While there are many enlightening personal patterns that we can explore with the author and be inspired to trace our own genealogy, it is harder to connect with main character, Douglas McCombs.

Given his extensive grief and insistence on his eternal love with a wife who seemingly thought only of herself, he comes across a lot less intelligent than his success and accomplishments would indicate. There's a big disconnect here which is never explained even when he suddenly falls in love with a show more kinder, more generous, and accomplished woman.

Also odd is why he thinks that a pursuit of his ancestors will bring him closer to his own truth is mysterious.
As well is the over-emphasis on being rich.

It would be great if a sequel brought them on a long journey to Scotland with their Afican American and maybe Scottish adopted son or daughter. show less

My heritage is Scots-Irish, so I liked the idea of slipping back through generations into their world as the main character, Douglas, explores his genealogy. And I did enjoy the stories of his ancestors, though it's not clear how anyone would be able to find out as many details of their lives as Douglas somehow does. Yes, he checks out books from the library (my favorite place), but still...

In the present day, Douglas is a recent widower who (spoiler alert) falls madly in love with a show more librarian named Suzy. (It's not really that much of a spoiler alert; it's obvious early on.) But he is so incredibly mushy about it. Suzy is THE. BEST. THING. EVER. And the ending was sappy with an unrealistic monologue that is supposed to tie up all the loose ends, but felt rushed after a book that dragged on without much happening in Douglas's world.

A few typos irked me, but I did receive an ARC, so hopefully those were caught. For example, it states that the Seven Years' War began in 1765 (it was 1756) and ended in 1963. Whoops. Where are the copyeditors?

In any case, my personal feeling is that it would have been better as a story only about the past, expanding upon the interesting fictional lives of his ancestors. Mixing past and present didn't work well here, at least for me. show less

My kingdom for a genealogical chart. Seriously, the entire book is about the protagonist's journey of self-discovery through genealogical research. There are a lot of begats to keep track of here, and a family tree would have been a simple but valuable addition.

It's a nice enough story in its own way, and semi-autobiographical, so there's always that hesitancy, as a reviewer, to be too harsh about what is essentially someone's life. Having said that, the prose was a little flowery at times, show more and the characters oddly not fleshed out enough (a common flaw in autobiographical fiction, perhaps because the author forgets we don't know these people as well as he does?). I would have enjoyed more time spent in the Highlands and amongst his earlier Scottish roots, rather than the New World ancestors, but that's just my preference. show less

Douglas McCombs has been waiting out his life since he lost Hope (his wife who had Alzheimer's). A friend of his tries to help him to live again by taking walks with him and encouraging him to resume his ancestry research. In so doing, Douglas meets Suzy Hamilton, a librarian who he falls for (almost literally), and the story splits between his Scottish/Irish/North American ancestors and his relationship with Suzy. In this, he confronts his past in more ways than one.

It appears to be a show more semi-autobiographical novel, and the history mixed in suited me. Anyone who has looked into their ancestry at one point might like this story, though it also explores the fact that not everyone can trace their roots. The story flowed pretty well and was a quick read, but I found it maybe a bit too sentimental and sweet for my tastes, or maybe just my current mood. Suzy is a good character, though presented as too perfect. I suppose in Douglas' eyes that would be true, though he comes across as an unreliable narrator. 3.5/5 stars show less