Witty, wise, and hope-filled, Five Fortunes is a large-hearted tale of five vivid and unforgettable women who know where they've been but have no idea where they're going. A lively octogenarian, a private investigator, a mother and daughter with an unresolved past, and a recently widowed politician's wife share little else except a thirst for new dreams, but after a week at the luxurious health spa known as "Fat Chance" their lives will be intertwined in ways they couldn't have imagined. At a place where doctors, lawyers, spoiled housewives, movie stars, and captains of industry are stripped of the social markers that keep them from really seeing one another, unexpected friendships emerge, reminding us of the close links between the rich and the poor, fortune and misfortune, and the magic of chance. "She has absolutely perfect pitch when it comes to capturing the lives of these remarkable women. This seems to be the quintessential American woman's tale. I loved it." -- Anne Rivers Siddons"This is the novel as we used to know it, with laughter, tears, true-to-life details and a must-know what happens next story line." -- Penelope Fitzgerald"Beth Gutcheon's novel is like your dream of a best friend: funny and sunny and wise, full of intimate news, never preachy or self-centered. This writer knows women, and how much we all want a book to comfort us. If ever there was proof that a delicious novel--cheer and sad and perfectly resonant--can be intelligent and serious, too--here it is, in hearts." -- Sandra Scofield"An unpretentious tale of freindship among the well-heeled that is both a page-turner and day-brightener." -- "Kirkus Reviews""Stylish new comedy...we are caught up in this fast-paced story as these women are in each other's lives." -- "Publishers Weekly" Witty, wise, and hope-filled, Five Fortunes is a large-hearted tale of five vivid and unforgettable women who know where they've been but have no idea where they're going. A lively octogenarian, a private investigator, a mother and daughter with an unresolved past, and a recently widowed politician's wife share little else except a thirst for new dreams, but after a week at the luxurious health spa known as "Fat Chance" their lives will be intertwined in ways they couldn't have imagined. At a place where doctors, lawyers, spoiled housewives, movie stars, and captains of industry are stripped of the social markers that keep them from really seeing one another, unexpected friendships emerge, reminding us of the close links between the rich and the poor, fortune and misfortune, and the magic of chance. Beth Gutcheon is the critically acclaimed author of the novels, The New Girls , Still Missing , Domestic Pleasures , Saying Grace , Five Fortunes , More Than You Know , Leeway Cottage , and Good-bye and Amen . She is the writer of several film scripts, including the Academy-Award nominee The Children of Theatre Street . She lives in New York City. Chapter One Stepping out to the curb in front of the Phoenix airport that November Sunday, Mrs. Albert Strouse, San Francisco matron of impressive age, was met by a welcome shock of heat. There had been a wintry dankness in the wind at home for weeks, which along with the artificial winter of the airplane cabin had settled into her bones. She adjusted her dashing new mango-colored sunglasses and basked. A young woman in a jacket of a familiar blue appeared beside her. "Mrs. Strouse!" "Cassie! How are you, dear?" "Can't complain." Cassie took Rae's small suitcase and led her to the blue minivan waiting in the No Waiting zone. "You're my last lady. Do you mind riding up front with me?" "Delighted. I'm good with a shotgun." Cassie held the door while Rae hoisted herself into the front seat. There were four other passengers already on board, none known to her. They exchanged nods of greeting with her, except for one fat one who either had jet lag or had enjoyed some cocktails on the plane and was slumped in the back with her eyes shut, looking like a failed popover. Normally Rae Strouse loved a party. Normally Rae Strouse considered three strangers on a bus a festive gathering, but today as the van left the city behind she was just as glad to contemplate the afternoon light on the desert and let The Young behind her get on with their conversation. The Young were apparently two childhood friends, now separated by husbands and children and distance, taking a week together. They were clucking over the guest list, looking for useful kernels of information, hoping they weren't going to regret not going to Aruba. New guests were always anxious about how it was going to be. "Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six. Thirty-six. Well that's a nice size. Group. That's a good group," said the dark one. "Look, here's that woman Glenna Leisure. She's in W all the time." "Is she?" "Yes, you know who she is. She's that one who was a stewardess, she married the leveraged-buyout guy?" "Is that the one whose co-op got so u