Senseless Acts of Beauty
Page 27
Riley is haunted by failure—her less than stellar academic youth, her failed marriage, her failed business proposals to the banks, and now her failing camp. And yet, for a long time, she’s paralyzed by indecision. What keeps her from accepting one of the developer’s plans that would put her on better financial footing? Why is she so stubborn, at first, about not changing the nature of the camp? What, in the end, convinces her that bankruptcy—the ultimate failure—could actually mean a new beginning?
What do you think are Sadie’s feelings about her birth father, now that she knows about the circumstances of her conception? Do you think Sadie will someday seek him out? Should Sadie seek out his family, too? Should Tess help Sadie in this search?
As mentioned in the novel, thirty-one states in the United States have no laws on the books preventing rapists from claiming parental rights to biological children from those assaults. What rights—if any—should such a man have with regard to the children of those assaults? What protections should the children have? The mothers? Why do you think this lapse in the law exists?
At one point in her life, Tess made a stab at domesticity with Callahan, going so far as to keep a garden and raise chickens in Kansas. What factors do you think contributed to the destruction of that relationship? What elements in Tess’s background undermined the possibility of happiness? Do you think she set her farmhouse in Kansas on fire?
These three women—Riley, Sadie, and even Tess—yearn, consciously or unconsciously, for some sort of permanence in their unsettled lives. Riley has to lose what she most loves before she can build something new. Sadie discovers, at the end, that she has the privilege to choose. But the future of the most unsettled of them all—Tess—remains a mystery. What do you think Tess will choose to do going forward?
Riley’s biological mother stated, in the most brutal way, that she wants nothing to do with Riley. Do you think Riley would ever try to contact her biological mother again? Should Riley try to find out who her biological father is? Would Riley even want to? Is it possible to come to terms with living with such a mystery?
About the Author
While studying for her PhD in chemistry, Lisa Verge Higgins wrote and sold her first novel. Now an author of seventeen books, this opera-loving mother of three has been twice named in Barnes & Noble’s General Fiction Forum for their top twenty novels of the year. Her stories about women’s lives and women’s friendships have been described by reviewers as “joyous, uplifting life lessons” that “inspire us to focus on what’s really important in our lives.” When not writing stories, Lisa works as a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three teenage daughters, who never fail to make life interesting.
LisaVergeHiggins.com
http://facebook.com/lisavergehiggins
PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF LISA VERGE HIGGINS
Random Acts of Kindness
“4½ stars! Top Pick! Higgins’ latest wonderful, page-turning novel further confirms her status as a master storyteller. Her narrative beautifully chronicles the relationships and adventures of former friends with a heady mix of belly-deep laughter, tears and empathy.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Women readers won’t wish to miss one mile of this rich, thoughtful, and sagacious novel. Men smart enough to want to know what women really think would be wise to dip a toe in Pine Lake.”
—Library Journal
“Fans of chick lit will enjoy this humorous and uplifting homage to good friendships and a variety of Americana.”
—Booklist
Friendship Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
“This novel reveals the excitement of European travel while honestly reflecting on the pain and confusion that accompany the grieving process…[This] story of self-discovery is both heartwarming and thought-provoking.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Compelling…Readers who lose themselves in this wonderful book will be rewarded with the discovery of the value of true friendship.
—Kirkus Reviews
“Higgins does a nice job of balancing the characters’ voices, and with each woman at a different stage in her life, diverse readers will find something to connect to. A natural for group discussions.”
—Booklist
“Do not miss this rich celebration of friendship—its power to heal, to fulfill, and to put life’s adventures into perspective. This book is as comforting as a cup of tea with your best friend.”
—Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of Return to Willow Lake
One Good Friend Deserves Another
“Engaging…Higgins scores with a richly told story of what every girl wants, and the friends who’d sacrifice everything to help her get it.”
—Publishers Weekly
“4½ stars! Higgins doesn’t use flowery verse; she presents hard realities, dysfunction, and, best of all, possibilities and hope. Her research shines through with brilliant factual narrative in a novel that you won’t soon forget.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Characters that could have been stock (the rich girl, the Trekkie programmer) have a depth that is strengthened by relationships with family, boyfriends, the past, and, most important, friends.”
—Booklist
“Reminiscent of the Sex and the City TV series…easy and fun, chock-full of humor and entertainment…relays the necessity of taking risks and the power of friendship to pick you up when you fall.”
—Norfolk Daily News (NE)
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship
“A life-affirming novel…A happy reminder that life is all about taking risks.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Quirky, original, and startlingly refreshing, this is a novel about friends. It’s a novel about risks. And it’s a novel about dreams, what we thought they were and what we discover them to be…Great novel. Great reading.”
—TheReviewBroads.com
“A lovely novel with moments of deeply moving insight into what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a friend. Read it and share it with your own friends—you’ll be glad you did!”
—Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of The Hot Flash Club and Beachcombers
“An amazing novel of love, friendship, and community. A truly joyous read that marks an impressive debut.”
—Jane Porter, author of Flirting with Forty and She’s Gone Country
“Poignant, romantic, and funny…about the need for our closest friends to occasionally give us a shove in the right direction when we’ve lost our way. You’ll recognize yourself in these women. I loved it.”
—Claire LaZebnik, author of Knitting Under the Influence and If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now
“Expertly woven together by Lisa Verge Higgins…simply but beautifully written…the common thread is Rachel, who has given the best gift a friend can give—a second chance.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
Also by Lisa Verge Higgins
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship
One Good Friend Deserves Another
Friendship Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Random Acts of Kindness
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A Note from the Author
Discussion Questions
About the Author
Praise
Also by Lisa Verge Higgins
Newsletters
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Lisa Verge Higgins
Cover design by Claire Brown
Cover photograph by Jan Bickerton/ImageBrief
Cover copyright © 2015 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: March 2015
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ISBN: 978-1-4555-7288-5
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