Dec 6, 2011
Percy Darling is a 70-year-old widower settling into retirement. He lives in a historic home near Boston. He has given the adjoining barn to a pre-school with the proviso that his daughter will work there. This tale of family complications is told from the points of view of four men: Percy; his grandson, Robert; Ira, a teacher at the school; and Celestino, a Guatemalan gardener. Each provides a perspective on the events surrounding the Darling clan. A somewhat rambling story, the author has well-developed characters that love, collide and upend each other’s lives. Readers who enjoy “living” in a family for the length of a book will enjoy the Darlings and their encounters with the world and each other.