FICTION

Lovers and Newcomers

by Rosie Thomas
Overlook. Nov. 2016. 448p. ISBN 9781468302653. $27.95; ebk. ISBN 9781468314106. F
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Thomas (Iris and Ruby; The Kashmir Shawl), whose previous two novels took place in Egypt and India, stays close to home with an English village setting for her latest multigenerational story. A group of old university friends uneasily reunite to try a semicommunal existence on the inherited estate of still-glamorous former actress Miranda, who is now widowed. Her dramatic vision for the group hits a rocky patch when a wealthier couple's new house excavation unearths archaeological treasure and a less-financially successful couple's single-handed renovation of an old barn becomes all-consuming. Rekindled and newly discovered passions, shifting mother-daughter relationships, and conflicts between the newcomers and the longtime village residents add drama.
VERDICT With its ensemble cast of old friends and frenemies in an English country house as the seasons change, this comfortably familiar story of aging couples and widows weathering change will appeal to fans of British Aga sagas (think Joanna Trollope and Rosamunde Pilcher) and Deborah Moggach's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Reviewed by Laurie Cavanaugh, Thayer P.L., Braintree, MA , Oct 15, 2016
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