Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos

Broken for You is one of those books that I've had on my shelf forever, which got there because someone I know loved it, and was lost for a few years in the piles.  I'm not sure why I noticed it now, but I am glad that I did.  Although some things about the characters made them unbelievable, other things about them spoke directly to me.  Wanda was dealing with abandonment, both by her parents and by a man that she loved.  Margaret was dealing with personal loss as well as family secrets that were a burden to her.  The relationship that the two women build throughout the story was wonderful to read.  Here is the actual book description from the back:


When we meet septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, she is living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company. Enter Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. As their tentative friendship evolves, the armor begins to fall away and Margaret opens her house to the younger woman. This launches a series of unanticipated events, leading Margaret to discover a way to redeem her cursed past, and Wanda to learn the true purpose of her cross-country journey. Both funny and heartbreaking, Broken for You is a testament to the saving graces of surrogate families and shows how far the tiniest repair jobs can go in righting the world's wrongs.