A Quiet Cadence

Download A Quiet Cadence full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online A Quiet Cadence ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

A Quiet Cadence

Author : Mark Treanor
Publisher : Naval Institute Press
ISBN 13 : 1682476375
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (824 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A Quiet Cadence by : Mark Treanor

Download or read book A Quiet Cadence written by Mark Treanor and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of 2020 W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction Military Writers Society of America Award Winner: Gold Medal in Historical Fiction Winner of the 2021 William E. Colby Award Sometimes it takes years for a combat vet to understand what war did to him when he was nineteen. With the perception and reflection of a man on the cusp of retirement from a career teaching high school kids, Marty McClure recalls the relentless intensity of prolonged combat as a teenaged Marine machine gunner facing booby traps and battles in a war with few boundaries. Family and friends know Marty as a kind, peaceful man. They aren‘t aware that when he was young, he plumbed the depths of terror, hatred, and despair with no assurance he‘d ever surface again. Now he needs to reveal what happened in Vietnam and how, with the help of Patti, his wife, Corrie Corrigan, a disabled vet, and Doc Matheson, a corpsman turned trauma surgeon, he works to become a good husband, father, and teacher while he fights to bury the war. Only if he accepts help from his wife and his friends will he find real peace.

Be Still My Soul

Author : Joanne Bischof
Publisher : Multnomah
ISBN 13 : 1601424221
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Be Still My Soul by : Joanne Bischof

Download or read book Be Still My Soul written by Joanne Bischof and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2012-10-02 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns. Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate. Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob. Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts? Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?

My Hope Is Found

Author : Joanne Bischof
Publisher : Multnomah
ISBN 13 : 1601424264
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis My Hope Is Found by : Joanne Bischof

Download or read book My Hope Is Found written by Joanne Bischof and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gideon O’Riley has been given another chance at a life with Lonnie. But will the fight for her heart risk it all over again? After finally finding love with his sweet bride Lonnie, Gideon’s heart was torn when a woman from his past claimed to be his true and rightful wife, forcing him away from his family. God’s merciful hand saw Gideon through the heartache, and with Cassie’s blessing, he is able to return home. But his journey back through the Blue Ridge Mountains will hold a trial he never anticipated. Meanwhile, Lonnie determines to seal off her heart from Gideon, convinced he is lost to her forever. Strengthening her resolve to move on is her growing fondness for the handsome Scotsman, Toby McKee—the young reverend she has come to care for deeply. His proposal of marriage offers a bright future for her and her young son. Yearning to allow joy back into her life, Lonnie must put aside the broken pieces of her heart that still love Gideon. When he returns to find her betrothed to another, he has to place his hope in God, trusting that the One who redeemed their love once can do it again. “Joanne has hit a home run with her Cadence of Grace series… With memorable characters and struggles aplenty, this is the kind of story that will have readers telling their friends, ‘You’ve got to read these books.’” —Lauraine Snelling, best-selling author of the Red River of the North series and Wild West Wind series

Silent Alarm

Author : Jennifer Banash
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0698173430
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (981 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Silent Alarm by : Jennifer Banash

Download or read book Silent Alarm written by Jennifer Banash and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-03-10 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alys’s whole world was comprised of the history project that was due, her upcoming violin audition, being held tightly in the arms of her boyfriend, Ben, and laughing with her best friend, Delilah. At least it was—until she found herself on the wrong end of a shotgun in the school library. Her suburban high school had become one of those places you hear about on the news—a place where some disaffected youth decided to end it all and take as many of his teachers and classmates with him as he could. Except, in this story, that youth was Alys’s own brother, Luke. He killed fifteen others and himself, but spared her—though she’ll never know why. Alys’s downward spiral begins instantly, and there seems to be no bottom. A heartbreaking and beautifully told story.

A Quiet American

Author : Andy Marino
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 9780312267674
Total Pages : 460 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (676 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A Quiet American by : Andy Marino

Download or read book A Quiet American written by Andy Marino and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2000-11-13 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Varian Fry, an American war correspondent, set up a secret refuge escape system in Marseilles to get leading artists and intellectuals out of occupied France.

Hunting the Corrigan's Blood

Author : Holly Lisle
Publisher : Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN 13 : 9781480095021
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (95 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Hunting the Corrigan's Blood by : Holly Lisle

Download or read book Hunting the Corrigan's Blood written by Holly Lisle and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cadence Drake is a finder of lost things. Badger Bede is a technical wizard adept at creating programs that make Cady's life easier. Both are handy with a stunner. All their talents are put to the test as they search for the Corrigan's Blood, a new kind of TFN-drive spaceship with some very special abilities. At first it looks like their dream job -- the job that will allow them to pay off their own ship, the Hope's Reward, and to be more picky about the clients and work they accept -- but they quickly learn that every dream has a price. Because behind the stolen ship lies the mystery of the people who stole it, people who appear to be using this insanely expensive vessel and others like it to smuggle inexpensive medicine to people who don't need it. And behind that mystery is another... Why are all these people linked to Cady's past and the one person who made it impossible for her to ever go home again? And why does everyone in the universe want her dead? Included in the purchase price of this book is a downloadable version of the song "Didn't Expect That," written about the book and available in both AAC and MP3 formats. You'll find the link for your gift at the back of the book.

Silent Winds, Dry Seas

Author : Vinod Busjeet
Publisher : Doubleday
ISBN 13 : 0385547056
Total Pages : 231 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (855 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Silent Winds, Dry Seas by : Vinod Busjeet

Download or read book Silent Winds, Dry Seas written by Vinod Busjeet and published by Doubleday. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A sweeping debut novel that explores the intimate struggle for independence and success of a young descendant of Indian indentured laborers in Mauritius, a small multiracial island in the Indian Ocean. "The beauty of Busjeet's splendid, often breathtaking book is, like the best stories of journeys to young adulthood, the precious and well-observed and heartbreaking details of day-to-day life." --Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Known World In the 1950s, Vishnu Bhushan is a young boy yet to learn the truth beyond the rumors of his family's fractured histories--an alliance, as his mother says, of two bankrupt families. In evocative chapters, the first two decades of Vishnu's life in Mauritius unfolds with heart wrenching closeness as he battles to experience the world beyond, and the cultural, political, and familial turmoil that hold on to him. Through gorgeous and precise language, Silent Winds, Dry Seas conjures the spirit and rich life of Mauritius, even as its diverse peoples live under colonial rule. Weaving the soaring hopes, fierce love, and heart-breaking tragedies of Vishnu's proud Mauritian family together with his country's turbulent path to gain independence, Busjeet masterfully evokes the epic sweep of history in the intimate moments of a boy's life. Silent Winds, Dry Seas is a poetic, powerful, and universal novel of identity and place, of the legacies of colonialism, of tradition, modernity, and emigration, and of what a family will sacrifice for its children to thrive.

All Through the Night

Author : Tara Johnson
Publisher : Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1496428412
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (964 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis All Through the Night by : Tara Johnson

Download or read book All Through the Night written by Tara Johnson and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-01-05 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With her stammering tongue and quiet ways, Cadence Piper has always struggled to be accepted. After the death of her mother, Cadence sets her heart on becoming a nurse, both to erase the stain her brother has left on the family’s honor and to find long-sought approval in the eyes of her father. When Dorothea Dix turns her away due to her young age and pretty face, Cadence finds another way to serve . . . singing to the soldiers in Judiciary Square Hospital. Only one stubborn doctor stands in her way. Joshua Ivy is an intense man with a compassionate heart for the hurting and downtrodden. The one thing he can’t have is an idealistic woman destroying the plans he’s so carefully laid. When the chaos of war thrusts Cadence into the middle of his clandestine activities, he must decide if the lives at stake, and his own heart, are worth the risk of letting Cadence inside. Everything changes when Joshua and Cadence unearth the workings of a secret society so vile, the course of their lives, and the war, could be altered forever. If they fight an enemy they cannot see, will the One who sees all show them the way in the darkest night?

Though My Heart Is Torn

Author : Joanne Bischof
Publisher : Multnomah
ISBN 13 : 1601424248
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Though My Heart Is Torn by : Joanne Bischof

Download or read book Though My Heart Is Torn written by Joanne Bischof and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2013-04-02 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gideon O’Riley has two wives—but he doesn’t know it. Settling into a simple life in the majestic Blue Ridge mountains, Lonnie and Gideon O’Riley have finally found happiness after the rocky start to their marriage. The roguish bluegrass musician has fallen in love with his gentle wife and the God she serves, and Lonnie rests secure in his tenderness for her and their young son. A heartless ruse interupts their peace, bringing them back to Rocky Knob—and forces them to face the claims of Cassie Allan, a woman who says she is Gideon’s rightful wife. As Gideon wades into the depths of his past choices, Lonnie is stunned by the revelations. She has no choice but to navigate this new path, knowing that surviving the devastating blow will take every ounce of strength she has. While Gideon’s guilt and his bitterness towards Cassie threatens to burn up his fledgling faith, Lonnie wrestles to find the courage to trust the God who brought them together in the first place. Will their hard-earned love be able to conquer all? Lonnie only wanted her husband’s love. Now that he belongs to another, can she surrender Gideon to a God with a bigger plan?

From a Low and Quiet Sea

Author : Donal Ryan
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0525505024
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (255 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis From a Low and Quiet Sea by : Donal Ryan

Download or read book From a Low and Quiet Sea written by Donal Ryan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE "Beautiful and affecting" -- David Nicholls, author of One Day A moving novel of three men, each searching for something they have lost, from the award-winning and Man Booker nominated author Donal Ryan. For Farouk, family is all. He has protected his wife and daughter as best he can from the war and hatred that has torn Syria apart. If they stay, they will lose their freedom, will become lesser persons. If they flee, they will lose all they have known of home, for some intangible dream of refuge in some faraway land across the merciless sea. Lampy is distracted; he has too much going on in his small town life in Ireland. He has the city girl for a bit of fun, but she's not Chloe, and Chloe took his heart away when she left him. There's the secret his mother will never tell him. His granddad's little sniping jokes are getting on his wick. And on top of all that, he has a bus to drive; those old folks from the home can't wait all day. The game was always the lifeblood coursing through John's veins: manipulating people for his enjoyment, or his enrichment, or his spite. But it was never enough. The ghost of his beloved brother, and the bitter disappointment of his father, have shadowed him all his life. But now that lifeblood is slowing down, and he's not sure if God will listen to his pleas for forgiveness. Three men, searching for some version of home, their lives moving inexorably towards a reckoning that will draw them all together.

Sons of Blackbird Mountain

Author : Joanne Bischof
Publisher : Thomas Nelson
ISBN 13 : 0718099117
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (18 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Sons of Blackbird Mountain by : Joanne Bischof

Download or read book Sons of Blackbird Mountain written by Joanne Bischof and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2018-07-03 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two handsome brothers. An age-old Appalachian feud. And a love that may tear the Norgaard family apart. After the tragic death of her husband, Aven Norgaard is beckoned to give up her life in Norway to become a housekeeper in the rugged hills of nineteenth-century Appalachia. Upon arrival, she finds herself in the home of her late husband’s cousins—three brothers who make a living by brewing hard cider on their three-hundred-acre farm. Yet even as a stranger in a foreign land, Aven has hope to build a new life in this tight-knit family. But her unassuming beauty disrupts the bond between the brothers. The youngest two both desire her hand, and Aven is caught in the middle, unsure where—and whether—to offer her affection. While Haakon is bold and passionate, it is Thor who casts the greatest spell upon her. Though Deaf, mute, and dependent on hard drink to cope with his silent pain, Thor possesses a sobering strength. As autumn ushers in the apple harvest, the rift between Thor and Haakon deepens and Aven faces a choice that risks hearts. Will two brothers’ longing for her quiet spirit tear apart a family? Can she find a tender belonging in this remote, rugged, and unfamiliar world? A haunting tale of struggle and redemption, Sons of Blackbird Mountain is a portrait of grace in a world where the broken may find new life through the healing mercy of love. “Beloved author Joanne Bischof doesn’t disappoint with her latest beautifully written, heartrending tale . . . a quick favorite for historical romance readers.” —Elizabeth Byler Younts, author of The Solace of Water “Bischof (The Lady and the Lionheart) transports readers to late 19th-century Appalachian Virginia in this moving historical romance . . . With fine historical details and stark prose that fits the story, Bischof skillfully weaves a tale of love and redemption in rough Appalachia.” —Publishers Weekly “Christy- and Carol Award-winning author Bischof (The Lady and the Lionheart) creates endearing characters and a heartwarming story line in this unforgettable novel about the power of family, love, and the true meaning of home. Fans of Kristy Cambron, Julie Klassen, and Susan Meissner will love this one.” —Library Journal “Sons of Blackbird Mountain is a quiet gem of a historical romance. Refreshingly real and honest in its depiction of flawed but lovable individuals, it introduces characters readers will want to meet again.” —CBA Market magazine

A River Enchanted

Author : Rebecca Ross
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0063056003
Total Pages : 496 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (63 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A River Enchanted by : Rebecca Ross

Download or read book A River Enchanted written by Rebecca Ross and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Exquisitely written with compelling characters and romance . . . I was swept away by the enchanting and magical world Rebecca Ross crafted, and loved every moment of it.” — Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess Enter the isle of Cadence in this novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals—a Scottish-inspired fantasy brimming with enemies-to-lovers romance, magic and spirits, and a captivating mystery It starts with a letter and an ominous journey across dark waters. Ten years after being sent away to the mainland to become a bard, Jack Tamerlaine is summoned home to Cadence. Girls are going missing from the island, and Adaira, his childhood nemesis and the future leader of the clan, believes Jack is the only one who can find them. The elemental spirits that dwell in every breath of air, splash of water, blade of grass, and flicker of fire find mirth in the lives of the humans, and a bard’s music is the only way to summon them and ask that the girls be returned. Yet as Jack and Adaira get closer to solving the mystery, it becomes apparent that an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, and no harp song may be strong enough to stop it. With unforgettable characters, a thrilling plot, and a lush folklore-infused world, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and creating harmony between opposing forces. This first book in the Elements of Cadence duology marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.

Credence

Author : Penelope Douglas
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0593641973
Total Pages : 561 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (936 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Credence by : Penelope Douglas

Download or read book Credence written by Penelope Douglas and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2024-02-13 with total page 561 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three of them, one of her, and a remote cabin in the woods. Let the hot, winter nights ensue in this steamy dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, now with bonus material. Tiernan de Haas doesn't care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she's grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when her parents suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But she's always been alone, hasn't she? Jake Van der Berg, her father's stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan. Sent to live in the mountains of Colorado with Jake and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, Tiernan quickly learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the men take Tiernan under their wing, she slowly finds her place among them. Because lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching. One of them has her. The other one wants her. But he's going to keep her.

Oreo

Author : Fran Ross
Publisher : New Directions Publishing
ISBN 13 : 081122323X
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (112 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Oreo by : Fran Ross

Download or read book Oreo written by Fran Ross and published by New Directions Publishing. This book was released on 2015-07-07 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pioneering, dazzling satire about a biracial black girl from Philadelphia searching for her Jewish father in New York City Oreo is raised by her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. Her black mother tours with a theatrical troupe, and her Jewish deadbeat dad disappeared when she was an infant, leaving behind a mysterious note that triggers her quest to find him. What ensues is a playful, modernized parody of the classical odyssey of Theseus with a feminist twist, immersed in seventies pop culture, and mixing standard English, black vernacular, and Yiddish with wisecracking aplomb. Oreo, our young hero, navigates the labyrinth of sound studios and brothels and subway tunnels in Manhattan, seeking to claim her birthright while unwittingly experiencing and triggering a mythic journey of self-discovery like no other.

What It Is Like to Go to War

Author : Karl Marlantes
Publisher : Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN 13 : 0802195148
Total Pages : 333 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (21 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis What It Is Like to Go to War by : Karl Marlantes

Download or read book What It Is Like to Go to War written by Karl Marlantes and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2011-08-30 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A precisely crafted and bracingly honest” memoir of war and its aftershocks from the New York Times–bestselling author of Matterhorn (The Atlantic). In 1968, at the age of twenty-three, Karl Marlantes was dropped into the highland jungle of Vietnam, an inexperienced lieutenant in command of forty Marines who would live or die by his decisions. In his thirteen-month tour he saw intense combat, killing the enemy and watching friends die. Marlantes survived, but like many of his brothers in arms, he has spent the last forty years dealing with his experiences. In What It Is Like to Go to War, Marlantes takes a candid look at these experiences and critically examines how we might better prepare young soldiers for war. In the past, warriors were prepared for battle by ritual, religion, and literature—which also helped bring them home. While contemplating ancient works from Homer to the Mahabharata, Marlantes writes of the daily contradictions modern warriors are subject to, of being haunted by the face of a young North Vietnamese soldier he killed at close quarters, and of how he finally found a way to make peace with his past. Through it all, he demonstrates just how poorly prepared our nineteen-year-old warriors are for the psychological and spiritual aspects of the journey. In this memoir, the New York Times–bestselling author of Matterhorn offers “a well-crafted and forcefully argued work that contains fresh and important insights into what it’s like to be in a war and what it does to the human psyche” (The Washington Post).

Born in Salt

Author : Ted Weber
Publisher : Freedom Thorn Press
ISBN 13 : 9781736901717
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Born in Salt by : Ted Weber

Download or read book Born in Salt written by Ted Weber and published by Freedom Thorn Press. This book was released on 2021-04-14 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifty years after a coup replaced President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a fascist dictatorship, America is a land of hopelessness. Ben Adamson, a 19-year-old farm boy in southern Illinois, wants only to spend his time fishing and hunting. But when his dead brother demands justice for his suspicious fate in a colonial war, Ben and Rachel, his brother's fiancée, are drawn into an underground revolutionary movement. After staging a rally against the war, Ben and Rachel are arrested by the Internal Security Service, who have perfected the science of breaking people. Ben is given a choice: betray the rebels, including his best friend from childhood, or Rachel will be lobotomized. Although traumatized and addicted to a powerful drug, Ben refuses to doom anyone he cares about. Can he find a third option? Can he free Rachel and strike back at the dictatorship, while dodging the suspicions of police and rebels alike?

Someone

Author : Alice McDermott
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 13 : 1429969423
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Someone by : Alice McDermott

Download or read book Someone written by Alice McDermott and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2013-09-10 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fully realized portrait of one woman's life in all its complexity, by the National Book Award–winning author An ordinary life—its sharp pains and unexpected joys, its bursts of clarity and moments of confusion—lived by an ordinary woman: this is the subject of Someone, Alice McDermott's extraordinary return, seven years after the publication of After This. Scattered recollections—of childhood, adolescence, motherhood, old age—come together in this transformative narrative, stitched into a vibrant whole by McDermott's deft, lyrical voice. Our first glimpse of Marie is as a child: a girl in glasses waiting on a Brooklyn stoop for her beloved father to come home from work. A seemingly innocuous encounter with a young woman named Pegeen sets the bittersweet tone of this remarkable novel. Pegeen describes herself as an "amadan," a fool; indeed, soon after her chat with Marie, Pegeen tumbles down her own basement stairs. The magic of McDermott's novel lies in how it reveals us all as fools for this or that, in one way or another. Marie's first heartbreak and her eventual marriage; her brother's brief stint as a Catholic priest, subsequent loss of faith, and eventual breakdown; the Second World War; her parents' deaths; the births and lives of Marie's children; the changing world of her Irish-American enclave in Brooklyn—McDermott sketches all of it with sympathy and insight. This is a novel that speaks of life as it is daily lived; a crowning achievement by one of the finest American writers at work today. A Publishers Weekly Best Fiction Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of 2013 A New York Times Notable Book of 2013 A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of 2013 An NPR Best Book of 2013