Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street, No. 4)

I loved the concept but I felt it unnecessary to have so many characters. The ending was a little predictable, but the book was in general. Still, a nice read that makes you think about making your own list.

Curl up on the couch a rainy day, or in a beach chair at the shore, or in front of the fireplace, because this book will transport you to a very pleasant place: Blossom Street in Seattle. If you've read any of Debbie's recent books, you may recognize some of the familiar characters from Blossom Street. But this novel can definitely stand on its own. Anne Marie is a thirtysomething widow and owner of Blossom Street Books. She and some friends get together one day, and each person decides to make a list of twenty things they would like to do someday. It's fun to see how many of the wishes are fulfilled, though often not in the way the person expected. A perfect choice for relaxing and enjoyable reading.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Anne Marie Roche is floundering. After the recent loss of her estranged husband, she has no family except her beloved dog. She owns a successful book store on Blossom Street, but even so, feels something is missing in her life. The highlight of her life is the bond she developed with several other widowed women who frequent her book store.

Now, on Valentine's day, Anne Marie and her friends Lillie Higgins and her daughter Barbie Foster, and Elise Beaumont make a pact. Each will compile a list of Twenty Wishes for things they want to but have never done. One of the items on Anne Marie's list, to do good for someone else, leads her into a relationship with a third-grade girl, Ellen, and a new life she never imagined. Sometimes, wishes really do come true in the most unlikely of ways.

Twenty Wishes is a heart-warming story about finding your greatest desire in the last place you'd ever expect to find it. Anne is in a funk and while resistant at first, being drawn into the lunch buddy program at a local school makes a world of difference. Ellen is a delightful girl who is in an unfortunate situation. Anne Marie's relationship with Ellen changes Anne Marie in so many ways when circumstances thrust Ellen into her life more fully than Anne Marie wanted. Yet with time, Anne Marie learns to open her heart once more and gradually blossoms into the woman she is meant to be, all because of young Ellen.

Elise does not play a very large part in the story, her role being more about encouraging Anne Marie to step out of her sheltered life. However, it was wonderful to get to visit with Elise and see how she's fared since her husband Maverick died. (See A Good Yarn.) Lillie and Barbie though each get their own story. Lillie and Barbie have always been close but losing their husbands at the same time in the same accident forms an even stronger bond as they helped each other deal with the grief. Both are ready to love again and they each find it in the one place they never would have imagined.

Lillie and Barbie have their own challenges to face. Lillie finds herself falling for a kindly gentleman who just happens to be the salesman who sold her the brand new red sports car she had on her own wish list. The differences in their social classes causes Lillie to fear what the other high-society women she knows would think about her affair with a lowly working class man. Barbie finds herself inexplicably attracted to a surly wheelchair bound man she meets at the movie theater. Her own challenges involve getting him to come out of his shell and let go of the bitterness that has engulfed him since he became physically impaired. These two romantic relationships cause friction between Lillie and Barbie, forcing them to re-evaluate their lives to determine what truly matters to them in the end.

What can I say? Debbie Macomber pulled me into her world less than a year ago with one book and now I can't get enough! Twenty Wishes, a part of the Knitting series, brings us back to the lovely little street of Blossom Street, and all its wonderful residents. However, while knitting does come into play a little bit, the focus here is Anne Marie's book store rather than A Good Yarn. I did miss visiting with Lydia though she does make an appearance here, but I enjoyed getting to know Anne Marie and company immensely. I had to wonder while reading, just how many other women who read Twenty Wishes, will be inspired to develop their own wish lists and change their lives. I know I started thinking of what my own twenty wishes would be. It is absolutely impossible not to be moved by any story Debbie Macomber writes and Twenty Wishes just reinforces my belief that she is one of the most amazingly talented authors I have ever had the pleasure of encountering.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, June 2008. All rights reserved.

The Blossom Street books are Macombers best in my opinion, and this book did not disappoint me. I had myself making my own list of 20 wishes well before the end of the book. It was nice to have the characters from the other books in the series 'pop in', and equally nice to have new ones to boot. This is the perfect summer read.

The widows who meet together as a book club are all interesting characters, that all of us can relate to. After all, who can predict the unexpected twists that life can bring? It is nice to be able to think about that, and think about what we might really wish to have happen or to do in our own lives.

I loved this book! I found all the characters interesting and believeable. I especially enjoyed the adoption story line, as I am an adoptive parent.