Introduction

Meet four women who think they have nothing in common except the oyster shell road that runs between their ramshackle cottages on a spit of land called Happiness Key. When her husband is sent to prison, pampered Tracy Deloche is left with twenty-five acres of Florida Gulf Coast sand, five tumbledown beach houses and no idea how to start over. An exile in a strange country Janya Kapur leaves her wealthy, close-knit Indian family for an arranged marriage to a man she hardly knows. Plainspoken Wanda Gray is tired of watching her marriage fail, so she takes a job guaranteed to destroy it--if her husband cares enough to discover what she's doing. Since her daughter's death, widow Alice Brooks has grown forgetful and confused. Her son-in-law and granddaughter have come to stay, but Alice isn't sure she's grateful. When the only other resident of Happiness Key dies alone in his cottage, the four women warily join forces to find his family. Together they discover difficult truths about their own lives and the men they love--and uncover the treasure of an unlikely friendship.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

The old man still wasn't answering.
Tracy Deloche made a fist and banged the border of Herb Krause's screen door, wincing when a splinter won the round.
Flipping her fist she dug out the offending sliver with nails that were seriously in need of the attentions of her favorite manicurist. Unfortunately sweet natured Hong Hanh was more than two thousand miles away filing and polishing for outrageous tips at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, while Tracy banged and shouted and tried to collect Herbert Krause's measly rent payment, so she could put something in her refrigerator and gas tank. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Tracy Deloche's life has undergone drastic changes. Was she at least
partially responsible for some of them? Were you able to sympathize with her
or did you feel she deserved what happened? Was her former wealth and status
a hindrance to liking her?


2. Wanda Gray is set in her ways and not always politically correct. Were
you able to see beyond Wanda's attitudes to the woman she really was? When
she made changes in her thinking, could you believe them?


3. Through no fault of her own Janya Kapur has been ostracized from her
family and the life she loved in India. Was her solution, an arranged
marriage to a stranger, one you could understand? Or was this so outside
your own experiences that it was difficult to relate to?


4. Alice Brooks is dealing with the aftermath of a stroke as well as the
addition of her son-in-law and granddaughter to her household. Was her
confusion and anxiety about the changes in her life understandable? Or did
you suspect there was more going on than the neighbors and perhaps Alice
knew?


5. Wanda has taken on a controversial evening job because her policeman
husband, Ken, has more or less abandoned her. Could you sympathize with her
pain and anger as her marriage fell into a downward spiral? Could you
sympathize with her preferred method of paying Ken back? Could you
sympathize with Ken, who was still trying to deal with the aftermath of a
fatal shooting? Have you ever reacted in anger in ways you later came to
regret?


6. Janya is still pining for Darshan, the man she loved and was engaged to
in India, until a scandal destroyed their relationship. Could you understand
her ambivalence, even her temptation to be with him after Darshan contacted
her again, even though she was now a married woman? Were you satisfied with
the outcome of their encounter?


7. When things begin to happen at home that worry her, Olivia, Alice's
granddaughter, is caught between her grandmother and her father. Did she
react the way you would expect a child of ten to react? In the end, do you
think that Olivia will be able to overcome everything that happened? How
affected are children by the actions of people they love?


8. Tracy discovers that a bright smile doesn't excuse poor manners and
impatience. What else does Tracy learn that helps her to become a more
sympathetic human being? Did you like her from the beginning anyway? If not,
when did you begin to believe she might have hidden depths? Or did you ever?


9. Marsh and Bay Egan become a part of Tracy's life, even though they are
the last people she ever expected to welcome into it. Are the Egan males
exactly what Tracy needs, or are they so different that you had problems
believing she would bond with either of them?


10. The women find that the key to their own happiness, like the key to Herb
Krause's, is just within reach. Friendship is definitely part of the
equation for each of them. In your life, what is key to your own happiness?
And have you sometimes, like Herb, been afraid to use it to open the door to
a better life?

Weblinks

»	Author's Website
»	Book's Website

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.

Member Reviews

Rate this book