The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood is a novel about Ava, a woman living in Providence, Rhode Island. Her husband of 25 years leaves her for an old fling, her grown kids are both living abroad and she finds herself alone and lonely, until she joins a book club. This book club is much more serious than any I have ever been a part of, it was intimidating just reading about it. Each person picks the book that mattered most to them in their lives and they read one a month,

Ava’s book sends her on a journey of discovery into her past and also into the present life of her daughter who is drifting and in trouble in France. Hood ties it all up a little too neatly at the end, but I always enjoy a good book about good books, and this was no exception.