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THE LATE BLOOMERS' CLUB by Louise  Miller

THE LATE BLOOMERS' CLUB

by Louise Miller

Pub Date: July 17th, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-101-98123-8
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking

Nora Huckleberry, born and raised in Guthrie, Vermont, is forced to consider life-altering decisions for herself and the town when she and her sister inherit a neighbor's property that was in the process of being sold to HG Corporation to build a big-box store.

Nora grew up in the Miss Guthrie Diner her parents owned. When her mother died, she helped her father run the diner and mothered her younger sister, Kit. Now the diner is hers...along with all the responsibilities. When Kit, who’d left home for big city life, returns full of plans for the money she'll get from the sale of the 200 acres their neighbor, Peggy Johnson, surprisingly left to them, Nora can’t help but contrast her life to Kit’s. What are her dreams? Nora falls in love with the property despite the expenses and obligations that come with it. Then she gets a letter informing her that Peggy, the former owner, had been paying thousands of dollars a month to keep a mysterious woman named Elsie, who has Alzheimer's, living in the local nursing home. What kind of relationship did they have? To complicate matters, Nora is drawn to Elliot, HG’s representative, and the feeling is mutual. How will this impact her decision not to sell the land? Despite the split in town over what some see as progress and others as the ruin of small-town charm, the solution is a good one for all. In this feel-good tale, characters are somewhat stereotypical, including the almost too-nice-to-be-real Nora. When Nora’s dream falls into her lap, it isn’t so much because she made it happen as because she stays true to her convictions and realizes she was already living her dream.

Miller’s (The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living, 2016) second novel is comfort food and country charm with a happy ending.