Wish You Were Here: A Novel
Stewart O'Nan
Dec 2007 · Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
3.5star
2 reviews
Ebook
530
Pages
About this ebook
A family gathers at their vacation cottage for the last time: “Riveting...the perfect summer-by-the-lake read.”—Chicago Tribune
A New York Times Notable Book
A Chicago Tribune Favorite Book of the Year
A year after the death of her husband, Emily Maxwell gathers her family by Lake Chautauqua in western New York for what will be a last vacation at their summer cottage. Joining is her sister-in-law, who silently mourns the sale of the lake house, and a long-lost love. Emily's firebrand daughter, a recovering alcoholic recently separated from her husband, brings her children from Detroit. Emily's son, who has quit his job and mortgaged his future to pursue his art, comes accompanied by his children and his wife, who is secretly heartened to be visiting the house for the last time. Memories of past summers resurface, old rivalries flare up, and love is rekindled and born anew, resulting in a timeless novel drawn, as the best writing often is, from the ebbs and flow of daily life.
“A sprawling, generously written saga that imparts exceptional insights into the human heart.”—Charlotte Observer
“Brilliantly mesmerizing.”—Los Angeles Times
“Succeeds beautifully...showcases some of the finest character studies a contemporary reader could ask for.”—The Boston Globe
A New York Times Notable Book
A Chicago Tribune Favorite Book of the Year
A year after the death of her husband, Emily Maxwell gathers her family by Lake Chautauqua in western New York for what will be a last vacation at their summer cottage. Joining is her sister-in-law, who silently mourns the sale of the lake house, and a long-lost love. Emily's firebrand daughter, a recovering alcoholic recently separated from her husband, brings her children from Detroit. Emily's son, who has quit his job and mortgaged his future to pursue his art, comes accompanied by his children and his wife, who is secretly heartened to be visiting the house for the last time. Memories of past summers resurface, old rivalries flare up, and love is rekindled and born anew, resulting in a timeless novel drawn, as the best writing often is, from the ebbs and flow of daily life.
“A sprawling, generously written saga that imparts exceptional insights into the human heart.”—Charlotte Observer
“Brilliantly mesmerizing.”—Los Angeles Times
“Succeeds beautifully...showcases some of the finest character studies a contemporary reader could ask for.”—The Boston Globe
Ratings and reviews
3.5
2 reviews
Fran Janson
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September 16, 2019
Wish You Were Here
About the author
Stewart O'Nan is the author of the novels Snow Angels, The Names of the Dead, The Speed Queen, A World Away, A Prayer for the Dying, Everyday People, and the story collection In the Walled City. His nonfiction includes The Circus Fire and the anthology The Vietnam Reader, which he edited. O'Nan lives in Connecticut with his family and has vacationed at Lake Chautauqua since he was a child.
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