personally and do my best to make sure each one receives a response. If you have a moment, drop me an email at marie@mariebostwick.com or by regular mail. My mailing address is:
Marie Bostwick
18160 Cottonwood Road
PMB 118
Bend, Oregon 97707
If you’re curious about my world and daily goings-on, you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mariebostwick, and on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram by searching @mariebostwick. Social media is the easiest, fastest way for me to stay in touch with readers on a regular basis.
And, of course, I very much hope you’ll take some time to visit my website, www.mariebostwick.com.
While you’re there you can find out about my other novels (sixteen and counting!), sign up for my monthly newsletter, check my appearance calendar, and download free recipes and quilt patterns created exclusively for my readers. As I write this, there are nine free quilt patterns available on my website, companion patterns to my earlier books, most of them designed by my dear friend, Deb Tucker, Creative Kingpin at www.Studio180Design.net.
And though this is still a project in progress, I am hoping to offer a free knitting pattern, based on the blanket Celia made in the book, by the time of release. I suspect some of Calvin’s recipes may be available as well. Or perhaps Caroline’s Key Lime Bars? We shall see. Check my website for details. (Please note, ALL patterns and recipes are for your personal use only and may not be copied to share with others or published by any means, either print, electronic, or mediums yet to be invented.)
And I’ve got two other suggestions for things you should do when visiting www.mariebostwick.com.
First, check out my lifestyle blog, Fiercely Marie, for posts, recipes, craft projects, and other ideas to help you “live every minute and love every moment.” You might even sign up for the weekly blog newsletter so you never miss a post.
Second, I make personal appearances year-round, speaking at libraries, bookstores, quilt guilds and craft shows, book festivals, and community events across the country. If you’re interested in inviting me to speak in your area, you can find more information in the Press Kit section of my website, make a booking inquiry by sending an email to christie@authorsunbound.com, or check out my speaker’s profile at www.authorsunbound.com/marie-bostwick.
The longer I live, the more cognizant I am of the finite nature of time and how quickly it passes. I am honored and deeply grateful that you’ve chosen to spend some of your precious time reading The Restoration of Celia Fairchild.
You are the reason I get to do this work I love. Thank you for making it all possible.
Blessings,
Marie
Reading Group Guide
Celia says that her fans “don’t want me; they want the show. They want Calpurnia.” In what ways do you ever feel like an imposter in your own life, showing the people around you the “someone else” they want you to be?
At one point we’re told that “love is maybe the most overused word in the English language, the second most overused being hate.” Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
At the beginning of the novel, Celia seems to have a love-hate relationship with Charleston, her hometown. Discuss the ways you feel about the town in which you grew up.
Celia decides that “the antidote to chaos is routine.” Discuss times that routine has become important in your life. When does “routine” become a rut you can’t get out of?
Celia’s aunt Calpurnia made her feel loved and important. Was there someone growing up—not your parents—who made you feel this way?
Celia blames herself for the rift with Calpurnia, but of course it’s not her fault. What do you think Calpurnia’s plans were? What do you think made her behave the way she did? How did the kidnapping tie into Calpurnia’s issues as a hoarder?
Against all common sense, Celia gives Lorne Holcomb a second chance. Do you feel we give people enough second chances in life? When does it become more important to not give someone those chances?
In what ways does Celia’s drive for a child tie into her childhood?
Celia has the family she was born with and the family she creates around her. Discuss the concept of family. Are our blood ties truly “thicker” than our friendships? Do you feel you have a second family in addition to your relatives? Can the family you create be healthier than the family you were born with?
In what ways is Celia “restored” as the book progresses?
Praise for The Restoration of Celia Fairchild
“Celia Fairchild is every woman with a solution for every problem except for the big one: how to heal her estranged family before it’s too late to create one of her own. With warmth, heart, and hilarity, Marie Bostwick dazzles with a story about taking risks and letting go of the past to make way for the future of her dreams.”
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Tony’s Wife
“Perennial fan favorite Marie Bostwick has done something special. This new novel has all the hallmarks readers have come to love about her books—and then some. This bighearted tale of redemption, family ties, secrets, tough choices, and happy endings is filled with her trademark warmth and wisdom that will leave readers deeply satisfied.”
—Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author
“With gorgeous writing, Marie Bostwick has hit new heights with this surprising story of one woman’s redemption. The Restoration of Celia Fairchild is wise, witty, and utterly compelling.”
—Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Friends We Keep
Also by Marie Bostwick
The Promise Girls
Just in Time
Hope on the Inside
The Second Sister
COBBLED COURT QUILT SERIES
Apart at the Seams
Ties That Bind
Threading the Needle
A Thread So Thin
A Thread of Truth
A Single Thread
TOO MUCH, TEXAS SERIES
From Here to Home
Between Heaven and Texas
HISTORICAL NOVELS
On Wings of the Morning
Fields of Gold
River’s Edge
NOVELLAS
Secret Santa (with Fern Michaels)
Snow Angels (with Fern Michaels)
Comfort and Joy (with Fern Michaels)
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE RESTORATION OF CELIA FAIRCHILD. Copyright © 2021 by Marie Bostwick. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Olga Grlic
Cover images © Faber14/Shutterstock (woman); © Levina Anastasia/Shutterstock (dog)
Line art © Dn Br / Shutterstock, Inc.
Ball of yarn © Viktorija Reuta / Shutterstock, Inc.
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition MARCH 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-299729-6
Version 01092021
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-299730-2
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