Anne Rivers Siddons - Up Island

100. Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons (1997)
Length: 342 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 12 November 2012
Finished: 15 November 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 5 November 2012
Why do I have it? I like Anne Rivers Siddons as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Molly Bell Redwine has had the mantra 'family means everything' instilled in her from early childhood by her charismatic, demanding  mother. But in what seems like a single instant, Molly's world is tilted on its axis and she is shaken to her very core by the aftermath. When her husband of more than twenty years leaves her for a much younger woman, Molly's world crumbles around her. She is devastated to learn that the "Other Woman" has stepped in to Molly's life and essentially replaced her - moving into Molly's house, taking over her social position and earning the affection of Molly's son.

With the death of her domineering mother, Molly is truly set adrift in the world. Seeking refuge with a friend in Martha's Vineyard, Molly begins to search for her own identity. When her friend departs, she decides to stay in Martha's Vineyard by herself. Molly rents a small cottage, assuming the duties of caretaker for two cantankerous elderly women who share a haunting secret, the gravely ill and estranged son of one of those women, and a pair of territorial swans.

As Molly's stay on Martha's Vineyard widens the distance between her and her old life in Atlanta, she learns to let go of her outdated notions of family and becomes part of a different - but still very real - new family. As winter closes in on Martha's Vineyard, Molly struggles to nurture them and looks forward to a more hopeful future.

I really enjoyed reading Up Island. In my opinion, Anne Rivers Siddons is a truly great author - she really draws the reader into the story, and they are captured by a desire to know what happens next. I vaguely remember reading this book before several years ago, but  I couldn't really remember most of the plot, so it was like reading an entirely new book for me. I give Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons an A+! and will place it on my keeper shelf to read again.

A+! - (96-100%)
  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight