Ordinary Magic

Following the acclaim of "The Simple Life," author Ruth Porter returns with another moving tale of everyday people living their lives in rural and urban Vermont, "Ordinary Magic." Brothers Cal and George Willard have not seen each other in years, since Cal got a law degree and moved to town. But when Cal shoots himself in the foot on the day before Thanksgiving, 1977, George visits him in the hospital. George has two daughters: Nora is struggling with a secret, unplanned pregnancy; and Lena has two young children and a host of marital problems. Cal's son, Conrad, goes into business for himself, selling firewood to people during the oil crisis. This is an utterly American slice-of-life story.