12:30 – 2:30 p.m. in the Community Room

This month, we will return to our indoor meeting space to discuss the debut novel, Within Arm’s Reach by award-winning author, Ann Napolitano

 (Hello Beautiful 2024).

“Within Arm’s Reach follows three generations of an Irish-American Catholic family who are jarred into crisis by an unexpected pregnancy. This lyrical first novel is told through six different points of view, including those of the unmarried, pregnant Gracie, a local advice columnist; and her grandmother, the matriarch, who is struggling with her commitments to both the living and the dead. Within Arm’s Reach is a poignant reminder of how interconnected our lives are with those we love, how much more we inherit than wills decree, and how the ghosts of our ancestor

s walk by our sides every day.

Ann Napolitano artfully paints a riveting portrait of a family in crisis, depicting how the ties that bind us so closely to one another are often the ones that cause us the most pain. As the McLaughlins respond to the unplanned and profound change in Gracie’s life, their own memories and personal stories begin to emerge.

In the end, Napolitano creates a family quilt of sorts, each person’s life and actions closely woven throughout the fabric of the past, present, and future. Within Arm’s Reach is a rich and deeply satisfying narrative of guilt, love, betrayal, and the ultimate loyalty—that of blood. “-Amazon

This event is free and open to the public, teen and adult readers welcome. Please let us know if you  are interested or need more information. Please send your contact information to reference@dobbsferrylibrary.org for more information about the group.

Town and Gown Literary Discussion Group

co-sponsored by Mercy University and the Dobbs ferry Public Library

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Wed. Nov. 13, 2024

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (On Zoom)

This month, we will meet on Zoom to discuss the Victorian thriller, The Heiress, by Rachel Hawkins. Macmillan, 2024.

 

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A January Indie Next Pick and LibraryReads Pick

“The reigning queen of the Gothic thriller.” ―Entertainment Weekly

THERE’S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE RICH GONE BAD.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money―and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And as Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

To register for library programs, or to request a Zoom link if appropriate, please send your request to reference@dobbsferrylibrary.org and indicate the title of the program you wish to attend, the date, the name and email of the people who are registering.

Send an email to reference@dobbsferrylibrary.org for more information about the group.