The Three Weissmanns of Westport

When Joseph Weissmann divorced his wife, he was seventy eight years old and she was seventy-five . . . He said the words “Irreconcilable differences,” and saw real confusion in his wife’s eyes.

“Irreconcilable differences?” she said. “Of course there are irreconcilable differences. What on earth does that have to do with divorce?”

The three Weissmanns are, Betty, who has just been dumped by her husband of 48 years, and her two grown daughters, Miranda and Annie, who quite unexpectedly find themselves the middle-aged products of a broken home.

When Betty is exiled from her elegant New York apartment by her husband's mistress, the three women - whose lives are in varying states of disrepair and confusion - regroup in a small, run-down Wesport, Connecticut beach cottage owned by Betty's wealthy and generous Cousin Lou.

The impulsive sister, Miranda, is a literary agent who finds herself entangled in a series of scandals and the more pragmatic sister, Annie, is a library director who feels compelled to move in with and keep an eye on her capricious mother and sister. As they mingle with the suburban aristocracy and wrestle with economic hard times, love starts to bloom for both sisters and they find themselves struggling with the dueling demands of reason and romance.

I liked Cathleen Schine's modern twist on Sense and Sensibility. Strong on twist! It was a funny, entertaining, read about family relationships, divorce, careers, seasons of life,  love, forgiveness and finding and or re-inventing yourself.  A nice afternoon read.