“A zany, irreverent, hilariously honest and touching tale with true heart.” — James W. Ziskin, Anthony and Macavity award-winning author of the Ellie Stone mysteriesZelda Bowen was the glue in her dysfunctional family, but who was holding her together?When Bill Bowen ran off with a woman from his office, leaving no word of his whereabouts, he left his family reeling and angry. As always, Zelda, … always, Zelda, the middle of his three adult daughters, stepped in to keep the family functioning. It was something she was used to doing during her parents’ rocky marriage.
As Zelda puts her dreams and plans on hold to keep her crazy family going, her own life crumbles around her. Heaped on top are the family secrets she uncovers. Feeling trapped by her family and her own circumstances, it takes her irascible and snarky grandfather to show her the way out.
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We first meet the Bowen family at Easter as Zelda and her two sisters, Norma and Bea, are arguing over who will wear the bunny costume that year for the kids. Normally, that is something their father would do, but he has vanished without a word to anyone. Even though the three women are grown, two of them with families of their own, his absence has repercussions in all of their lives and in their family overall. As the year progresses, how will they deal with what happened?
I was excited to see this novel come out. It started life as four short stories in a series called Holidays from Hell. Those stories, plus some additional scenes to help fill in the gaps, make up the first half of the novel, and I was anxious to find out what happened to Zelda. I wasn’t disappointed. While author Sue Ann Jaffarian is best known for her mystery novels, this isn’t a mystery. Instead, it’s a dysfunctional family dramedy. And yes, there are scenes that will make you laugh and scenes that will make you feel for the characters and what they are going through, especially Zelda. As our main characters, she is the most sympathetic, but all the characters have their moments as the book unfolds and all of them are great. This book definitely falls into the PG-13 realm with a smattering of foul language and some scenes that discuss characters’ sex lives. I could have done without those elements, but they are worth noting only in passing. Despite the fact that the book takes place roughly over the course of a year, we get a clear plot and only the scenes we need for the story. While originally conceived as a standalone novel, we are going to get more of Zelda’s adventures. I’m not sure where things can go from here, but I’m looking forward to visiting her again.
Zelda’s family is a title crazy. A mom that smoke weed, a father that disappeared without saying goodbye, two original sister and a grumpy grandfather. Can she find her own happiness while keeping her family together? A funny and sweet love and live’s story. Great audiobook.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and any opinions expressed herein are my own.
This book centers on the MC Zelda trying to find her way after she experiences two life crises at the same time – loss of her job and her father abandoning her mother. This is well-written with some good humor and realistic family situations. What I enjoyed most was the heartwarming relationship Zelda creates with her grandfather during their road trip – I wish even more time had been spent on that. I will certainly look for other stories written by this author.
The narrator, Carrie Coello, did a very good job. The voice she created for Pops [Zelda’s grandfather], in particular, was very good and fitting to the character.
Another fantastic book by writer and full-time adventurer, Sue Ann Jaffarian, traveling the country in her Novel RV.
Zelda is one of three sisters in a dysfunctional family. The author’s great sense of humor definitely shows through in many parts of this book, yet I also shed a tear at one part. Amidst all the turmoil in her family, Zelda manages to eventually find herself and sets out to achieve her dreams. It was so much fun meeting the characters, including one named Crankshaft. This book was definitely one I didn’t want to put down until getting to the end, and it left me wanting more, which we will get with another book in the series. I can’t wait!