Coming Soon: The Turnip House
"Original, deftly crafted, and a fun and engaging read from start to finish, "Loon Point" is the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that raises her family life fiction themed novel to an impressive level of literary excellence."
—Midwest Book Review
"If everything around you seems bleak in these days of grayness and turmoil, read this uplifting, soul-satisfying debut novel by a St. Paul native and nationally syndicated columnist with Andrews McMeel Universal about what it means to gather a family."
—St. Paul Pioneer Press
The author of Loon Point returns with a heartwarming novel about three women in crisis finding friendship, family, and the ground beneath their feet—under one extraordinary roof.
For 150 years, the Turnip House has stood watch over the river in Felix Falls, Minnesota. As autumn turns to snowy winter, its turreted roof shelters three strangers seeking radical change.
After the collapse of her marriage, Max is channeling raw grief into provocative art. Alice, a young painter far from home, hopes the house’s light-filled studio will reveal the artist she wants to become. And Winnie, an eighty-six-year-old with OCD, has just lost the farmhouse she treasured—but an unexpected reconnection awaits her.
As each woman faces questions about where to go from here, their lives blend together in shared meals, deep talks, and the patient work of beginning again. The house has a way of offering what they need, even when it’s not what they thought they wanted.
Equal parts wise and whimsical, The Turnip House is a moving novel about creative catharsis, seasons of surprising sweetness, and the strong bonds forged at life’s crossroads.
Set against the rugged beauty of the northern woods, the heartwarming first novel by columnist Carrie Classon explores how chosen family can sweeten bitterness into surprising joy.
Alone in the Northwoods, Norry Last settles in for another springtime lull at the remote resort she inherited from her father. She’s content with the solitude, maybe resigned. But when a blizzard hits, those little cabins by the lake start to fill up fast.
First to arrive is Lizzie, an eight-year-old with resilience and wisdom beyond her years, neglected by a mother struggling with addiction. Next comes Wendell, a cantankerous old fellow whose house collapses in the storm, the same way hope collapsed inside him long before. And then there’s Bud, the helpful handyman who’s always buzzing around, his kindness thawing something Norry thought she’d buried deep in the Minnesota snow.
As white melts to green, The Last Resort’s unlikely companions learn to share space, stories, and quiet comforts—an unexpected family that makes perfect sense. After all, Lizzie needs to be cared for. Wendell needs to care. Norry needs to open up. And Bud? Bud just might fix everything.
Cover artwork by Emily Anderson www.emilyandersonartwork.com
"Classon lays herself bare in a way most of us only do in personal journals we hope are never read. Blue Yarn is a reminder that we all are adventurers and must follow our paths to wherever they might lead... a joy to read."
—The Paris News
