3.5 stars
Let’s meet the Gillespies………
Angela Gillespie is fifty-five and has recently started
suffering from frequent severe headaches, menopause or something more? She’s
been married to Nick for thirty-three years. They’ve always been best friends,
the rock for the other when necessary and together there’s nothing they can’t
face and overcome. Therein lies the
problem. Nick has shut Angela out. He spends
his days, when not seeing to the station maintenance, closeted in the office
researching his Irish roots and talking to Carol, the Irish genealogical
researcher.
Angela herself has taken to escaping into a fantasy world.
The situation with Nick, concern for her children and their
varied issues combined with her health fears are about to overwhelm her. It’s this mood and advice from her dearest
friend Joan that prompts her to write a completely honest Christmas letter this
year. No bright side spin just the plain unvarnished truth. Maybe putting it in
writing will help her to gain some perspective.
When Nick unintentionally sends the letter never meant to be
seen by anyone other than Angela it’s the catalyst for changes, desired or not.
Nick feels he’s let Angela, his children, and those who came
before him down. He’s run up massive debts and had no choice but to accept an
offer that’s bound to set his neighbors against him. Worse yet, he can’t bring
himself to talk to Angela. He simply can’t bear to face her disappointment.
Despite his deep abiding love for Angela, his inability to speak puts him
further from her with every passing day.
Genevieve is the oldest twin. Hairdresser to the stars in New
York , Genevieve is a bit on the snarky side. Without
a shy bone in her body she grabs life by the throat and wrings as much as she
can from it. Unfortunately, Genevieve’s filter issues and lack of discretion
are about to bite her…
Rosalind aka Lindy is the daughter born after the
twins. Lindy’s always felt left out
because of the close relationship between the twins. I found Lindy to be a whiner. She’s my least favorite character.
Ignatius aka Ig is Angela and Nick’s surprise late life baby
boy. Ig is a delight from beginning to end and one of my favorite characters.
Celia is Nick’s aunt and, much to their dismay, spends a lot
of time with the family. She was married to his uncle and helped run their successful
small parts business. Celia’s one of those difficult people. It’s hard to like
her but for many reasons she’s earned and deserves respect. She’s never really
approved of Angela and their relationship is an uneasy one. Angela’s remarks in
her Christmas letter don’t improve on it much.
Joan is Angela’s oldest and dearest friend. Joan and her
husband own a neighboring station. She’s been there for Angela, in fact the
whole family, and always will be. Friends like Joan are a true blessing.
Would it really be so awful to tell the truth? Perhaps not
bluntly but making honesty palatable and a priority can’t be a bad thing can
it? Personally, the truth is preferable
over any of the alternatives. In HELLO
FROM THE GILLESPIES Angela and the rest of her family are about to discover how
powerful the truth is.
In the tradition of Maeve Binchy, Ms. McInerney introduces
readers to the Gillespies and immerses them in their lives. Though ordinary hard working people the
Gillespies live on an exotic (for me) Australian sheep station with seasons the
complete opposite of ours. Everything
about that vast landscape and sky is fascinating. The Gillespies location may
be alien but their problems, with a few exceptions, are similar to everyone
else’s making them easy to relate to.
The Gillespie’s travails allow escapism while also giving readers potential
insight into their own particular situations and dilemmas. Escapism and a broadening perspective, it’s a
win on both levels.
This is my first book by Ms. McInerney but not the last. I’ll
definitely be scoping out her back list.
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