What happens when two people who have been scarred by life and have faced the incessant whispers of people around them meet?
In “The Accidental Inheritance” by Cate Woods, Cassidy and Ned are no strangers to adversity. Cassidy had a child out of wedlock and has recently lost her father. When she loses her job as chef in a restaurant as well, as a last resort, she decides to buy an old inn in a small village in England that had belonged to an ancestor of hers many generations back.
Ned, the local genial landlord whom everybody in the village adores, lost his fiancé in an accident three years earlier and has lost all interest in life since then — at least’s what the villagers tell Cassidy. Cassidy tries to make a go of things despite the adversity she comes across, which includes her encounter with Ned. Does Cassidy get to realize her dream? Is it possible that she gets to attain a different kind of dream through Ned? How do these already wounded people work with the second lease of life they potentially could get?
This story by Woods is a lovely combination of perseverance and optimism. Cassidy is a representation of the modern woman who has dreams and is not afraid of going after it. Life might knock her down but she will just get back up, dust herself and go down the path she has set for herself. She has her limitations and faults; but her priorities and passions never waver.
Woods, through her narrative, has transported her readers to this quaint village, making the reader feel they are living there. However, the relationship between Cassidy and Ned is not elaborated upon well. As a result, their relationship appears forced and awkward at times.
What we get instead is an in depth view of who Cassidy is as a person. The story travels with her majorly and we get a blow-by-blow account of her thoughts and decisions every step of the way. Ultimately, this is a coming-of-age story where Cassidy gets to finally grow up and attain the maturity to further her daughter’s life as well as her own on a positive journey of growth and transformation.
This is a mostly entertaining read that would appeal to you if you like to read stories of empowered women.
This book gets 4 out of 5 stars
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