Where River Turns to Sky: A Heartwarming Novel of Found Family and Redemption Among Aging Strangers

by Gregg Kleiner

Eighty-year-old George Castor promised he would never let his best friend Ralph die alone at the Silver Gardens Nursing Home--but Ralph passed on while George was away fishing. Distraught, guilt-stricken and seeking redemption, George buys a broken-down mansion in Looking glass, Oregon, paints it fire-engine red, and begins searching for other old folks to share it with him. Because George has made a new promise that will alter the course of the rest of his life. And, with the help of a miraculous old woman named Grace, he assembles a ragtag bunch of aging strangers, determined to make their last days on earth--and his own--an adventure.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. I sent a copy of the book and a CD by Mark Cohn to Ron Howard a number of years ago with a letter saying he needed to make the movie and use the CD as the soundtrack. Didn't happen, poopy Ron Howard! Kept thinking of the movie Cocoon except this book is funnier as just as wonderful a story.
NEEDS TO BE A MOVIE! Has an important story to tell!
Read it!

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was mentioned in Thomas' book, What Are Old People For?, and used as an example of the type of living conditions for the elderly that Thomas had in mind when founding the Eden Alternative and Green Houses.

George, elderly himself, widowed, and recently informed of the death of his only child, decides to honor the life of his best friend by trying to be sure no-one has to die alone that doesn't want to. He buys a huge, historic home in the center of town and invites people to come to him. He doesn't have many takers, but stragglers begin to arrive to fill the rooms of the house. George is crotchety, uncooperative and a scoff law when it comes to following codes and neighbors' ideas of how his property should be kept. He fiercely fights to keep himself and those who have fallen under his protection from a life in the local nursing home, to be independent to the end, and to care for one another as they decline.

[Seaturtle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful story.

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I like the idea of this story, however just kept finding myself thinking what a fantasy it was. I feel I must disclose that I am a social worker who has worked for over 20 years with the elderly, So I was very focused on the fact that the author seemed to have no knowledge of how a nursing home runs or anything related to seniors. The main character, George, is supposed to be 80+ years old, yet somehow does such improbable things like build a baseball field, dig a six foot deep hole and construct all sorts of things without help. I could not ignore the fact that there was no social worker at Silver Gardens nursing home, that aides were described as mopping the floor, and the administrator seemed to be the only other staff. Never mind that Clara, a woman who has had a stroke so severe she cannot speak and only uses one side of her body somehow manages with minimal assistance, or that Bert has lived for 10 years in a nursing home, but somehow still has a car and other items in storage...
So, great concept...after all, who wants to live in a nursing home? It is a great thing to have elderly characters who want to make the most of the time they have left. But there were too many holes in the story for me.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who adores the elderly, who does NOT fear aging, and who has a bit of a chip on her shoulder regarding nursing homes, I found this book very enjoyable. It was super quick and easy to read, and I enjoyed how the chapters flipped back and forth between two characters in order to give different perspectives. I found myself getting a little choked up here and there at the loneliness, the grappling with loss and the meaning of living for these older folks. It offered great perspectives regarding aging, and reminded me yet again that the elderly are fascinating, with a wealth of experiences that aren't that different from what we ourselves are experiencing.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books. I read a tattered copy from the library in 1999 and loved it. I remember the main character as a person who didn't give up on life. I also vividly remember the lady who chose her own time to die.
When I found I couldn't get this book again at the library, I bought a copy. I'm not a person that keeps books around- I either read the library copy, or if I do buy or am given a book, I pass it on. But this one is a keeper.

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old people think the same way younger people do .. They continue to experiment and to be puzzled by life till their very last day.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Inspires you to think you can be of value no matter how old.

[Bethany Schuldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't help but love the quirky characters in this story. Touches on some deep topics but had many funny lighthearted parts to balance!

[Kbg503 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the way the story is being told from 3 different perspectives.

A bonus-star because the of the Oregon joke about "What's the difference between and filbert and a hazelnut?"

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has stayed with me and has inspired me to consider buying an old victorian house for me and my old friends when we turn 85!

[Don Gubler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eccentric and creative. You learn that whatever your age you need to live life.

[Marie DiCocco · Rating 4 out of 5]

After spending several months reading my last book, this was a welcome change. It's a sweet, warm book but with an important message. Our society's decision to put old people in nursing homes (or senior living communities if you want the sanitized name) is something that I've struggled with, especially as I get older myself and wonder what will happen to me. As a college student, I worked in the US Soldiers' & Airmens' Home in Washington, D.C. and remember feeling so sad as I watched all these old men just vegetating with visitors only on holidays if they were lucky. Then my father got sick & ended up in a rehab facility, which while it was one of the "good" places, still was an awful experience. Several years after he died, my mother decided to move into a senior living community even though all 5 of her children offered to have her come live with us. While it seemed like a nice place in the beginning, it quickly became a drag - the same food all the time, a lot of old people just waiting to die, and an incubator for disease. Don't get me wrong - the staff were wonderful people, but it just wasn't a good fit. There simply has to be a better way to handle the older population, especially if they have no family to care for them, or need extra care due to illness or disease. But nursing homes really aren't the answer. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a way that people could stay in their own home, maybe with a younger roommate(s) to help them, and social services to supplement it? Or structured communities where all ages are living together. Our tendency to segregate everyone by age starts early with day care, then schooling, and on through life. We lose so much by not mixing with people of all ages.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars
Octogenarian, George Castor, has promised his friend, Ralph that he would be with him when he dies. However, while George is on a fishing trip Ralph dies. George is beside himself because he broke his promise. He makes a plan to make it up to Ralph. He has money from the death of his only son, and he uses that money to purchase a mansion in a better part of town. He has it painted brilliant red, he clears the "gardens" and plants farm products. This does not go well in the neighborhood. Then he brings other old people to live with him. It is humorous and sad. I basically liked the storyline. but the way it was told was rather confusing.

[Suzanne Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

George promises Ralph that he won't die alone in his nursing home. Then Ralph dies while George is gone fishing. George decides to make it up to Ralph by buying the biggest house in town and inviting other old people to take up residence. His mission is to keep people living to the fullest until their deaths. But what he learns along the way is that death is a part of life and nothing to fear.

Great characters. I would have liked to have known any one of them in real life.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for an inspiration into graceful old age, but this story was not entirely plausible. The characters were fun, Clara, wheelchair bound w/ no voice but a working mind, was my favorite. George is an old farmer who has lost everyone he loved. The unlikely setting is a big old house in small town Oregon where 6 old people try to dodge the bullet of dying alone in a nursing home.

[Mike Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having it be set in Oregon was a major draw (thinking Sometimes a Great Notion, Mink River, River Why, Honey in the Horn) and I'm glad I read it. It got slow in the middle and showed some of the author's inexperience in writing but it was full of vibrant characters, a benevolent intent and eventually came to a satisfying conclusion. It was something inspirational for these forlorn times.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The characters were so real and the topics of death and aging were handled with dignity,grace and reality. The main character reminds me of my own father, who has also lost a son and then a wife as well as many good friends to "going on around".

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved this. As a senior, I can say he nailed it. As a Pacific Northwest native, I can say he nailed it. As someone who appreciates magical realism and great storytelling, I can say he nailed it.

[Sarah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I had to read this book for a class about adult development/aging, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know the characters and getting to see what antics they got in. I only give four stars however, because sometimes the text was difficult to follow.

[Doranne Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregg Kleiner's writing is masterful, with vivid descriptions, entwined with powerful messages about living authentically and to our fullest, in the circle of life. His messages remind me of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall enjoyable, different and interesting. I wasn’t sure when I started but I got to like most of the characters. It gave me a lot of pause for thought about aging.

[Raye Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson is mortality and not for the faint of heart.
Cheering the characters on, laughter, surprises and tears are written into this novel.

[Brooke Darnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book, I think anyone who is concerned about aging/wants to expand their views on the elderly should definitely read this. Not a hard read, but not an easy one either.

[Abbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNFd this so hard

[Gail Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out so good but then went off the rails. 3.5 stars I guess.

[Reader rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book at least five times now, and every time I am reminded how much I love it. Highly recommend.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe this is Kleiner's first and only novel. It is brilliant! Well written, and heart warming. Perhaps it can be read as a call to change how elderly people spend their last days...

[Frances Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story and the feeling behind it, which enabled me to overlook the glaring unrealities of a group of elderly people living together with no medical or support personnel on hand, no systematic administering of medications, and so forth. I had to accept that part as surrealism. If you can suspend reality, as I had to, in order to enjoy this book, it really is a hidden gem with a fascinating cast of characters.