For fans of Debbie Macomber, Kristin Hannah, Beth Hoffman, and Sarah Jio, this luminous novel from the author of Friendship Bread follows a group of fascinating women who form deep friendships through their love of scrapbooking—as memories are preserved, dreams are shared, and surprising truths are revealed.
Welcome to Avalon, Illinois, Pop. 4,243
At Madeline’s Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past: Isabel Kidd is fixing up her ramshackle house while sorting through the complications of her late husband’s affair. Ava Catalina is mourning the love of her life and helping her young son grow up without his father. Local plumber Yvonne Tate is smart, beautiful, and new to Avalon, but finds that despite a decade of living life on her own terms, the past has a way of catching up—no matter where she goes. And Frances Latham, mother to a boisterous brood of boys, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a little girl from China—unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of foreign adoption.
Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. Under Bettie’s guidance, even the most reluctant of Avalon’s residents come to terms with their past and make bold decisions about their future. But when the group receives unexpected news about their steadfast leader, they must pull together to create something truly memorable.
By turns humorous, wise, and deeply moving, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a luminous reminder that the things we hold most dear will last a lifetime.
Praise
“There are many threads to this story (including a female plumber with a secret past), but, like a good scrapbooker, Gee puts them all together beautifully. Bettie is the glue that holds the residents of Avalon together—whether they like it or not—and as she seems to unravel, the town comes together. This funny, moving book is the follow-up to Friendship Bread (2011), although The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society can stand on its own. A welcome addition to any women’s-fiction collection and a good choice for fans of Debbie Macomber’s knitting series.”
—Booklist
“A three-hanky nod to It’s a Wonderful Life. Gee—who also writes as Mia King (Table Manners)—gets the unapologetically schmaltzy tone just right with the irresistible premise that we can love the impossible. A surefire book club hit.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
“In this exceptionally well-written novel you’ll find heartwarming inspiration, humor, wisdom and endless charm … This is one of those books you’ll want to tell your friends about so you can talk about the antics and struggles that will stay in your heart long after the final page is turned. Gee is an author to keep a close eye on.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Poignant and memorable … a gratifying read.”
—Huffington Post
“In a gathering of women there will always be compelling stories. Throw in a shared love of craft and these stories take on a whole new dynamic. There are shared secrets, support, encouragement, and love as the women of The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society come to terms with the past and boldly step forward into the future.”
—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Blossom Street and Cedar Cove series
“Snapshots of the kinds of memories we all want to keep, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a story of the best kind of friendships, those that endure, those that we will always hold dear.”
—Lynne Hinton, New York Times bestselling author of Friendship Cake and Pie Town
>> Read by the wonderful Tanya Eby. Listen to an excerpt here.
>> For the reading guide, click here.
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