My Dearest Friend

Though this timely romantic novel by bestselling author Thayer ( Stepping ; Three Women at the Water's Edge ) starts out slowly, it turns into a winner. Divorcee Daphne Miller is the mother of a 16-year-old daughter who takes off abruptly for California to live with a father she has not heard from for 14 years. Deprived of child support payments, Daphne moves into a country shack. Once a college professor like her ex-husband and two married swains, she is now a lowly but plucky department secretary. Flashbacks reveal her best friend's betrayal and its impact on Daphne's marriage, and counterpoint her slow recovery during which Daphne again allows friends to play key roles in her life. Despite Thayer's penchant for overly detailed and repetitious descriptions, her portrayal of Daphne's renewal as a woman capable of life on her own makes for engrossing and, at times, inspiring reading. (Sept.)