In Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet, Jane Margaux grew up pretty much on her own. Her mother, Vivienne, was always busy with her Broadway theatre company in New York to pay any attention to her little Jane. But, one secret that she had from her mother was the fact that she was never truly alone. Jane always had Michael.
Michael was Jane’s imaginary friend. He was always there for her, and she could count on him for absolutely anything. Every Sunday Vivienne would take her daughter, and a friend, to the St. Regis, so she could discuss her work and watch over Jane without having to actually be with Jane.
But Michael was always there. Michael always ordered melon balls and lemon sherbet, while Jane had coffee iced cream with hot fudge and smooth whipped cream on top. That’s what they always ate together at the St. Regis while they listened to Vivienne mom rant and rave about the theatre gossip before marching off to see mammoth-sized diamonds at Tiffany’s.
When Jane’s ninth birthday comes around, she discovers that her best friend in the whole world has to leave her. Michael says that imaginary friends are only there to guide their children for a little while until they are on their way to finding their place in the world. Despite Jane’s crying and protesting, Michael has to leave, and she’s once again left alone.
Twenty-three years later, Jane is working with her mother at the production company. She’s very successful at what she does and she even has a modelesque boyfriend now. Jane had created her own play, Thank Heaven, which managed to become a smash hit and win a Tony Award.
Although Michael was no longer in her life, she had Hugh McGrath, who played the role of Michael in Thank Heaven. Jane’s play was based on her long-ago relationship with Michael. Even though she was dating the incredibly handsome Hugh McGrath, it was never the same as what she shared with her imaginary friend, once upon a time.
One day after visiting Tiffany’s, Jane decided to head to the St. Regis and order her coffee ice cream for old times’ sake. What she saw inside gave her the shock of her life. It was Michael. The one person she had been longing to see. He looked exactly the same as she remembered him. She thought it must have been her imagination.
No. It really was Michael. With shaking hands and knees, she built up her courage to go talk to him. Then as quick as that, Michael was back in her life.
They spent more and more time together, just like when Jane was a little girl, only this time she was all grown up and Michael wasn’t imaginary any more. They were both adults and they were together, free to make their own grown-up choices, including choices of love. And the more time they spent together, the more that choice of love grew inside both of them.
There was just one question Michael had to ask himself: If imaginary friends are just for children, why was he suddenly back in Jane’s life?
Sundays at Tiffany’s is a unique look at love almost through a child’s eyes. While James Patterson, the usual thriller writer, took a chance with Gabrielle Charbonnet to write a romance novel, an imaginary friend that turns into a soul mate is definitely an atypical plot. Its uniqueness makes it a great read full of friendship, hope, and the power of love.
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