This is a touching, in places very sad, book. Mabel is very lonely, and was so even before her husband of many years died. The whole story is full of reminiscences interspersed with the current day story of trying to find her long lost friend, and there is so much sadness in Mabel's thoughts of what she has lost and what she missed out on. But there is also hope and laughter and a fantastic element of female friendship and found family in this book, and Mabel is stretched to do things she never dreamed of.

The ending is very satisfying, if slightly wistful, with elements of what might have been if only things had been different in Mabel's youth.