At Home with the Templetons
A Novel
-
-
4.3 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $5.99
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
When the Templeton family takes up residence in an imposing and long-empty manor in the countryside of Victoria, Australia, the locals begin to buzz with gossip. The seven Templetons moved from England and seem unusual, peculiar even—especially when they begin to lead tours through the stately home while dressed in period costume. No one is more intrigued by the family than their neighbors, single mother Nina Donovan and her son, Tom. Though they try to keep their distance from the often shocking Templeton dramas, Nina and Tom find their lives unexpectedly entwined with this enigmatic family, much to the delight of Gracie, the youngest Templeton daughter. Then one day, a tragedy tears them all apart. In the grand estate, the stage is set for years of betrayal and heartbreak, love and affection, to be revealed—and, perhaps, resolved—as the Templetons try to make amends.
At Home with the Templetons is Monica McInerney’s best book yet—a captivating and moving story that spans two decades, illuminating the perils and pleasures of love, friendship, and family.
BONUS: This edition contains excerpts from Monica McInerney's Lola's Secret, The Faraday Girls, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters, Greetings from Somewhere Else, and Upside Down Inside Out.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Everything is not as it seems in McInerney's entertaining exploration of family relationships amid romance and turmoil. When the Templetons move from England to an inherited family manse in Australia, Henry, the charming but financially clueless patriarch, hopes to make a fortune by turning the new home into a tourist destination, dressing his family in old-timey costume as guides. His wife, Eleanor, struggles to balance the books, keep her husband's numerous financial schemes in check, and wrangle the kids: cynical Charlotte, na ve Audrey, precocious but wise Gracie, and young Spencer. Even Eleanor's sister, Hope, despite problems with alcohol, is in on the family business. Then there's artist-widow Nina Donovan and her son, Tom, living in a nearby rented farmhouse and both differently entangled with their flashy neighbors. McInerney (Greetings from Somewhere Else) follows her large cast over the course of 16 years as the Templetons disperse across the globe and become mired in their own individual struggles with, among other things, infidelity, loneliness, addiction, business, jealousy, and straightup growing pains. McInerney's greatest feat is to create a large cast of strong characters; they're individually tough and nicely considered, which lends a pleasing authenticity to the travails of an uncommon family.
