Seasons of the Heart

A youthful marriage frees Ann Pollock from an unhappy home life. While her mother-in-law doesn't initially welcome the shop girl her son loves, the thrifty bride soon proves her worth by supporting her in-laws after Phillip Coulter volunteers to serve in World War II. Crushed by the tortures of a Japanese prison camp, Phillip returns to civilian life to find his once-proud mother incapacitated by a stroke and his dreams of a bright future reduced to an ill-paying job as a law clerk. The birth of a daughter, Eva, brings joy to the Coulters, but as money worries mount, Ann takes a job in a real estate office despite her husband's objections. With each successful deal, the marriage becomes more hollow, and Ann is devastated when Phillip deserts her. Though a new love assuages her pain, that relationship disintegrates after a botched abortion leaves Eva sterile. The Coulters than reunite, and just when things start to work out, Phillip suffers a stroke, followed by Allzheimer's disease. The first third of the book offers a poignant look at an earlier era, but the constant catastrophes and labored solutions make the trials of Job seem minor. Freeman is the author of Illusions of Love. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild featured alternate. (April 13)