The Three Weissmanns of Westport: A Novel by Cathleen Shine brings together a mother Betty and her two adult daughters Miranda and Anne when Betty’s husband Joseph, 78, announces that he’s leaving his wife, 75, because he’s in love.
With the bank accounts frozen, Betty can no longer afford to stay in her upscale Manhattan apartment, so her cousin Lou invites her to stay in his Westport cottage. Miranda has fallen on her own hard times. Her literary agency known for representing memoirists was hit hard when several of them were exposed as frauds in quick succession. With money being tight and her reason for living — her work — grinding to a halt, she decides to go along with her and convinces Anne to come as well.
The cottage is tiny, all three women are under stress due to the pending divorce, their finances, and then other issues unique to each of them (sons who have left the nest, man trouble, identity issues), so everything isn’t all wine and roses in their little retreat away from reality. But things happen. They get to know each other better and as one might expect, they each get to know themselves a little better too.
I’d classify this as smart chick-lit. There’s a little romance, a little drama, some humor and some self-actualization. Anyone who has ever experienced these issues as either a mother or a daughter will relate. The setting — whether NYC or Westport Connecticut or Palm Beach Florida adds a wonderful layer to the story.
This is supposed to be a sort of modern day twist to Sense and Sensibility, which I haven’t read, but I hope to watch the movie and see if I can discern any parallels.
Jennifer Donovan lived in and loved in Connecticut for six years. She blogs at Snapshot about her return to Texas and other family issues, hopefully with humor and self-actualization.