From Publishers Weekly
Shakespeare it isn't, but Ray's beguiling first novel succeeds on the level of romantic entertainment. Narrator Julie Roseman is 60, divorced, loving her job running her family's florist business in Somerville, Mass., but uncomfortably aware that it's failing to turn a profit. All her life she's been aware of her father's violent hatred of the Cacciamani family, the town's only other florist; the Cacciamanis have expressed equal rancor. Julie has always wondered about the source of the enmity, which was never explained. The virulence has seeped down to the third generation, especially after Julie's daughter, Sandy, was caught planning to elope with young Tony Cacciamani when the two were in high school. When Julie bumps into widower Romeo Cacciamani at a seminar, however, love immediately blossoms between them. Their offspring react with horror, forbidding their respective parents to see each other again, and, when Julie and Romeo refuse to comply, the children retaliate with serious spite and fury. Despite a reliance on coincidences, Ray handles her material with vitality and humor, and demonstrates a talent for witty dialogue. She's particularly smart and funny in the realm of mother/daughter relationships, as Julie tries to deal with both Sandy, who's divorced and has moved back home with her two children, and her other daughter, Nora, a real estate whiz with a drive for perfection and a dictatorial personality. It's Nora who alerts her father, Mort, to her mother's foolish liaison, bringing Mort and his young new wife back from Seattle to complicate matters. Since it was Mort who walked out in the first place, Julie is justifiably furious. Meanwhile, Romeo enlists his parish priest as go-between and tries to placate his 89-year-old mother, whose malicious antipathy may hold the key to the family vendetta. Ray's charming little bouquet should blossom into an appealing summer read. 75,000 first printing; film rights to Barwood Films; audio rights to Brilliance Audio; rights sold in Germany, Greece, Italy and the U. K. (June) FYI: Ray is the mother of author Ann Padgett.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
A charming, funny, and sexy story of second chances at love is given an effective and eminently listenable reading by its author. Julie (Roseman) and Romeo (Cacciamani), both florists, have heard awful stories about the other's family all their lives, although no one really knows how it all started. Romeo is a widower, running the store with his children, and Julie is divorced, running her store with the help of her daughter, Sandy, while Sandy (also divorced) and her children live with Julie. Animosity is so great between the families that, years ago, both Julie and Romeo had a hand in breaking up the romance of their respective teenaged children. When both families find that Romeo and Julie have met and want to date, everyone (adult children, an ancient matriarch, even Julie's ex) takes extreme (and hilarious) actions to break up this romance, while the couple wonder at the grace of finding one another. Ray narrates as if born to the task not overly polished but perfectly suited to Julie and effective with other characters, using tonal changes rather than vocal impersonations. Her easy manner and direct style seem as real as one's best friends' and just as compelling. Delightful and highly recommended. Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
