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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Lovely story! Much preferred hearing about The Boy and Ona (and Ona herself) as opposed to Quinn's story, though I did enjoy him as a character. Even though the subject matter was quite sad, I was fine emotionally through the story, but the very end did make me misty-eyed. Very sweet!
Wow I loved this book. It is about a young boy who befriends a 104 year old lady who he has been helping for a boy scout badge. The only problem is that he had an unknown heart problem and one day while out enjoying a bike ride fell over and died. Now his father is fulfilling his obligation.
A little too slice-of-life for me. I couldn't relate much to the characters. They didn't feel fully formed--especially Belle and Quinn. The most interesting part was the lists of Guinness World Records.
Curmudgeonly Ona Vitkus is 104 years old and healthy as can be, but without a friend in the world. That is, until an 11-year-old Boy Scout begins helping out around her house and begins taking an interest in her life, which he begins to document via a series of tape recorded interviews. The boy, who is a walking encyclopedia, has a passion for memorizing Guinness world records, and together he and Ona embark on a mission to get Ona a place within the book. Then, one Saturday, the boy fails to show up at One’s house. In his place is the boy’s father, Quinn.
Quinn is a musician and was mostly absent from his son’s life, but now that his child is gone, Quinn is determined to make up for his parental shortcomings by fulfilling his son’s obligations to Ona. Neither Quinn nor Ona is initially happy with this arrangement, but they soon begin to bond, united by their joint love for a boy neither of them truly knew but whose brief life left an unshakable legacy.
This is a quiet story, but a sweet one. It is a tale of unexpected friendship, of loss, of the ways that we grieve, of parenthood and marriage, of aging (or never getting the chance to age), and of redemption that can be found in every hidden corner of life, arriving in the most unforeseen places and always just on time. Through Ona’s long life and the boy’s short one, we explore the value and purpose of our time here on earth and how a seemingly inconsequential or insignificant existence can resonate through the lives of those around us.
The book’s structure is unique, alternating between Quinn’s story of struggle and striving, and the boy’s interviews with Ona, whose life was no more hopeful than Quinn’s; these interviews were my favorite parts of the novel, as they offer windows into the heart and character of the remarkable young boy, even though we never meet him directly (or even learn his first name). His light shines brightly between the dimming beacons of Ona and Quinn, and his tragic story (rather counterintuitively) manages to offer hope in what might otherwise be a bleak book. The result is a story that is sentimental but not saccharine, offering positive messages, memorable characters, and a thoughtful reflection on the things that are most important.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars. (Rounded up to 5 stars on Goodreads.)
This review first appeared on my personal blog, https://kendranicole.net/april-2021-quick-lit-fiction-reads/
Please visit my site for more book reviews: https://kendranicole.net/category/book-corner/
Quinn is a musician and was mostly absent from his son’s life, but now that his child is gone, Quinn is determined to make up for his parental shortcomings by fulfilling his son’s obligations to Ona. Neither Quinn nor Ona is initially happy with this arrangement, but they soon begin to bond, united by their joint love for a boy neither of them truly knew but whose brief life left an unshakable legacy.
This is a quiet story, but a sweet one. It is a tale of unexpected friendship, of loss, of the ways that we grieve, of parenthood and marriage, of aging (or never getting the chance to age), and of redemption that can be found in every hidden corner of life, arriving in the most unforeseen places and always just on time. Through Ona’s long life and the boy’s short one, we explore the value and purpose of our time here on earth and how a seemingly inconsequential or insignificant existence can resonate through the lives of those around us.
The book’s structure is unique, alternating between Quinn’s story of struggle and striving, and the boy’s interviews with Ona, whose life was no more hopeful than Quinn’s; these interviews were my favorite parts of the novel, as they offer windows into the heart and character of the remarkable young boy, even though we never meet him directly (or even learn his first name). His light shines brightly between the dimming beacons of Ona and Quinn, and his tragic story (rather counterintuitively) manages to offer hope in what might otherwise be a bleak book. The result is a story that is sentimental but not saccharine, offering positive messages, memorable characters, and a thoughtful reflection on the things that are most important.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars. (Rounded up to 5 stars on Goodreads.)
This review first appeared on my personal blog, https://kendranicole.net/april-2021-quick-lit-fiction-reads/
Please visit my site for more book reviews: https://kendranicole.net/category/book-corner/
2.5 stars.
Some bits were nice, some characters were whole, some arcs were satisfying. But, I don't know, this didn't quite sit right with me. It's very likely I'm judging it too harshly for using one of my least favorite, maybe downright infuriating, writing habits: leaving a main character unnamed. But there it is.
Some bits were nice, some characters were whole, some arcs were satisfying. But, I don't know, this didn't quite sit right with me. It's very likely I'm judging it too harshly for using one of my least favorite, maybe downright infuriating, writing habits: leaving a main character unnamed. But there it is.
This was a beautiful story! I listened to the Audio version and i am so glad that I chose that format. I laughed and cried throughout the story.
This was a sweet book that started out sad, and worked its way up. Ona Viktus is one hundred and four years old, and is befriended by an 11 year old boy scout with a thirst for world records. When the boy dies unexpectedly, Ona and the boy's parents come together to ease their pain.
I wish I understood the hype of this book. The prose was pretty, but I kept having to re-read things over and over again to catch small (but important) aspects of the story.
The One-in-a-Million Boy shines a beautiful light on ordinary lives and the stories behind them. It’s a wonderful novel about cross-generational friendships, how rewarding they can be if we just get past society’s and our own stereotyping and prejudices. They can help us, even heal us, in a way friendships with our peer group might not. And it shows what real friendship and kindness is. It’s not doing something out of a sense of duty or obligation: a good deed. It’s doing something that might make you feel good but more importantly makes the other person feel better/seen/noticed/valued/loved because you want to do it for them. To make them feel like they’re One in a Million.
‘Your boy gave me a present,’ Ona said.
Belle leaned in. ‘What?’
‘My mother tongue,’ Ona said. ‘From the moment I laid eyes on him, it’s been coming back. Dribs and drabs. I can’t explain it, unless he had magic up his sleeve.’
‘He was made of magic,’ Belle gave Ona’s hand a squeeze.
I think Monica Wood might also be made of magic. I was completely disarmed by her book's humour and its gentle storytelling. I wished her characters could move into my neighbourhood because they felt like friends. And I forgive her for making me cry. If you read and loved Elizabeth is Missing, The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and A Year of Marvellous Ways, then I think you'll fall for The One-in-a-Million Boy. I know I did.
‘Your boy gave me a present,’ Ona said.
Belle leaned in. ‘What?’
‘My mother tongue,’ Ona said. ‘From the moment I laid eyes on him, it’s been coming back. Dribs and drabs. I can’t explain it, unless he had magic up his sleeve.’
‘He was made of magic,’ Belle gave Ona’s hand a squeeze.
I think Monica Wood might also be made of magic. I was completely disarmed by her book's humour and its gentle storytelling. I wished her characters could move into my neighbourhood because they felt like friends. And I forgive her for making me cry. If you read and loved Elizabeth is Missing, The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and A Year of Marvellous Ways, then I think you'll fall for The One-in-a-Million Boy. I know I did.