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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
104 y.o. Ona is befriended by a young boy scout to whom she shares her life story. The boy, seemingly on the autism spectrum, obsessed with lists and the Guinness World Records, thinks Ona is old enough to break some kind of record. When the boy can't finish his work, his divorced parents step in to finish it for him and they develop a relationship with Ona. 3.5 stars.
This reminds me a bit of A Man Called Ove with the lonely old person and the developing relationships in the book. It was a good story and nice to see the relationship bloom between Quinn and Ona. The ending was sweet and made me smile. I also appreciated knowing the setting of Portland, ME.
I'm giving it 5 stars because I've had tears in my eyes reading the last 13 pages. I love Ona and Quinn and the Boy whose name I don't even know. Makes me wish I had a 104 year old friend
Bittersweet, funny, sad and hopeful.
Two favourite quotes- no spoilers.
"Then I'll go with automatic washer. I don't recall when I made the changeover. One minute you're drubbing petticoats on a washboard, the next minute you've got two teenagers and a brand new Maytag. The in between goes kind of blinky"
"She died that evening and left me, sitting in ten kinds of darkness...She beautified my life, and that's the truth. In time I forgot the rest and remembered only that...Forgiveness is a handsome thing indeed."
Two favourite quotes- no spoilers.
"Then I'll go with automatic washer. I don't recall when I made the changeover. One minute you're drubbing petticoats on a washboard, the next minute you've got two teenagers and a brand new Maytag. The in between goes kind of blinky"
"She died that evening and left me, sitting in ten kinds of darkness...She beautified my life, and that's the truth. In time I forgot the rest and remembered only that...Forgiveness is a handsome thing indeed."
Very different book. I enjoyed it a lot. The writing was well.done and I am glad I chose this one.
Een boek dat me in de ban hield door de mooie taal en beschrijvingen. Waar het verhaal heen ging, maakte me minder uit. Zolang ik maar de mooie taal en bedenkingen kon lezen.
I really loved this book. The story of a man and his ex-wife whose son dies far too young. (Not a spoiler). By finishing a project for scouts, that the son he never really knew, was involved in, Quinn begins to know the boy he never really connected with. The project involves helping a 104 year old neighbour with odd jobs, but the boy (who is never named) had already taken it far beyond that, and Quinn takes on what he had started and goes even further. I took off a star, reluctantly, because as the boy interviews Ona on tape, he is determined that his voice will not be heard, and so where he would have said something, or when he wrote a question, ellipses are used, and used and used... It becomes difficult to follow, or perhaps I just spent too much time trying to figure out what the boy would have said. It was OK on the shorter interviews but became distracting on the longer ones.
I won this book in a giveaway at the end of last year, and have (sadly) only just gotten around to finishing it.
Honestly, this book left me with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. It's a book that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading - even though the main topic seems rather mundane, I didn't find a single bit boring. The characters are likeable and realistic, and the portrayal of grief in its different forms hit me hard.
The writing is easy to read, and almost lyrical in the way it flows across the page. The multiple forms of writing used gave the novel a more in depth feel, as we learnt about Ona through her own words as well as the third person narrative. The final section (the book itself is split into parts), with is poignant swaps of perspective, proved to be my undoing, but has left me with a wonderful feeling of completion, despite its sad tone.
I honestly don't know what to say other than the fact that this book has stunned me. I would never normally have picked it, but something made me. I'm glad that I did. Definitely one I'll pass around family and friends, with its perfect mixture of heart-warming and heartbreaking story.
Honestly, this book left me with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. It's a book that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading - even though the main topic seems rather mundane, I didn't find a single bit boring. The characters are likeable and realistic, and the portrayal of grief in its different forms hit me hard.
The writing is easy to read, and almost lyrical in the way it flows across the page. The multiple forms of writing used gave the novel a more in depth feel, as we learnt about Ona through her own words as well as the third person narrative. The final section (the book itself is split into parts), with is poignant swaps of perspective, proved to be my undoing, but has left me with a wonderful feeling of completion, despite its sad tone.
I honestly don't know what to say other than the fact that this book has stunned me. I would never normally have picked it, but something made me. I'm glad that I did. Definitely one I'll pass around family and friends, with its perfect mixture of heart-warming and heartbreaking story.