Many thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for an ARC Of this fabulous book in exchange for a review. What a read, was hooked from page one, one of those books that I did not want to end and now I am missing the characters, and what wonderful characters there are woven into this story, one of my favourites has to be Carl’s father, Everett. The story is spanned over many years, from World War II to the twentieth century, it weaves together the lives of two families over 40 years, Margaret and Felix Salt and Cal and Becky Jenkins. We read of their hopes and dreams, their daily lives, the challenges the two couples face, how their families become linked forever together. The story covers so many topics, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, patriotism, duty, honour, relationships, betrayal, love, loss, grief, forgiveness and respect and Carl’s father Everett writing frequent letters to the American president expressing his many concerns. This author has captured so much in this book, it’s a character driven story, with each characters being so real, I could feel their emotions, each page alive and breathing with this wonderful saga. I could not recommend this book highly enough, it needs a 6th star. This book is definitely in my top reads for 2025. Congratulations to this author-what a book!

I shed a tear at the end of this wonderful book. This is a sweeping epic tale, in the manner of The Great Circle, covering the decades of the mid-twentieth century. Cal is working in his Homeware shop as the war in the Pacific ends when Margaret enters and asks to listen to his radio. So begins a complex relationship also involving Becky, Cal's wife, and Felix, Margaret's husband. I loved the story structure which begins with this event and then goes back to the characters’ origins and fills in the gaps taking us up to this point. There are no heroes or villains, just frail humans trying to make their way through this period of incredible change. Beautifully written with real empathy and understanding. I  absolutely loved it.

The first few pages of this felt a little bit slow, but then suddenly Cal, the hardware shop, and 1940s small town America totally captured me! I loved the sense that the size of the book allowed Patrick Ryan to take his time in developing the characters fully, and we get to know Cal, his father Everett, wife Becky (with her gift for sensing messages from the dead), and then Margaret and Felix who are connected to Cal through a short-lived passionate affair. The story moves through the effects of the Second World War and into the Vietnam War, showing the impacts on everyday folk, and through Felix’s eyes, life in service. There are themes of fathers and sons, of forgiveness, of the strength and trials of marriage. One of the characters is gay which must be kept hidden, and one of the mothers struggles with motherhood. All of the characters, with their secrets, flaws and weaknesses, are presented with so much compassion and understanding. By the end of the story you will feel as if you know them, and will have such love for Tom (Buckeye) and Skip, the younger generation. This is a splendid epic family tale that also captures a momentous slice of American history, and anyone who loves Ann Patchett, or Ann Tyler (or Colm Toibin for that matter) needs to look out for this one on publication. You will love it too.