From Publishers Weekly
In her sprightly second novel, Saunders (
The Marrying Game) humorously captures the love affair between the boisterous British Darling family and their lifelong girl-next-door, Cassie. With emotionally distant parents of her own, Cassie has looked to the Darlings—Phoebe, Jimmy and their sons Ben and Fritz—for warmth ever since she was a child. At 31, Cassie, who is a literary editor, is thrust into the role of matchmaker when terminally ill Phoebe asks her to find suitable wives for 31-year-old Fritz and 29-year-old Ben. Much like the boys of
Peter Pan, Fritz and Ben don't want to grow up: they don't have proper careers or serious girlfriends, and they still live at home with Phoebe. So it's much to Cassie's surprise that they're willing to help her fulfill their mother's dying wish. Soon Cassie is keeping the boys in dates while also dealing with her own relationship woes. With steady work and steadier girlfriends, Fritz and Ben suddenly seem headed toward a belated adulthood, and Cassie wrestles with deepening feelings for Fritz. Though Phoebe doesn't live to see the day, Cassie ultimately makes a very suitable match for her son. Witty banter and spirited characters propel this lighthearted novel to its heartwarming if formulaic conclusion.
(Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Growing up next to the Darling family was a joy for Cassie, whose own family was cold and distant. Phoebe and Jimmy Darling treated her as their own daughter, and their sons, Fritz and Ben, were like brothers to her. It is years later and Jimmy has long since passed away and Phoebe is terminally ill. Willing to do anything for the woman who was more like a mother to her than her own was, Cassie promises Phoebe that she will find wives for her two boys--a promise that will be almost impossible to keep. Both Fritz and Ben are entrenched in their bachelorhood, enjoying the company of many women, doing laundry and housework only when necessary, and working as little as possible. How is Cassie going to find any woman in her right mind who would want to marry either one of these men, and will Cassie's own infatuation for Fritz keep her from finding him a suitable wife? Saunders writes a funny, touching, and sweet story about love, family, and keeping promises.
Carolyn KubiszCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
