CADDY EVER AFTER

The first three books in this Hilary McKay series kept getting better and better, so I had high hopes for this one—especially since Caddy is one of my favorite members of the Casson family and I was looking forward to finding out more about her. But I was disappointed. Not only does Caddy play the most minor plot role of all the siblings (even though the story centers around her wedding, she remains peripheral), but also I really take issue with McKay’s sudden switch to first-person narration (alternating between Rose, Indigo, and Saffron) with this book. It’s a huge shift in tone and destroys some of the gentle, old-fashioned eccentricity I loved about the earlier books. McKay remains a deft writer who doesn’t hit you over the head with things, but the first-person voice just allows for less subtlety. I still enjoyed the book, but was frustrated that it didn’t meet my expectations.