A young divorcee moves to the middle of nowhere with a vague idea towards starting a boring new life full of cats and gardening. This book is the story of how she gets pretty much the opposite. It's the perfect summer read for those of us who prefer a little chew in our love stories.

What I loved best about The Awful Mess was its exploration of faith. I read this book the same week I read Jane Eyre, and I couldn't help seeing so many similarities! Both books are deeply concerned with Christianity, with "good" Christians and "bad" Christians, and among the best aspects of both books are the portraits of the "bad" Christian characters. Arthur Tennant works ridiculously well as a stand-in for St. John Rivers, they're both scary in the exact same way and for the same reasons. Sharon would make a wonderful Mr. Brocklehurst. Mary Bellamy, in spite of all her protestations of heathenness (spoiler: she isn't at all), is as deeply concerned about being good and honorable as the iconoclastically devout Jane Eyre. It was a very interesting experience to read both books together, and to see so many parallels.

But of course The Awful Mess is overall a very different book. (The hero isn't hiding a crazy wife in his attic, for one.) Mary Bellamy is alternately sarcastically witty and endearingly woebegone. She's also a little too nice to be true: for instance, on the rare occasions that she constructs elaborate revenge fantasies in her head for (I promise you) utterly deserving victims (abusive ex, shockingly nosy neighbor), she immediately chastises herself for the harmless indulgence. She's basically one sex change operation away from turning into Mr. Rogers. It's almost annoying... *almost*. Every time I wanted to be exasperated with her, she made a funny and redeemed herself. It also helped that she was so thoroughly reasonable. She does not suffer from plot-itis at all; all her choices and reactions were true to character, she made no sudden moves and slept with no men that I could not see the appeal of. Definitely a character worthy of carrying a book on her shoulders.

Once I got behind the main character it was easy to like the book. Like Mary, the other characters and the plot itself are all unforced, reasonable, and flow true to natural-seeming course. Nothing's too pat, not even one character (Bert) who I thought for sure was written to fulfil the "pat" quota but even he stops delivering free food when, well, when there isn't anything in it for him. A gratifying subset of endings remain messy, and the neat endings feel very much EARNED (the book isn't called "an awful mess" for nothing).

So: interesting themes, deft storytelling, and a confident voice make this book a really good read. I could not put it down once I started - I was walking around making coffee and going to the loo with my ebook reader in one hand. I'm looking forward to reading a lot more from this author. ( )

When Mary and Roger Bellamy’s marriage falls apart, Mary seeks solace in the small community of Lawson, New Hampshire. Lawson is typical of a very, very small town. “Everyone in town knows about the young divorcee from Boston who bought Miss Lacey’s house.” And she’s hardly unpacked!
Mary isn’t a religious person, but she has made her first new friend in Arthur Tennant, the rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. She looks forward to their meetings on the Main Street Bridge. She enjoys Arthur’s company. She knows he’s in an unhappy marriage and can both sympathize and empathize his position. Before long, each falls into a serious case of like.
Arthur is also helping Mary and introducing her to some of the other locals…in particular the town cop, Winslow. Each feels the attraction. Winslow is single and extremely handsome
Mary is enjoying settling down into her new life. She was able to keep her job as an editor thanks to telecommuting. Now she’s gotten word that the company is getting ready for a big layoff. She is hopefully that she’ll get lucky and survive. After all, there isn’t any publishing industry job sin Lawson.
There’s a lot going on in Mary’s life: Arthur, whom she had a one-night stand; Winslow, whom she’s unsure of her feelings; and the potential of having to pack up and move when she’s just settled in. And oh yeah, she’s pregnant. After years and years of being told she was incapable of having children, it looks like a miracle has happened! Then Roger reappears to wreak havoc on her life. His interference is shocking.
Mary is a no-nonsense kind of gal. She picks herself up and dusts herself off when the going gets tough. And boy, oh boy, are things getting tough.
I’m a new fan of author Hutchison. I thoroughly enjoyed her other novel, The Rib and Thigh Bones of Desire. Her characters are down to earth and believable, the story lines realistic, the pacing is superb. I was pulled in immediately with the first sentence. Hutchison creates vivid worlds and characters.
I highly recommend The Awful Mess; A Love Story. It’s the perfect book to curl up on the couch with…I wasn’t able to put it down. ( )