One Year

In a heartfelt story set in a picturesque small town in Virginia, Mary McDonough portrays three generations of women in a modern Irish-American family as they navigate marriage, motherhood, and independence. . .<br><br>The Fitzgibbons--especially the women--have long been the backbone of Oliver's Well, Virginia. Matriarch Mary Bernadette is still striking and tireless at seventy-five, with a generous heart that belies her sometimes sharp tongue. Her husband, Paddy, owns the local landscaping business, daughter Grace is a nun, and son Pat and his wife Megan are successful lawyers. Her grandson, PJ, and his new wife, Alexis, live in a charming cottage behind the main house. Church, family, tradition, and the local historical society--everything Mary Bernadette cherishes is here. Yet below the surface, there are fractures. <br><br>Megan sees the strained relationship between her husband and Mary Bernadette, who has never quite recovered from the loss of her first-born son. Megan, too, is torn between gaining her mother-in-law's approval and living life on her own terms. Alexis loves PJ deeply yet chafes against his grandmother's influence in their marriage. But when a looming scandal brings unexpected tragedy, the Fitzgibbons are compelled to determine the depth of their loyalty, find their strength--and repair the bonds that have held a town, and a family, together for so long. <br><br>&quot;A heartfelt, charming story.&quot; --<i>Library Journal</i>