Cathleen Schine’s The Love Letter, first published in 1995, is one of those books that I just adore. When the movie – starring Kate Capeshaw – shows up on cable, I’ll drop what I’m doing to watch. (Blythe Danner has one of the best lines EVER.)
Despite my love for The Love Letter, I haven’t always kept up with Schine’s career. That changed this year with my read of They May Not Mean To, But They Do.
They May Not Mean To is a comic novel that delves into the relationship between adult children and their aging mother as she embarks on a new romance. The thing I love best about Schine – other than the fact that she’s so damn funny – is that her characters are completely believable. “Domestic drama” gets a bad rap, but she proves you don’t need extreme circumstances to create an extraordinary novel.
I enjoyed my renewed acquaintance with Schine so much that I’ve got another of her books – Finn & Lady – sitting in my To-Read pile right now.
Previously: No. 10