"Deep look at the blending of extended families"

In Seattle, pediatrician Dr. Ben Galloway and schoolteacher Abby Drummond plan to escape together for a week of skiing during the spring break. However, before they can leave town, a devastating earthquake hits the city. Abby's beloved brother and sister-in-law die leaving five orphaned boys behind for her to raise. Ben has two nieces living with him.

Ben and Abby are already in love, but family matters to both of them. During the crisis and afterward, they know that one household with two adults to raise seven children is easier than two separate families. However, as each person struggles with grief, coping and blending into a cohesive unit with need and love as the catalysts, the adjustments stagnate the evolution of the adult relationship.

Though most readers will think of the Brady Bunch and be surprised that Seattle and not California is the location, MARRIED IN HASTE is a deep look at the blending of extended families into one unit after a calamity has occurred. Though Ben is a strong (albeit bossy) lead character and the seven precocious (almost too adult like) children grab the hearts of the audience, Abby is the epicenter of the tale. She struggles with feeling that Ben sees her as a subordinate, with guilt (from telling her older brother the Reverend that she planned to go away with Ben), the need to mourn, and being there to nurture her kin through their grief. She turns this tale into a powerful novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 25, 2003

Summary

Noah, Michael, Brad, Reed, Sam, Erin and Mollie--seven little reasons to marry in haste.
No, seven big reasons...

Ben Galloway and Abby Drummond both work with children—he's a pediatrician and she's a teacher—and they've both ended up with custody of their respective nieces and nephews. They decide that combining their households is the best solution to their individual problems. Which it is—except that their solution leads to a whole new set of problems.

Kids before marriage. Not the easiest route to married bliss. And not the route Ben and Abby would've chosen. But love for their unexpected family brings them together in all the ways that count.