Email a friendThe Wildwater Walking Club
Wildwater Walking Club
A Novel
9781401340896
Hey, readers, take a walk on the wild side!
Just put one foot in front of the other. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But when Noreen Kelly takes a buyout from her job of eighteen years and gets dumped by her boyfriend in one fell swoop, she finds it hard to know what that next step is—never mind take it. At first Noreen thinks maybe her redundancy package could be an opportunity, a chance to figure out what to do with the rest of her life while her company foots the bill. Sure, she may have gotten high to “Witchy Woman” and grooved to ”Sweet Baby James“ back when James Taylor had hair, but she isn’t ready for her AARP card. Not yet.
But it’s the first time in a great many years that Noreen has time to herself—and she has no idea what to do with it. When she realizes that she’s mistaken her resume for her personality, Noreen knows that she has to get moving, so she puts on a new pair of sneakers and a seriously outdated pair of exercise pants, and walks. She doesn’t get very far at first—just to the end of her street, Wildwater Way—but she perseveres, and when she’s joined by her neighbors Tess and Rosie, Noreen realizes that walking is not an extreme sport. It can actually be fun.
As the Wildwater women walk and talk, and talk and walk, they tally their steps, share their secrets, and learn what women everywhere are finding out—that time flies and getting fit is actually fun when you’re walking with friends. Throw in a road trip to Seattle for a lavender festival, a career-coaching group that looks like a bad sequel to The Breakfast Club, a clothesline controversy that could only happen in the ’burbs, plenty of romantic twists and turns, and a quirky multigenerational cast of supporting characters, and the result is an experience that&srquo;s heartfelt, exuberant, and above all, real.
Just put one foot in front of
“Summer is coming and so of course is a new, hilarious book by Claire Cook (Must Love Dogs, Summer Blowout, Life’s A Beach). This one follows thirty-two days in the lives of three neighboring women who come together for fellowship and understanding as they set their pedometers for their daily walks. Noreen just took a buyout from her job and got dumped by her boyfriend. Tess is a school teacher suffering through her daughter’s last contentious summer at home before leaving for college. And Rosie is a “tweener,” raising young sons and taking care of her father and his lavender farm after the death of her mother. Cook once again blends familiar and serious issues with her keen sense of humor to serve up yet another summer treat for her vast legion of fans.”
—JBlem
“Time to head to the sporting goods store and purchase a new pair of walking shoes. Because, while reading this energizing, inspiring, and thoroughly entertaining novel, you're going to be itching to get started. Wildwater Walking Club is about three women; neighbors who start walking together more due to proximity than anything else. But who in so doing, discover that even though they are in different phases of their respective lives, they share more in common than not. What starts as a need for companionship develops into comraderie which becomes the real friendship that is "The Wildwater Walking Club." The adventures, high- jinx, escapades, relationships, and life exploration that follow will leave you not only laughing out loud but also believing that you, too can achieve the life YOU desire...one step at a time! (I must caution that you may very well develop an affinity for lavender-infused champagne along the way!)
Claire, you've again succeeded in crafting an engaging, amusing, rousing yet sensitive tale—a really satisfying read to which all of your many fans will relate. I can't wait for the next one. Thanks!"
—Janice Belmonte
