Story of a mother who runs a children?s gift basket shop.

This is the story of a baby left on a doorstep, the wealthy embittered widow of the grand estate, and her yardman/handyman who discovered the baby. As reviewed by The Washington Post Book World, “This is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and personal change …”

There is immense sadness and loss in this quiet story. But, the tragedies woven throughout Anna Quindlen's novel Blessings occur in a world where love and forgiveness can still be found.

Skip Cuddy is the new caretaker for the Blessings estate. Once home to a wealthy family, it is now inhabited by the sole remaining child, an elderly daughter who is cared for by a maid who comes each day and Skip, who mostly tends the property. Skip, on parole after being released from jail, seems happy with his simple life, until he finds a baby on his door step. He makes a decision that changes everyone's lives.

The story is told in a matter of fact way that mirrors the quiet of the world of Blessings. The novel moves from the present to the past as Lydia Blessing remembers her own life, first as a debutante in New York City and then as the disgraced daughter relegated to the country where she finds she is content to stay.

This isn't a dramatic book: life happens, and we witness it, with characters who, for the most part, are trying to do the right things in a changing world. But it is a lovely written tale and worth the time. ( )

A young, desperate couple leaves an infant at Blessings, where the new caretaker Skip Cuddy finds the babe and decides to raise her. As he's on parole and the old lady Lydia Blessing is old and set in her ways, it may not seem like the best of situations. Can they manage to be a sort of family?

A heartwarming tale that reads very fast and was sometimes deceptively simple, while delving into themes of family and secrecy. Unfortunately I had one of the big reveals spoiled for me while researching for my book club before being quite finished with the book, so what should've been an "Aha!" moment was only a small nod of recognition. Though to be fair, there was plenty of foreshadowing. The ending seemed a little abrupt, a sense that the idyll couldn't have lasted anyway and though I knew that, it didn't make me any happier about it. A bittersweet tale exploring family, regrets and how we can never quite know if we're making the "right" choice. Lots of fodder for book discussions, too. ( )

While I liked the story in this book, I had some trouble with the flow of time. Within one page, you could be "the present", Lydia's childhood, and the time when she was first a mother. It was hard to follow sometimes because these flashbacks would happen in the middle of a conversation that would keep going throughout.