Here in the tiny town of Eagle Beak she meets an unlikely group of people who help her find something other than the unfulfilling pace of New York City. One is Rayfield Geebo, a former biker with an unusual disease and woman trouble. Another is Rodney de Beer, the son of the former owner of her farmhouse, who not only becomes her handyman, but is also a talented chainsaw sculptor. She also takes in a canine with narcolepsy and her sister's toddler who only understands bits of French, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Even in their eccentricities, they bring her stability and she brings much to their lives as well.

But what healing magic occurs in her first summer of farmhouse ownership happens long distance between her and her husband. However, along that route is a very rocky road, fraught with distrust and uneven growth and lots of Ellen's memories about events which shaped her and brought her to this point in her life.

While Anybody Any Minute is less like Green Acres and more like Under the Tuscan Sun, it is very much a singular, thoughtful, and poignant work that looks at crossroads, choices, and new definitions of responsibility. Julie Mars is to be commended for her fresh approach to midlife questioning and for the absolutely delightful cast of characters she has chosen to tell her tale. I loved this book! I laughed. I pondered. I smiled. I wondered. Anybody Any Minute reveals the heart of human connectedness. Brava! Julie Mars is also the author of The Secret Keepers and A Month of Sundays: Searching for the Spirit and My Sister.