What a Woman Must Do

Ten years ago, Bess Canby's parents died in a suspicious car accident. Since then Bess has lived with her Aunt Kate and Cousin Harriet -- a makeshift family that seemed as solid as any in town. Now, in the space of three days, each woman must decide how much she owes to the past and how much to the future. Bess, who is leaving for college in the fall, finds herself involved with a married man. Middle-aged Harriet is comfortable with her spinster's life until a widowed farmer...
More Description

Ten years ago, Bess Canby's parents died in a suspicious car accident. Since then Bess has lived with her Aunt Kate and Cousin Harriet -- a makeshift family that seemed as solid as any in town. Now, in the space of three days, each woman must decide how much she owes to the past and how much to the future.
Bess, who is leaving for college in the fall, finds herself involved with a married man. Middle-aged Harriet is comfortable with her spinster's life until a widowed farmer comes courting. And Kate, deeply saddened by the death of her husband and the loss of their farm years before, dispenses acerbic advice to her younger cousins, while secretly battling the ghosts who live at the heart of all their lives.
Critical Acclaim for The Cape Ann:
"Like To Kill a Mockingbird, [it] is a story of a child's loss of innocence, of a growing awareness of just how complex life can be." -- Washington Post Book World
"A fascinating, original novel." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune