A bittersweet meditation on human connections and the transformative power of friendship.
When a reserved and unassuming man meets a free-spirited young woman, a bond develops that changes both of their lives.
In this debut novel, Henry is an orderly man who rarely deviates from his strict schedule. He lives in a modest home in a quiet neighborhood in Silverton, Connecticut, and works for Haul of Fame Trucking. When he is not tending to his meticulously maintained yard, he visits his elderly mother, who has dementia. Twice a week he goes to Stan’s Deli, where he purchases soup and a dinner roll. One day, he arrives at the deli for his usual order and is surprised to see someone new behind the counter. Chiffon, Stan’s distant cousin, is an idealistic young woman searching for her place in the world. Their initial interactions are cautious but cordial; Henry values certainty, and Chiffon’s moods and style of dress are anything but predictable. Over the course of several months, a friendship gradually develops. Chiffon introduces Henry to new experiences, including riding a bicycle, and he offers his support as she struggles with depression. When Henry and Chiffon face personal crises, they discover how simple acts of kindness can evolve into a deep and meaningful friendship. Holmes’ novel is a gentle and affecting portrait of friendship and the life-changing effects of reaching out and embracing new experiences. Henry and Chiffon are complex and engaging protagonists whose unexpected connection changes them in ways neither could imagine. Their friendship develops slowly, built on small acts of consideration such as Chiffon’s giving Henry a ride home from the deli. Chiffon is unlike anyone Henry has ever met, and the author does a fine job capturing his awkwardness as he tries to relate to her. Chiffon is a compassionate woman who hopes to make a difference by volunteering in her community. Holmes is particularly adept at connecting her protagonists’ experiences with those of a well-developed group of supporting characters. A particularly strong subplot focuses on Henry’s colleague Sylvie, who is inspired by his independence and strives for that in her own life.
A bittersweet meditation on human connections and the transformative power of friendship.Pub Date: July 26, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5320-4842-5
Page Count: 230
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.
Pub Date: July 11, 1960
ISBN: 0060935464
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Lippincott
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1960
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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