Synopsis
A once-successful writer with a bad case of writer's block is forced to support himself writing sleazy thrillers. On a whim, he buys a house in the French countryside, where he plants a garden, meets a seductive young widow, and manages to begin a new novel. His experiences are full of memories of Joe, an old gardener he used to work with when he was a teenager, who he feels is overseeing his new life.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2001-05-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 357 pages | | Height: | 8.3 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 9.6 oz |
Publisher's Note
As a boy, writer Jay Mackintosh spent three golden summers in the ramshackle home of "Jackapple Joe" Cox. A lonely child, he found solace in Old Joe's simple wisdom and folk charms. The magic was lost, however, when Joe disappeared without warning one fall. Years later, Jay's life is stalled with regret and ennui. His bestselling novel, Jackapple Joe, was published ten years earlier and he has written nothing since. Impulsively, he decides to leave his urban life in London and, sight unseen, purchases a farmhouse in the remote French village of Lansquenet. There, in that strange and yet strangely familiar place, Jay hopes to re-create the magic of those golden childhood summers. And while the spirit of Joe is calling to him, it is actually a similarly haunted, reclusive woman who will ultimately help Jay find himself again.
Industry Reviews
"[A] charming fairy tale for grown-ups....Sweet and lite."
Higbie
"[W]e meet Jay Mackintosh, a 37-year-old British novelist who overcomes an extreme case of writer's block by rusticating in the French countryside and cuddling up with the mysterious and beautiful young widow next door....[T]oo many clichés...attempt to pass as deep thoughts....Life in small-town France has given Jay his groove back. If only real life were so simple."
New York Times Book Review - Betsy Groban (02/25/2001)
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