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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
In the book So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lewis Madigan, a young gay man, loses his job and finds himself providing hospice care for his intolerable, homophobic neighbor Chester Wheeler in order to make ends meet. After some time, Chester presents him with his dying wish – to drive him to Arizona in his Winnebago to see his ex-wife. Thus begins a journey that makes for a page-turning read.
So Long, Chester Wheeler is a fantastic book. I very much enjoyed reading it. This is my fifth book by Hyde. She has an amazing way of telling stories that keeps me hooked throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Hyde for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
So Long, Chester Wheeler is a fantastic book. I very much enjoyed reading it. This is my fifth book by Hyde. She has an amazing way of telling stories that keeps me hooked throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Hyde for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
emotional
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
hopeful
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
funny
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
A breath of fresh air, this book was. Loved learning about Lewis and seeing his relationship grow with Chester. It just goes to show that no matter what, we never truly understand what someone is going through on the inside. Now let me go sob about the bucket of quarters
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
My second Catherine Ryan Hyde book. I think I’m going to head right back to the Kindle app to see if there’s more of her work available in Unlimited! Really enjoyed.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
Confession time, I requested this book on NetGalley without reading the information correctly; my brain decided to see Catherine Ryan Howard rather than Hyde, and I clicked request without reading anything else! Oops. Thankfully I enjoyed the book.
Lewis Madigan is young, gay, freshly out of work, and newly single. To make matters worse, he lives next door to Chester Wheeler, an insufferable, cantankerous, homophobic elderly man who even his paid carers cannot stand to be around; every single one at the agency has quit.
Chester’s daughter Ellie desperately needs someone to help care for her father and, running out of other options, turns to his neighbour for help. Chester doesn't want any help from a gay man, but Lewis, desperate for cash, swallows every last ounce of pride and steps in as Chester’s caregiver. How bad can it be to run a few errands, be on call, and put up with the miserable oul lad?
They exchange barbs, bicker and bait each other relentlessly, but when Chester hits Lewis with his dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago, he cannot say no.
Chester wants to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years and for one last time. One week, two thousand miles. For Lewis and Chester to be so constrained for this time should be hell on earth, but they learn about each other, their innermost secrets and vulnerabilities.
So Long, Chester Wheeler is a character-driven book. It is a story that will make you smile, laugh and gasp in pure horror at times. But ultimately, it is a book of personal growth, introspection and understanding, as themes of love, loss, hate, forgiveness, and redemption are threaded through the story. 3.5⭐
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an honest review.
Lewis Madigan is young, gay, freshly out of work, and newly single. To make matters worse, he lives next door to Chester Wheeler, an insufferable, cantankerous, homophobic elderly man who even his paid carers cannot stand to be around; every single one at the agency has quit.
Chester’s daughter Ellie desperately needs someone to help care for her father and, running out of other options, turns to his neighbour for help. Chester doesn't want any help from a gay man, but Lewis, desperate for cash, swallows every last ounce of pride and steps in as Chester’s caregiver. How bad can it be to run a few errands, be on call, and put up with the miserable oul lad?
They exchange barbs, bicker and bait each other relentlessly, but when Chester hits Lewis with his dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago, he cannot say no.
Chester wants to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years and for one last time. One week, two thousand miles. For Lewis and Chester to be so constrained for this time should be hell on earth, but they learn about each other, their innermost secrets and vulnerabilities.
So Long, Chester Wheeler is a character-driven book. It is a story that will make you smile, laugh and gasp in pure horror at times. But ultimately, it is a book of personal growth, introspection and understanding, as themes of love, loss, hate, forgiveness, and redemption are threaded through the story. 3.5⭐
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Grief
I’m going to preface this by saying that this is not the type of fiction book I read often. I tend to sway toward the thrillers, horrors and historical fictions, but every now and then I want a contemporary fiction book that isn’t filled with tropes and look for one that is a “normal” story about “normal” people with “normal” problems. I am so glad that I picked this one up.
Was it predictable? Well, if the title doesn’t tell you *something* about the story, then maybe you’ll not like that it is a bit predictable. But the predictability of the story doesn’t take away from the emotions that come with becoming an invisible passenger along for the journey of the life-altering adventure the protagonist finds himself on.
Perhaps I felt a sort of camaraderie with Lewis, having spent two years caring for my cranky, indignant grandfather at the end of his life. Perhaps I saw my grandfather’s development in Lewis. I felt a connection to these two characters, and I found myself smiling. A lot.
Rarely do I read a book that makes me feel deeply, one that makes me stop and think about how I could become a better person - or at least a more understanding one. This one did. And I am grateful that I joined Lewis and Chester on their road trip.
Was it predictable? Well, if the title doesn’t tell you *something* about the story, then maybe you’ll not like that it is a bit predictable. But the predictability of the story doesn’t take away from the emotions that come with becoming an invisible passenger along for the journey of the life-altering adventure the protagonist finds himself on.
Perhaps I felt a sort of camaraderie with Lewis, having spent two years caring for my cranky, indignant grandfather at the end of his life. Perhaps I saw my grandfather’s development in Lewis. I felt a connection to these two characters, and I found myself smiling. A lot.
Rarely do I read a book that makes me feel deeply, one that makes me stop and think about how I could become a better person - or at least a more understanding one. This one did. And I am grateful that I joined Lewis and Chester on their road trip.
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Catherine Ryan Hyde does it again! A masterpiece. She takes these incredibly flawed and broken characters and makes us love them. She also reminds us how much people are going through that we don’t know about behind closed doors.
In this case, Chester Wheeler is, to the outside world, a horribly grumpy, homophobic, and mean old man. Lewis Madigan is a 24 year old software developer who has had a bad go of things lately; he has just lost his job, his boyfriend broke up with him and moved to California without him, and his best friend Anna also moved out leaving him completely roommate-less.
Lewis is Chester’s neighbor. An opportunity arises for Lewis to care for Chester (as Chester has chased off all the other caregivers) and as Lewis is in need of money he takes it. So ensues a relationship that will alter both of their lives, for good and bad, as they take an RV trip 2000 miles across the country for Chester to try to make amends to his ex-wife.
CRH always comes through with these great relationships, especially with an older person teaching a younger person something. Here we have themes of growth and learning to believe in yourself.
This was a very moving and poignant novel. One that will stay with me for a long time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the early review copy!
In this case, Chester Wheeler is, to the outside world, a horribly grumpy, homophobic, and mean old man. Lewis Madigan is a 24 year old software developer who has had a bad go of things lately; he has just lost his job, his boyfriend broke up with him and moved to California without him, and his best friend Anna also moved out leaving him completely roommate-less.
Lewis is Chester’s neighbor. An opportunity arises for Lewis to care for Chester (as Chester has chased off all the other caregivers) and as Lewis is in need of money he takes it. So ensues a relationship that will alter both of their lives, for good and bad, as they take an RV trip 2000 miles across the country for Chester to try to make amends to his ex-wife.
CRH always comes through with these great relationships, especially with an older person teaching a younger person something. Here we have themes of growth and learning to believe in yourself.
This was a very moving and poignant novel. One that will stay with me for a long time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the early review copy!