A Rebellious House

A cross between Mary Poppins and Eleanor Roosevelt, Rose McNess is one zippy gal. After shedding most of her possessions, she moves to Wynfield Farms, a retirement community in the mountains of Virginia. At age 72 Rose knows how precious life is and savors every minute. The staff and eighty or so residents of Wynfield Farms provide Rose with endless material for the biweekly newsletter she writes, for friendship, and for good deeds. Each one has unique talents plus an individual history, most of which she unearths. Mystery, tragedy, humor, and even romance enhance the pages of this delightful first novel. Rose imagines herself as a sort of tour guide. And the trip she leads turns out to be "wonderful, wonderful, and yet again wonderful." These elderly people are not simply vegetating or marking time. They live fully and with gusto. As for Rose, whose ideas and energy light up A Rebellious House, she succeeds in making old age something to look forward to.