A review by marilynw
The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
Narrated by Robin Siegerman, Hope Newhouse

This story has a magical feel to it and for good reason. Soline Roussel had been born to a maker of bridal dresses and over time, despite the loss of her talented mother, Soline makes bridal dresses, too. But first Soline volunteers at a hospital in WWII France, where she meets the American who steals her heart. It is later, after Soline has left France, that she takes up the path her mother had followed and her mother's guidance is always present in Soline's mind. 

Decades later, Soline allows Rory Grant to lease her gutted bridal shop so Rory can display and promote the work of new artists. Reclusive Soline has to let down her barriers to allow Rory into her life. The two women, so different, also are alike, and friendship and respect develops between the two despite their great age difference. 

Both women have lost so much and that is just one of the things that draws them together. But it's more than that and as time goes on they find their ties and the echoes of the past and present that won't allow them to let go of what they have found. They may have lost hope in parts of their lives but they are finding healing through each other and the special magic Soline's mother taught her long ago.

The story starts very slowly and at first Soline's memories of her mother and her mother's wisdom felt a bit info dump-ish, while I struggled with the areas of the audiobook that contained very heavily accented French. But at about the time that Soline and Rory come together, the story became so interesting to me that I was happy for what I'd learned earlier in the book and I began to understand the story and its message much better. 

By the end of the story, I was enchanted with this story that fosters hope, forgiveness, and new beginnings for young and old. Very much a feel good story for me despite so much sadness, longing, and the isolation of the characters, even when they weren't alone physically. This is a different type of wartime story and the wounds of the characters aren't just those of war. By the end of the audiobook, I was happy with the narration of both narrators even if I struggled with one of the narrations at first. 

This is a KU audiobook.