Mrs. Washington and Horowitz, Too

In a wry, affecting sequel to Horowitz and Mrs. Washington , Denker obliquely addresses some issues involving the elderly: the death of a spouse, loneliness, depression, retirement and relocation. Samuel Horowitz, almost 70, is not his usual irascible self: his Manhattan paper-and-twine business is thriving without him, his best friend has moved to Florida, and he feels more and more useless. Harriet Washington, the black physical therapist who bullied Horowitz back to health after his stroke six years ago, sets out to restore the spark of life in her old companion. Soon she has him competently nurturing problem babies in a Harlem hospital; then, employing Jewish culinary arcana (Should blintzes contain jam or cottage cheese? Is it better to use brisket or short ribs in beef and barley soup?), the crafty therapist maneuvers a successful encounter between Horowitz and widow Molly Mendelsohn. This is only the beginning of Mrs. Washington's machinations in a fresh, honest and barbed contemporary romance that also takes a sharp look at devastating big-city problems. ( July )