Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly

A Novel

By: Marie Bostwick

Narrated by: Emily Rankin

From the author of The Restoration of Celia Fairchild, comes a novel about the meaning of family and the places we call home. If you love “southern summer” fiction authors like Mary Alice Monroe and Kristy Woodson Harvey you’ll love this delicious novel about family, friendship, and finding your true path in life.

Esme Cahill thinks she has failed spectacularly: fired from her New York City publishing job, divorced from her husband, and possessing little more than a broken-down car and a pile of unfinished manuscripts, she drives home to Asheville at the request of her late grandmother, Adele, who had begged her, just before she died, to return to the place she grew up.

There she discovers the once-charming lakeside retreat run by her family is sliding toward financial ruin, so with the help of her grandfather, George; estranged mother, Robyn; and a travelling chef Dawes (maker of the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich) they set to work. In the attic, Esme unearths a trove of museum-worthy art quilts, sewn by Adele. Piecing together the inspiration behind them, Esme discovers a forgotten chapter in her family history and her grandmother’s untold story, that of a gifted artist who never received her due.

This is an always-emotional, sometimes humorous, very human novel of what it means to be family—the ties that bind us together and the unintentional hurts that can rend us apart. And, along the way, Esme learns that failure can be the first step toward the life you’re meant to find.

Loved it!

I loved the characters and the storyline. Hope to see the beautiful Biltmore Estate soon. Asheville, here I come!

Enjoyable and well written

The story was compelling and the mother - daughter relationship was realistic and kept me interested.

Loved this story, you can imagine all the characters

Loved the characters and descriptions. The came alive in my mind and felt I knew them.

Delightful with great character development

I enjoyed this book so much. I loved the characters and the interesting and not predicable story lines. The narration was easy and textured and very believable. As a synthesthic artist myself it was refreshing to share her insights. I’ll be listening again right away.

My favorite by this author!

I’ve read all of Marie Bostwick’s books and have enjoyed them. However, this is now my favorite one. I like quilting as a theme, but the historical aspects and setting for the book were really interesting. Ms. Bostwick has a way of describing things that makes me understand exactly what she’s conveying. I listened to the audiobook, and the reader was outstanding!