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Last Bus to Coffeeville
World Book Night 2016 title Longlisted for the 2016 International Dublin Literary Award
Nancy Skidmore has Alzheimer's and her oldest friend Eugene Chaney III once more a purpose in life - to end hers
When the moment for Gene to take Nancy to her desired death in Coffeeville arrives, she is unexpectedly admitted to the secure unit of a nursing home and he has to call upon his two remaining friends to help break her one his godson, a disgraced weatherman in the throes of a midlife crisis, and the other an ex-army marksman officially dead for forty years.
On a tour bus once stolen from Paul McCartney, and joined by a young orphan boy searching for lost family, the band of misfits career towards Mississippi through a landscape of war, euthanasia, communism, religion and racism, and along the way discover the true meaning of love, family and - most important of all - friendship.
Charming, uplifting and profoundly moving, Last Bus to Coffeeville is a chronicle of lives that have jumped the tracks; a tale of endings and new beginnings; a funny story about sad things.
Nancy Skidmore has Alzheimer's and her oldest friend Eugene Chaney III once more a purpose in life - to end hers
When the moment for Gene to take Nancy to her desired death in Coffeeville arrives, she is unexpectedly admitted to the secure unit of a nursing home and he has to call upon his two remaining friends to help break her one his godson, a disgraced weatherman in the throes of a midlife crisis, and the other an ex-army marksman officially dead for forty years.
On a tour bus once stolen from Paul McCartney, and joined by a young orphan boy searching for lost family, the band of misfits career towards Mississippi through a landscape of war, euthanasia, communism, religion and racism, and along the way discover the true meaning of love, family and - most important of all - friendship.
Charming, uplifting and profoundly moving, Last Bus to Coffeeville is a chronicle of lives that have jumped the tracks; a tale of endings and new beginnings; a funny story about sad things.
449 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2014
21 people are currently reading
354 people want to read
About the author
J. Paul Henderson
10 books21 followersJ PAUL HENDERSON was born and grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, gained a Master's degree in American Studies and travelled to Afghanistan. He worked in a foundry, as a bus conductor, trained as an accountant and then, when the opportunity to return to academia arose, left for Mississippi, returning four years later with a doctorate in 20thC US History and more knowledge of Darlington Hoopes than was arguably necessary. (Hoopes was a Pennsylvanian socialist and the last presidential candidate of the American Socialist Party). American History departments were either closing or contracting, so he opted for a career in publishing, most of which was spent selling textbooks, in one position or other, for John Wiley & Sons. He lives in a house in England, drives a car and owns a television set. And that's about it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
January 30, 2014
Funny Debut
The Last Bus to Coffeeville by J. Paul Henderson is a wonderful debut novel for this British based American writer. This book addresses two issues that we deem taboo in death and Alzheimer’s disease, subjects that make us feel uncomfortable, one we cannot avoid and the other we hope we do not develop. While tackling these subjects it does it in a funny and positive way while also addressing the issue of assisted suicide but rather than get preachy with the reader about the subjects you laugh and smile all the way through and whether you would do the same is left for you to decide.
Eugene Chancy III meets and falls in love with Nancy Skidmore at Duke University as a medical student and along with a friend Bob Crenshaw would take different paths but would get together one last time for the final journey to keep a promise made in youth delivered in the third age. Along the way they enlist the help of Eugene’s godson and now disgraced TV weatherman Jack Guravitch, who is in the throes of a midlife crisis and divorce and help an orphan called Eric along the way.
Eugene and Nancy fall in love and he eventually meets her family in the Mississippi delta in the middle of the civil rights era in American the delta was out of step with the rest of the USA. When he meets the family Nancy’s mother shows the onset of Alzheimer’s disease just like her mother and other female descendants Nancy makes Eugene promise when it comes to her he will help her end it early. In the intervening years they all go their separate way the activity in the civil rights movement becomes part of their distant history but as old age arrives they are once again in touch.
So begins the journey from Hershey by bus avoiding the Police as Gene and Jack have to break Nancy out from a secure unit as the disease has taken a grip of her. Bob has bought a stolen tour bus that once belonged to Paul McCartney picks up Eric and so begins the adventures across the states as they head for Coffeeville. We get all the comedy of a massive tour bus with the old people, a man with a midlife crisis and a young boy searching for his cousin. We get to visit Nashville, Graceland and Memphis before Nancy arrives “home” for her final journey.
This really is a funny and wonderful story about friendship lost love and love regained and challenges our thoughts of Alzheimer’s and death. Everything dealt with sympathy but a smile on the side with some gut wrenching laughs, and well worth reading.
The Last Bus to Coffeeville by J. Paul Henderson is a wonderful debut novel for this British based American writer. This book addresses two issues that we deem taboo in death and Alzheimer’s disease, subjects that make us feel uncomfortable, one we cannot avoid and the other we hope we do not develop. While tackling these subjects it does it in a funny and positive way while also addressing the issue of assisted suicide but rather than get preachy with the reader about the subjects you laugh and smile all the way through and whether you would do the same is left for you to decide.
Eugene Chancy III meets and falls in love with Nancy Skidmore at Duke University as a medical student and along with a friend Bob Crenshaw would take different paths but would get together one last time for the final journey to keep a promise made in youth delivered in the third age. Along the way they enlist the help of Eugene’s godson and now disgraced TV weatherman Jack Guravitch, who is in the throes of a midlife crisis and divorce and help an orphan called Eric along the way.
Eugene and Nancy fall in love and he eventually meets her family in the Mississippi delta in the middle of the civil rights era in American the delta was out of step with the rest of the USA. When he meets the family Nancy’s mother shows the onset of Alzheimer’s disease just like her mother and other female descendants Nancy makes Eugene promise when it comes to her he will help her end it early. In the intervening years they all go their separate way the activity in the civil rights movement becomes part of their distant history but as old age arrives they are once again in touch.
So begins the journey from Hershey by bus avoiding the Police as Gene and Jack have to break Nancy out from a secure unit as the disease has taken a grip of her. Bob has bought a stolen tour bus that once belonged to Paul McCartney picks up Eric and so begins the adventures across the states as they head for Coffeeville. We get all the comedy of a massive tour bus with the old people, a man with a midlife crisis and a young boy searching for his cousin. We get to visit Nashville, Graceland and Memphis before Nancy arrives “home” for her final journey.
This really is a funny and wonderful story about friendship lost love and love regained and challenges our thoughts of Alzheimer’s and death. Everything dealt with sympathy but a smile on the side with some gut wrenching laughs, and well worth reading.
January 17, 2014
Having experienced first hand the pain of losing a loved one to Alzheimers, I was slightly nervous about reading this book. I was concerned that the author would treat the condition in one of two ways, in that he would either sensationalise it's effects, or even worse would be playing it for laughs. I have to say that he has done neither, rather that he has been unflinching in his descriptions of the effects, but has shown it through caring eyes providing a most unusual story of happy ever after – even if the story does take us on a wonderfully uplifting journey before we get there. This is a story of true love played out over a lifetime, and what we are prepared to do for that love, even if the lives are not spent together.
It's rare to find a first novel that has as sure a touch as this one, with the writing being a combination of Bill Bryson travelogue with humour from James Thurber and Garrison Keillor. We are taken on a journey through modern American history, beginning with the early days of the civil rights movement, but the diversions and distractions take us to locations as diverse as John Boy Waltons bed and the Valley of The Kings in Egypt.
Despite the elephant in the room making its presence felt early in the novel, it is never allowed to stand near the window and block out the light. The writing is assured, and constantly finding the humour in the situations that arise. There is a sad undercurrent to the book, but it is very deftly handled and never allowed to drift into either melancholy or bathos. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and even in the later stages of the journey, are still allowed to grow and develop by the author.
I found myself increasingly drawn into the story and caring for the characters, even bursting into laughter in places, but you were always laughing with them, not at them, and the ending was beautifully handled, leaving you feeling all the better for having known the characters involved.
I know J. Paul Henderson has been given a three book deal, and I look forward to his next one – although he has set the bar very high for himself with his first offering.
It's rare to find a first novel that has as sure a touch as this one, with the writing being a combination of Bill Bryson travelogue with humour from James Thurber and Garrison Keillor. We are taken on a journey through modern American history, beginning with the early days of the civil rights movement, but the diversions and distractions take us to locations as diverse as John Boy Waltons bed and the Valley of The Kings in Egypt.
Despite the elephant in the room making its presence felt early in the novel, it is never allowed to stand near the window and block out the light. The writing is assured, and constantly finding the humour in the situations that arise. There is a sad undercurrent to the book, but it is very deftly handled and never allowed to drift into either melancholy or bathos. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and even in the later stages of the journey, are still allowed to grow and develop by the author.
I found myself increasingly drawn into the story and caring for the characters, even bursting into laughter in places, but you were always laughing with them, not at them, and the ending was beautifully handled, leaving you feeling all the better for having known the characters involved.
I know J. Paul Henderson has been given a three book deal, and I look forward to his next one – although he has set the bar very high for himself with his first offering.
January 24, 2023
Jaka to jest piękna, niepozorna, pełna WSZYSTKIEGO książka. Absolutna wiwisekcja amerykańskiego społeczeństwa i to z perspektywy kilku dziesięcioleci. Tytuł, który w Polsce przeszedł bez echa, a który ma do zaoferowania bardzo, bardzo wiele.
"Ostatni bus do Coffeeville" to powieść drogi, w której wraz z osobliwą grupą bohaterów przemierzamy Stany Zjednoczone – w sensie dosłownym, obserwując ich podróż autokarem, jak i w sensie metaforycznym – poznając ich wspomnienia oraz śledząc to, jak zmieniają się w trakcie podróży. Momentami jest zabawnie, ale przede wszystkim – słodko-gorzko, jak to w życiu. Osią historii jest wątek chorej na alzheimera Nancy, która jeszcze w studenckich czasach wymogła na swym przyjacielu obietnicę, że gdy choroba wyciągnie po nią swe okrutne macki, ten pomoże jej się wybrać w ostatnią podróż do ukochanego Coffeeville. I w ostatnią podróż tak w ogóle.
Powieść porusza wiele wątków – od segregacji rasowej i eutanazji, przez miłość i przyjaźń, po mierzenie się z żałobą i różnymi etapami życia (dojrzewanie, dorosłość, późną starość). Gdzieś w "międzyczasie" poznajemy historię Stanów Zjednoczonych i jest to naprawdę ultraciekawe.
"Ostatni bus do Coffeeville" to powieść drogi, w której wraz z osobliwą grupą bohaterów przemierzamy Stany Zjednoczone – w sensie dosłownym, obserwując ich podróż autokarem, jak i w sensie metaforycznym – poznając ich wspomnienia oraz śledząc to, jak zmieniają się w trakcie podróży. Momentami jest zabawnie, ale przede wszystkim – słodko-gorzko, jak to w życiu. Osią historii jest wątek chorej na alzheimera Nancy, która jeszcze w studenckich czasach wymogła na swym przyjacielu obietnicę, że gdy choroba wyciągnie po nią swe okrutne macki, ten pomoże jej się wybrać w ostatnią podróż do ukochanego Coffeeville. I w ostatnią podróż tak w ogóle.
Powieść porusza wiele wątków – od segregacji rasowej i eutanazji, przez miłość i przyjaźń, po mierzenie się z żałobą i różnymi etapami życia (dojrzewanie, dorosłość, późną starość). Gdzieś w "międzyczasie" poznajemy historię Stanów Zjednoczonych i jest to naprawdę ultraciekawe.
November 16, 2021
Zdążyłem na "Ostatni bus do Coffeeville" i... zupełnie niepotrzebnie. Powinienem odpuścić. Relacja dwojga głównych bohaterów - Gene i Nancy - została przysypana nic niewnoszącymi historiami podrzędnych postaci, przez co odnosi się wrażenie, że książka jest przegadana. Rozumiem koncepcję gawędy i poruszania wielu społecznych problemów, ale - jak dla mnie - w tej książce jest tego za dużo.
August 10, 2016
If you were to pick four people to whom you were to entrust the care of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, a retired doctor with a professional dislike for the human body, a former CIA hitman, a disgraced TV weather presenter with a hair fetish and a teenage boy with perspiration and digestive problems probably wouldn’t be on your wishlist. In J. Paul Henderson’s debut novel just such a motley band forge an alliance to deliver an old friend her last wish. Gene, Bob and Nancy are former college friends whose paths diverged decades ago. Now in their dotage, Nancy asks Gene, her former beau, to make good his promise to end her suffering from dementia, a fate she was genetically destined for. Gene enlists old friend Bob (now retired from a life of “government work”) and godson Jack (aimless after doing a “Howard Beale” during a live TV weather forecast) to undertake a daring cross-country caper aboard a luxury bus pre-enjoyed by (and stolen from) a Beatle no less. Along the way they pick up Eric, a naive orphan boy with his own quest to track down the only real family he has left.
I really liked this book. J. Paul Henderson has created larger than life characters which the reader can nonetheless believe in. This book will no doubt be compared to (and dare I say, be enjoyed by fans of) The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared. However, while both books weave their fictional characters into real historic events, Coffeeville is a more human story and more enjoyable for it. Each character has a rich back story. The dialogue is on the whole witty and sharp. The historical contexts are interesting and I actually learned stuff (but again comparing to Hundred Year Old Man... that bit doesn’t feel over-wrought or implausibly serendipitous).
The cover sells the book as, “a funny story about sad things”. The bottom line is it is a story about friendship and loyalty, inevitable endings and new beginnings. Funny? Definitely. Sad? Absolutely. Worth reading? Totally.
I really liked this book. J. Paul Henderson has created larger than life characters which the reader can nonetheless believe in. This book will no doubt be compared to (and dare I say, be enjoyed by fans of) The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared. However, while both books weave their fictional characters into real historic events, Coffeeville is a more human story and more enjoyable for it. Each character has a rich back story. The dialogue is on the whole witty and sharp. The historical contexts are interesting and I actually learned stuff (but again comparing to Hundred Year Old Man... that bit doesn’t feel over-wrought or implausibly serendipitous).
The cover sells the book as, “a funny story about sad things”. The bottom line is it is a story about friendship and loyalty, inevitable endings and new beginnings. Funny? Definitely. Sad? Absolutely. Worth reading? Totally.
October 1, 2018
Read for book club; I wonder what kind of discussion we will have. I would never recommend this book. Not only was it long-winded and drawn out, it romanticizes assisted suicide and puts it in a justified light. I am glad to have read it for knowledge' sake, but am left with what I felt were wasted reading hours.
August 3, 2020
Dieses Buch hat Potential. Es kombiniert einen Senioren-Roadtrip mit ernsten Themen wie Alzheimer und aktiver Sterbehilfe. Leider blieb es für mich weit hinter dem zurück, was ich mir erhofft hatte.
Die eigentliche Geschichte kommt erst relativ spät in Fahrt. Davor bekommt jede Figur eine ausführliche Vorstellung, meist beginnend mit der Jugend oder sogar den Eltern der Person. Das ist am Anfang noch ganz nett. Je länger es dauerte, desto mehr wünschte ich mir jedoch, dass bitte niemand mehr zu der kleinen Truppe stoßen sollte. Zudem bemüht sich der Autor wirklich jeder Figur eine möglichst absurde Hintergrundgeschichte im Stile von "der Hundertjährige, der aus dem Fenster stieg und verschwand" zu verpassen. Da tauchen etwa Che Guevara und Fidel Castro auf, die eher wie Comic-Figuren als echte Menschen wirken, oder eine Nachfahre des Gründers des Ku-Klux-Clans. Insgesamt wird alles eher humoristisch dargestellt, was für mich manchmal einen bitteren Nachgeschmack hinterlässt, wenn man die eigentliche Tiefe der angeschnittenen Themen bedenkt (Rassismus, Bürgerrechtsbewegung, Abtreibung, Alzheimer, Spielsucht, aktive Sterbehilfe, Suizid).
Am Ende war es "ganz nett", aber leider nicht so gut wie es hätte sein können.
Die eigentliche Geschichte kommt erst relativ spät in Fahrt. Davor bekommt jede Figur eine ausführliche Vorstellung, meist beginnend mit der Jugend oder sogar den Eltern der Person. Das ist am Anfang noch ganz nett. Je länger es dauerte, desto mehr wünschte ich mir jedoch, dass bitte niemand mehr zu der kleinen Truppe stoßen sollte. Zudem bemüht sich der Autor wirklich jeder Figur eine möglichst absurde Hintergrundgeschichte im Stile von "der Hundertjährige, der aus dem Fenster stieg und verschwand" zu verpassen. Da tauchen etwa Che Guevara und Fidel Castro auf, die eher wie Comic-Figuren als echte Menschen wirken, oder eine Nachfahre des Gründers des Ku-Klux-Clans. Insgesamt wird alles eher humoristisch dargestellt, was für mich manchmal einen bitteren Nachgeschmack hinterlässt, wenn man die eigentliche Tiefe der angeschnittenen Themen bedenkt (Rassismus, Bürgerrechtsbewegung, Abtreibung, Alzheimer, Spielsucht, aktive Sterbehilfe, Suizid).
Am Ende war es "ganz nett", aber leider nicht so gut wie es hätte sein können.
October 12, 2024
Smutna historia przeplatana sporą ilością śmiesznych zdarzeń. Trochę za dużo, jak dla mnie, bezsesnowych opisów, które nie wnoszą kompletnie nic do książki, a tylko ją przedłużają i dlatego chwilę zajęło mi jej przeczytanie. Knockin' On Heaven's Door Boba Dylana było męczone przez całą książkę, nigdy nie słucham muzyki przy czytaniu, ale w pociągu był taki hałas, w grę musiały wejść słuchawki i włączyła się playlista ze starymi hitami. I było warto, bo pasuje do fabuły jak ulał.
Podsumowując, polecam jak ktoś chce się pośmiać, poczytać o historii USA - tej z lat 50' - 60', czyli o walce o równouprawnienia osób czarnoskórych, no i oczywiście posmucić, bo czemu nie :)))
Podsumowując, polecam jak ktoś chce się pośmiać, poczytać o historii USA - tej z lat 50' - 60', czyli o walce o równouprawnienia osób czarnoskórych, no i oczywiście posmucić, bo czemu nie :)))
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February 28, 2021A charming, uplifting and profoundly moving debut novel. As depicted on the front cover – a funny story about sad things.
J Paul Henderson entices the reader through a narrative which jumps from the present to personal back stories. His method works incredibly well as a historic and meaningful friendship is depicted through our central characters.
The novel surpasses all expectations – it is exciting and imaginative.
As the story unfolds, our mismatched group of friends travel great distances providing some of the best and funniest parts of the story. The group continue to bond throughout and as they grow and develop – they begin to get under the reader’s skin and into your own imagination. The diversity of the group is also an appealing attribute. From an elderly, highly respectable doctor who is in pursuit of rescuing his old friend to a run-away orphan. Despite these obvious disparities in backgrounds and cultures, the characters all strike up unlikely and heart-warming relationships. As a reader, the companions became mine and was often torn between laughing or crying out loud at their emotional and whirlwind of a journey.
Last Bus to Coffeeville is expertly written with compassion and warmth. Henderson has captured human frailties through a poignant tale, sweeping the reader along in both happiness and unconditional love.
J Paul Henderson entices the reader through a narrative which jumps from the present to personal back stories. His method works incredibly well as a historic and meaningful friendship is depicted through our central characters.
The novel surpasses all expectations – it is exciting and imaginative.
As the story unfolds, our mismatched group of friends travel great distances providing some of the best and funniest parts of the story. The group continue to bond throughout and as they grow and develop – they begin to get under the reader’s skin and into your own imagination. The diversity of the group is also an appealing attribute. From an elderly, highly respectable doctor who is in pursuit of rescuing his old friend to a run-away orphan. Despite these obvious disparities in backgrounds and cultures, the characters all strike up unlikely and heart-warming relationships. As a reader, the companions became mine and was often torn between laughing or crying out loud at their emotional and whirlwind of a journey.
Last Bus to Coffeeville is expertly written with compassion and warmth. Henderson has captured human frailties through a poignant tale, sweeping the reader along in both happiness and unconditional love.
July 31, 2018
Read the first quarter, read the last quarter - that’s my advice.
This is a nice and easy travelling tale, with a huge dollop of pathos. It should be good - it certainly starts well. The ending is predictable but satisfying. However, the structure spoils it. Every new character is introduced with an excessively long, complicated and unbelievable back story - to the point where you pray that Doc, Nancy and the gang don’t meet anybody else on their journey. But they constantly do.
A nice tale spoiled by trying to do too much.
This is a nice and easy travelling tale, with a huge dollop of pathos. It should be good - it certainly starts well. The ending is predictable but satisfying. However, the structure spoils it. Every new character is introduced with an excessively long, complicated and unbelievable back story - to the point where you pray that Doc, Nancy and the gang don’t meet anybody else on their journey. But they constantly do.
A nice tale spoiled by trying to do too much.
August 25, 2025
4.5*
If you like Jonas Jonasson's sprawling 'stories within stories' you'll love this. Part road trip, part love story, part comedy, part tragedy.
Old timers Doc, Nancy and Bob, Doc's godson Jack and runaway orphan Eric set off on a journey across America on a stolen tour bus to take Nancy, who is living with dementia, home to die and to find Eric's only living relative.
A gorgeous book about the love between friends and the kindness of strangers.
If you like Jonas Jonasson's sprawling 'stories within stories' you'll love this. Part road trip, part love story, part comedy, part tragedy.
Old timers Doc, Nancy and Bob, Doc's godson Jack and runaway orphan Eric set off on a journey across America on a stolen tour bus to take Nancy, who is living with dementia, home to die and to find Eric's only living relative.
A gorgeous book about the love between friends and the kindness of strangers.
March 31, 2017
3 oder 4 Sterne.
Erst kam ich nicht richtig rein. Aber dann hat es mich gut und unterhaltsam durch turbulente 11 Stunden Flug gebracht.
Erst kam ich nicht richtig rein. Aber dann hat es mich gut und unterhaltsam durch turbulente 11 Stunden Flug gebracht.
March 2, 2015
See the map of the books locations
What a treat! A book that I thought I might find difficult given the subject matter of Nancy’s Alzheimer’s was told with such emotion and heart felt at that, I was immediately drawn into the story so much that I wanted to give Nancy a hug.
She had some great friends on the trip and met more along the way – their love and support was just amazing and it will make you feel as if you wished you had such friends who would literally go to the ends of the earth to make you happy. The scene where they break Nancy out of the secure unit was a show stealer and that’s before the memorable journey!
A journey with a difference for this is one which no one really wanted to take yet they made a promise to do so when and if the time came.
From the promise made at Duke University, the journey across the country to Coffeeville becomes a sad yet ultimately funny reality. From breaking Nancy out of a secure unit in Hershey (home of the fine chocolate) to the journey via some of the most iconic places you could ever want to visit in the USa – Nashville, Graceland and Memphis, we travel via a stolen minibus all across the land ending up in Coffeeville. The mini bus has ben stolen from a Beatle just add to the delicious joy this novel creates.
And that’s not forgetting the visit to the Mississippi Delta when Eugene travels back to see Nancy’s family all those years ago.
The tragedy of Nancy’s fate is sad, of course it is, but the overall theme is one of friendship and the journey that two people can go on in every sense of the word.
The journey is the ultimate cross country trek amongst friends - all set against the backdrop of real historical events and some of the most important issues with in american society at the time – civil rites, segregation and life in the Deep South as a whole.
Hershey - a small town in PA, surrounded by cows and pastures, home to the chocolate company of the same name. Milton Hershey was like the Willy Wonka of his day and built a town for her workers. It still advertises itself a the sweetest place on earth
Coffeeville - According to the slogan coined for its 175th anniversary it was a place where ’Old friends gather’ . Quite apt for this story!
The town owned its origins to general John Coffee - It was later renamed in his honor – a hero of the Creek and Indian War.
May 20, 2014
An unusual book and one I probably wouldn't have chosen to read just because I thought it would be quite depressing and morbid given the whole point of the story was to assist a woman suffering from dementia to end her life. Nancy and Eugene (Doc) are college sweethearts and when Nancy reveals she may carry a hereditary gene for Alzheimer's she makes Eugene promise that whatever happens he will help her when the time comes to end her life.
The first half of the book concentrates on Nancy, Gene and Bob (their friend) and their time at University in 1960's America. We discover the real and warm relationship that binds the friends together and learn a little about American history along the way particularly with respect to racism during this period. The characters were likeable and genuine and this first part of the book was enjoyable. The second half of the book seemed to introduce so many characters that it was hard to keep up with who they were and why it was necessary for the author to go into their characters in such depth.
This second half of the book seemed to drag on a bit for me, all the characters were important on the journey to Coffeeville but so much time was spent giving background information on the secondary characters that the main characters and the actual journey felt a bit neglected. I found myself looking up the map on the inside of the cover to see where they were and how much longer we had to go before we got to the point of the story and arrived in Coffeeville.
It was sad and in parts very moving especially the end although it was predictable it was touching and sensitive but I felt that the book could have been a lot shorter and that the climax of the book appeared to be hurried given that the author had given so much time to secondary character background information that spanned several chapters.
I am glad I read the book as it was not something I would have picked out to read but I felt it was a bit too long however it had great moments of comedy which lifted the mood of what could have been a very depressing novel and had some warm and unusual friendships giving it an overall feel good factor.
Summing up I did enjoy the book, I was a bit confused with so many characters and at one point almost lost my way but having persevered this was an enjoyable novel but not a great one for me.
I would give this novel a 3.5 score - enjoyed it but didn't love it.
The first half of the book concentrates on Nancy, Gene and Bob (their friend) and their time at University in 1960's America. We discover the real and warm relationship that binds the friends together and learn a little about American history along the way particularly with respect to racism during this period. The characters were likeable and genuine and this first part of the book was enjoyable. The second half of the book seemed to introduce so many characters that it was hard to keep up with who they were and why it was necessary for the author to go into their characters in such depth.
This second half of the book seemed to drag on a bit for me, all the characters were important on the journey to Coffeeville but so much time was spent giving background information on the secondary characters that the main characters and the actual journey felt a bit neglected. I found myself looking up the map on the inside of the cover to see where they were and how much longer we had to go before we got to the point of the story and arrived in Coffeeville.
It was sad and in parts very moving especially the end although it was predictable it was touching and sensitive but I felt that the book could have been a lot shorter and that the climax of the book appeared to be hurried given that the author had given so much time to secondary character background information that spanned several chapters.
I am glad I read the book as it was not something I would have picked out to read but I felt it was a bit too long however it had great moments of comedy which lifted the mood of what could have been a very depressing novel and had some warm and unusual friendships giving it an overall feel good factor.
Summing up I did enjoy the book, I was a bit confused with so many characters and at one point almost lost my way but having persevered this was an enjoyable novel but not a great one for me.
I would give this novel a 3.5 score - enjoyed it but didn't love it.
January 19, 2014
This book was billed as the story of Nancy Skidmore, who develops Alzheimer's Disease, and of her friend and one time lover Eugene Chaney III. Nancy and Gene meet fall in love during the 1960's in the American Deep South during which time they are both enthusiastic civil rights activists. When Nancy's mother develops Alzheimer's Disease, Nancy asks Gene to promise that if she ever developed the disease that he would help her to end her life. Not thinking for one moment that this would ever come to pass, Gene makes her that promise. Nancy and Gene part company when Nancy suddenly writes and ends their relationship unexpectedly. Gene doesn't hear from her again until one day, 45 years later and now diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, Nancy comes back into Gene's life to hold him to the promise that he made. She has explicit instructions about how and where she wants Gene to help her end her days - and so begins the epic journey to Coffeeville.
This story held lots of promise but in many ways failed to deliver for me. I feel "Last Bus to Coffeeville and Other Stories" may have been a better title! As the story develops, the reader is introduced to the other characters who play a part in helping Gene with his task; but they are introduced by way of huge stories of their own - stories that are full of many other characters and are often complex, dull, rambling, irrelevant to the main story and leave the reader bogged down in too much detail. I often found these deviations from the main plot to be irritating and frustrating as I wanted to get back to Nancy and Gene's story.
Nancy's dementia picture was unconvincing at times but the author did well to deal with the subject sensitively and I wish he had made their story a bigger proportion of the book than he did.
This book was a bit of a disappointment for me I'm afraid - the subject of dementia is very close to my heart and so perhaps my expectations were a bit too high. Having said that, it was an amusing and entertaining read; so if The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared was a book you enjoyed then I'm sure this book will delight and entertain you just as much.
This story held lots of promise but in many ways failed to deliver for me. I feel "Last Bus to Coffeeville and Other Stories" may have been a better title! As the story develops, the reader is introduced to the other characters who play a part in helping Gene with his task; but they are introduced by way of huge stories of their own - stories that are full of many other characters and are often complex, dull, rambling, irrelevant to the main story and leave the reader bogged down in too much detail. I often found these deviations from the main plot to be irritating and frustrating as I wanted to get back to Nancy and Gene's story.
Nancy's dementia picture was unconvincing at times but the author did well to deal with the subject sensitively and I wish he had made their story a bigger proportion of the book than he did.
This book was a bit of a disappointment for me I'm afraid - the subject of dementia is very close to my heart and so perhaps my expectations were a bit too high. Having said that, it was an amusing and entertaining read; so if The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared was a book you enjoyed then I'm sure this book will delight and entertain you just as much.
February 19, 2014
Last Bus to Coffeeville is a road story with a difference and with a group of characters who step right out of every dysfunctional self help guide that you have ever read. Eugene Chaney III is a seventy-two year old retired doctor, living a quiet existence, alone with his thoughts and drowning in a sea of what might have been. When he is contacted by his lost love, and reminded of the promise he once made to her, ostensibly to end her life should that life become unbearable, all it takes is just one phone call and the whole vista of his life changes once and for all. For you see, Nancy Skidmore has Alzheimer’s and she has no wish to see her life degenerate into insensibility and counts on Eugene to take her to Coffeeville, where she hopes he will help her to end her life.
This is an interesting debut novel, which has a strong beginning and a poignant ending, however, for me, the story lost some of its focus somewhere in the middle and became a bit untidy. There is no doubt that the author’s unshakable love for all things American shines through; however, because the pace of the story is so frenetic, there are times when it almost feels like he needed to throw absolutely everything he knew about America into each little piece of the narrative. As the book progressed, I was constantly reminded of the 1967 song by The Monkees - ‘The Last Train to Clarkesville’ and couldn't for a time, get this chirpy melody out of my head, although somehow it seemed to sit well with the concept of the book.
The ride to Coffeeville is filled with colourful characters, some Eugene and Nancy meet on their journey whilst others are old friends but together they form the basis of a rich and varied story about the power of love, the true value of friendship and the notion that family are not always those born closest to us.
My thanks to Real Readers and Oldcastle Books for my advance reading copy of this book.
This is an interesting debut novel, which has a strong beginning and a poignant ending, however, for me, the story lost some of its focus somewhere in the middle and became a bit untidy. There is no doubt that the author’s unshakable love for all things American shines through; however, because the pace of the story is so frenetic, there are times when it almost feels like he needed to throw absolutely everything he knew about America into each little piece of the narrative. As the book progressed, I was constantly reminded of the 1967 song by The Monkees - ‘The Last Train to Clarkesville’ and couldn't for a time, get this chirpy melody out of my head, although somehow it seemed to sit well with the concept of the book.
The ride to Coffeeville is filled with colourful characters, some Eugene and Nancy meet on their journey whilst others are old friends but together they form the basis of a rich and varied story about the power of love, the true value of friendship and the notion that family are not always those born closest to us.
My thanks to Real Readers and Oldcastle Books for my advance reading copy of this book.
January 26, 2014
On the front of the book it reads ‘A Funny Story about sad things’ As you read further you understand more about the strong characters and the more you realise the truth of this statement.
Nancy has Alzheimer’s and her wish expressed before she became totally disorientated was that Gene a retired GP would take her to Cofeeville to end her life when she was no longer capable of making this decision for herself.
Before this can happen Nancy’s brother has her committed to a secure unit.
To fulfil her wish Gene has to enlist the help of his friends Bob, a man officially dead for the past 40 years and Jack a dysfunctional TV weatherman whose life is in crisis.
They have to kidnap Nancy from the home and drive through Mississippi to Coffeeville where Nancy owns an isolated house. They travel in a tour bus stolen from Paul McCartney thus encountering many set backs and hilarious events on the way . This included being joined by Eric a young orphan who has runaway from boarding school and looking for his only remaining family member in the hopes she will take care of him.
The writer includes very interesting facts about American history including civil rites ,segregation and life in the Deep South at that time.
The dysfunctional characters are brought to life by the author and throughout the book the reader will develop a fondness for each one. There is pathos, laughter and tears a guaranteed interesting and informative read.
Nancy has Alzheimer’s and her wish expressed before she became totally disorientated was that Gene a retired GP would take her to Cofeeville to end her life when she was no longer capable of making this decision for herself.
Before this can happen Nancy’s brother has her committed to a secure unit.
To fulfil her wish Gene has to enlist the help of his friends Bob, a man officially dead for the past 40 years and Jack a dysfunctional TV weatherman whose life is in crisis.
They have to kidnap Nancy from the home and drive through Mississippi to Coffeeville where Nancy owns an isolated house. They travel in a tour bus stolen from Paul McCartney thus encountering many set backs and hilarious events on the way . This included being joined by Eric a young orphan who has runaway from boarding school and looking for his only remaining family member in the hopes she will take care of him.
The writer includes very interesting facts about American history including civil rites ,segregation and life in the Deep South at that time.
The dysfunctional characters are brought to life by the author and throughout the book the reader will develop a fondness for each one. There is pathos, laughter and tears a guaranteed interesting and informative read.
February 14, 2014
Books about road trips made late in life have become a sub-genre recently - I particularly enjoyed Horace Afoot by Frederick Reuss. This book has an unlikely crew of characters setting of to fulfil the wish of Alzheimer sufferer Nancy to be helped to end her life, and so fulfil a youthful promise made long ago by her then lover. The style is humorous and there is nothing wrong with that: however you would never guess that there are huge moral issues here about promises and whether there is a right to die with dignity. The author used to be an English academic in American studies and boy does it show. There is an old adage that good writing lies in showing not telling but this writer seems compelled to include large sections from his old lecture notes as he fills us in with all the American history lessons we might have missed. There is a strange interlude where cartoonish versions of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara appear as characters.The narrative voice is off throughout: folksy and intimate with us and the characters, this is not the omniscient story-teller but an intrusive voice that lectures and expounds at length and in detail without ever revealing itself. Overall I think this is poorly written and lets down its apparent subject-matter in which the author doesn't seem really interested - if he really is so itching to tell us his hackneyed views on American politics then he should just have written a non-fiction book.
January 30, 2014
Last Bus to Coffeeville by J. Paul Henderson follows Doc upon his journey to fulfil his college sweetheart Nancy's last request: to help her die before her Alzheimer's worsens.
I wanted so much to like this book. It has a dark sense of humour, and a old folk story vibe. However, the charm can only last so long. Too much space is given over to minor characters histories. I was okay learning all about Nancy, Doc and Bob. I was sort of okay reading about Doc's godson and his troubles at the news station. But once I reached the section about Eric's parents, and then Eric's parent's friends, my patience ran out. Superfluous not only in the words compacted into sentences, but in sentences packed into chapters, for me Last Bus...could have benefited from a major edit. There was no focus, and you know it's bad when the main event, the main plot of the story mentioned in the blurb, still hasn't happened 200 pages in.
I understand that the author was trying to fit in everything synonymous with America throughout the decades (small village life, war, secret government missions, the secret life of the neighbour, race issues, cult issues, cuba, etc etc.). However, he was so concerned about packing all this in that the main focus - a friend helping another to carry out her wishes - got lost, and that is a real shame.
I wanted so much to like this book. It has a dark sense of humour, and a old folk story vibe. However, the charm can only last so long. Too much space is given over to minor characters histories. I was okay learning all about Nancy, Doc and Bob. I was sort of okay reading about Doc's godson and his troubles at the news station. But once I reached the section about Eric's parents, and then Eric's parent's friends, my patience ran out. Superfluous not only in the words compacted into sentences, but in sentences packed into chapters, for me Last Bus...could have benefited from a major edit. There was no focus, and you know it's bad when the main event, the main plot of the story mentioned in the blurb, still hasn't happened 200 pages in.
I understand that the author was trying to fit in everything synonymous with America throughout the decades (small village life, war, secret government missions, the secret life of the neighbour, race issues, cult issues, cuba, etc etc.). However, he was so concerned about packing all this in that the main focus - a friend helping another to carry out her wishes - got lost, and that is a real shame.
July 20, 2015
Shades of "The hundred year old man who climbed out of the window" but less contrived. Overlong in parts and too much of the dialogue is in dialect rather then the odd word or two to indicate how the character speaks. However the novel is more than redeemed by its central theme of undying love and the tragedy of alzheimers. The last few pages brought tears to my eyes and the second half of the book had me laughing too. Gets off to a good start, gets lost a little in the middle but comes back very strongly in the last third. Worth reading.
August 7, 2017
No action, no spine-tingling thrills, no ingenious twists. Just a sensitively written bittersweet tale told at a measured pace that takes its own time. A word of caution, the book takes rather large detours from the main story as it delves into the back stories of its supporting characters. I suspect many readers might find this distracting, unnecessary or even frivolous but I enjoyed every bit of it (except the part with the imaginary Castro and Guevara which felt a bit over-the-top). Final rating: 4.5 rounded down to 4.0 because of this.
August 25, 2015
ta powieść powolutku skradła moje serce! Ale jak już je skradła, to pewnie na zawsze :) Chyba w ogóle nie jest znana, a to taka urocza opowieść. Trochę jak skrzyżowanie "Stulatka, który..." ze "Smażonymi zielonymi pomidorami", tylko jeszcze ze wzruszającą końcówką. O poważnych, smutnych sprawach w lekki sposób.
April 29, 2015
I hope One day to have a friend like Eugene. The cover said a funny story about sad things and it was. I laughed and I had a tear in my eye . It was a story of how we as humans can be at our best and worst.
March 1, 2016
An unusual and poignant read with an eclectic cast of motley but sympathetic characters. Very enjoyable.
June 30, 2019
Aby uczcić połowę roku, dobry los za pośrednictwem życzliwej osoby, podsunął mi - jestem tego pewna - jedną z najważniejszych książek A.D. 2019. Aż nie wiem, od czego zacząć pochwalne pienia, tyle wątków jednocześnie ciśnie mi się na usta.
Niechaj więc na pierwszy ogień pójdą skojarzenia. Pierwsze z nich - ze względu na tematykę - to Gavin Extence i jego Wszechświat kontra Alex Woods. Oprócz tematyki zbiorem wspólnym tych powieści jest też lekkość, z jaką trudny temat został potraktowany. Mimo, że od pewnego momentu wiemy, że ta historia może mieć tylko jedno zakończenie, zarówno Extence jak i Henderson prowadzą do niego spokojnie i pogodnie.
Skojarzenie drugie to Stulatek, który wyskoczył przez okno i zniknął. Tu ukłony i wyrazy podziwu dla Hendersona za udowodnienie, że nawet trudny temat można potraktować z cudownym, niewymuszonym humorem.
Motywem przewodnim Ostatniego busa jest choroba Alzheimera i prawo do podjęcia decyzji o własnym losie. Ale nie tylko. To również powieść drogi, jedna z niewielu, którym udało się mnie nie znudzić. Świat stworzony przez Hendersona, to świat przyjaźni i lojalności, pozwalającej znieść trudy życia. Każdemu życzę takich przyjaciół wokół siebie, bo wtedy nawet trudne decyzje stają się prostsze.
Budowanie postaci. Tu Henderson nieco przesłodził, bo - uwaga, spojler - wstrętnych charakterów brak. Ci, których dostajemy, mają oczywiście swoje słabości, ale w żadnym wypadku nie kwalifikują ich one na półkę z napisem "Schwarzcharakter". Choć z drugiej drugiej strony, gdyby autor pisał innym stylem, cała powieść mogłaby stać się ciężka, a nawet mało przyjemna w odbiorze. Niech nie czepiam się zatem bohaterów, a zamiast tego ucieszę się, że dostałam takich, których mogę lubić i do których kiedyś, w odległej przyszłości, będę chciała wrócić.
I jeszcze narracja. Ostatni bus jest swego rodzaju szkatułką pełną dygresji. Wprowadzając nową postać, autor wstrzymuje akcję, żeby tę postać przedstawić, opowiedzieć jej historię i wyjaśnić powiązania z pozostałymi. Ten sposób prezentacji mógłby nieco czytelnika męczyć, gdyby nie lekkość pióra, łatwość snucia opowieści i umiejętność zaciekawienia odbiorcy.
Stanowczo życzę sobie więcej takich powieści, przywracających wiarę w człowieka i w fundamentalne, a jednak przez wielu zapomniane i lekceważone wartości. Polecam z całej duszy.
Niechaj więc na pierwszy ogień pójdą skojarzenia. Pierwsze z nich - ze względu na tematykę - to Gavin Extence i jego Wszechświat kontra Alex Woods. Oprócz tematyki zbiorem wspólnym tych powieści jest też lekkość, z jaką trudny temat został potraktowany. Mimo, że od pewnego momentu wiemy, że ta historia może mieć tylko jedno zakończenie, zarówno Extence jak i Henderson prowadzą do niego spokojnie i pogodnie.
Skojarzenie drugie to Stulatek, który wyskoczył przez okno i zniknął. Tu ukłony i wyrazy podziwu dla Hendersona za udowodnienie, że nawet trudny temat można potraktować z cudownym, niewymuszonym humorem.
Motywem przewodnim Ostatniego busa jest choroba Alzheimera i prawo do podjęcia decyzji o własnym losie. Ale nie tylko. To również powieść drogi, jedna z niewielu, którym udało się mnie nie znudzić. Świat stworzony przez Hendersona, to świat przyjaźni i lojalności, pozwalającej znieść trudy życia. Każdemu życzę takich przyjaciół wokół siebie, bo wtedy nawet trudne decyzje stają się prostsze.
Budowanie postaci. Tu Henderson nieco przesłodził, bo - uwaga, spojler - wstrętnych charakterów brak. Ci, których dostajemy, mają oczywiście swoje słabości, ale w żadnym wypadku nie kwalifikują ich one na półkę z napisem "Schwarzcharakter". Choć z drugiej drugiej strony, gdyby autor pisał innym stylem, cała powieść mogłaby stać się ciężka, a nawet mało przyjemna w odbiorze. Niech nie czepiam się zatem bohaterów, a zamiast tego ucieszę się, że dostałam takich, których mogę lubić i do których kiedyś, w odległej przyszłości, będę chciała wrócić.
I jeszcze narracja. Ostatni bus jest swego rodzaju szkatułką pełną dygresji. Wprowadzając nową postać, autor wstrzymuje akcję, żeby tę postać przedstawić, opowiedzieć jej historię i wyjaśnić powiązania z pozostałymi. Ten sposób prezentacji mógłby nieco czytelnika męczyć, gdyby nie lekkość pióra, łatwość snucia opowieści i umiejętność zaciekawienia odbiorcy.
Stanowczo życzę sobie więcej takich powieści, przywracających wiarę w człowieka i w fundamentalne, a jednak przez wielu zapomniane i lekceważone wartości. Polecam z całej duszy.
August 5, 2014
The Last Bus to Coffeville promises a funny story about sad things and that's true. It's a story about a lost love and fantastic, true friendship, about illness and death. This everything is written with a lot of sympathy and empathy, in a very subtle, tactful way and is just a very, very unusual story. Despite the sad things it is a read with a feel good factor and I am truly happy that I had the chance to read this book.
It is a story about Nancy, who has Alzheimer and who's just started her last journey to Coffeville, together with her friends and a strange young boy. There is Gene who promised Nancy to take her on this last trip, there is Bob, friend of both of them from their university times, there is Jack, Gene's godson, and there is Eric, searching for his cousin Susan. Each of those people has their own story and what stories are they! They all take us on a beautiful journey, full of memories, hilarious situations, full of laugh and tears.
The book is written in two parts. The first one concentrates on Nancy, Gene and Bob and their University times. We learn how they got to know each other and who fell in love with who, and what happened next. After the university their ways drifted apart and we read about their separate life, about their families, dramas and many, many adventures. The second part is more like a road movie and here the many characters were introduced to us. It told us the crazy and also moving way to Cofeeville. Perhaps I'd rather read more about the journey itself because it was totally hooking and interesting and not so much about the new heroes - they were all so significant to the story and sometimes I really felt I'm loosing the track with all of them.
The journey in a bus that has once belonged to Paul McCartney (yes!) starts already with a kick because Gene and Jack must kidnap Nancy from the care home. Then they must avoid police because of the escapee Eric, so you can be sure that there will be police involved some time. The people travelling are all so different that they are going to be for sure some problems and misunderstandings, but well, what would you expect from some old people, a doctor with a dislike to his own profession, a woman with Alzheimer, a man with obsession about his hair and a boy counting the dead in the Bible. Yes, it was this kind of an adventure. I guess it wouldn't be necessary your pick of people to go on a journey with but this colourful, diverge band of people is there to make you entertain and to make you also cry.
There were moments that I really wasn't sure if I'm reading fiction or maybe some kinds of memories, especially Bob'a adventures with Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. I mean, really! It was a real cherry on the cake for me, this part of the book, but I really don't know what to think about this. Was Fidel really so as the author described him? And what was the possibility that Bob really met Che in some jungle?
There are, what felt, like thousands characters. With almost every chapter we are introduced to a new person and while I felt confused from time to time and though: hell, how many still, each of this people is very significant to the story, each of them added something to the plot and each of them had a place in the past of our main characters. They were really genuine in what they did and what they said. There is also so much going on in this book, the pace is galloping, and next to the main plot we have so many other twists, turns and threads, such as racism, love, friendship, death, ancient history, religion, politics... Actually, there is probably everything you could ask for and more.
The dialogues were witty and sharp and the one - liners were hilarious, I loved the banter between the characters.There were moments that the book felt a little slow for me and some of the descriptions were too long and I had a feeling that they are not so significant to the story and I could do without them. But altogether I really liked this book. It was wonderfully written and full of the warmest emotions I have ever experienced in a book. It was witty and wise, with very original plot and I have totally enjoyed it bar some too long passages. The author created characters that were larger than life but also very believable. Some of their adventures were perhaps a little too exaggerated and I couldn't believe they could be possible but nevertheless, I have enjoyed all of them and they were a real joy to read. It's a superhuman book, about long lost love, about personal tragedies and dramas, there is some sadness to the story but still, it's written with a lot of heart and optimistic.
This book is written with a lot of feelings, emotions and heart, heart so palpable that you have a feeling that the characters are going to pop out from the pages at any moment and envelope you. Those are one of the warmest, real, true to world characters in a book that I have a pleasure to read.
I loved the writing style, full of hidden humour, hints, cynicism and distance to yourself. The plot was very original and it actually took us on a journey not only through the modern America, but also we have witnessed the early days of the civil right movements and also we were taken on a ride to as far away as the ancient Egypt, and everything was written in an engaging, interesting and very detailed way, and I could stop to think WOW, how brilliantly told is the story, how many twists and turns it has, how many plots has the author started, mixed, intertwined and came to fantastic conclusion and an ending that I haven't expected. Not my usual kind of book, however I really enjoyed it and would read it again if you asked me to. It says on the cover "a funny book about sad things" and you couldn't summarize it in better words. I would really heartily recommend it to you.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for a review.
It is a story about Nancy, who has Alzheimer and who's just started her last journey to Coffeville, together with her friends and a strange young boy. There is Gene who promised Nancy to take her on this last trip, there is Bob, friend of both of them from their university times, there is Jack, Gene's godson, and there is Eric, searching for his cousin Susan. Each of those people has their own story and what stories are they! They all take us on a beautiful journey, full of memories, hilarious situations, full of laugh and tears.
The book is written in two parts. The first one concentrates on Nancy, Gene and Bob and their University times. We learn how they got to know each other and who fell in love with who, and what happened next. After the university their ways drifted apart and we read about their separate life, about their families, dramas and many, many adventures. The second part is more like a road movie and here the many characters were introduced to us. It told us the crazy and also moving way to Cofeeville. Perhaps I'd rather read more about the journey itself because it was totally hooking and interesting and not so much about the new heroes - they were all so significant to the story and sometimes I really felt I'm loosing the track with all of them.
The journey in a bus that has once belonged to Paul McCartney (yes!) starts already with a kick because Gene and Jack must kidnap Nancy from the care home. Then they must avoid police because of the escapee Eric, so you can be sure that there will be police involved some time. The people travelling are all so different that they are going to be for sure some problems and misunderstandings, but well, what would you expect from some old people, a doctor with a dislike to his own profession, a woman with Alzheimer, a man with obsession about his hair and a boy counting the dead in the Bible. Yes, it was this kind of an adventure. I guess it wouldn't be necessary your pick of people to go on a journey with but this colourful, diverge band of people is there to make you entertain and to make you also cry.
There were moments that I really wasn't sure if I'm reading fiction or maybe some kinds of memories, especially Bob'a adventures with Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. I mean, really! It was a real cherry on the cake for me, this part of the book, but I really don't know what to think about this. Was Fidel really so as the author described him? And what was the possibility that Bob really met Che in some jungle?
There are, what felt, like thousands characters. With almost every chapter we are introduced to a new person and while I felt confused from time to time and though: hell, how many still, each of this people is very significant to the story, each of them added something to the plot and each of them had a place in the past of our main characters. They were really genuine in what they did and what they said. There is also so much going on in this book, the pace is galloping, and next to the main plot we have so many other twists, turns and threads, such as racism, love, friendship, death, ancient history, religion, politics... Actually, there is probably everything you could ask for and more.
The dialogues were witty and sharp and the one - liners were hilarious, I loved the banter between the characters.There were moments that the book felt a little slow for me and some of the descriptions were too long and I had a feeling that they are not so significant to the story and I could do without them. But altogether I really liked this book. It was wonderfully written and full of the warmest emotions I have ever experienced in a book. It was witty and wise, with very original plot and I have totally enjoyed it bar some too long passages. The author created characters that were larger than life but also very believable. Some of their adventures were perhaps a little too exaggerated and I couldn't believe they could be possible but nevertheless, I have enjoyed all of them and they were a real joy to read. It's a superhuman book, about long lost love, about personal tragedies and dramas, there is some sadness to the story but still, it's written with a lot of heart and optimistic.
This book is written with a lot of feelings, emotions and heart, heart so palpable that you have a feeling that the characters are going to pop out from the pages at any moment and envelope you. Those are one of the warmest, real, true to world characters in a book that I have a pleasure to read.
I loved the writing style, full of hidden humour, hints, cynicism and distance to yourself. The plot was very original and it actually took us on a journey not only through the modern America, but also we have witnessed the early days of the civil right movements and also we were taken on a ride to as far away as the ancient Egypt, and everything was written in an engaging, interesting and very detailed way, and I could stop to think WOW, how brilliantly told is the story, how many twists and turns it has, how many plots has the author started, mixed, intertwined and came to fantastic conclusion and an ending that I haven't expected. Not my usual kind of book, however I really enjoyed it and would read it again if you asked me to. It says on the cover "a funny book about sad things" and you couldn't summarize it in better words. I would really heartily recommend it to you.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for a review.
December 21, 2018
This book was chosen for my book club read. I really really tried to get through this book, and had high hopes for it considering it was compared to the unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry. However i failed to finish it, and fail to see how it is similar at all to Rachel Joyce's book. Reading the blurb it had a lot of promise, but for me failed to deliver, and i didn't even manage to get to the part where the road trip begins. In my opinion getting to page 185 i had expected the story to have gotten somewhere but with it not even having set off yet i decided to call it a day.
The author had some very good ideas of what he wanted to write and some bits i did enjoy, i just felt there was too much going back and forth, and the characters had too big back stories to keep me interested. Which is a shame because i would have liked to have read more about Bob.
I wanted to give the book one out of five with me not finishing it, but because of the bits i did enjoy, i have given it two.
The author had some very good ideas of what he wanted to write and some bits i did enjoy, i just felt there was too much going back and forth, and the characters had too big back stories to keep me interested. Which is a shame because i would have liked to have read more about Bob.
I wanted to give the book one out of five with me not finishing it, but because of the bits i did enjoy, i have given it two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2021
The book deals with different important topics (Alzheimer, Segregation, Religion, Assisted Suicide,...) not all commonly treated as subject and this is packed in a story around 5 people that joined more or less accidentally for a road trip.
I personally enjoyed the 5 main characters in being described with their strengths and weaknesses and errors they made, making them "simply human" and likable.
In addition these sad and struggling topics of the booked were treated in a seemingly superficial and sometimes even humoristic manner as the story goes by, while still having this sad and weighty undertone.
What felt strange to me where those included stories as with Che Guevara, British Israelits etc. and I found them a bit off the path. Sometimes this was too unrealistic and felt like the author just wanted to include some things he always wanted to write or share his opinion about. That's why it is a 4 out of 5.
I personally enjoyed the 5 main characters in being described with their strengths and weaknesses and errors they made, making them "simply human" and likable.
In addition these sad and struggling topics of the booked were treated in a seemingly superficial and sometimes even humoristic manner as the story goes by, while still having this sad and weighty undertone.
What felt strange to me where those included stories as with Che Guevara, British Israelits etc. and I found them a bit off the path. Sometimes this was too unrealistic and felt like the author just wanted to include some things he always wanted to write or share his opinion about. That's why it is a 4 out of 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2021
Dieses Buch ist ein Erstlingswerk. Der Autor hat es geschrieben, nachdem er seine Mutter mit Alzheimer begleitet hat. Demenz ist daher auch ein wichtiges Thema des Romans und sie wird unbarmherzig als Verlust der Persönlichkeit dargestellt.
Dennoch ist es kein trauriges Buch. Vielmehr erzählt Henderson ein Roadmovie mit lauter ungewöhnlichen und interessanten Menschen und vielen, oft sehr humorvollen Geschichten. Das Lesen macht wirklich Freude, der Autor begegnet seinen Figuren mit viel Empathie.
Henderson ist das Kunststück gelungen, wichtige Fragen des Lebens bzw. Sterbens in eine warmherzige Geschichte einzubetten, ohne langweilig oder gar deprimierend zu wirken.
Wegen einiger kleiner sprachlicher Unsauberkeiten bzw. Ungelenktheiten (dann fuhren wir nach XY, dann weiter nach ZZ, dann über AB nach C) gibt es keine fünf Punkte.
Es lohnt aber in jedem Fall, das Buch zu lesen.
Dennoch ist es kein trauriges Buch. Vielmehr erzählt Henderson ein Roadmovie mit lauter ungewöhnlichen und interessanten Menschen und vielen, oft sehr humorvollen Geschichten. Das Lesen macht wirklich Freude, der Autor begegnet seinen Figuren mit viel Empathie.
Henderson ist das Kunststück gelungen, wichtige Fragen des Lebens bzw. Sterbens in eine warmherzige Geschichte einzubetten, ohne langweilig oder gar deprimierend zu wirken.
Wegen einiger kleiner sprachlicher Unsauberkeiten bzw. Ungelenktheiten (dann fuhren wir nach XY, dann weiter nach ZZ, dann über AB nach C) gibt es keine fünf Punkte.
Es lohnt aber in jedem Fall, das Buch zu lesen.
November 3, 2019
Ugh I feel very conflicted about this book. I really did enjoy the characters, stories and writing style but parts of it came across as racist and sexist to me. Basically, I wanted to love it but there were uncomfortable bits that made me annoyed at the author as well... especially since he is obviously extremely creative! He didn’t need to add any unnecessary ignorance in there. Lots of it felt like reading a Wes Anderson screenplay (which I loved) but the super controversial bits (and the fact that every black character did not speak with proper grammar even though they were known to be educated people) I did not like and would not recommend for that reason.
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