Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Behind the Pickle Jar by Wendy McQuaig is a delightful story set in two eras. Amy Hewston is tired and anxious. When she is forced into taking time off, her husband rents a farmhouse where they can relax and spend time together with their teens. In the cellar, they find an old diary tucked away behind a pickle jar. Written in the 1900s by Isabel Huntly, the diary details her life, and, as Amy reads, she learns much about the old farmhouse and the people who used to live there, and it begins to make her see life differently. Should she go back to her fast-paced, stressful life or learn to live more simply? She has a dream – running a small-town piano bar – but how does she decide what to do? Whatever she decides, it won’t just change her life. It will change her family forever.

Behind the Pickle Jar by Wendy McQuaig is a wonderfully written, thought-provoking novel set over 120 years. There are two stories, each weaving its own web that intertwines with the other. The narrative slips seamlessly from the modern-day hectic lifestyle most of us lead to the quieter yet no less stressful times of yesteryear and back again, telling the story of one humble farmhouse that profoundly affects so many lives. The characters are amazing; real people with real-life problems and flaws that we can all relate to, and they are incredibly likable right from the first page. Plenty is going on here with three points of view – the modern-day Hewsons, the historical Huntlys, and the farmhouse itself, and the latter makes for a unique twist to this refreshingly original story. This novel will have you questioning your own life, asking yourself what is really important to you, and it will leave you with plenty to think about.