Blue Heaven — Elaine Kagan

A new, irresistible, emotionally compelling novel by the author of The Girls.        

Three women -- Mollie; her daughter, Gilliana; and Gilliana's daughter, Clare -- take us into their lives. In the past, Mollie's story: her passionate early marriage, surviving separation in World War II only to be destroyed by her husband's uncontrollable gambling; the unexpected sweetness and soundness of the years of her marriage with the beloved Lew.  And Gilliana's story: a perfect -- and doomed -- romance with a famous entertainer who is both charming and giving; a glamorous career; a failing marriage.

And in the present: teenage Clare, observing the crash of her parents' marriage and, even worse, her grandmother Mollie's descent into senility, while she herself, on the brink of first love, tries to understand and avoid the mistakes and tragedies of her family's past.

These are loving women: the generous, sweet-tempered, domestic Mollie; the ardent, wise-cracking Gilliana; the cool, straightforward, "modern" Clare. Their lives, their feelings, their richly articulated voices are the heart of this moving, embracing novel that catches the essence of family love, sexual love, and the sheer love of life.