Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street, No. 4)

One of *my* twenty wishes would be to interview all of the people who bought copies of this book, making it a NYTimes Bestseller. I'd really love to know 1) Why they bought it, 2) What they really thought of it after reading it, and 3) What other fiction they read. As a writer, I'm utterly fascinated at how there can be such a chasm between this, and say, a 'literary fiction' award winner. As I was reading it...strictly for research purposes...I was shaking my head in wonder. Because this is exactly the sort of writing that all writing instructors teach people NOT to produce. In fact, it could be the basis of a great course: 'How Not to Write'.

Facile.
Predictable.
Ham-fisted.
Without grace.

Don't get me wrong: the underlying themes here are valid. But Macomber writes like an earnest high schooler, explaining everything, telegraphing everything, so clearly wanting to tell a particular story and announcing to the reader exactly what that story is all along...

Let's put it this way: if this had been a movie, everyone would have walked out. Everywhere. It would make a 'Hallmark' movie-of-the-week seem like high-art.

But yes, I did cry. I'm a romantic at heart, so there were passages that triggered emotional reactions in me. However, those reactions were not due to any craft, any dexterity, any deftness of touch on the author's part. She could have been executing stick-people cartoons and I might have cried.

I'm happy that so many people got so much out of this novel. A further wish of mine would be to read this as it might have been done by a writer of greater abilities. Even Nicholas Sparks would have taken it to a better place, offering up nuance, subtlety, a chance for the reader to actively participate in the process, instead of being so utterly spoon-fed, with Pablum all over their clothes in the end.

I'm glad there's a market for Macomber's work. Every writer deserves an audience. Clearly, she's found hers. Another wish granted.

Wonderful Book...If you are not a fan of Debbie Macomber you will be after reading this book...I would however, recommend you start from the beginning by reading The Shop on Blossom Street first and continue through the Blossom Street series until you get to Twenty Wishes...they are all great books.

I just loved this book. I couldn't put it down from the moment I started to read it. I just loved the 20 wishes and could wait to find out what happend to all of the women. It makes me want to write my own list. Blossom St sound like a wonderful place to live, I would move there in a minute if it exsited. It made me feel your never to old for a new beginning.
I recommend this book to any one who needs a reason to feel good.

This is my first review so please bear with me! I am a new Debbie Macomber fan and have just recently gotten into her Blossom Street books! They take me back to a time where everyone knew everyone in your neighborhood, kids could play outside and not be hurt, and the little shopping area in your town.


"Twenty Wishes" is the 4th installment of the series and she is doing great keeping up with all the characters. Usually in series books they don't keep up with other characters when they try to concentrate on one.

The list idea reminds me of "The Bucket List"-and it has inspired me to create my own.

I highly recommend this book-especially if you want to find out what is going on in Lillie and Barbie's lives at the moment. A good and quick read.

Debbie Macomber doesn't write heavy Russian novels with tragic heroines and deep, multi-layered plots. She writes novels that appeal to millions of ordinary women. So why do I think this simply delightful book could change your life? It's because she compels you to do one tiny little thing---make a list of twenty things you want to do in life. She invites you to celebrate hope, to fill that nagging void in your life, and to tell your brain the secrets of your heart.

Anne Marie Roche, the widowed owner of Blossom Street Books, invites three other widows to celebrate with her what could have been a sad Valentine's Day for all four. At thirty-eight, Anne Marie still longs for the child she never had. Her husband Robert already had a family when she married him and he had no desire to start another and be mistaken for his child's grandfather.

The other widows are Barbie Foster, forty-something mother of twin boys, who lost both her husband and father in the same fatal plane crash; her mother, Lillie Higgins, a sixtyish society matron; and Elise Beaumont, a retired librarian who'd reconnected with her husband after thirty years apart, only to lose him again after three.

While Lillie and Barbie set about accomplishing their lists with gusto, Anne Marie moves a bit slower and needs the guiding hand of Elise to steer her on a quest to find one good thing about her life. A Lunch Buddy program at the local school leads her to Ellen, a shy eight-year-old, and to a surprisingly rewarding life that includes knitting, dancing in the rain, and the trip to Paris she has always wanted to take. Anne Marie's life fills with happiness and love, not in the way she imagined it would, but in a way that will leave the reader deeply satisfied. (You'll probably also fall in love with Baxter, her tail-wagging Yorkshire terrier pictured on the cover and charming from beginning to end).

What these four women learn about love and life, but mostly about themselves, will have you turning the pages and cheering for them. Most of all, it will set your brain spinning about the things you want to accomplish in your own life. Don't be surprised to find that by the time you finish the book you'll have your own list of twenty wishes.