Though educated as a painter, fifty-three-year-old Lee MacPhearson has lived her life coloring inside of the lines. The quintessential working mother of four, Lee has been the proper faculty wife—an ill-fitting role at best—while somehow managing to nurture her passion project, Mad Dog Gallery, into one of the Pacific Northwest's most notable galleries. The casualty in all of this has been Lee's marriage—and her sense of self. Having just delivered her last child to college, Lee is overwhelmed by her empty nest, and she's left wondering what happened to the woman she once was. But she's also giddy: finally, the opportunity to decide what she alone wants. Her estranged husband Brian, however, knows exactly what he wants: Lee and the life they once shared. He launches his campaign to reconcile before Lee even sets foot into her newly empty farmhouse, his apologies well-rehearsed. Ultimately, however, Barb Yakamura, Lee's best friend and the brilliant and irreverent Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is the one who truly overflows with ideas about what Lee should do—including one that leads Lee, Brian, and the entire MacPhearson family to an ending they never expected.
Industry Reviews
"From deep within her heart and graced with style, Barnes Priestley engages us in a story of life, friendship and love. Appreciating the importance of human connection, Barnes Priestley writes inspired prose with clarity, poise, humor, and an added dose of salt of the earth realism."
—Rosemary O'Neill, LMFT, Certified Life Coach
"Duck Pond Epiphany is about things that matter. It is a story about both the lusciousness, and the despair, that accompany true love. Barnes Priestley writes a vibrant account of living life to the fullest, and the bene ts and burdens of authentic relationships. I couldn't put it down."
—Sheila Rocker Heppe, Director of Extended Education and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Humboldt State University
