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Last Call
chapter one
Joe-y! Come down here and eat some breakfast," his mother calls into the hollow tunnel of the antiquated dumbwaiter.
"What are the choices?" shouts back a high-pitched youthful voice.
"Yes or no! Get down here and eat some oatmeal before you leave."
When Joey enters the kitchen Diana bends to kiss him while at the same time maneuvering her hand across his forehead to check for fever. "You feel warm to me." She studies his face for unnatural coloring and a runny nose. "It could be the start of a summer cold."
Her son is a boyish-looking eleven-year-old with wide-set expressive brown eyes and a moon-shaped face that has high ridges hidden just beneath the surface, suggesting that he'll inherit his mother's striking cheekbones, straight nose, and generous mouth.
"Eat some oatmeal before you leave," Diana insists with an urgency suggesting that oatmeal has been officially designated a miracle cure for the common cold.
"I don't want any yucky oatmeal." Joey pushes her hand away. "Grandpa's taking me to a baseball game. We'll get hot dogs."
"Based on how late he arrived home last night and the racket he made getting upstairs, we'll be lucky if Grandpa takes out the garbage. I'm surprised he didn't wake you up. Or worse, give you nightmares."
Diana leans over the old-fashioned steel sink to adjust the calico curtains, diverting the glare of the formidable late June sun. The shiny copper-bottomed pots lining the far wall cast flickering circles around the room like a disco ball. From outside in the backyard drift the gentle melodies of summer--the plaintive chirping of young sparrows fidgeting in their nests, shrilling crickets, and the silky ripple of tall grass in the breeze.
The tranquillity of the morning is abruptly broken by an exuberant burst of song. A chorus of "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go" reverberates throughout the stairwell of the three-story town house in an accent containing a velvety Scots burr, and accompanied by the sound of steps being taken two at a time. On the final "go," a dynamo of a man with an unruly mop of salt-and-pepper hair slides across the threshold to the kitchen as if tagging home base. Without missing a beat before the start of the next verse he rescues his grown daughter from slaving over the stove and skillfully waltzes her around the room, gaily accompanying them in his lilting baritone:
"I will build my love a tower, near yon pure crystal fountain, And on it I will pile, all the flowers of the mountain."
He moves with the confident agility of an acrobat. His daughter Diana, however, wearing a stiff vinyl cooking apron and brandishing a wooden spoon above her like Lady Liberty's torch, is a reluctant dance partner. After a turn around the island she glances at the stovetop to signal that the pot may boil over if her attention is diverted for another second, and attempts to pull away. He finally releases her with an abrupt chortle followed by a kiss on the forehead. His flashing green eyes and solid reassuring jaw are softened by a fan of laugh lines, indicating that he's accustomed to achieving his objectives, even if only temporarily, like this morning's dance
Joe-y! Come down here and eat some breakfast," his mother calls into the hollow tunnel of the antiquated dumbwaiter.
"What are the choices?" shouts back a high-pitched youthful voice.
"Yes or no! Get down here and eat some oatmeal before you leave."
When Joey enters the kitchen Diana bends to kiss him while at the same time maneuvering her hand across his forehead to check for fever. "You feel warm to me." She studies his face for unnatural coloring and a runny nose. "It could be the start of a summer cold."
Her son is a boyish-looking eleven-year-old with wide-set expressive brown eyes and a moon-shaped face that has high ridges hidden just beneath the surface, suggesting that he'll inherit his mother's striking cheekbones, straight nose, and generous mouth.
"Eat some oatmeal before you leave," Diana insists with an urgency suggesting that oatmeal has been officially designated a miracle cure for the common cold.
"I don't want any yucky oatmeal." Joey pushes her hand away. "Grandpa's taking me to a baseball game. We'll get hot dogs."
"Based on how late he arrived home last night and the racket he made getting upstairs, we'll be lucky if Grandpa takes out the garbage. I'm surprised he didn't wake you up. Or worse, give you nightmares."
Diana leans over the old-fashioned steel sink to adjust the calico curtains, diverting the glare of the formidable late June sun. The shiny copper-bottomed pots lining the far wall cast flickering circles around the room like a disco ball. From outside in the backyard drift the gentle melodies of summer--the plaintive chirping of young sparrows fidgeting in their nests, shrilling crickets, and the silky ripple of tall grass in the breeze.
The tranquillity of the morning is abruptly broken by an exuberant burst of song. A chorus of "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go" reverberates throughout the stairwell of the three-story town house in an accent containing a velvety Scots burr, and accompanied by the sound of steps being taken two at a time. On the final "go," a dynamo of a man with an unruly mop of salt-and-pepper hair slides across the threshold to the kitchen as if tagging home base. Without missing a beat before the start of the next verse he rescues his grown daughter from slaving over the stove and skillfully waltzes her around the room, gaily accompanying them in his lilting baritone:
"I will build my love a tower, near yon pure crystal fountain, And on it I will pile, all the flowers of the mountain."
He moves with the confident agility of an acrobat. His daughter Diana, however, wearing a stiff vinyl cooking apron and brandishing a wooden spoon above her like Lady Liberty's torch, is a reluctant dance partner. After a turn around the island she glances at the stovetop to signal that the pot may boil over if her attention is diverted for another second, and attempts to pull away. He finally releases her with an abrupt chortle followed by a kiss on the forehead. His flashing green eyes and solid reassuring jaw are softened by a fan of laugh lines, indicating that he's accustomed to achieving his objectives, even if only temporarily, like this morning's dance
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First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Laura Pedersen
24 books42 followersLaura Pedersen was born in Buffalo, New York (one of "God's frozen people") in 1965, at the height of The Folk Music Scare. (For details of misspent youth see essay at 'Is there a Nurse in the Church?'). After finishing high school in 1983 she moved to Manhattan and began working on The American Stock Exchange, a time when showing up combined with basic computation skills could be parlayed into a career. She chronicled these years in her first book, Play Money.
Having vowed to become anything but a journalist and with no conception of what a semicolon does, Laura spent the better part of the 1990s writing for The New York Times.
In 1994 President Clinton honored her as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans. She has appeared on TV shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, and David Letterman.
In 2001, her first novel, Going Away Party, won the Three Oaks Prize for Fiction and was published by Storyline Press. Beginner's Luck was published by Ballantine Books in 2003 and subsequently chosen for the Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" program, Borders "Original Voices," and as a featured alternate for The Literary Guild.
Pedersen's other novels include Last Call, Heart's Desire, and The Big Shuffle.
Laura lives in New York City, teaches reading and trades Yu-Gi-Oh! cards at the Booker T. Washington Learning Center in East Harlem, and is a member of the national literary association P.E.N. (poets, essayists and novelists).
Having vowed to become anything but a journalist and with no conception of what a semicolon does, Laura spent the better part of the 1990s writing for The New York Times.
In 1994 President Clinton honored her as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans. She has appeared on TV shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, and David Letterman.
In 2001, her first novel, Going Away Party, won the Three Oaks Prize for Fiction and was published by Storyline Press. Beginner's Luck was published by Ballantine Books in 2003 and subsequently chosen for the Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" program, Borders "Original Voices," and as a featured alternate for The Literary Guild.
Pedersen's other novels include Last Call, Heart's Desire, and The Big Shuffle.
Laura lives in New York City, teaches reading and trades Yu-Gi-Oh! cards at the Booker T. Washington Learning Center in East Harlem, and is a member of the national literary association P.E.N. (poets, essayists and novelists).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 18, 2016
This story is tailor-made for one of the schmaltzier Hallmark Hall of Fame productions. I have to confess I don't know how it ends -- but the story revolves around a main character, who is larger than life and dying of cancer -- so let's assume the story comes to its natural conclusion. I made it about 100 pages in before I decided I had had enough sugary intake and called it quits.
December 9, 2008
Laugh out loud funny! One of the few books that caused my sides to ache.
August 16, 2019
This turned out to be such a good book! It was the type of book that’s a lot of things...love story (more than one), loss, humor, and family shenanigans.
Diana and her son Joey have moved in with her father, Hayden MacBride, a proud Scottishman. Diana is divorced and not too lucky in love or finances. The upside is Hayden is a loving, funny, mentor, and someone to look up to grandfather to Joey. Unfortunately, he has terminal liver cancer, and at 55, the author makes him out to be older than his years. Hayden wants not only himself, but his grandson to be comfortable with his dying. So he scans obituaries and funerals, takes Joey to them and tells Diana they’re going to a baseball game.
One day, Hayden takes Joey to visit his friend Cyrus who is dying in the hospital. He was a former pharmacist who gives him pills to take when he feels it’s his time. The room next door to Cyrus is very noisy with the patient throwing things. So Cyrus tells Hayden to give her some pills to help calm her down. When he does, he asks her to check out of the hospital and come with them to a Mets game. Rosamond agrees and joins them; she happens to be a nun with lung cancer. She enjoys the game so much she asks Hayden to pick her up Friday thinking they’ll do more fun things. Hayden at first expects to take her to funerals or cemeteries but Rosamond explains she’s been a nun for so long, she wants to experience things she’s never tried and go to places she’s never been. Here begins a grand adventure of going to places in and around the city. Rosamond and Joey make pessimistic Hayden happier, and Hayden invites her to live in his home.
Hayden and Rosamond develop a relationship of friendship, embarrassing for Rosamond, but soon grows to definite love. Rosamond has become a part of the family, getting cooking tips from Diana, being falsely accused by another daughter Linda of trying to defraud her dad, and forming a bond with Joey. They adopt a poodle, Ginger, and Hayden trains her to herd ducks. The family hosts Hayden’s friends, called the Greyfriars Gang, and Rosamond introduces Diana to Hank, a man studying for the priesthood, but definitely not committed. Hayden and Rosamond enjoy a last trip together to Saint Croix, where they profess their love, then stay as much as they can together until the last day of Hayden’s life.
I was touched by the last chapter, written in Joey’s point of view twenty years later. His childhood was greatly influenced by his grandfather, and it was touching to have him attend, even though not permitted inside, the funeral of Rosamond outside the convent where she returned to.
Diana and her son Joey have moved in with her father, Hayden MacBride, a proud Scottishman. Diana is divorced and not too lucky in love or finances. The upside is Hayden is a loving, funny, mentor, and someone to look up to grandfather to Joey. Unfortunately, he has terminal liver cancer, and at 55, the author makes him out to be older than his years. Hayden wants not only himself, but his grandson to be comfortable with his dying. So he scans obituaries and funerals, takes Joey to them and tells Diana they’re going to a baseball game.
One day, Hayden takes Joey to visit his friend Cyrus who is dying in the hospital. He was a former pharmacist who gives him pills to take when he feels it’s his time. The room next door to Cyrus is very noisy with the patient throwing things. So Cyrus tells Hayden to give her some pills to help calm her down. When he does, he asks her to check out of the hospital and come with them to a Mets game. Rosamond agrees and joins them; she happens to be a nun with lung cancer. She enjoys the game so much she asks Hayden to pick her up Friday thinking they’ll do more fun things. Hayden at first expects to take her to funerals or cemeteries but Rosamond explains she’s been a nun for so long, she wants to experience things she’s never tried and go to places she’s never been. Here begins a grand adventure of going to places in and around the city. Rosamond and Joey make pessimistic Hayden happier, and Hayden invites her to live in his home.
Hayden and Rosamond develop a relationship of friendship, embarrassing for Rosamond, but soon grows to definite love. Rosamond has become a part of the family, getting cooking tips from Diana, being falsely accused by another daughter Linda of trying to defraud her dad, and forming a bond with Joey. They adopt a poodle, Ginger, and Hayden trains her to herd ducks. The family hosts Hayden’s friends, called the Greyfriars Gang, and Rosamond introduces Diana to Hank, a man studying for the priesthood, but definitely not committed. Hayden and Rosamond enjoy a last trip together to Saint Croix, where they profess their love, then stay as much as they can together until the last day of Hayden’s life.
I was touched by the last chapter, written in Joey’s point of view twenty years later. His childhood was greatly influenced by his grandfather, and it was touching to have him attend, even though not permitted inside, the funeral of Rosamond outside the convent where she returned to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2022
I really was not impressed with this book when I started out. Hayden MacBride has cancer but that's no reason to just lie down and wait for it to happen. He lives with his daughter and grandson and spends the majority of his time crashing funerals (for the free food). He loves to help his grandson experience as much in life as he can since the boy's mom (and his daughter) is over protective and would probably wrap him (and her dad) in bubble wrap if she could. When Hayden meets a nun from the convent who is waffling in her beliefs, they form an unlikely pair and he starts to look at things a little differently--maybe!!! Anyway, at first I thought it was just kind of silly but the farther I read I really began to connect with the various characters and wanted the best of them all. Although overall the book is funny and sweet, there is a depth to the feelings in it and there were a few "teary" moments for me. I ended up really enjoying it and would definitely read another of Ms. Pedersen's books.
February 5, 2020
Contrived and predictable, except where it was completely not believable. No way someone who has served the church for 20 years just begs off after a day at the ball park. Nope. Just not my cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2020
Best book to read. So captivating and so inspiring. How does someone who is destined to die go about his life? You have 1 year to live what do you do?
A really interesting book on how we should approach life even if dark times are to come
A really interesting book on how we should approach life even if dark times are to come
September 4, 2017
Loved it! Completely charming.
June 6, 2019
Captivated!
I was totally captivated by this book.I could not put it down and it made me cry at the end. I will be looking forward to more books by this author!
I was totally captivated by this book.I could not put it down and it made me cry at the end. I will be looking forward to more books by this author!
September 26, 2022
Really bad. Too sugary sweet, fake, unbelievable, unrealistic. Like one of those sappy afternoon movies you quickly flip off.
March 1, 2023
Loved the grandfather, and overall the book is entertaining and pretty funny, but I could have done with less of the religious “message”
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June 18, 2010Brief Summary:
This book is about a man named Hayden MacBride who is diagnosed with cancer. He has a daughter and a grandson. He is a very optimistic man, who doesn’t want to drag down his daughter. His daughter, Diana, spends all her spare time trying to figure out ways to save her father with any cure possible. On the other hand, Hayden spends his time crashing funerals and dragging his grandson along. He continues on with his life with wondering thoughts between the pros and cons of life.
Analysis of Character:
Hayden tries very hard to be optimistic during this time period in his life. He doesn’t want to lose everything, yet he faces reality and realizes his life isn’t going to go on forever. so he uses the times he has left to teach others which I thought was a great leason.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to everyone, it isn’t the happiest book to be reading, but it makes you realize to cherish life and live life day by day for some don’t have that chance. It’s a quick read that moves fairly quickly. It is a very interesting storyline that somewhat resembles the movie, The Bucket List.
This book is about a man named Hayden MacBride who is diagnosed with cancer. He has a daughter and a grandson. He is a very optimistic man, who doesn’t want to drag down his daughter. His daughter, Diana, spends all her spare time trying to figure out ways to save her father with any cure possible. On the other hand, Hayden spends his time crashing funerals and dragging his grandson along. He continues on with his life with wondering thoughts between the pros and cons of life.
Analysis of Character:
Hayden tries very hard to be optimistic during this time period in his life. He doesn’t want to lose everything, yet he faces reality and realizes his life isn’t going to go on forever. so he uses the times he has left to teach others which I thought was a great leason.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to everyone, it isn’t the happiest book to be reading, but it makes you realize to cherish life and live life day by day for some don’t have that chance. It’s a quick read that moves fairly quickly. It is a very interesting storyline that somewhat resembles the movie, The Bucket List.
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October 21, 2012Hayden MacBride is a Scotsman who often claims he is related to Sean Connery. His recent diagnosis with terminal lung cancer has confronted him with his mortality and what he calls the Great Beyond. He drives his daughter Diana crazy when he refuses treatment. Instead, he spends a lot of time with his overprotected grandson Joey, sneaking him off to baseball games but also to funerals and wakes. In part, it is to prepare Joey for the future, but also to research death in a systematic way. In the process of these forays, he meets Rosamond, a nun who also has been diagnosed with cancer. Hayden and Joey begin to include Rosamund in their fun field trips and she has so much fun she leaves the convent and comes to live with Hayden, Diana and Joey. Although the plot sometimes feels too cute, the characters are nonetheless engaging and the resolution is poignant.
January 29, 2014
This book is about a terminally ill Hayden. He lives with a daughter Diana and grandson Joey. He is a very exuberant heavy drinking Scottish man. instead of getting all depressed with his diagnosis he goes to all kinds of funerals trying to find the best traits to a funeral. During all this he meets a Nun at the hospital who is also terminally ill. Hayden and the Nun (Rosemary) become best friends. Rosemary leaves the hospital and the convent to live with Hayden and Joey. They are merely friends. They spend all summer together having fun and exploring. Eventually Hayden and Rose go on a vacation alone. They eventually become a couple. Hayden had a way of being optimistic about his situation no matter what. He definitely made the best of the time he had left. Overall I thought this was a pretty good book.
August 22, 2009
The writing style of this book bothered me until I got used to it and didn't notice as much. It's all descriptive present tense... A humorous book about a proud Scot who is dying of liver cancer- they make him out to be old but I think he's only 55... It's touching how he's trying to teach his 11 year old grandson how to be a man- pump gas, check the oil, and enjoy life, as well as watch out for his daughter-a single mother with horrible luck in boyfriends. I love how Rosie stays true, or rather finds, her love for God with Hayden's help. My favorite part is probably the end, when the GreyFriar's Gang comes down the street...had to grab the kleenex!
May 2, 2012
This book is hilarious, touching, and filled with great quips. I loved the characters and hated to finish this book; I wanted to continue my glimpse into their lives forever. Both of my book clubs read it and it was very much a favorite of both groups. Some members found the story a little too much of "stretch" to be believable, but others got so into the book, they suspended that kind of thought process and enjoyed the ride. A rollicking romp that illustrates the importance of making every day count and enjoying every moment with those you love. A celebration of the preciousness and the fleeting nature of life with a message very close to "gather ye rosebuds while ye may."
April 21, 2008
It is hard to imagine a funny book about dying, but this is one. It centers on a man who is trying to teach his grandson the "important" things in life before he dies of pancreatic cancer. In the process, they "unconvert" a nun who is also dying. There is a two kleenex ending but much of the book is quite amusing.
April 24, 2016
I felt like this book was written by different people...there were times where the writing was so stilted that I had to force myself to push through each sentence - and other times where it felt like I was reading a romance novel. I'm not sure how it ended up in my stack of books to read - but I am not passing it on to anyone because it really wasn't that good.
January 29, 2016
Our book club read a Man Called Ove which I enjoyed. Another member suggested this title which was similar, but which she enjoyed more. I bought this and really enjoyed it. Despite death figuring in as a major topic, it's really about a family and how they deal with life.
June 10, 2008
Second book in her series...I liked it but I'm stopping here and not reading the next one. Not nearly as good as the first, beginners luck.
September 1, 2008
read 04/06
February 17, 2009
I couldn't even get throught the first chapter! The writing didn't do anything for me.
September 17, 2009
Good characters, but a contrived story line.
April 18, 2010
book club
December 2, 2012
This book was an unexpected joy! The quirky characters remind me of a southern novel and the author's descriptions had me laughing out loud.
April 10, 2013
Characters FLAT, writing flat, plot simple. Waste of time.
January 4, 2014
Made me laugh about death!
August 19, 2017
slow, simple, could not finnish...to the goodwill!
November 10, 2014
Couldn't get past first 2 pages. Didn't bother going further LOL
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February 25, 2019Not interested I. Leaving a review!!!
No do not want to leave a review
So ley.me out of this page so I can continue with reading another book.good bye .
No do not want to leave a review
So ley.me out of this page so I can continue with reading another book.good bye .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews