About Montpelier Tomorrow
• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: All Things That Matter Press; First edition (August 21, 2014)
• Publisher: All Things That Matter Press; First edition (August 21, 2014)
Mid-life mom, Colleen Gallagher, would do anything to protect her children from harm. When her daughter’s husband falls ill with ALS, Colleen rolls up her sleeves and moves in, juggling the multiple roles of grandma, cook, and caregiver, only to discover that even her superhuman efforts can’t fix what’s wrong.
Praise
"Each time I have reread this novel, I have felt rewarded by the connection it offers to the central character, Colleen. I can think of no single page in which her voice is not an irreplaceable gift to the reader."—Kevin McIlvoy, author of The Fifth Station
"An affecting, deeply honest novel; at the same time, a lacerating indictment of our modern health care system"—Kirkus Reviews
"…if you like well written books, wonderfully developed characters, and a story with a greater purpose you should read Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald. I cannot stress enough how good this book is."—Ben Green for Reader Views
"A heartrending story of love, loss and the endurance of the human spirit"—Literary Fiction Book Review
"Montpelier Tomorrow portrays real issues of life; it exposes the multi-layers of human conflict and the heroism of motherhood."—Cheryl E. Rodriguez for ReadersFavorite
"An amazing story of a family going through difficult times and each one trying to keep things going under those difficult circumstances."—Mamta Madhavan for ReadersFavorite
Cove Member Nicole Reviews—MONTPELIER TOMORROW!
ALS is a disease that can affect people of all ages and at any point in their lives. This novel reminds you of that and drags you along for an eye-opening experience of the disease.
Colleen Gallagher visits her daughter and son-in-law to celebrate the arrival of her new grandson and she's told that her son-in-law has been diagnosed with ALS and is declining in health quickly. She has some tough decisions about uprooting her life and putting her needs aside to help her daughter and grandkids by assisting to care for her SIL.
This book surprised me by being rough around the edges and more realistic with the inter-personal relationships than is normally demonstrated in a book with this heavy of a topic. Each character has inner turmoil that affects their relationships and how they deal with the illness.
I found myself tired of and resenting the characters selfishness throughout the book. At the end if the day, none of them were likable so I felt more for the kids in the book than I did for any of the characters that I got to know.
A twist at the end was worth sticking around for and finishing the novel.
About Marylee MacDonald
A former carpenter and mother of five, Marylee MacDonald began writing when her last child left for college. Her fiction has won the Jeanne Leiby Chapbook Award, the Barry Hannah Prize, the Ron Rash Award, the Matt Clark Prize, and the ALR Fiction Award. Her novel, Montpelier Tomorrow, was a Finalist in the 2014 IPPY Awards and the Faulkner-Wisdom Prize.
She is widely published in literary magazines such as American Literary Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Folio, Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, Broad River Review, Four Quarters, New Delta Review, North Atlantic Review, Raven Chronicles, Reunion: The Dallas Review, River Oak Review, Ruminate, StoryQuarterly, The Briar Cliff Review, and Yalobusha Review.
Find out more about Marylee at her website, see what she's pinning on Pinterest, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow her blog and add her to your circles on Google+.
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