MUSICAL CHAIRS

Now that her adult children are safely ensconced in their lives, a Manhattan cello player has a summer of romance planned at her Connecticut weekend home with her boyfriend. It does not work out as planned.

Bridget Stratton, daughter of globally renowned conductor Edward Stratton, is an excellent musician in her own right. She is also a single mother to two grown children, twins Isabelle and Oscar, and sister to Gwen, the well-known host of a Netflix series. With her children busy with their own careers, she has a relaxing summer in rural Connecticut planned with her boyfriend. But instead, both her children show up with different crises, much to her surprise, and her boyfriend breaks up with her—gently, politely—via email. Her embarrassment runs deep. Will, her long-term friend and partner in the chamber music trio they created three decades prior, comes from Manhattan to Connecticut to be a shoulder to lean on and, while visiting, falls for a local woman. On one level, this is a story of deep friendship between Bridget and Will. It is also a story of motherhood, of daughterhood, and of sisterhood—when to help, when to let go, and when to celebrate. It is also a story of fixing up a house. A story of music. A story of aging. A story of being scared to change and yet still wanting to. And a story of falling in love. There is a large cast of characters, but they are all distinct individuals with their own personalities and voices who work together seamlessly in the novel as both soloists and supporting characters. Author Poeppel has created a story that is well thought out, well plotted, well written, and fully developed.

A delightful novel that celebrates the messiness and joy to be found in real life.