The Canterbury Sisters

April 1, 2015

Busy young American wine critic Che Milan embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she decides to follow through on a hasty promise to bring her mother's ashes to Canterbury. After signing on to walk there from London on a weeklong Broads Abroad tour, Che reluctantly also agrees to go along with the plan for each woman in the group to share a tale of love as they walk, in the spirit of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Day by day, Che's caustic take on the world softens. From the delicate, stacked teacups on the cover to the satisfying ending, this latest novel from Wright (Love in Mid Air; The Unexpected Waltz) is enjoyable women's fiction. Personal revelations are met with acceptance and lead to growth for the women, who range from very young to older middle age. VERDICT What this bittersweet novel of women bonding on a walking-tour "pilgrimage" may lack in emotional subtlety or spirituality, it makes up for with its amusing descriptions of English inns, pub dinners, and the countryside (Wright also writes about travel and food for magazines) and in the variety of stories each traveler tells along the road to Canterbury.--Laurie Cavanaugh, Holmes P.L., Halifax, MA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
Wine critic Che is delivered a one-two punch when, in the same day, her mother's urn arrives at her doorstep, and she is dumped by her boyfriend. Accompanying the urn is a note from her deceased mother asking Che to take her ashes to Canterbury, and a still-reeling Che is soon packing her bags. Once in England, Che meets up with an all-female travel group to walk the storied 60-mile Canterbury trail from London to Canterbury Cathedral. The eight women, plus an astute guide, come from different walks of lifethere are an uptight housewife, a reality TV star, a sullen teenager, and a multiple divorcee. In a nod to Chaucer's pilgrims, the group decides that each will tell a story that explores, in one way or another, the nature of love. As memories are shared and experiences unfold over the six-day journey, Che begins to reconcile her past and see those around her, and herself, in a new, unexpected light. Through her characters' various perspectives, Wright (The Unexpected Waltz, 2014) offers a modern-day tale imbued with Canterbury's enduring lore.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)