Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy

Sarah and Charles Lucas have been married for more than fifty years when she suddenly finds herself a widow. They had built a fulfilling life for themselves in rural Vermont, with three children and the usual marital ups and downs. Soon, Sarah's home becomes crowded again when she takes in relatives and friends, including a writer from Israel, a few teenagers, and two women and their children who are going through upheaval in their own lives. Though the plot may seem basic or simple, Maloy creates a novel to remember. Her characterizations of Sarah and the people around her are well-developed. Add to this the Vermont setting and the fact that this book explores in full the latter stages of life and going on after grief and you have one of the best novels I've read in awhile. A book to treasure.