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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
Catherine Ryan Hide is a brilliant author. Her characters are expertly written. Her stories are treasures. I highly recommend this book and the others of hers that I’ve read, Have You Seen Luis Velez? and Heaven Adjacent. And I’m off to find more of hers to read.
This was a very satisfying read. I was glad to see the author move away from her many stories featuring young boys who often seemed too wise for their ages. Lewis is a far more believable and relateable character and Chester Wheeler is delightfully irritating. This is one of Hyde's gems.
adventurous
emotional
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
In my library of books Catherine Ryan Hyde is consistently a 5 star author, with the exception of one or two outliers I read years ago. Her books are so deep and meaningful. All of them have amazing protagonists who make you, the reader, want to be a better person. The way she captures emotion in every single character is simply amazing and the way she tells the story is spectacular.
Lewis is a software engineer in his young 20’s and is in the early days of a budding relationship. He’s pretty happy with his life despite his cantankerous, homophobic, elderly neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Things seem to be going fairly well for him until Lewis loses his job and his boyfriend in the same day. A few days later Lewis meets Chester’s daughter Ellie when she knocks on his door after realizing Lewis is in between jobs. She begs him to step in and help with her Dad since Chester has run off every home health aide from the agency they were using and Ellie has other family commitments out of state. Hard pressed for a job, Lewis agrees to it and what follows ends up being life changing for both Lewis and Chester.
Ms. Hyde has such a unique way of writing. I listened to this and because of the style it was like listening to Lewis tell me this story. It’s written in first person, but more than that there are little spoken nuances throughout the narrative- “let me make a long story short”, “you might not believe it but it’s true”, etc. This brings Lewis to life and turns what would be a 2 dimensional character of one’s imagination into a 3 dimensional person. It’s really an incredible way to bring a book to life and it’s why Ms, Hyde is a master at her craft.
If you’ve never read a book Catherine Ryan Hyde you really should make sure you read one this month. If you’re not sure which one to pick, check out my Bookstagram for a list of my favorite ones.
https://www.instagram.com/life_full_ofbooks/
Lewis is a software engineer in his young 20’s and is in the early days of a budding relationship. He’s pretty happy with his life despite his cantankerous, homophobic, elderly neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Things seem to be going fairly well for him until Lewis loses his job and his boyfriend in the same day. A few days later Lewis meets Chester’s daughter Ellie when she knocks on his door after realizing Lewis is in between jobs. She begs him to step in and help with her Dad since Chester has run off every home health aide from the agency they were using and Ellie has other family commitments out of state. Hard pressed for a job, Lewis agrees to it and what follows ends up being life changing for both Lewis and Chester.
Ms. Hyde has such a unique way of writing. I listened to this and because of the style it was like listening to Lewis tell me this story. It’s written in first person, but more than that there are little spoken nuances throughout the narrative- “let me make a long story short”, “you might not believe it but it’s true”, etc. This brings Lewis to life and turns what would be a 2 dimensional character of one’s imagination into a 3 dimensional person. It’s really an incredible way to bring a book to life and it’s why Ms, Hyde is a master at her craft.
If you’ve never read a book Catherine Ryan Hyde you really should make sure you read one this month. If you’re not sure which one to pick, check out my Bookstagram for a list of my favorite ones.
https://www.instagram.com/life_full_ofbooks/
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Publication Dec 6, 2022⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every Catherine Ryan Hyde book i have read has always had lessons to be taken away by the reader.This novel is no exception. Similar to A Man Called Ove but unlike that book i loved this book.
I loved everything about this beautifully crafted story. The writing, the theme, the characters. Everything!!
Oh.. how i loved Lewis and then eventually Chester. A definite recommend
Every Catherine Ryan Hyde book i have read has always had lessons to be taken away by the reader.This novel is no exception. Similar to A Man Called Ove but unlike that book i loved this book.
I loved everything about this beautifully crafted story. The writing, the theme, the characters. Everything!!
Oh.. how i loved Lewis and then eventually Chester. A definite recommend