The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

This is a modern day folk tale set in the small town of Blackbird Tree and on a "grand estate" called Rook's Orchard in Ireland.  Two sets of girls have their lives changed by a boy named Finn who falls from a tree.

The girls in Blackbird Tree, Naomi and Lizzie, are orphans who have no idea what the future holds for them though they have hopes and dreams.  Their status makes them fast friends despite their very different personalities.

When Finn drops in on their lives he fires the imaginations of both girls but especially Naomi's.  A long summer stretches out before them filled with good deed visits to some of the town's crazy old folks, chores at home and magical bits of time with Finn. 

The Girls in Ireland are old women now and Old Friends.  In their case Finn falling from his tree in their youth resulted in a lifelong heartache and a keen desire for revenge.

The lives of the four girls are brought together over the years and miles by Finn and the improbably named Dingle Dangle Man.

Beautifully written and sweet, this is a novel for anyone needing a bit of the unexpected.