Interlopers
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Set in New England in the late 1700's, the Sawyer family are summoned from their summer home to find their house has been taken over by a Romanian family that claims to have documentation that proves it belongs to them.
The story has many levels, some humorous, some tragic, some surprising, like the things you learn about making perfume, about the treatment of new immigrants, and botany. Michael is the strongest character and very much MAN. He is like a warrior in defence of his family, yet has a soft side that makes perfume. He is not subtle, and he doesn't understand women well, as is evidenced in his "logical" proposal and his lack of correspondence while away.The book had many humorous scenes in it.
The only thing I didn't like was the overtly Roman Catholic feel to this book. I was under the impression it was a Christian book, but they said prayers, rather than prayed, didn't seem to go to church at all, and saw nothing wrong with relics or icons, or one of them becoming a nun.
