Reviews

So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde

kachba's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

ndbeyer's review

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5.0

Maybe my interest in the elderly sparked my loving this book but I really did like it and how Louis handled his "difficult" clients as well as how he looked at them and their attitudes.

applepie10's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

yaraaria's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

laurenkapustiak's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

laurantor's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

judithdcollins's review

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5.0

"Master storyteller Catherine Ryan Hyde is back following [b:Dreaming of Flight|58671463|Dreaming of Flight|Catherine Ryan Hyde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646958239l/58671463._SY75_.jpg|92244150] with her latest, SO LONG, CHESTER WHEELER —another heartwarming, inspiring, witty, and uplifting tale of two unlikely characters. An unexpected friendship, a life-changing road trip, and some wise life lessons."

Set in Buffalo, NY, we meet Lewis Madigan, a twenty-four-year-old gay man laid off from his six-figure software job. His partner left and moved without him to California. That was supposed to be their dream.

To make matters worse, he despises his next-door neighbor, Chester Wheeler. No one liked Chester, the sixty-nine-year-old man with lung cancer in a wheelchair. A hateful, mean, homophobic, and bitter older man. He could not keep an in-home health care worker, as he ran them all off.

When Chester's latest healthcare worker leaves, his daughter, Ellie (going to be a new grandmother living out of state), is now desperate for help with her dad's care. She pleads with Lewis if he would fill the position. She thinks it would be great since he lives next door and needs a job. It does not matter he does not have healthcare experience.

Lewis dreads being around this man. He, of course, was not interested, but when the jobs did not come, and he needed money, he decided to take it. Ellie is friendly and happy to accommodate Lewis in any way, and the money is good.

It was a rough go at first, but Lewis is firm with Chester and tries to get to the bottom of his unhappiness with life. He also has a 24 hr feed intercom between the homes at night which is annoying.

Then Chester comes up with the idea that Lewis will drive him from Buffalo to Arizona in his Winnebago. Could he be cooped up with this spiteful man like this for weeks to travel across the country?

Chester's ex-wife, Sue, is in Arizona, and it appears he has some things to get off his chest before it is too late. She also left him for his best friend, Mike, years ago.

However, Lewis feels guilty since this request is to fulfill the last wish of a dying man, so he agrees. He also makes another stop after Sue.

From the bumper stickers on the Winnebago to arguments about anything and everything, the detours, and ultimately the cross-country road trip is full of drama, exhaustion, scorecards, laughs, wise life lessons, and getting to know one another, both past and present.

Before the trip ends, Lewis has learned something about himself and his fellow traveler. Chester wasn't a great person, but he was a person.

"All the way down to my gut I got something I'd never gotten before. I got that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it's not about me at all."
—Lewis Madigan, So Long, Chester Wheeler

What a journey! Ultimately, due to his experience with Chester, Lewis finds a new career and meets someone new. A Winnebago and more trips with more clients.

"Treat people well. Otherwise, you might die, and no one will notice or find it especially relevant to their life."

After caring for Chester and Estelle, Lewis comes to know himself better. By the end, each main character has irrevocably altered the other's life. Everyone has something special they can bring to the world.

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." —Joseph Campbell

I have so many favorites from CRH; however, this one is my favorite since [b:Take Me with You|19355355|Take Me with You|Catherine Ryan Hyde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395611800l/19355355._SX50_.jpg|27416593]!

Full of unforgettable characters written with Hyde's characteristic warmth, humor, and insight into people. I love hanging out with her characters that jump off the page!

The novel is an ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions. Book Club questions included.

Beautifully written, a novel of making amends, apologies, forgiveness, and second chances.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a long-time favorite author of mine, and I have read all her books and anxiously await the next masterpiece. She has a gift and a way with people, words, and places.

She gets to the heart of the matter and uses her characters to learn wise lessons from one another. I enjoy how she often uses unlikely people and pairs them (Multi-generational, young and old) because they have so much to learn from one another.

Anytime I want to take a break from reading heavy psychological suspense thrillers or need an inspiriting story to lift my day or mood, I know I can pull out a Catherine Ryan Hyde book and escape in the beautiful journey. I always learn something and have that heartwarming feeling after reading one of her books.

If you have not read her books, I highly recommend them! For fans of Elizabeth Berg and Fredrik Backman.

Thank you to #LakeUnion and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, review, and enjoy. I also pre-ordered the audiobook narrated by Michael Crouch (one of my favorite male narrators).

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +++
Pub Date: Dec 6, 2022
Dec 2022 Must-Read Books

runsforcoffee's review

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

janie's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

susanthebookbag's review

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5.0

Chester Wheeler is a character you'll love to hate. Which is exactly how Lewis Madigan felt about his spiteful, mean next door neighbor from the very first time they exchanged words. So then, how did the two of them end up embarking on a 2000 mile road trip, in an RV, no less?

The journey they took was enlightening for both of them in so many way. And I loved every minute of it! What could be better than a crotchety, dying old man with nothing to lose pitted against a young gay man who has no other options? The predicament they found themselves in and the barbs they threw each other had me in stitches, while at the same time, had me seeing the world through both of their eyes.

As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde has taken a tough but very real situation and turning it into a heartwarming story that we can all learn from. She is one of my must-read authors, even if I don't know what the story is about, because I know after reading one of her books, I want to be a better person from the lessons I learned from the story. I highly recommend So Long, Chester Wheeler. I loved it!