The House On Butterfly Way (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
This book was a delight. Eugenie Dashner returns to her hometown with her surly 16 year old son in tow after a divorce. She and her widowed brother purchase the now dilapidated house on Butterfly Way that she loved growing up. She reconnects with her best friend and her middle school crush. Between rennovating the house and dealing with her difficult handicapped mother she also gets a job at a dating service. This was a smart, sexy (but not graphic), charming read. More importantly it resonnated with me with its discussions of marriage, mothering, mothers, womanhood, and love. I'll be watching for her this author's next book. Eugenie Dashner is divorced and struggling to raise her teenage son who has become more and more remote since the divorce. She decides to buy a house with her brother who has two small daughters he is raising alone, hoping they can support each other with the raising of their kids. They buy a beautiful old house named Fleurissant that needs a lot of work but could be a beautiful home with some TLC. Eugenie begins the long hard process of rehabilitating the house, finding a job, adjusting to living with her family, and working out her feelings for two good guys who might be interested in her. Slowly Eugenie finds her way to a true home and happiness.This was my first book by Elizabeth Bevarly and I really enjoyed it. It is a light, sweet story about a woman trying to recover from a difficult divorce the best she can. Eugenie is a great character and Bevarly does a good job of making her a real person that you can understand and care for her. I really felt for her with her problems with connecting with her son, I think that anyone who has lived with a teenager can relate to her frustration with getting him to talk! Eugenie also struggles with reconnecting with her mother and their are a few scenes with the two of them that I really loved.I am a big fan of old houses so I also really liked all of the details about the house and the renovations that went into it. I really got a good idea in my head of how the house was coming along with all of the wonderful descriptions. The house almost felt like another important character in the book so much time was spent on it.Eugenie has two possible romances in this book and both of the guys were great. Their characters were so different from each other and it was fun reading about Eugenie trying to decide which one she really wanted to be with. I will say that I think she made the right choice in the end for her. This was a nice little comfort read that I would definitely recommend. I am now eager to read more books by Elizabeth Bevarly since I enjoyed this one so much.
What do You think about The House On Butterfly Way (2012)?
Very funny, easy read....likeable, relatable main character.
—jmwoods
So far, love it - great parallels and wonderful metaphor.
—dinda
believable characters with relevant issues. good book !
—mindy
