Carrie Manning is the daughter of a legend. Her mother, Rose Manning, is renowned for her philanthropic efforts and devotion to a homeless shelter. At Rose's funeral, little is discussed about Rose's family and her past, instead the focus was on her mission. That is all Carrie seems to know about her larger than life mother; she has refused to let her know more.
Now that her mother is gone, Carrie is at a crossroads in her life. She is torn between wanting to know more information about Rose and her past, and honoring her previous request not to find information. There is one person Rose had specifically asked that Carrie not speak to - her grandmother Lu Lawson. Lu is a former Broadway star that Carrie is dying to meet.
While Publisher's Weekly calls this novel Louise Shaffer's "ho-hum latest," I thought this book was anything but boring. It was intriguing from the beginning, and I wanted to be with Carrie the entire way while she discovered her family's past. The characters Shaffer paints are extraordinary but honest. But the real heart to the novel is the story of three generations of mothers and daughters. Any woman can tell you that her mother (or mother figure) shaped her to be who she was. In "Serendipity" you can feel the characters molded by their mothers' actions and their own free will. It was a book I didn't want to put down and thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.
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