock somewhere…
Here’s to laughing at life.
Lots of love Suzy
XX
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