This was a pleasant quick read, but totally predictable and a little sappy. ( )

An easy read about romance and family; some was very sad but others hopeful. Interesting to me because the location is the Monadnock region. The author has obviously spent some time there. ( )

This was my first book by Nan Rossiter and loved it! As we get older we all are concerned about our parents’ last years; how to handle health care, nursing homes, funerals, and the aftermath. The novel was well written with loveable characters. I hope someday when it is time-- my sister and I will find some family secrets such as this!

The three sisters are all different with names of famous authors raised by a single mother (her husband dies in a car accident on their 5th wedding anniversary and the same day her last daughter is born. The Mother (Mia) has a great outlook on life and loves life daily and loved by many.

When the mother dies, the three daughters come home to go through the tea house her mother owned and the contents of the house. What they find is a secret and lovely romance with a famous married artist. The romance was going on for years after of course the husband had died. The paintings and the letters to her daughters were bittersweet. Unfortunately by the time his wife dies, she has lost her memory and is in a nursing home.

In the meantime while they are dealing with their mother’s affairs, the three sisters have issues of their own. Beryl (the one who lives in the same town) revisits her an old friend and his daughter (his wife has died), and the other two sisters have marriage and family problems as well.

A beautiful story – I highly recommend to men and women of any age - I look forward to reading more by this author! http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/post/881755/morethanyouknow
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More Than You Know by Nan Rossiter
The girls are all back home to attend to their mother's funeral. As they are going through her thing they do find a ring with a card from David. None of them know who he is.
Love how the phrase in the book describes love and is the title. I have a similar one for one of our grandson-to the moon and back and his response is I love you more... Love to hear Micah and Charlottes response as it is so near to ours.
Their personal lives are in turmoil, for the most part as we find out more deeply about each of them.
The story also follows the life of Micah-a local who now runs a bookstore in Quincy, MA. His wife died and he has their daughter Charlotte to care for while living at his parents.
He helps them with more clues of who David is. There are newspaper clippings and I love hearing of the Old Man in the Mountain as I've seen it myself and have traveled there just last year to see what's left.
Love how they all get along, so easy with one another and as they find more clues in the letters she left them. Mia had met David when she worked at the artist colony serving meals. Her burden is a heavy one til the day before he's due to leave the area.
Loved learning so much from this book! I had just read the aviator's wife about the Lindbergh's.
Tragedy strikes the family anf they all rally together. Very detailed descriptions of the places and there are a handful of characters-easy to keep track of them all.
Recipes are included at the end!
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review ( )

The Short of It:

A wonderful, heartwarming tale about family, faith and the memories that bind us.

The Rest of It:

This is a feel-good book. The kind that warms you from the inside out and puts a smile on your face. I know what you are thinking, “But Ti, you always read such heavy books!” Yes, I know! I do prefer a meaty chunkster to most mainstream fiction but I also like to feel good too and Nan Rossiter has perfected the art of writing books that fall into the feel-good category and her latest is no exception.

Mia Graham’s world changes in an instant when the sudden death of her husband is immediately followed by the delivery of her beautiful baby girl. Beryl and her older sisters Isak and Rumer, grow-up under Mia’s watchful gaze. She is always there for them, helping them through the challenges of life and when the girls are grown and Mia is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it’s the girls, especially Beryl who come to her aid. But after a long battle, Mia is taken from them and they are forced to return to their childhood home to go through her belongings and lay her to rest. While going through her things they discover her diary and realize that their mother had been keeping a secret from them for years. Curious, they dive into her story.

There is a lot of “wonderful” in this novel. When the girls gather at their childhood home in New Hampshire, it’s as if they’ve stepped back in time. Suddenly, they are young girls again and remembering all the special little things that their mom did for them. Simple things like making them cinnamon toast and a good cup of tea. The work of preparing the house for sale is bittersweet but its weight is made lighter by the casual conversations and the meals they share together as a family. Their interactions with close friends and the rest of the town, are enough to sustain them. And let me tell you, if you are a foodie, you will want some comfort food on hand as the food talk really got to me at times! Rossiter must have known this because she included recipes of some of the dishes mentioned in the book.

Of course, I made the one dish that was not included in the back of the book! A dip using cream cheese, chili, green chiles and cheese and let me tell you, my family gobbled it up.

As far as the story goes, I loved the way Rossiter handled the diary aspect. Shared in sections and read by the girls, it took on a very personal tone and when all was said and done, I really felt as if I got to know Mia quite well which made her passing all the more real.

If you’ve not read Rossiter’s work before, I should tell you that she is a dog lover from way back. Her books always include a canine companion which I find especially nice. And this particular book has some surprises in it. Readers of her other books will notice right away what they are. I enjoyed discovering them on my own so I won’t mention any more about them here.

Overall, a very touching and enjoyable read. I can see LOTS of you reading this one over the summer while sipping a tall glass of iced tea. Gosh, I adore Rossiter’s books.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter. ( )