MENDING WHAT IS BROKEN
by Robert McKean
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Pub Date Aug 20 2023 | Archive Date Jun 16 2023
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Description
In the novel, Peter Sanguedolce, big-hearted and far too trusting, thinks he is only fighting to save his shared custody rights to his daughter, Jeanette, only to realize that he is really fighting to save her, the person whom he cherishes most in life. Overwhelmed by life’s challenges, Peter ultimately finds his way through. In this bittersweet story about the families we make and we lose, about working class towns and fading dreams, Robert McKean gives us a subtle riff on The Merchant of Venice, as well as the touching and often funny story of a man creating his own second chances in life.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“Robert McKean has a wonderful sense of place equalled only by his great gift for creating characters it’s impossible not to care about. Peter Sanguedolce, a retired sewer pipe salesman, eats too much, loves his daughter too much and almost always acts in his own worst interests. In McKean’s hands, we would follow him anywhere….a beautifully written and deeply satisfying novel.”
—MARGOT LIVESEY, author of The Boy in The Field
"An amusing, zigzagging adventure starring an unlikely hero..."
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
“… a wise and scathingly funny story about the inevitability of loss and the potential for rediscovered joy. It’s a bleak, wintery, rust-belt landscape that the novel’s protagonist, Peter Sanguedolce, inhabits, and Peter has known his share of sorrow. His career, his neighborhood, his health, his marriage, and even custody of his beloved daughter have slowly slipped away from him, but as he struggles to cope with a world that seems heartless, Peter not only endures but also finds new ways forward, and his triumph becomes ours.”
—ROBIN GREENE, author of Augustus: Narrative of a Slave Woman and The Shelf Life of Fire
Marketing Plan
This title works as a stand-alone.
This title works as a stand-alone.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781604893410 |
| PRICE | $21.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 338 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Edna G, Reviewer
MENDING WHAT IS BROKEN
by Robert McKean
I truly enjoyed the book. Peter Sanguedolce I fell in love with his heart and tried to do right by a daughter. The man was my bright spot in this. I was rooting for him. He did keep his humor thru his lows.
Paul V, Reviewer
Fun and entertaining. This has the elements that I enjoy -- great characters, some humor, and an interesting premise. Nicely done. I look forward to his future work.
Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!
Sandie K, Reviewer
Peter Sanguedolce is stuck and he knows it. He also knows he needs to do something about it but isn't sure what. It seems like yesterday that he was the head of the business he inherited and brought back from the edge of poverty. He was married to a woman he loved and had a daughter, Jeanette, that he adored. Then things went wrong. The business failed during an economic downturn and he had to lay off all the workers, some of whom had worked there for decades. His wife had an affair with her law partner and left Peter to marry him. Now he only sees his daughter for proscribed periods and it seems that Elliot, the new husband, has more say about her than Peter does. He still lives in his childhood home with the same furnishings he grew up with and tons of maintenance needed.
Two things get Peter moving. After his daughter has an accident while under his care, his visits with her are reduced to supervised times of two hours, supervised by Elliot. His wife is now pregnant with Elliot's child and she and her new husband have decided that they will send Jeanette out of state to boarding school. Peter's lawyer thinks they have a chance of fighting that decision but tells Peter he needs to sell off the remaining business assets and get himself in order. Peter knows he is right but is still unsure what to do. He starts a relationship with a new woman but knows it is temporary. He visits the boarding school and impresses the headmistress but is that what he wanted to do? He is the key figure in reconciling his old neighbor with his estranged daughter but why can't he do the same for himself?
Robert McKean has written a wonderful novel about family relationships and the necessity of adjusting to life changes as we age. Peter is a loveable character, stuck but trying to do the best for his daughter and his life. He is a great friend to those who need him and even his wife comes back to him for advice and comfort at times. The reader will cheer for Peter and follow his adventures hoping that things will turn out well for this man who always did what he thought was right but whom life hit in the face. I was left with warm feelings and hope for Peter and his daughter in the future and I loved seeing him change over the course of the novel. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers and those interested in family relationships.
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