Cheryl's Comments: Jack and Laurel Cooper were respected and beloved inn-keepers: dedicated to each other, kind and generous to their guests and friends. When Jack married Laurel, he made a promise that he would write her a letter every Wednesday... and he actually kept his promise for 39 years. The story begins heart-wrenchingly with the death of Jack and Laurel in each other’s arms. As family and friends gather at the Bed and Breakfast to mourn, their three adult children must work to come to terms with several unresolved family issues. They are surprised to find boxes and boxes of Wednesday letters that they had known nothing about. These provide the answers they need, along with the comfort of “hearing” their parent’s voices through the years.
This book is an easy and compelling read. It isn’t great literature, but there were several things I really liked. Jack and Laurel were imperfect people making a great marriage through dedication and commitment. I also really liked the letters Jack wrote. Some were written on napkins or scraps of paper. Sometimes they were written in the middle of a fight or while they were apart – but no matter what he kept the promise and kept up the stream of communication. It definitely made me take a closer look at the way I communicate and inspired me to be more intentional about it.
The downside of this book for me was somewhat poor character development and flawed dialogue at times. However, I could not put the book down and I found Jack and Laurel and their children to be compelling enough to keep reading. Be aware that even though this book is not generally considered Christian Fiction, there are mentions of their faith throughout the story. It is not heavy handed, and I think most readers would enjoy this book (check status at GPL).
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