Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Young, small town Vermont paramedic Peter Webster, or "Webster" as he's called, rescues drunken Sheila Arsenault from a car wreck and quickly falls madly in love with her. He is only 21, and she is twenty-four, a beautiful, hard-spoken girl from a tough town near Boston, Massachusetts. Peter and Sheila become lovers, conceive a child, and then marry, under the watchful and wary eyes of his parents and their small Vermont town where everyone knows everyone else. Their baby is born, a girl they name Rowan after one of Peter's ancestors. Sheila continues drinking, and after nearly killing toddler Rowan in another automobile accident, Peter sends Sheila away with $1500 cash to begin life elsewhere; he fears for Rowan's life with Sheila's alcoholism. Years pass, and Rowan, now a high school senior raised by single parent Peter, begins drinking, nearly killing herself the night of her senior dance. Can Peter bring Sheila back into their lives to help, or will this destroy what family he has left?

Reader Dennis Holland reads this novel by Anita Shreve in a way that can only be described as brilliant. He catches the voices of Peter, Sheila, Peter's parents, Rowan and other novel characters in a calm, believable style that will draw the listener into this story. He reads what Sheila says in her working class Boston accent and has the listener absolutely convinced. Shreve's novels are all very well written, and Dennis Holland brings this one to life in a way that the listener will not forget.