Heirlooms

Starred review from May 9, 2022
Four women discover that family comes in many forms in this gorgeous saga from Byrd (Lady of a Thousand Treasures). In 1958, Helen Devries, the widow of a Navy lieutenant, receives an unexpected call from Choi Eunhee, who says her recently deceased husband had been good friends with Helen’s husband and that she’s fallen on hard times, facing prejudice surrounding the spread of the “Asian flu.” Helen impulsively invites Eunhee to move in with her and they become fast friends, sharing secrets, traditions, and dreams as they restore Helen’s farmhouse, plant a garden, and prepare for the arrival of Eunhee’s baby. When tragedy strikes, they lean on their Christian faith to help them endure. In the present day, Helen nears death and asks her granddaughter, Cassidy Quinn, to sort through her belongings with Grace Kim, Cassidy’s best friend and Eunhee’s granddaughter. They discover a chest in the attic containing clues to their grandmothers’ past, revealing secrets that have remained hidden for decades. Lush and vivid prose brings the setting to life (“The white-petaled daisies and their cousins, fainting gerberas, competed in the midsummer beauty pageant for the nearby bachelor’s buttons’ affections”), and Helen and Eunhee’s friendship will melt hearts. This is a gem.

Starred review from May 1, 2022

Korean American Choi Eunhee is wrongfully blamed for her Navy husband's death from the "Asian flu" in the aftermath of the Korean war. She finds an unlikely refuge at the home of recently widowed Helen Devries who is fighting to keep her civilian nursing position at a Washington State Naval hospital. The two newly independent women cook, garden, and find a way forward in a world sometimes hostile to widows. In a parallel storyline, their granddaughters Cassidy and Grace face challenges of their own. When long-held family secrets are uncovered, the young Millennials gain courage and faith to persevere. VERDICT Byrd ("Daughters of Hampshire" series) delivers a crossover hit for fans of Susie Finkbeiner and Cynthia Ruchti. This is women's fiction as it is meant to be written with intriguing characters making decisions that ripple through generations. This is also a timely pick featuring the story of an Asian immigrant and her descendants facing both struggles and triumphs while creating community in the U.S.--Christine Barth

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 28, 2023
Cassidy thought she knew everything about her grandmother. Helen was a Korean War widow and lifelong friend to Choi Eunhee, herself the Korean-born widow of an American serviceman. But when Cassidy inherits Helen's seaside home and sorts through an old chest in the attic, she discovers that the two women took a heartbreaking secret to their graves. The lovingly packed heirlooms provide clues to a mystery that involves both families' intertwined pasts. The story alternates between the 1950s and the present, where Cassidy's rekindled romance with a former boyfriend and her struggle to transform the old property into a floral nursery keep the tension dialed up. In the book's historical segments, characters grapple with serious issues like the unfair treatment of immigrants and people with developmental disabilities. In both eras, people draw on their Christian faith for hope and guidance, and fully developed secondary characters with Down syndrome and autism are notably included. Readers will find comfort and inspiration in this uplifting story, which honors the legacy of love between grandmothers and their granddaughters.

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