A Plane Tree in Provence Series

Five women, four forty years old, and one matron of sixty-one take a holiday to France anxious to escape their robotic lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Wendy, the travel agent, Penny, owner of a needlework shop, Sarah, accomplished artist, Vernie, executive director of the Portland Symphony, and Rose, who is a recent widow all wind their way through Provence with adventures conflicts, and a generous portion of food and wine. Each evening they gather around the large plane tree at their renter farmhouse to vent and give advice to each other. Conflicts emerge when Sarah has an affair, the rest of the group blasts her behavior, and Wendy's constant critical comments to Rose almost tear the group apart. By the end of the trip, each return home recharged to explore hidden dreams and change their lives.

Penny Wilson, owner of the Designers Pen needlework shop in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, lives in a large rambling home with her husband, Michael, and two sons. Life is good until Penny accidentally spots Michael with another woman. An affair? Or a harmless encounter? Unraveling an explanation is not easy, but Penny has her friends in The Cape Elizabeth Ocean Avenue Society to lean on. While she wants her marriage to succeed will she ever be able to forgive Michael if he is indeed having an affair. The group’s lives are intertwined with challenges. Wendy is cut from her acting job at Summer Theatre, Sarah’s decision to get back in the swing of taking care of her home and cooking goes south, Vernie is under an enormous amount of stress at the Portland Symphony, and Rose develops a fondness for the carpenter who is renovating her home. As the weeks go by, Penny is also plagued by medical issues, which she decides are a result of her emotional state. But are they? Perhaps it is something entirely different.

This novel is the third in the A Plane Tree in Provence Series. The women have arrive back home ready to assume life for the better. Sarah Stafford, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, is a famed artist whose paintings hang in galleries as well as prestigious homes throughout the country. Her days are spent painting at the beach or in her home studio. Although she rarely contributes to housework, preparing meals, or taking care of her teen-age sons, it is a good and comfortable life, thanks to her husband, Clay, who doesn't complain and willingly takes complete charge of his business as well as the chores at home. From appearances, Sarah and her family lead a storybook life, yet trouble is brewing deep within Sarah’s conscience. A brief affair has left her guilt ridden. Raoul, the man with whom she had an affair re-enters her life in a most bizarre manner and disrupts everything. Faced with the possibility she might lose her family if the truth were known, Sarah ignores the inevitable for as long as she can until events force her to make a crucial choice. Will she choose truth or deceit?