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House of Wonder – Book Review

September 22, 2014 by NancyT

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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HouseofWonder

When we were little and I needed Warren, I would rub my earlobe. And perhaps it was the alchemy of childhood, a magic that happened because I believed it could, but I swear it worked. He always came.

Jenna Parsons has managed to distance herself from her odd family — her twin brother, Warren, who was the weird kid in school, and her former beauty queen and shopaholic mother — and devotes her time to her career and her 4-year-old daughter, Rose.  But when Warren goes missing, Jenna finds herself back in her old neighborhood, drawn back in to the family dynamics she thought she had escaped.

When Jenna returns to Royal Court, she discovers a lot has changed in the time since she’s been gone. Neighbors avoid her mother and her run-down house, many houses are for sale, listed by Jenna’s step-mother, and a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood has everyone worried. Jenna also finds former classmate Bobby Vanni, a doctor and single dad living back with his parents.  When Bobby’s daughter, Gabby, and Rose hit it off, Jenna spends more time with him, the first man she’s dated since Rose’s father left for Japan before she was born.

House of Wonder alternates Jenna’s first person account with flashbacks to Priscilla, Jenna’s mother, beginning in her childhood when her mother disappeared one day, through her career in beauty pageants and the birth of the twins.  Each of these flashback chapters is short, only a few pages, but provides just enough background to explain Priscilla’s unwavering acceptance of her unusual son.

It’s clear Warren is somewhere on the autism spectrum, a fact that’s mentioned to Jenna by her best friend and business partner, but is undiagnosed, as is typical of many adults who grew up before such a diagnosis even existed. Priscilla refers to mental illness running in her family, the details of which are not revealed to Jenna until near the end of the story. The differences in h0w such behaviors were handled in the 50s and today are quite striking.

There’s a tremendous amount of growth in both Jenna and Priscilla as the story progresses. Jenna learns to accept her family and to open her heart to Bobby. As Priscilla opens up to Jenna about her family history she also admits to favoring Warren due to his needs.

What’s interesting about this novel is the different views of beauty – Priscilla’s physical beauty as the standard in the 50s, the beauty in the airplanes that Warren builds from scratch, the majesty of the maple tree in the park that backs up to the houses on Royal Court, the simple beauty of two children playing together.

There’s not a lot of action in House of Wonder but it’s a beautiful story and one that I recommend.

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One of you (U.S. only) can enter to win a copy of this novel by Sarah Healy. Leave a comment and follow the instructions in the widget below.

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20 Comments

  1. kathy dalton says

    October 4, 2014 at 9:26 am

    This sounds like a great read

    Reply
  2. Annmarie W. says

    October 4, 2014 at 8:57 am

    This looks like an interesting book…how things change over years and a nice look at various people.

    Reply
  3. Amy Tebow says

    October 4, 2014 at 12:06 am

    Sounds like a book I would enjoy reading thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply
  4. Madalyn Haire says

    October 3, 2014 at 4:01 am

    I would love to win this book for a Christmas present for my sister in law

    Reply
  5. Saver Sara says

    October 2, 2014 at 10:42 am

    Sounds like a super interesting book!

    Reply
  6. Nancy says

    October 2, 2014 at 9:01 am

    This book sounds like it has a collection of interesting characters. I’d like to read it!

    Reply
  7. kelly mcgrew says

    October 1, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    this looks like a great read! thanks for the chance!!

    Reply
  8. Cindy says

    September 30, 2014 at 11:29 am

    I would love to read this book with my Kids Adventurer Club. It is good for them to see into a family that is different from their own.

    Reply
  9. Meagan bs says

    September 30, 2014 at 10:12 am

    i just started getting into reading this year, i think i’d really like this book.

    Reply
  10. Samantha Wagner says

    September 27, 2014 at 1:33 am

    Sounds like a book I can get lost in for awhile.

    Reply
  11. Anita Yancey says

    September 26, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    It sounds like an interesting story. I love how Jenna comes back to help her family. Thanks for having the giveaway.

    Reply
  12. Hilary says

    September 25, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    I love reading about people’s lives and how they live! This sounds like a great weekend read!

    Reply
  13. Linda Kish says

    September 24, 2014 at 10:30 pm

    I would love to read this book.

    Reply
  14. Dominica H. says

    September 24, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    Sounds like a great read!

    Reply
  15. Daniel M says

    September 23, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    sounds like one my sis would like

    Reply
  16. DEBIJOT says

    September 23, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    Sounds like a book I would enjoy reading.

    Reply
  17. Angel Wells says

    September 22, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    sounds like a good book that I would enjoy. Love the book cover!

    Reply
  18. Kerrie Mayans says

    September 22, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    I love reading books about odd families. It makes me feel so much better about my own.

    Reply
  19. Julie Smith says

    September 22, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    I love this review. Sometimes I’m looking for a family story that’s not too dark and not too sweet, and this seems to fit the bill. Having a son on the autistic spectrum, reading about Warren and his experiences is also something that interests me. Thanks for the review and for the chance to win!

    Reply
  20. anne says

    September 22, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    A captivating and intriguing novel which I would enjoy. Many thanks.

    Reply

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