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The Three Mrs. Parkers

Review

The Three Mrs. Parkers



THE THREE MRS. PARKERS by Joan Medlicott is about three women
related by marriage or by birth who, after many years of leading
separate lives, find themselves thrown together due to extenuating
circumstances. They have conflicting personalities and learn to get
along with one another, after many years of being distant and
letting the past come between them.

Winifred Parker is the eldest of the Parker women. She is in her
80s and has been diagnosed with Meniere's disease, the symptoms of
which include loss of balance and nausea. Worst-case scenarios will
leave the person debilitated. Winifred has been having these awful
attacks for a while now, and realizes that she needs to live with
someone who she can lean on.

Coincidentally, Winifred's daughter-in-law, Zoe, invites her to
move down to South Carolina where Zoe lives on property she
inherited from her parents. It would be quite a different life for
Winifred, who is used to living in the big city. Zoe, who never was
a favorite person of Winifred's, forgets her pride and makes a
bargain with her mother-in-law. Zoe needs money to prevent the
foreclosure of her property, and in turn Winifred will be allowed
to live on the property with Zoe. Zoe, however, does not know
anything about Winifred's health problems.

The third Mrs. Parker is Zoe's daughter, Katie. She has just lost
her 9-year-old daughter who had been brain damaged since birth.
Katie had made the decision to keep her daughter and care for her,
as opposed to sending her off to an assisted care facility. Her
husband found that he couldn't deal with a baby like this, and
shortly after the birth he deserted Katie and their daughter. Katie
had been living on her own ever since, with no financial help from
anyone, and did all she could for her daughter until her death. Zoe
offers Katie her home, knowing that she needs to recuperate and
properly cope with the death of her only child.

All three Parker women now find their lives are intersecting, and
after many years of not being in contact with one another, they all
will be living under one roof. Katie learns that she has a lot in
common with Grandma Parker, and the two form a friendship. For Zoe,
this is difficult to watch and accept. She still feels deep
resentment and hatred toward the elderly Mrs. Parker, who never hid
the fact that she hated Zoe for marrying her only child, Stephen.
She knew that Winifred would always blame Zoe for the fact that
Stephen turned down an offer to go to law school to be with Zoe,
and this decision eventually led to his accidental death. Although
no one could have predicted this, Zoe knows that Winifred believed
his death was her fault. Because of all these past feelings, Zoe
feels betrayed that Katie is turning to her grandmother now, after
all these years, but Katie knows that it is time to forgive. Zoe is
not quite ready to do that.

THE THREE MRS. PARKERS is what some may classify as a "cozy" read,
and so the pace is slow for a good part of the book. However, there
is one sub-plot line that helps speed things up. There is a secret
that Zoe is hiding from everyone she knows, and it has to do with a
past boyfriend that caused her financial ruin. He is the reason she
is asking for help from her mother-in-law. When Alan returns to
town to find Zoe, the reader will want to know the outcome of this
situation. Zoe's life is now in danger because of Alan, and he is
one factor that helps bring the three women together.

A fourth woman is introduced early on in the novel, a nurse by the
name of Maude O'Hara. Her job is to take care of Winifred and make
her life easier. Maude becomes a pivotal character, becoming
friends with Zoe but also bridging the distance between the three
women.

This reviewer enjoyed THE THREE MRS. PARKERS. The best features of
the novel are the strong characters and the storyline about Alan,
the ex-boyfriend. Fans of "women's fiction" will delight in this
book, although the ending is rather anti-climatic. This novel is
recommended for those who enjoy reading about characters who are
well-developed and feel "real," who are able to survive despite
adversity and hardship.

Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton ([email protected]) on January 23, 2011

The Three Mrs. Parkers
by Joan Medlicott

  • Publication Date: March 15, 2005
  • Genres: Fiction
  • Paperback: 290 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket
  • ISBN-10: 0743487966
  • ISBN-13: 9780743487962