Author writes for every woman in ‘Heartwood’

Iris Stern is in what should be the golden years of her life. Her children are grown, her marriage is good, and she has pursued her dream of having a successful academic career.

But Iris can’t be satisfied with leaving well-enough alone and, being rather conservative and straight-laced, is constantly worrying about her sons and the choices they have made with their lives. The one child she knows she never needs to worry about is her daughter, Laura — the daughter who most closely resembles Iris’ mother, Anna, and who carries on Anna’s legacy of caring and providing for her family.

But it is Laura who perhaps Iris should have been worrying about all along. Laura married her college sweetheart Robbie when she became pregnant to keep him from being drafted to Vietnam, and she has been supportive of him through his various jobs over the years. But when their lives in California fall apart due to Robbie’s incompetence, they relocate back to New York for a fresh start to not only their lives, but to their marriage.

Despite Laura’s best efforts, the couple separate, and while Robbie heads back to Ohio searching for his final chance at success, Laura begins looking for changes in her own life and finds a new chance at love waiting around the corner.

In 1978, at the age of 63, author Belva Plain published her first novel, “Evergreen.” Spending an amazing 41 weeks on the best-sellers list, the novel followed the story of Anna Friedman, a courageous Jewish girl who emigrated from Poland to the United States to find a life of struggle, heartache and eventually love. The novel eventually was made into a television miniseries, and Plain would continue the story of Anna’s family through three more books, “Golden Cup,” “Tapestry” and “Harvest.”

In her final novel (Plain passed away in October 2010), “Heartwood,” Plain brings the generational tale full circle to conclude with the story of Anna’s granddaughter, Laura.

Plain had a wonderful knack for writing every woman’s story with her tales, and “Heartwood” is no exception. She touched on the things every woman worries about — family, health, security — but most importantly, Plain always brought a great sense of love and romance to her stories.

“Heartwood” is a fitting last tribute to a beloved writer who touched so many readers. Belva Plain will be dearly missed, but her books will allow her memory to live on forever.