Book Review of 'Twenty Wishes' by Debbie Macomber

            The book ‘Twenty Wishes’ is written by Debbie Macomber. Debbie Macomber (born October 22, 1948, in Yakima, Washington) is a best-selling American author of over 150 romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Over 170 million copies of her books are in print throughout the world. Debbie Macomber was the inaugural winner of the fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and has been awarded both a Romance Writers of America RITA and a lifetime achievement award by the Romance Writers of America. 

             I recently read her book ‘Twenty Wishes’ which has a total of 377 pages. It was published by MIRA Books in the year 2008. I choose to review this book because it’s a great book. It gives everyone a sense of hope. The book tells us the idea of making a list of twenty wishes, not goals or objectives, which is astonishing. These wishes help you keep your hopes high and live life. Anne Marie Roche made a list of twenty wishes and saw them come true in an unusual way. Anne Marie finally finds happiness in her empty life. The wishes give her a reason to forget the past and smile. Debbie Macomber is indeed an adept writer who knitted the story very well.

             The book describes the story of Anne Marie Roche who is a thirty-eight year old widow. She owns a thriving bookstore in Seattle’s Bossom Street and a beloved pet Yorkie named Baxter. Her husband, Robert, recently passed away, she is childless and her family relationships are strained. Anne Marie not only mourns the loss of her spouse, she also grieves for the child they never had together. She is simply going through the motions of being alive but not really living.          

          A few of the other widows in town have formed a book club run by Anne Marie so they can meet and try to come to terms with their grief and support one another. One Valentine’s Eve they gather for a small party to soothe one another’s grief and to celebrate their friendships and memories. While trying to come up with ideas to help overcome their feelings of sadness, loss, and being alone, they came up with several suggestions of things they wanted to accomplish in their life, especially to find love again. Anne Marie tentatively suggests they list and fulfill Twenty Wishes they wanted to do in this new phase of their lives. The idea was to bring back the feeling one gets of having something to look forward to and a reason to wake up in the morning.

Debbie Macomber

         They start their adventure by making a list of twenty things that they would like to see happen in their lives. On those lists, they include trips to take, things to do, opportunities to help others, and the ability to love again. Each of these women works on their list of things they want to experience in life. Each of the women has different desires, but wants the same thing in the end; to find love and be happy again. Anne Marie’s wishes include finding one good thing about life, buying a pair of red cowboy boots, finding her singing voice again, dancing in the rain, sharing a trip to Paris with someone she loves, etc. Two widows, Lillie and Barbie, mother and daughter who lost their husbands in a common plane crash hope to fall in love again.

        One of the widows, Elise, convinces Anne Marie to "adopt" an at-risk elementary school student as a "Lunch Buddy." Anne Marie makes a four-month commitment of having lunch once a week with a child she knew nothing about. Her Lunch Buddy is an eight-year old girl named Ellen who currently stays with her maternal grandmother. One night Ellen’s grandmother calls Anne Marie at her home as she is unwell. The paramedics are ready to take the ailing old lady to the hospital but she refuses to go until Anne Marie arrives. Ellen’s grandmother compels Anne Marie to take Ellen at her house until she is fully recovered from her illness. Anne Marie reluctantly takes Ellen home and is unprepared to take the responsibility of a child. However, Anne Marie takes care of Ellen until her grandmother recovers.

         Anne Marie receives unpleasant news about her late husband from her stepdaughter Melissa. The relationship of Anne Marie and Melissa is strained but gradually it develops into a strong one. The widows, Lillie and Barbie, fall in love again with an unexpected turn of events. The relationship of Anne Marie and Ellen strengthens with the period of time. Ellen brings in hope and happiness in Anne Marie’s life as Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of twenty wishes.

        Twenty Wishes change Anne Marie’s life. Twenty Wishes that help her recapture her excitement about life. Twenty dreams written down! Twenty possibilities that give her a reason to look forward to the future instead of staying mired in her grief.

        Debbie Macomber clearly depicts each character’s emotions and wishes to the point where you are constantly rooting for each wish to come true for each one. The writing is smooth, easy to read and comprehend. This story provided an excellent idea to help one move forward in life when things appear bleak. This story reemphasizes what you want in life and that wishes can actually come true. It is a feel-good story about forgiveness, love and new beginnings. So go on, make your own list of ‘Twenty Wishes’ and see them come true..!