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Man at the Helm--finished

The book was interesting throughout and made me laugh out loud on many occasions. And it had a great ending, pulling everything together. Spoiler follows--great passage of everyday wisdom.

"I wish I could have ended this by saying that we didn't need a man at the helm. Our mother taking the helm herself and coping brilliantly all alone would have been a powerful finish. The thing is, no one can cope alone, not really alone. All those brave people who seem to do things solo actually have people in the background who love them or at least like them, wishing them well and worrying about them, saying kind and encouraging things and giving them a helping hand now and again. Our mother didn't have quite enough of all that until Mr. Holt appeared."

"at least like them" 
"saying kind and encouraging things and giving them a helping hand now and again" 

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