The Loving Room

A dream of Baby Boomers is to walk away from their current jobs and open a luxury bed-and-breakfast inn, according to recent surveys. Like the one Bob Newhart had on TV. For the Toners-Dick, Joan and their son Daniel-this wasn't just a dream. In 1991, they bought an inn in Lenox, Massachusetts. The book Toner has written discloses a rocky adventure, a real-life anthology of the humorous events, poignant incidents, and frustrating confrontations that they encountered.

At the heart of the narrative is the Inn, which acts as a focal point for the family. The three very independent and headstrong adults who go into business together learn very quickly that compromise and consideration are not only the keys to kindred harmony, but also the keys to financial success. What eventually emerges from a "crucible of anger, resentment and bitterness," is a sense of esteem, each individual for the other, and the development of an open and mature love that hadn't existed previously.

Would they do it again? "Our immediate response," the author says, "is an unqualified, yes Despite the hard times and the occasional tears, it was the adventure of a lifetime."