One Year, McDonough Mary

In a heartfelt story set in a picturesque small town in Virginia, Mary McDonough portrays three generations of women in a modern Irish-American family as they navigate marriage, motherhood, and independence. . .

The Fitzgibbons--especially the women--have long been the backbone of Olivers Well, Virginia. Matriarch Mary Bernadette is still striking and tireless at seventy-five, with a generous heart that belies her sometimes sharp tongue. Her husband, Paddy, owns the local landscaping business, daughter Grace is a nun, and son Pat and his wife Megan are successful lawyers. Her grandson, PJ, and his new wife, Alexis, live in a charming cottage behind the main house. Church, family, tradition, and the local historical society--everything Mary Bernadette cherishes is here. Yet below the surface, there are fractures.

Megan sees the strained relationship between her husband and Mary Bernadette, who has never quite recovered from the loss of her first-born son. Megan, too, is torn between gaining her mother-in-laws approval and living life on her own terms. Alexis loves PJ deeply yet chafes against his grandmothers influence in their marriage. But when a looming scandal brings unexpected tragedy, the Fitzgibbons are compelled to determine the depth of their loyalty, find their strength--and repair the bonds that have held a town, and a family, together for so long.