Ambrose Zephyr would have been content that it was Sunday and that spring had come again to that part of London and that there was no need to go to the office. He would have read a draft of his wife's latest magazine column and (as gentle readers are obliged) made one or two enthusiastic comments.

He would have wondered about the days ahead of him and, as was his habit, dreamed of doing something else. And there it would have ended.

But that is not this story.

...from page 4

When Ambrose Zephyr is told that he only has a month to live, he and his wife, Zappora Ashkenazi (Zipper), set out on an alphabetical tour of places they love and places they've always wanted to visit. As Ambrose and Zipper travel, we learn about how they met and fell in love, where they are in their marriage, and where they thought they were headed.

The book is short but deeply moving. The marriage is realistic and anyone who has been in a relationship for a long time with someone they still love will see the truth in it. The story is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, and the book itself is beautiful. I regret getting this one from the library because it's one to hang on to.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lynn Bornath on 27 February 2010 from the hardcover version.

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