It's early summer when Ginny and William's peaceful life in Vermont comes to an abrupt halt.

First, their daughter Lillian arrives, with her two children in tow, to escape her crumbling marriage. Next, their son Stephen and his pregnant wife Jane show up for a weekend visit, which extends indefinitely when Jane ends up on bed rest. When their youngest daughter Rachel appears, fleeing her difficult life in New York, Ginny and William find themselves consumed again by the chaos of parenthood - only this time around, their children are facing adult problems.

By summer's end, the family gains new ideas of loyalty and responsibility, exposing the challenges of surviving the modern family - and the old adage, once a parent, always a parent, has never rung so true. (less)

many reviewers felt like this was real life. I thought the adult children were whiney and spoiled. I get a little of the whiney part because of the situations they were going through, but it continued and I found them thoughtless. Which is what led to the missing child at the end . You don't let a 3 year old out of car, tell her to go in the house and then leave. so seriously, that character annoyed me. It took a long time for Ginny to say something and then when she did, she backtracked when she found out why Lillian was there. Maybe realistic because all us adult parents would help our kids in these situations. Not my favorite book BUT a lot to discuss for a book club.