Although sisters June and Isabel grew up with their cousin Kat, they've always struggled to relate to her and to each other. When Kat's mother calls them back to her Maine inn for a shocking announcement, the three young women find themselves sharing a room for the first time in years and spending Friday nights together, watching Meryl Streep movies as each tries to sort out her own baggage.
Stepford wife Isabel has discovered her husband is having an affair, even as she longs for children. June has begun searching for the father of her seven-year-old son, whom he has never met. And Kat is torn between running her mother's inn and marrying her lifelong best friend, or stepping outside her small, safe life to pursue bigger dreams.
March's love for Meryl Streep shines through in her characters, all of whom see their lives reflected in Streep's movies, from Out of Africa to Postcards from the Edge to the especially apt It's Complicated. Over popcorn, they find themselves confiding in one another, opening up about family secrets long buried and sharing the convoluted truths of their lives. A few plot elements are predictable, but others lead to unexpected places, and readers will enjoy following the characters' intertwined journeys.
Warmhearted and hopeful, March's tribute to good movies, family and new beginnings will motivate readers to invite their girlfriends over for a bowl of popcorn, a glass of wine and any movie starring the inimitable Meryl Streep. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams