In this witty, warm novel by award-winning author Corinne Demas, unexpected changes bring two retirees together on a voyage of self-discovery from past regrets to the true meaning of happily ever after.
Widower Noah Shilling considers Clarion Court to be less an independent living community and more a prison. But there may be hope for the place yet. The newest resident is bold, eccentric, rule-breaking Cassandra Joyce—whom, as it turns out, Noah met long ago in college.
As Noah and Cassandra get reacquainted, major changes at Clarion Court force them both to reevaluate their living situation. When Noah invites Cassandra to rough it with him at his Cape Cod cottage, the old friends must decide whether they should risk embarking on the next stage of their journey together.
But moving forward means coming to terms with the past and relying on each other to do so, which is something the stubbornly independent pair may not be ready for. They've come this far on their own, and unless they can reconcile a lifetime of emotional baggage, the road they started down together may lead instead to parted ways.
Advance Praise and Reviews
Corinne Demas is amazing! The Road Towards Home is about two opinionated, rigid, and yes, curmudgeonly septuagenarians who will have you falling in love and rooting for them as they negotiate and argue their way to a last run at happiness. Noah and Cassandra are so believable that I’m certain I’ve been over at their house for dinner—and the dialogue between them made me laugh out loud and also shake my head at their stubbornness. I utterly adored this novel which is filled with wisdom and generosity and heart, qualities that readers of all ages will appreciate. -- Maddie Dawson, author of Matchmaking for Beginners
How welcome and true: late love, beautifully and wryly rendered. Both light-hearted and insightful, with age-defying charm and wit, The Road Towards Home is a totally satisfying (and identifiable!) read.
-- Elinor Lipman,
author of Ms.Demeanor and Rachel to the Rescue
When Noah (saved the world with a boat) meets Cassandra (sees the future way too clearly) at the aptly named Clarion retirement home, they are both seriously not getting with the program. Though barely acquainted, they agree to escape together. As they break free from the planned trajectory and plunge into the uncharted territory of each other, you'll be rooting for the oldsters all the way. The Road Towards Home is a wonderful novel, engaging, wry, and genuinely touching. --Valerie Martin, author of Property and I Give it To You
This latest novel by the always wonderful Corinne Demas, is about a growing relationship through the hiccups of aging. The two main characters are both fascinating and thoughtful people. He an English professor emeritus, she a bug and spider scientist plus bird watcher. The "home" of the title is rather two homes, the first where they re-meet (they knew one another in college some fifty years in the past) and Noah’s rather charming but broken- down cottage on Cape Cod, a great metaphor for the two of them. They are both wise and wise-crackers, both loving and snarky. And I at 83, sat up half the night finishing the book. It's THAT good. -- Jane Yolen, author of The Devil’s Arithmetic and The Scarlet Circus.
In the novel, The Road Towards Home, feisty entomologist Cassandra Joyce, who has been married multiple times, moves to a senior-living community. Quickly, she finds Clarion Court is not her clarion call. So too, widower Professor Noah Shilling, whose son and daughter-in-law are behind his relocation. When Cassandra drives Noah to his summer cottage on Cape Cod, there’s a lifetime of baggage to be unpacked. Kudos to Corinne Demas--heralded author of thirty books for children, teens, and adults--for this late-in-life romance—a story that shows both love and friendship can be found where and when least expected—and most necessary. Cassandra and Noah will open your mind--and your heart---to finding love at any stage of life. Uniquely uplifting. -– Marilyn Simon Rothstein, author of Husbands and Other Sharp Objects, and Crazy to Leave You
Above all, this book is about finding home, both in the literal sense at Clarion Court and Noah’s Cape Cod cottage, and home as a space for companionship and forgiveness. Yet, as the title suggests, Demas paints home not as a destination but a journey. Home may never have any finality, and for Demas, the journey is the best part. -- The Massachusetts Review (read full review)
Corinne Demas makes both Noah and Cassandra witty, likeable and unique. They, and their author, are easy to like and appreciate. “The Road Towards Home” is a charming, delightful read that reminds readers that it’s never to late to change or to love. -- The Greenfield Recorder (read full review)
The Road Towards Home was a wonderful, well written character driven love story that was a delight to read. -- Simply Love Books (read full blog review)
Fast-paced and fun to read, this tale told from an elder's point of view gives excellent insight into what many of us will deal with as we age. -- New York Journal of Books (read full review)
Interviews
The Campaign for the American Reader, blog interview by Marshal Zeringue, June 2, 2023 (read the interview)
The Page 69 Test, blog article for Marshall Zeringue, August 13, 2023 (read the article)
My Book, the Movie, blog article for Marshall Zeringue, August 22, 2023 (read the article)
Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, blog inteview, June 15, 2023 (read the interview)
