Summer Poem

When Hester, a widow in her fifties, is summoned to France by her older daughter, Imogen, she must confront the truths of her past and of her marriage to Martin, who died three years ago. Were the qualities that made Martin an excellent, efficient headmaster the ones that kept him from being a compassionate father? As she attempts to sort out the mess her selfish son-in-law has created with Imogen and her younger sister, Hester is forced to examine her relationship with her deceased husband and her daughters.
The task becomes much more complicated when, on the ferry from England, she encounters her unrequited love from the past, Alex. Eight years ago duty to her invalid husband and threats from his jealous wife kept them apart, but now that it is all behind them, will they have a second chance?
As Hester faces an unlooked-for reawakening of passions she thought long buried, a love story full of humor and memorable characters, accented by the beautiful Brittany countryside, unfolds in Karen Hayes' luminous first novel.