Seventy-year-old Percy Darling is an affable curmudgeon who enjoys swimming in his pond and cheerfully criticizing the neighbors in his well-to-do Massachusetts town. When he allows a high-end preschool to move into his barn, Percy finds his quiet routine shaken–in a way, he realizes, that is not altogether unwelcome. Glass gracefully weaves Percy’s story with those of others in his circle: Sarah — Percy’s new love interest, Percy’s daughters Clover and Trudy and environmentalist grandson Robert, Celestino — an immigrant worker with connections to a prominent academic family, and Ira, a preschool teacher longing for acceptance. The result is a compelling, memorable read.