“. . . a saga of love and loss, happiness and heartbreak . . . I realized that sometimes looking back on our cherished moments can provide all the strength necessary to carry on with life. The willow tree became part of the Dowling family’s legacy, its connection to nature symbolizing the unbreakable ties between the family members. Recommended to anyone who appreciates a wholesome story of family, love, and healing.”—Readers’ Favorite, FIVE STARS

“A nuanced, thoughtful take on family dynamics… A compelling story of sisterhood and resilience; perfect for book club discussions.”—The Prairies Review

“The Wisdom of the Willow is a thoughtful exploration of family, identity, and belonging, recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary fiction that delves deeply into the nuances of sisterhood and personal development.”—Literary Titans

“The Wisdom of the Willow has two levels of appreciation. It reads like a kind of fable and at the same time leads the reader on an epic family journey. The prose is gentle and softly leads the reader through a story told by a writer who understands deeply the emotional link between man and nature. The natural world plays a role in this story as if it is a character itself. That’s part of the novel’s appeal. Through the combination of novel writing and nature writing, Chadwick creates a narrative with a delicate and charming touch.”—The Writer Shed, David W. Berner

“The Wisdom of the Willow explores what keeps us together–individually, and as a family. I enjoyed being able to get to know the Dowling family, and I believe we could have been friends…. This is the first book I’ve read from Nancy Chadwick but it will not be the last book and I will be purchasing copies of this story for my girlfriends and I believe this would make a wonderful book club selection. I will be asking my library to add it to their must-read section for women and I hope you take the time to check out this novel as soon as possible.”
—The Mommies Review

“In this enchanting story, a quartet of sisters grows into four strong and deeply individual women, rooted in the steady love of their parents and a childhood yard anchored by a weeping willow tree. The quartet needs that strength, the tree’s wisdom, and their individual talents to reweave their sisterhood when their mother is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. The Wisdom of the Willow is satisfyingly redemptive tale, well told.”
—Susan Tweit, author of Bless the Birds, Living with Love in a Time of Dying

“Quiet, thoughtful writing pulls us into each character’s search for self and place with such elegance that we absorb the willow’s lessons deep into our own souls.Chadwick weaves four sisters’ contemporary struggles to align their lives with their evolving senses of self and home into a heartfelt, engrossing story that reminds us of the flexibility, strength, and essential connections that surround us every day, in nature and in ourselves. A lovely, engrossing book about our individual and collective search for self and place, and the wisdom nature provides.”
—Sally Cole-Misch, author of The Best Part of Us

“Tolstoy wrote that ‘All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’ The Dowling family is a happy family, but as adults, the four daughters are ‘unhappy’ in their own ways. Chafing against roles established early on, needing to find personal fulfillment, each of the sisters seeks her independent path, succeeding and failing and trying again. The understanding and grievances of sisterhood, its rivalries and love, bind the women together. Interweaving the stories of Debra, the eldest, wealthy and divorced; Rose, the rolling-stone actress-turned-writer; Linney, the gentle and artful shopkeeper; and Charlotte, the caregiver, Chadwick creates a richly layered, beautifully written, and deeply satisfying novel.
—Lynn Sloan, author of Midstream and Principles of Navigation and This Far Isn’t Far Enough: Stories