Our book club selection for September is “The Keeper of Happy Endings,” by Barbara Davis.
“The Keeper of Happy Endings” weaves together the lives of two women, Soline Roussel and Rory Grant, from disparate eras and places. It is a tapestry of fate, second chances and hope; alternating between Boston in the mid-1980s and Paris in the early 1940s.
Owner of a wedding store and dressmaker in Paris, Soline Roussel experiences the tumultuous years of World War II. She meets Anson, the love of her life who is American, while volunteering at a hospital. But the war and the tragedies rip them apart, making Soline spend a significant part of her life alone.
By chance, Rory and Soline meet again in Boston in an encounter they could not have predicted, bringing them together again discussing their backgrounds and their common history.
The narrative of this book explores the ins and outs of life, love and the persistence of hope. It emphasizes the notion that the human spirit is resilient and strong — even in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
The characters, for me, were completely likeable. And there is a lot of dialogue, which makes reading this book go faster.
I thought this book was a great read, completely entertaining with elements of love, loss, heartbreak, magic, mystery and romance.
I must admit, I’m a sucker for happy endings. So, it makes perfect sense that I would be attracted to a book with the phrase “happy endings” in the title.
By the way, I must say that, like always, we met at Brianna’s in Charleston, where we enjoyed good food and happy conversations about our book selection for September.
