Cheer up, mr. widdicombe, paperback/evan james

Named one of 2019s most anticipated reads by Entertainment Weekly , a hilarious and witty joy of a novel about a familys insanely dramatic summer at their new island home ( Cosmopolitan ) in the Pacific Northwest.

The inimitable--some might say incorrigible--Frank Widdicombe is suffering from a deep depression.

Or so his wife, Carol, believes.

But Carol is convinced that their new island home--Willowbrook Manor on the Puget Sound--is just the thing to cheer him up.

And so begins a whirlwind summer as their house becomes the epicenter of multiple social dramas involving the family, their friends, and a host of new acquaintances.

The Widdicombes son, Christopher, is mourning a heartbreak after a year abroad in Italy.

Their personal assistant, Michelle, begins a romance with preppy screenwriter Bradford, who also happens to be Franks tennis partner.

Meanwhile, a local named Marvelous Matthews is hired to create a garden at the manor--and is elated to find Gracie Sloane, bewitching self-help author, in residence as well.

When this alternately bumbling and clever cast of characters comes together, they turn as frothy and bitter as a pot of freshly brewed dark-roast coffee, the kind thats always available on the Widdicombes sideboard.

And the dialogue, oh how it singes and sears ( The Washington Post ).

A gleefully over-the-top satiric debut ( Kirkus Reviews ), Cheer Up, Mr.

Widdicombe is perfect for fans of Maria Semples Whered You Go, Bernadette? , Andrew Sean Greers Less , and Jess Walters Beautiful Ruins.