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Sep 21, 2014DorisWaggoner rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Mother Alison and au pair Ingrid, who's stayed for 40 years, worked to create a "blissful" childhood for her 6 children. Why, then, are most of them so reluctant to visit, and scattered from Canada to the States to Paris to who knows where? Why don't they keep in touch with each other, and why haven't they given her grandchildren? They can hold it together for short visits, but they don't want to admit to themselves that there are family secrets at the slightly shabby Edwardian mansion in which she raised them, and where their father is a vague figure in the background. Each child gets his or her say over the summer, and the secrets can't be held in. Interesting premise, but it's not my favorite of Penelope Lively's novels; I'm not even sure why. Maybe too many characters to keep track of?