For fans who have read For Better or For Worse, the Patterson family is like their own family. Full of love and humor, the Canadian clan embodies the ups and downs of everyday family life: John and Elly facing the reality of being middle-aged; daughter Elizabeth becoming more independent on her own at college; son Michael secretly marrying his longtime love, Deanna; and daughter April learning how to deal with a bully. The strip expresses life at its most heartwarming and humorous. In Family Business, the Pattersons gather forces to buy and reorganize a toy store where Elly has worked for years. Through their efforts to clean out the basement, put a miniature train display in the front window, and add hobby supplies, the Pattersons learn even more about their relationships with each other. As Grandpa Jim tells April, "What, with the new business, John's model trains, Mike's love life, Elizabeth, and you, there's never a dull moment!" Over the years, Lynn Johnston has been lauded for her realistic portrayal of family life and for approaching serious subjects with honesty and compassion. Farley, the family dog, for example, died after heroically rescuing April in 1995. Elly's father, Jim, moved in with the family after his wife died, and finally started dating again. For Better or For Worse resonates with families everywhere.
Lynn Johnston lives in Corbeil, Ontario, Canada. She was the first woman to win the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 1985. In the summer of 2008, she was inducted into the "Giants of the North," the Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame.
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