Description:

Amazon.com Review

Four residents of Willow Creek, California--the youngest in her twenties, the oldest in her late fifties--become acquainted during a journaling class and decide to continue their connection by meeting each Thursday morning for coffee and conversation. They come from very different backgrounds, but their need for friends and support draw them together and bind them in their struggles with life and love. Clare is angry and bitter after a devastating divorce; Elizabeth, a widow, is determined not to waste a moment of the rest of her life; twentysomething Karen is set on becoming an actress despite her family's disapproval; and Julia is approaching her fortieth birthday when an unplanned pregnancy turns her perfect life upside down. As each of the four women cope with cataclysmic upheavals in their lives, they rely more and more on the support of the members of the Thursday morning breakfast club. And as they are faced with difficult choices, each chooses the option dictated by their conscience and their personal moral compass rather than the easy way out.

Thursdays at Eight is a novel of everyday women confronted with extraordinary circumstances, and Macomber tells their stories with a depth of mature insight that is both compassionate and unfailingly honest. These are women with guts and fortitude, courage and determination, and readers will recognize the same strength of character found in the novels of venerable authors Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the suburban town of Willow Grove, Calif., Macomber's latest (after Always Dakota) follows the friendship of four women who meet at the Mocha Moments cafe every Thursday morning. For the new year, Clare Craig, Liz Kenyon, Julia Murchison and Karen Curtis decide to choose a word that will help them realize their New Year's resolutions. Having recently divorced her cheating husband of 23 years, Clare chooses the word "faithful," and not surprisingly, her faith is put to the test when she learns that her ex has cancer. Liz, a 57-year-old hospital administrator who would rather be alone with fond memories of her late husband than fending off the advances of debonair Dr. Jamison, focuses on the word "time" to symbolize her need to regain control of her life. Julia has everything her heart desires a loving husband, two teenagers and her own yarn shop. Naturally, she chooses the word "gratitude," but she feels less than grateful when she discovers that she's pregnant again. And then there's Karen, a 20-something substitute teacher whose desire to become an actor frustrates her domineering mother. Karen chooses the word "acceptance" as a reminder that she must be herself, not who her mother thinks she should be. The novel shifts between the women's journal entries and action, a setup affording an intimate glimpse of each character but also contributing to the story's sluggish pacing. As always, Macomber draws rich, engaging characters, but her flat narrative voice and sugary sentimentality do little to keep the reader turning pages. (June)Forecast: Macomber has built a respectable following for herself with her Heart of Texas series and her Dakota Trilogy. Despite this book's flaws, it will climb the bestseller lists, boosted by print advertising in national publications (New York Times Book Review, USA Today and Library Journal), book signing events and a satellite television tour.

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