This poignant, contemporary novel's leitmotif is the successful process of recuperation after such significant losses as death, divorce, serious illness, marital infidelity, and a change in family constellation; it is also a tale about friendship and about the stubborn strength of women, who refuse to cave in when troubles visit them. They face inevitable blows, but learn to compensate, to support each other, and to celebrate the joys still coming their way.

The central figure, Katharina, a retired physician and recent widow, learns to work through the grief of losing her...