Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Very disappointing. I have admired the works of Ann Patchett but this one misses the mark. Sorry to say but this book was senseless. We are supposed to believe that the mother, who abandoned her family when her kids were small, to travel the world to aid the poor. Years later she is "found" by a former nanny and returns to her "family" who embrace her unreservedly, in fact consider her a saint. Really? A saint? The beginning of the book held much promise. But the last 100 pages were unbelievable. Everybody gets together and "love" one another because of the mother's return! "Happy endings" are sprinkled throughout. We are supposed to believe that the mother "hated" the house her husband bought and surprised her with: enough hate that drove her away from her children who were then forced to live without her. What I viewed as "selfish" was judged by the author as "love". She is "found" after 40 years and is welcomed by the most of the family and staff as if her decision was "saintly". Also "forgiven" was the nanny who had an affair with the father. None of the storyline was credible. Sorry to only award 2 stars for this novel. I was hoping for a better and more believable narrative but it failed.