What Matters Most: A Novel

By Luanne Rice

New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice works her singular magic in this deeply felt novel about two unforgettable couples, linked by a shared history, separated by decisions made long ago.
 
What if you could relive one time in your life? What would you choose if you could make one thing right? For Bernadette and Tom, it is a return to their roots in Ireland and a love that broke every rule and could have withstood any consequence—but the one that broke their hearts. For James and Kathleen, whose indelible bond was forged in a Dublin orphanage before one was adopted and carried across the sea to America, it is a reunion they’ve dreamed of all their young lives, even if it defies reason. From the Emerald Isle to the Connecticut shore, four lives  are about to come together in a confrontation that will challenge each of them to leave behind the past and all they once thought was important, and to embrace at last what matters most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 17, 2007
• ISBN: 9780553903850

Luanne Rice

Luanne Rice is the author of Secrets of Paris, Stone Heart, Blue Moon, Home Fires and Crazy in Love. Originally from Connecticut, she now lives in New York City with her husband.

Reviews for What Matters Most

[iandssmom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the story. It was sweet and kept me listening.

[silva_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't typically read romance novels, but this one sounded interesting. I liked it, but I didn't appreciate the unrealistic points in the all too repetitive plot line. How many times can we possibly be told how blue Tom's eyes are, or how much Bernie and Tom, Seamus and Kathleen love each other? Overall, it was okay, but not earth-shattering.

[kimreadthis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A sequel to "Sandcastles." Very disappointing. Rather than deal with the issues raised by the plot, Rice takes the easy way out. A bit of an otherworldly interlude at the end that felt completely out of place.

[c_diane_bookworm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love reading Luanne Rice Books especially after I have read something very intense and scary. Luanne's books are so real and capture life very well. They hold your attention and bring you into the lives of people telling deeply of their hurts and longings, their happiness and hopes without embellishment but with what seems true. This book is no different. They are a fairly quick readj.

[coyle220 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Irish children James and Kathleen are put in a Catholic Dublin orphanage as babies and are inseperable, until Kathleen's parents come back to get her at age 13. James runs away. We also learn the back-story of James' parents (unknown to him) and we find out what happens to James (now Seamus) and Kathleen as they become adults. It's a heartwarming story, although a bit melodramatic at times. The conflict between earthly love and love of God is interesting.

[punxsygal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This sequel to Sandcastles begins where the other left off, with Tom Kelly and Sister Bernadette Ignasius arriving in Dublin to search for the son they left behind. It examines how the decisions of the heart can affect many lives and how deeply hearts can be bonded in unexpected ways.