Claire Maguire is SIlently Correcting Your Grammar

Claire Maguire is in her seventies, a retired English teacher, and one of those wonderfully curmudgeonly women I enjoy reading about. She lives alone in a loft above a barn, with no husband or children, and has largely withdrawn from the world. Deeply antisocial, her only pleasures seem to be books, writing, and the English language — and correcting everyone else’s grammar, often not so silently. When Helen, the woman whose property Claire lives on, asks her to take over a summer writing class at the community center, Claire reluctantly agrees. Almost immediately, something begins to change. Surrounded by a handful of women of different ages and backgrounds, Claire slowly reconnects with the teacher and the person she used to be. As she comes out of her shell, we discover that there is a story behind her bitterness and a reason she abandoned the passions she once had. She even finds herself in an unexpected romance! I have enjoyed author Dave Boling’s historical fiction, and was so surprised by how different this book felt! Claire is smart, funny, painfully honest, and occasionally a bit of a know-it-all, but never in a way that made me dislike her. Of course, give me a book about books, writing, and grammar, and I am already won over. Claire reminded me of the infamous Olive Kitteridge and, more recently, Mad Mabel. She is that same kind of grumpy woman whose sharp edges are hiding a much more complicated  history. These are the women I always want to know more about. A wonderful, enjoyable book that seems to be flying under the radar, it is simply perfect to enjoy those last days of summer! And yes, I am aware that Claire would certainly delete my many exclamation points, but that's a risk I am willing to take! Lol. ⭐⭐⭐⭐