The next session of Wester Hailes library’ Online Book group Reading Takes You Places will take place on Thursday 27 May 2021, 3.00pm, where they will discuss ‘In the Land of Second Chances’ by George Shaffner.
‘Wilma Porter runs the only bed and breakfast in Ebb, Nebraska, and knows everyone in the small town. She also knows their troubles. Calvin Millet, for example, has an ailing daughter at home and a wife who just up and left him—and on top of that, his department store is close to bankruptcy as a new Wal-Mart looms, and his house has been destroyed by a tornado.
When a handsome stranger named Vernon L. Moore comes to town selling games of chance, more than a few eyebrows are raised. A consummate salesman, he befriends the troubled townspeople one by one. He listens to their stories and asks them intriguing questions that make them see their situations differently. The father of a dying child; the reclusive widow who’s taken permanent board at the B&B; the banker with ulterior motives; and the outspoken Wilma herself are all changed by their encounters with this mysterious man who seems not of this world. After all, no one has seen a traveling salesman in Ebb for more than thirty years. But wherever he’s from and whoever he is, he leaves behind a town where second chances are not only possible, they can—and do—happen.
For more information visit their Facebook group here. Borrow the ebook from Edinburgh City Libraries’ OverDrive here.
All books chosen for the book group have multiple e-book copies available through Edinburgh Libraries, so everyone will be able to borrow a copy for free.
If you are interested in joining the book group, or want more information, please email westerhailes.library@edinburgh.gov.uk.
