Starting EDDIE WINSTON IS LOOKING FOR LOVE is like diving headfirst into a warm bubble bath, knowing that heated towels are waiting for you when it's over. The story is delightful, the characters are heartfelt and real, and the ending is just perfection.

Eddie Winston, a nonagenarian, meets Bella when the young woman drops off her deceased boyfriend's belongings at the thrift shop where Eddie works. Unbeknownst to his boss, Eddie has been spiriting away people's things, like love letters, postcards and photo albums. They don't have any monetary value, but they would have had tremendous sentimental value to their owners. While they are no longer around to cherish those beloved keepsakes that they saved over the course of their lifetimes, Eddie wonders if there are others who might want these precious items.

"Starting EDDIE WINSTON IS LOOKING FOR LOVE is like diving headfirst into a warm bubble bath, knowing that heated towels are waiting for you when it's over. The story is delightful, the characters are heartfelt and real, and the ending is just perfection."

In addition to some clothing, the box Bella leaves with Eddie contains a notebook with drawings and a pair of white Converse trainers with drawings and the words "Bella and Jake Forever" on them. The shoes and the notebook are too personal to toss, so they go into Eddie's collection, waiting for the time when Bella comes back for them. She does return, and it's because of the friendship that grows between them that we are treated to a very special story that will warm our hearts.

Eddie has never been kissed. But what we come to realize, through brilliantly written flashbacks to the 1960s, is that he did fall in love once. Even though the love was mutual, she was Catholic and was married. End of story. Eddie proceeded to concentrate on his career. When he retired, he found that working in the charity shop, meeting people and going through boxes of others’ belongings kept him busy --- emotionally and physically.

But now Bella has come into his life, and she has brought with it a spark, a yearning to maybe, finally, try to find love. After all, at her young age, Bella not only found love but lost it. There's a lot of sadness in the story, but there's also significant humor. Bella is struggling with terrible grief; in her despair, she has left the university and is working at a grocery store. Eddie and Bella meet for lunch, and in spite of the huge age difference (he's actually too old to even be her grandfather), they become family. And it is not just Eddie Winston who is looking for love.

What Marianne Cronin shares in this story of losing love and then finding it is that kindness and caring are valuable commodities, and an enduring love can work miracles. She never tells us what the characters are feeling; instead, she shows us through their actions and the dialogue. In fact, it would have been easy to use Eddie's first-person narrative as an excuse to have him tell us his feelings for his lost love. It's through the third-person flashbacks that we see our two protagonists and their attraction, the easy way they talk to each other, and their mutual admiration.

EDDIE WINSTON IS LOOKING FOR LOVE is surprisingly enjoyable. Because, honestly, who thinks that a book about a 90-year-old man will be gripping? I was hooked from the start, and the writing is exceptionally beautiful and touching. I loved every page and how Cronin keeps the sunshine, and the humor, from making it a maudlin story. It's charming and delectable, just like an ice cream cone on a hot, sunny, summer day. (There are indeed ice cream cones in the novel.) It's a perfect winter read to warm you up inside.