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Pauline
"Thelma and Louise meet Lucy and Ethel on the way to Palm Springs. " - Amazon reviewer
Jen and Shirley Ann had been best friends in Palm Springs, CA. for more than 31 years.
Even after Shirley Ann married and divorced Jen's older brother, they remained friends.
Although both owned homes in Palm Springs, Jen later purchased a home in Colorado so she could be near her ailing mother Pauline.
Once Jen moved, Shirley Ann made frequent weekend trips to the new home to visit and go hiking.
During one of those weekends, Pauline suddenly died and, because she was so cheap, her insurance policy didn't cover the transportation for returning her body to Palm Springs for cremation.
So, guess who was charged with that grisly chore?
The spooky journey would not only test their friendship, but it would be an adventure in which Shirley Ann would learn an important lesson!
Jen and Shirley Ann had been best friends in Palm Springs, CA. for more than 31 years.
Even after Shirley Ann married and divorced Jen's older brother, they remained friends.
Although both owned homes in Palm Springs, Jen later purchased a home in Colorado so she could be near her ailing mother Pauline.
Once Jen moved, Shirley Ann made frequent weekend trips to the new home to visit and go hiking.
During one of those weekends, Pauline suddenly died and, because she was so cheap, her insurance policy didn't cover the transportation for returning her body to Palm Springs for cremation.
So, guess who was charged with that grisly chore?
The spooky journey would not only test their friendship, but it would be an adventure in which Shirley Ann would learn an important lesson!
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2014
9 people want to read
About the author
John Isaac Jones
33 books77 followersJohn Isaac Jones is a retired journalist currently living and writing at Merritt Island, Florida. For more than thirty years, "John I.," as he prefers to be called, was a reporter for media outlets throughout the world. These included local newspapers in his native Alabama, The National Enquirer, News of the World in London, the Sydney Morning Herald, and NBC television. He is the author of ten novels, two short story collections and five novellas.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 16, 2017
Shirley Ann had always detested her ex mother-in-law, Pauline. Nothing Shirley Ann had ever done was good enough, and Pauline took every opportunity she got to denigrate and "needle" at Shirley Ann. Even after her divorce, Shirley Ann still had to encounter Pauline, as she and Pauline's daughter, Jen, had been best friends for 31 years.
When Shirley Ann goes to visit Jen for a pre-planned hiking excursion, Pauline has the nerve to pass away and ruin their plans. Because her mother was so cheap, Jen has to transport her body from Colorado to California for cremation. She begs Shirley Ann to go along and the hijinks ensue!
On the overly-eventful journey, Shirley Ann learns some startling things about Pauline which help to facilitate her own journey to understanding and forgiveness.
This story definitely has the feel of a "Lucy and Ethel" romp to it. I found myself laughing out loud more times than I can count. But, it also has a lot of warmth and heart. Jones does a fantastic job of transforming Pauline the Totally Terrible into Pauline the Perhaps Misunderstood.
*A gift copy of this story was given to me in order to read and give a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.
When Shirley Ann goes to visit Jen for a pre-planned hiking excursion, Pauline has the nerve to pass away and ruin their plans. Because her mother was so cheap, Jen has to transport her body from Colorado to California for cremation. She begs Shirley Ann to go along and the hijinks ensue!
On the overly-eventful journey, Shirley Ann learns some startling things about Pauline which help to facilitate her own journey to understanding and forgiveness.
This story definitely has the feel of a "Lucy and Ethel" romp to it. I found myself laughing out loud more times than I can count. But, it also has a lot of warmth and heart. Jones does a fantastic job of transforming Pauline the Totally Terrible into Pauline the Perhaps Misunderstood.
*A gift copy of this story was given to me in order to read and give a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.
February 18, 2018
An Odd Road Trip
Shirley Ann has travelled from California to Denver with plans to go hiking with her best friend Jen. She and Jen have been thick as thieves for almost their entire lives and even Shirley Ann`s marriage – and subsequent divorce – to Jen`s brother hasn`t diminished the affection between the two women.
The morning of their planned hike, Jen receives a call from the nursing home – her mother Pauline passed away during the night. Shirley Ann has no sympathy and still wants to go hiking. Her disdain for her former mother-in-law is clear. I think we’ve all had a Pauline in our lives.
Where we differentiate ourselves is how we deal with the resentment and anger when faced with the dichotomy of a grieving friend and a person who hurt you so much while they were alive.
Shirley Ann, in the end, turns out to be a good friend. As the women set out to fulfill the final instructions of how Pauline wanted to be laid to rest, they have time to reconnect and also to share their memories of the recently deceased Pauline.
The number of incidents on the road trip to repatriate Pauline’s body in California pushed the limits of believability, but the hijinks were fun. The true point of this poignant short story is how the two women came together in a time of grief and learned to see things from the other`s perspective. They both have blind spots and they`re both ready to learn.
The end was great and I enjoyed the story. It is short, and deeper exploration of the women`s lives would have helped, but the journey itself was well-rounded. Joan Dukore is a good narrator. She followed the vocalizations as directed by the author, so be prepared. And I would definitely read another story by John Isaac Jones. This one was a quirky, dark-humour book about how we cope in life and how we all die eventually. In the end, it’s how we affect those left behind that speaks to our true impact.
Shirley Ann has travelled from California to Denver with plans to go hiking with her best friend Jen. She and Jen have been thick as thieves for almost their entire lives and even Shirley Ann`s marriage – and subsequent divorce – to Jen`s brother hasn`t diminished the affection between the two women.
The morning of their planned hike, Jen receives a call from the nursing home – her mother Pauline passed away during the night. Shirley Ann has no sympathy and still wants to go hiking. Her disdain for her former mother-in-law is clear. I think we’ve all had a Pauline in our lives.
Where we differentiate ourselves is how we deal with the resentment and anger when faced with the dichotomy of a grieving friend and a person who hurt you so much while they were alive.
Shirley Ann, in the end, turns out to be a good friend. As the women set out to fulfill the final instructions of how Pauline wanted to be laid to rest, they have time to reconnect and also to share their memories of the recently deceased Pauline.
The number of incidents on the road trip to repatriate Pauline’s body in California pushed the limits of believability, but the hijinks were fun. The true point of this poignant short story is how the two women came together in a time of grief and learned to see things from the other`s perspective. They both have blind spots and they`re both ready to learn.
The end was great and I enjoyed the story. It is short, and deeper exploration of the women`s lives would have helped, but the journey itself was well-rounded. Joan Dukore is a good narrator. She followed the vocalizations as directed by the author, so be prepared. And I would definitely read another story by John Isaac Jones. This one was a quirky, dark-humour book about how we cope in life and how we all die eventually. In the end, it’s how we affect those left behind that speaks to our true impact.
March 11, 2018
Two woman have to take the body of their mother/mother-in-law on a roadtrip per her final wishes. It was such a fun premise. I liked that there was one character who was a little sassy & didn't like the mother-in-law much & the other was more mild. It made for a nice juxtaposition.
One thing I would have liked would have been a little more backstory about why the daughter-in-law didn't like the mother-in-law. It came out toward the end, but throughout the story, it seemed as though she was just being a little mean, so I would have liked to have connected with her a little bit sooner. Easier said than done when you're writing a short story, I'm sure :)
The narrator did well portraying the emotions of the characters, but was a little sing-songy sometimes, so it was a little distracting at times.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.
One thing I would have liked would have been a little more backstory about why the daughter-in-law didn't like the mother-in-law. It came out toward the end, but throughout the story, it seemed as though she was just being a little mean, so I would have liked to have connected with her a little bit sooner. Easier said than done when you're writing a short story, I'm sure :)
The narrator did well portraying the emotions of the characters, but was a little sing-songy sometimes, so it was a little distracting at times.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews