grandkids

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

edited by Barbara Graham. This collections of essays by well-known writers/grandmothers is not the sweet book about being a nana that I was looking for. It's like a punch in the gut, actually. It's an honest look at what being a grandmother is really like for these women. There's no sugar coating here. These women have stories about their relationships (or lack of) with their adult children, their feelings about not seeing junior enough or seeing him too much. I recommend it because life is real. Someone may find something similar to their situation and feel comforted.