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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I truly like this book. The pace and flow of the book made it a quick read.
Just ok. I guess I was hoping more for a little humor tinged with sadness and reality a than depressing sadness occasionally offset by mildly humorous reality.
I was on Bainbridge Island when I discovered a wonderful bookstore, Eagle Harbor Book Company. Written by a local author, This is Your Life sounded like a book that would show that it's never too late to take on a new adventure. Harriet is 78, recently widowed. When she finds out her husband had planned a cruise for two to Alaska, her desire to prove her independence leads her to take the cruise.
The story is told in a non-linear way, with two POV's. The omnipresent voice reads like the old TV-show, This is Your Life. Reliving various parts of her past, we learn of her dreams and hopes, her loves, her kids, her faults, and a traumatic "event" that would always be in the background of her life. Other chapters are told from Harriet's POV. She also reminisces about her past and as the cruise takes her out of her comfort zone, secrets, hers, her kids, her dead husband's, all come out.
At the end, I was crying. Crying as Harriet forgave not only her cheating dead husband, but mainly she forgave herself. I took the ending to mean one thing. But in reading the Questions for Discussions in the back, I realized that the ending could have two meanings. It all depended on our perspective.
Beautifully told, with a lot of heart and human faults.
"You can't remember getting old....It happened gradually. The years just wore you away, dulled your edges, leached the color from your face, and flattened you out like river rocks." (p. 131)
"'The hell with Donna Mae,' says Harriet. 'Become an advocate for yourself.'" (p. 203)
"While the days unfold, one after the other, and the numbers all move in one direction, our lives are not linear, Harriet. We are the sum of moments and reflections, actions and decisions, triumphs, failures, and yearnings, all of it held together, inexplicably, miraculously, really, by memory and association." (p. 293)
The story is told in a non-linear way, with two POV's. The omnipresent voice reads like the old TV-show, This is Your Life. Reliving various parts of her past, we learn of her dreams and hopes, her loves, her kids, her faults, and a traumatic "event" that would always be in the background of her life. Other chapters are told from Harriet's POV. She also reminisces about her past and as the cruise takes her out of her comfort zone, secrets, hers, her kids, her dead husband's, all come out.
At the end, I was crying. Crying as Harriet forgave not only her cheating dead husband, but mainly she forgave herself. I took the ending to mean one thing. But in reading the Questions for Discussions in the back, I realized that the ending could have two meanings. It all depended on our perspective.
Beautifully told, with a lot of heart and human faults.
"You can't remember getting old....It happened gradually. The years just wore you away, dulled your edges, leached the color from your face, and flattened you out like river rocks." (p. 131)
"'The hell with Donna Mae,' says Harriet. 'Become an advocate for yourself.'" (p. 203)
"While the days unfold, one after the other, and the numbers all move in one direction, our lives are not linear, Harriet. We are the sum of moments and reflections, actions and decisions, triumphs, failures, and yearnings, all of it held together, inexplicably, miraculously, really, by memory and association." (p. 293)
A very enjoyable, sweet little novel about an elderly widow who decides to go on a cruise that was left to her by her late husband. An entry in the rapidly growing "senior-stories" canon, alongside great entries like The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules or The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! isn't afraid to show old age as it really is, and its nonlinear narrative structure (flipping and sliding and flying about from Harriet at age zero to Harriet in her late seventies) can be a little grating. Alas, once it gets going, it becomes a delightful, endlessly gratifying tale about a lady going out of her comfort zone, something which we can all relate to.
I think I'm supposed to mention that I won this in a Goodreads giveaway (my first win ever!), so here is that mention. Yay!
I think I'm supposed to mention that I won this in a Goodreads giveaway (my first win ever!), so here is that mention. Yay!
What a strange, strange little book.
This is not a funny book.
This is a sad book about a very sad life. It is sad and slightly meaningless and frustrating because of this and yet I still enjoyed it and finished it without grudges. Poor, sweet, stupid, stubborn, crazy Harriet.
This is not a funny book.
This is a sad book about a very sad life. It is sad and slightly meaningless and frustrating because of this and yet I still enjoyed it and finished it without grudges. Poor, sweet, stupid, stubborn, crazy Harriet.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Dementia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief
Minor: Abortion
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not sure how this got in my book queue....I listened to it each night before bed, and I think I drifted off in parts, because it ended much more quickly than it should have. I was invested enough to get the book out of the library to fill in the holes! Because the structure of the novel jumps around in time (interspersing Harriet's late life dramatic adventure on an Alaskan cruise with flashbacks of earlier moments), things are out of order anyway so filling in wasn't as crazy as it might seem. I really enjoyed the development of the plot around Harriet's family and the balance of tragedy and comedy. If you're looking for a quick but not brainless read, this fits the bill.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix