These should be her golden years. But she finds her life, her plans and hopes and dreams, have become dulled. As unpolished as she is at life, is it too late to start over?Pacific Northwest, 1995. Sixty-five-year-old Maggie lived with her husband Frank's judgments for forty years. And now, three years a widow, she finds he's still in her head. So used it she to his opinions that she can still hear them ringing in her ears. Such as, "No, don't get a dog. They're nothing but trouble."Then in an inspired act of rebellion, she decides to rescue an old dog from the pound. "Give comfort to a senior dog during his last years," the sign says. "That's what I need, comfort in my last years," said Maggie. Just inside the door, an old bloodhound sits forlornly in a cage. He's been there a long time. No one knows his background. Is someone out there looking for him? Despite Frank's warnings in her head, she takes pity on the old fellow and brings him home. She calls him Ernest. He needs her. And he also needs a bath. But how to give a dog a bath? Then that old neighbor Martin, the tall, handsome one with the white hair and blue eyes, the one with the boats and the RV in his driveway, shows up with a bucket and sponge, and soon the bedraggled Ernest looks like a show dog. Ernest makes sure the neighbor keeps hanging around, and soon Martin proposes a picnic for the three of them on a nearby island. It's a beautiful day, though there are storm clouds out over the sea to the west. "Isn't it dangerous?" asks Maggie. "Is that even the right question?" asks her companion. "It's an adventure. Surely you like adventures." "I don't know," said Maggie. "Don't do it," whispers Frank. And so the neighbors become friends. Maggie's renewed vitality grows along with a love of adventure, and tender feelings she thought long buried cause her heart to swell. Such wonderful feelings! She treasures these moments. But when odd rumors about her new friend circulate through her close-knit island community, she wonders if she should keep her heart on a very tight leash. Soon Frank is not the only one sending out warnings. As their pasts catch up with them all, Maggie worries her heart will be tarnished, and all she will be left with is Frank's unwelcome opinions. Can Maggie break the rusty chains of a stifling existence and choose her own path to happiness? Maggie Awake: A Pacific Northwest Novel About Old Love is the heartwarming first story in the Always Maggie women's fiction series. If you like second chances, humorous dialogue, engaging characters, and late-in-life escapades, then you'll adore Peg Lewis's enchanting tale.
