Feast of Saint Bertie
Kathleen Popa
David C. Cook, Sep 2008
ISBN: 9781434799876

In Saratoga, Roberta 'Bertie' Denys buries her famous in Silicon Valley husband Larry who suffered from Parkinson's disease. Her only regret is their adult son Garrett failed to show up at the funeral; Garrett vanished four months ago. After the burial, Bertie comes home to find her house on fire; an arsonist struck. Her neighbor Suzanne takes her into her home.

Bertie moves into a rural shed where she plans to pray every three hours and learn what her visions mean. There she meets pregnant general store owner pregnant and single India, Russ, his ex wife Brenda and his ex partner Gil who is Brenda's second husband. Russ and his former father in law Boyd repair Bertie's roof. Bertie also helps at a food kitchen for the homeless where she sees Garrett who came in for a meal. He promises to visit her soon even as letters from her late spouse begin to arrive once a week to help her move on.

This inspirational character study stars a strong female protagonist trying to move on after the death of her beloved spouse who suffered for quite awhile with his debilitating illness. Part of her adjustment is from taking care of her late husband. As she seeks an inner peace through prayer, Bertie wonders if she can find this need for 'all shall be well' without first finding her son. With a strong eccentric support cast, fans will enjoy Kathleen Popa's fine contemporary.

Harriet Klausner