A New Season

by Terry Fallis

From beloved and bestselling author Terry Fallis comes a novel unlike any of his others. A thoughtful exploration of aging, loss, family, friendship, and love, all with his trademark humour and heart. Jack McMaster seemingly has it all. A beautiful house, a loving son of many talents (including cooking, which is great news for Jack, if not for his waistline), even a special bond with his buddies in his ball hockey league. But he's also learning to live with loss, leaving a gaping hole in his life--a life that will never be the same as before. Jack passes his days knowing he has the support of his family and his friends, but he can't shake the feeling that his life has gone gray, and that time is slipping by so quickly. Then, a short and shocking video from an unexpected source gives him the gumption to make a change and maybe even haul himself out of his melancholia. Inspired by his lifelong fascination with 1920s Paris, Jack finally visits the City of Light, following in the footsteps of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and wandering the Left Bank. Slowly, the colour seeps back into his life, aided by a chance encounter in a café that leads Jack into the art world, and a Paris mystery nearly a century old. Full of sincerity and warmth, A New Season shows us all that sometimes, making a change in your life can save your life.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Audiobook, Book Club, Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks

352 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2023

About the author

Terry Fallis is the award-winning author of ten national bestsellers, including his latest, The Marionette, all published by McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House). His debut novel, The Best Laid Plans, won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and was crowned the 2011 winner of CBC Canada Reads as the "essential Canadian novel of the decade." In January 2014, CBC aired a six-part television miniseries based on The Best Laid Plans earning very positive reviews. In September 2015, it debuted as a stage musical in Vancouver. The High Road was published in September 2010 and was a finalist for the 2011 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Terry's third novel, Up and Down, was released in September 2012. It debuted on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, was a finalist for the 2013 Leacock Medal, and won the 2013 Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award. In June 2013, the Canadian Booksellers Association presented Terry with the Libris Award for Author of the Year. Terry's fourth novel, No Relation, hit bookstores in May 2014, opened on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, and won the 2015 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Poles Apart was released in October 2015, immediately hit the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, and was a finalist for the 2016 Leacock Medal. One Brother Shy (2017), Albatross (2019), Operation Angus (2021), A New season (2023), and The Marionette (2025) were all instant bestsellers upon publication.

Terry Fallis earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University and then spent several years working in federal and Ontario politics. In 1995, he co-founded Thornley Fallis, a full service communications and digital agency with offices in Toronto and Ottawa. He blogs at www.terryfallis.com and his twitter handle is @TerryFallis. Subscribe to his Substack posts here: https://terryfallis.substack.com

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will always read a Terry Fallis book as soon as, or before, it is published! I’m not sure my critiques are fair because The Best Laid Plans is one of my very favorite books and all others pale in comparison, this is no different. I enjoyed the book. It was engrossing and engaging and shamelessly Canadian. It made me laugh and I loved the Jim Cuddy references. Jack is no Angus McClintock but this was a fun read and an excellent exploration of grief and finding life after grief. If it weren’t Terry Fallis, I’d likely give the book 3.5 stars but I’ll always round up for Fallis.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canadian author Terry Fallis normally writes novels about the funny side of politics. He’s twice won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. This novel—his ninth—was a bit of a departure for him, so I’m very glad he decided to write it!

The book is about freelance writer Jack McMaster. He’s very obviously been in a slump since his wife, Annie, died from COVID more than two years ago. Just prior to her passing, she recorded her dying wish and sent the video to their adult son, Will, asking him to play it for Jack if he wasn’t back on his feet and fully participating in life again after a good bit of time. Well, Will felt now was the time for him to see it. In the video, Annie lovingly told Jack that he “wasn’t good alone”. She suggested he should go to Paris (as they’d planned), meet someone and start living again. At the conclusion of the video, she pleaded with him, “Do not let my death define your life”.

So, in short order, Jack flew to Paris, planning to stay about 5 months. Well, to make a long story short, he did meet someone, and she was as fascinated with Paris of the 1920s—the “lost generation” and all—as Jack was! Her name was Elizabeth “Callaghan” Hughes, and she was as different from Annie as day is to night. I’m giving nothing away here except to say they spent a good deal of time together on a very interesting and lucrative project that would end up connecting them for life.

I’ll admit that, at times, the book seemed just a bit “rom-com-y”, which is not my style in the least, BUT it was sweet and endearing and I couldn’t stop reading once I’d started!😭 It had me in tears on several occasions and, yes, the ending was a tiny bit contrived, but it actually did surprise me!😯 I didn’t see it coming at all!!

So, despite the slight rom-com-y edge it sometimes had, I thought it was extremely well-written, so I’m giving it 5-stars simply for the way it grabbed me and hung on for dear life until the bitter end (which wasn’t the least bit bitter, BTW).😉 Such a wonderful story! Oh, and did I mention it features Jim Cuddy, founder of Blue Rodeo? He’s Fallis’ real-life friend, so Fallis asked his permission to use him in the book and, of course, Cuddy agreed. The two songs that are highlighted in the book—both written by “Jack”—are, in fact, real songs written by the author! I’m not going to say how these songs fit in, but it was wonderfully sweet and clever. I thoroughly loved this book and I know I won’t soon forget it. Highly recommended!

5 “We-all-need-a-little-sugar-sometimes” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Terry Fallis at the top of his game! I absolutely loved this latest from a great Canadian talent, that features Jack, a middle-aged man still grieving the loss of his beloved wife who died suddenly and alone at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto.

Told with empathy, grace and of course, his trademark humor, this is a story about fathers and sons, an ode to 1920s Paris, finding love again and embracing life with passion. I loved the relationship between Jack and his son, Jack's ball hockey family and the way he finds the courage to take a trip to Paris he meant to go on with his wife but never did.

While in Paris Jack meets Calla, a British artist with a unique connection to the 'Lost Generation' of American writers and artists who flourished at that time. Their friendship develops quickly and the two bond over shared interests, ultimately falling in love.

Beautifully written, this is a story of hope and love with a fun historical mystery thrown in too. I HIGHLY recommend listening to this on audio as its both read by the author AND includes original performances of songs he's written over the years that play a key part of the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This may just be my new favorite by Fallis, although Angus will forever have a place in my heart!!

[Rachelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the humour around aging.

My son told me he saw somewhere that the book was listed as fantasy romance, so I suppose had I known that going in, my take could have been different. Maybe lol

I found it largely unreadable after the first few chapters. The dialogue between the main character and his hockey team as well as his son was completely unrealistic and off-putting. Everyone was so generous and perfect and sensitive and vulnerable and empathetic. Bleh. I have been around men my whole life and around sports teams during my son’s youth. Some men are open and sensitive and vulnerable, as are some women, but an entire group of ball hockey players? Sure, like finds like, but I didn’t buy it. Four or more friends openly asking and regularly sharing feelings two years after an event? Organizing meal trains? One woman did this for my dad for a few months. He has multiple male friends. They are religious and kind to each other. And they go out for lunch regularly. Do they do things like this or talk like this? No. They talk about the weather, sports, cards, cars, holidays, gardening, tools, food … rarely feelings.

And are everyone else’s adult sons working full-time and then coming home to cook gourmet meals for them and also cleaning up after doing so? Asking you about your feelings regularly? Encouraging you to live your best lives? If so, well done. Did you treat your parents with such consideration in your mid-twenties while working so hard?

And the mom could hardly talk and was oxygen-deprived but right before suddenly dying (so sick she passed in one day) had the wherewithal to record a message to her son about his father moving on. Bleh bleh. Even the idea of asking your soon-to-be grieving son to do that is awful. How about a message to help him move on and live without you?

I am still grieving my mom after three and a half years. I can’t imagine having to encourage my father to go find a new partner. I would be happy for him if he did, at least on some level, but it’s okay to be alone for a while when the love of your life dies. Two years is not exactly long after thirty years of marriage.

I also disliked that he couldn’t spend more than thirty minutes in a museum but thought pubs and other places famous authors hung out were more interesting.

Okay, rant over. Many loved this book. I didn’t. I have read it is different from his other books. Maybe they would suit me better, but it will take a while before I read another.

[Colleen Maclennan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a beginning that was so cumbersome to read. I tried to connect with this book but it was such a struggle . The ball hockey , and the subsequent time in Paris was really so uneventful. I am glad the main character found purpose and a partner after his Covid experience but I am really perplexed how so many people seemed to enjoy this book. I fast forwarded most of this book as it nothing of substance really happened .

[Sdorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about boomers, for boomers. If you are a boomer and you want a story with no conflict that reaffirms that you are the golden generation than this is the book for you. If you are any other generation, it will likely make you bitter because of the many unacknowledged privileges our main characters enjoy.
On cannot help but think throughout, « must be nice »

[Matt Root · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really beautiful themes here, but the sentence-level writing (especially the dialogue) needed a couple more editing passes.

[Beverley Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book overall.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how I love Canadian author Terry Fallis. I have read most of his books. This new one was a bit different, the subject matter, the Lost Generation of the 1920s, I was not really familiar with this period of time wherein they talk about Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein all living in Paris in the 1920s. As many of you may know, Terry Fallis puts a lot of humour into his books and this one was no exception. The protagonist Jack was 62 years old, recently widowed and had recently travelled to his beloved Paris, France. Exceptionally done was his 12 reasons that you know you’re 62 years old and not 35 anymore, I loved it. So if you are a ball hockey fan and a lover of Paris, you will love this book, enjoy this stellar Canadian author.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Fallis is one of my favourite authors. I wait with anticipation for his new books as they usually make me laugh.

This was a different story for him. But when you write well, I don’t think it necessarily matters what you write. It draws the reader in. This book was a terrific example of that. The story was very heartfelt and meaningful. The characters were easy to like and buy in to. Same as his other books. It had small funny bits. In a serious story. I loved it. Was sad it ended, but happy how it did. A great book.

[Lisa Goodmurphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4
62 year-old Jack McMaster is a writer living in Toronto who seems to have it all. A beautiful house in a downtown neighbourhood, a successful career, a loving relationship with the young adult son who lives with him and good buddies from his ball hockey league. But Jack has been learning to live with loss for the past 2.5 years and his life feels grey - the colour has vanished and he's not sure how to get it back.

An unexpected video message prompts Jack to plan the trip to Paris that he has always wanted to take. Jack has an obsession with 1920s Paris and The Lost Generation but has never visited the City of Light in person so he rents an apartment, books flights and heads to Paris for 5 months planning to be back before the next season of ball hockey. As Jack explores Paris wandering the streets of the Left Bank in the footsteps of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, he feels the melancholy start to lift and colour slowly comes back into his life with a little help from someone he meets by chance in a neighbourhood café.

A New Season is a contemplative novel that looks at aging, friendship and loss. The story is told in the first person with much self-deprecating humour - it had the feel of a good friend telling a story and I enjoyed that style. This is a book that will likely appeal more to readers of a similar age or in similar circumstances who can relate to Jack's mid-life struggle. Parts of the novel are quite poignant and I sobbed through some of the early chapters of the book as Jack slowly reveals the loss he has suffered and his nearly 3 year long experience with grief. His observations on aging and the feeling that life is slowly slipping away are very relatable to anyone in their '50s or '60s.

I loved the Paris setting and learning more about the writers and artists that made Paris their home in the '20s. There are some fun and very Canadian aspects to the plot as well with all of the ball hockey games and Jack's love of music and songwriting that brings Jim Cuddy in as a character. (I doubt there's a Canadian who attended university in the mid to late '80s who didn't enjoy a performance by Jim Cuddy and Blue Rodeo at a campus pub and I was happy to read in the author's note that he's a genuinely nice human being!) There's also some romance and a little mystery to be solved in Paris but mostly this is the story of a man in late middle age learning to be happy again and enjoy a new season in his life. An enjoyable read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Denise Goodkey · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a disappointment. I so loved his first novel, but this is boring. I forced myself to finish it. There is such a thing as too nice. The protagonist was nice. His whole hockey crowd was nice. His son was nice. His son's girlfriend was nice. The new woman was nice.

Then there was the name dropping of every street and landmark in Paris.

And the pretension over knowing some sophisticated ( ?) words.

And repetition and detail detail detail about things nobody would care about

[Heba abdel aal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished the new novel by Terry Fallis.
This novel is kind of departure from his regular lighthearted style but there is a lot of hearts in the new novel.
It is a romantic novel that takes place between Paris and Toronto, where the main character ,Jack, tries to recover from the loss of his wife to Covid by travelling to Paris to experience the places that fascinated him while reading about the cultural scene in 1920 Paris.
What ensues is a lovely romantic novel that left me seeing hearts. I believe this could be a great Christmas book gift for someone who is a new relationship.
I am a big fan of Terry Fallis and my admiration for his writing grows with every new novel he writes.

[Roger Ingle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book which was given to me as a Christmas present, since I really enjoyed The Best Laid Plans, giving it a 5* rating. Unfortunately I found in this book, that the plot was mundane and the writing poor and repetitious. I have heard that his second book is pretty good though, so perhaps I will give that one a try sometime.

[Laurie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something niggles at me whenever I am reading a Terry Fallis book. There is something about his writing that I don’t like, maybe a cockiness? And yet I have really enjoyed the last two I’ve read - Albatross and this one. His sense of humour and story-telling is great. His characters are lovable but not well developed. And maybe that’s my small problem. I love well developed characters over all else. 🤷‍♀️

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit of a change for Fallis. A more somber book, it follows a man coping with his wife's death, and his need to find a spark again. He goes to Paris, a long held dream to travel there (having been thwarted twice while his wife was alive), as he is obsessed with Paris of the 1920s. It’s an easy read, but I didn’t love it. Not sure why. Maybe the plot felt a little forced? I found the theme around the diaries lacked some reality. But I liked Jack and Callie.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content of this book is so different from his others, but his writing style and humour are still there. It is a story of grief, family and friends, beautifully told. My only criticism is that the sharing of his grief did become repetitive, especially in the first part of the book.

[Cindy Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to this book because I have loved his other books. But this one was hard to get into. It wasn't as engaging, witty and humorous as his other books.

The first part was OK, introducing some of the characters - Jack, his son Will, and the ball hockey league. Then the first part of Paris was pretty boring and I skimmed a lot of it. I guess if you are interested in 1920s Paris and the so-called 'lost generation', it might have been interesting to read about all of these places and people. The second half of Paris was, again, OK. I at least wanted to continue to find out how it all ended. And the ending was good; I do like a happy ending!

There were just a few things that kind of bugged me throughout the book. They are pretty minor overall, but some just kept coming up.
1. His counting of 'what makes him feel 62 instead of 35' got a bit tedious. (OK, just one more thing that makes me feel my age...) And he had two '8th' things - page 84 has the 8th thing, and then page 119 has another 8th thing.
2. His refusal to stretch after his ball hockey workouts was just annoying. He has been playing since he was a boy. He mentions how sore he is going to be the next day every time. And then the next day complains about how sore he is. But he still hasn't learned to stretch after a workout. It does actually work, whether you are 62 or 35!
3. His comments about Calla using 'big words' (halcyon, hegemony, etc.) came across as very arrogant. I'm sure it was meant to be humorous, but was kind of ridiculous.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Fallis' strongest but I did really enjoy listening to the audio since I listened to most of his early works as podcasts. But, the story just felt a little too predictable, the beginning a little too morose and the main female character a little too perfect.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and feel good but far too full of good things happening.

[Sandy Auld · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it to page 117 and finally gave up. The author seems to be so intent on being clever he’s forgotten he was supposed to write a novel.

[Betty Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a Terry Fallis fan. He’s Canadian, funny, and thoughtful.
This book has a lot of pluses for me: it’s by Terry Fallis, it’s set in Toronto, where I was born, specifically, in a wonderful Toronto neigbourhood called the Danforth, it’s thoughtful, honest, amusing at times, and seems to be extremely well researched. When not in Toronto, the rest of the story takes place in Paris. Once in Paris, the reader is immediately immersed in the Left Bank and informed about a significant period in Paris, the 1920s, where authors such as Hemmingway, Pound, Fitzgerald, and Stein changed the literary world. The descriptions are so vivid and real I feel certain that Mr. Fallis spent a lot of time there.
The story is about grief and love and, another plus for me, curiosity. Curiosity and being a lifelong learner are my raison d’être. A great read!

[Wendy Hearder-moan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a Terry Fallis fan ever since I chortled my way through Best Laid Plans. Would I have read this book if it had been written by another author? Probably not. The beginning did not grab me at all —a bunch of old guys downing a few cold ones after a rousing game of ball hockey. Really? The video scene brought a tear to my eye even as I was cynically asking myself if this episode was even remotely plausible. I had the same problem with much of the book. The story line is just too rosy and all the characters are just too nice. I couldn’t believe that Jack had no problems moving to France and adapting to life there. Or maybe everything is so much easier when you have lots of money. Nevertheless I gave it 3.5 stars because it’s well crafted and I rounded it up to 4 because a “feel good” book is needed sometimes.

[Anne Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Terry Fallis, and this book did not disappoint. He has such a lovely writing style - poking fun at how Jack is dealing with the loss of his wife. The way he describes how men tend to hide their feelings, is so accurate. His descriptions of Paris brings it alive to you. As for Callaghan - you just love her and her spirit.

[Allison Mclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack is trying to get over the death of the love of his life. He feels his life has changed from colour to grey. In order to get his colour back he decides to take the trip he and his wife always wanted to take. He moves to Paris for 5 months. A chance encounter at a cafe leads to wonderful awakening and the start of the rest of his life.

[Renay Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost didn’t finish this. It’s the story of a widower who has to build his life over which as a book idea is a good one, but it was almost too sweet for me. He has a perfect son, who he has a perfect relationship with, perfect friends, ends up have a perfect song writing experience, goes on a perfect trip and meets a perfect woman. I needed a bit more tension to make this interesting.

[caysie (blabsaboutbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐️

[Wendie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I have the same obsessions as the protagonist and similar life experiences as well.

[Margi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Fallis is not just a political satirist, though he’s. very good at that. This is a touching and personal book, and I loved it.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

If not for bookclub I would have DNF at 25 pages.
Only saving grace was the Canadiana aspect.