by Nina Stibbe
Reviewed by Linda:
This charming and bittersweet novel is narrated by 10-year-old Lizzie, whose family is in perilous straits. Following her parents’ divorce in the 1970s, Lizzie, along with her beloved older sister, nervous younger brother, and alarmingly eccentric mother, see their fortunes decline precipitously. They depart from their lovely London mansion to settle into a shabby house in a village whose inhabitants do not warm to their odd household. Lizzie and her sister resolve to solve their difficulties by finding a new husband for their mother. The local minister, doctor, veterinarian, school teacher are among the men they consider fair prey whether single or married, and the girls forge their mother’s signature to letters inviting each to stop by for a visit