Widows' Adventures: A Novel

by Charles Dickinson

Two widowed sisters drive from Chicago to California: Helene, the driver, is a blind diabetic and Ina, the navigator, is overly fond of beer. (Nancy Pearl)

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club, Novels

381 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Charles Dickinson is an American writer known for his literary novels that mix heartbreak and humor with action and well-developed characters. His books include, in the order of their publication: Waltz in Marathon, Crows, With or Without (a short story collection), The Widows' Adventures, Rumor Has It, A Shortcut in Time, and its sequel, A Family in Time. His short stories have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, and The New Yorker.

Reviews

[Amanda Bynum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Widows' Adventures by Charles Dickinson (yes, that's his real name) is one of the best books you've never heard of. Here's a quick synopsis:
"Widows Ina and Helene, sisters from Chicago, set off on a drive to Los Angeles. There’s one problem: Only Helene can drive, and she’s blind. Beer-swigging Ina acts as her eyes. On back roads in the dead of night they travel across an America they never knew."
But there's a lot more to it than that. Strained familial relationships, violence, murder, adultery, lots of laughs, a few tears, lesbians, and a really compelling story. Helene and Ina are full, three-dimensional characters, and Dickinson's got a way with words - the language is very accessible, but has a few poetic moments thrown in. You can't help but like this one.

Dickinson's a newspaperman from Chicago, with a few books and short stories under his belt. He's also the dad of one of my co-workers. True story.

The Widows' Adventures - A-

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's the story of two elderly sisters, both widows, who decide to drive across the country to Los Angeles. The problem is that one sister can't drive and the other is blind, but with beer-drinking alcoholic Ina giving directions and blind Helene at the wheel, they set off on an adventure.

The dialogue between the sisters is hilarious and real, and the story itself veers between laugh-out-loud and sad hidden histories. The relationship between the sisters is complex, and so is each of their relationships with their adult children. I was expecting a fun, somewhat silly story, but there is actually considerable depth in this and some great writing.

This is truly a hidden gem of a book.

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming tale of two widowed sisters, one blind, one alcoholic, making a cross country car trip from Chicago to L.A. Easy read, delightful dialogue & characters that you'll not soon forget. I read it maybe 10 years ago with my book club & everyone liked it.

[Joyce Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt the story a bit improbable and frankly did not like any of the characters. I don't think the writing was the problem just the perpetual unhappiness most of the time made me feel less than enthusiastic about recommending it.

[Talya Boerner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister-in-law told me about this book and loaned me her copy. Thank you, Paula! If Thelma & Louise met The Bucket List you’d have this witty tale. Imagine two elderly sisters driving from Chicago to Los Angeles. One is blind. The other has never driven in her life. The blind sister drives while the other navigates. They take the back roads during the wee hours. Yes, it’s absurd and hilarious. Would make an entertaining movie.
This book made me: think about all the fabulous books written years and years ago still waiting to be discovered. (This book was published in 1989.)
Favorite line: “If I’m driving and you’re drunk, does that make me a drunken driver?”

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm doing a sort of "survey" I guess you'd say of thirty books that fit a criteria that I've read. One of the criteria is a book that made you laugh out loud. This was one. While it may not be the newest, trendiest book in the world, it is such a delight. I remember my mother, who was in her early 80's at the time, read it upon my recommendation, and it simply delighted her. It's a book about hope, and dreams, and going after what you want while discovering your own strength along the way. Thanks for the lovely memory!

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book sounded like great fun: two elderly sisters set out alone to visit family in California. This book did not do much with that premise, instead telling a story that drags and barely goes anywhere. Too bad, it could have been much more fun.

[Storjia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on my best reads list. Mr. Dickinson is on my favorite authors list. What a terrific idea for an adventure. I loved the ladies. Wish I could have the rights to this book!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book made me laugh to myself and other parts made me really think about who knows what the future may bring. This book was an easy ride/read with a blind woman at the wheel.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all honesty, I found this novel rather boring at first. Very little happens in the first third of the book, and what does happen has no consequence to the overall story.

I think this novel is a lot more serious than its surface suggests. It dwells on physical abuse, vandalism, infidelity, dishonesty, and manipulation. Aside from Helene, I would not call one character likable; Ina ultimately disappointed me, though I guess I sympathized with her. I sympathized with a lot of these people, flaws and all. This novel portrays a very flawed world.

As the plural term "Adventures" in the title suggests, this novel barely has a unified plot. It is mostly episodic, with various anecdotes during a journey, anecdotes that largely exist for their own sake and do not come up again. This can be done well when the anecdotes mostly connect to a system of related ideas (i.e. in "Moby-Dick"), and I think Dickinson was aiming for that. Like I said, this novel consists of flawed characters in a flawed world, and it had a lot of dry humor to lighten a story that actually pretty pessimistic. I know I don't have to identify what a story is really "about," but I feel better when I do so, and "The Widows' Adventures" is about people using each other - how we end up dependent on one another without understanding each other. An old woman needing her sister to act as a chauffeur. A young spinster using a married man for company, and in turn he uses her as an outlet for his annoyance at the world. A housewife using an immigrant servant as a scapegoat for her problems. A man using an unsuspecting driver as someone to blame for the damage his car has suffered. Kids using a person's house as a playground. This is a story about people taking things from other people, or requiring acts from other people, without earning those things or asking permission or trying to see what it is costing the other person.

Helene cannot "see" anything but she does not demand anything, she simply needs help because she has the right to survive. Everyone else in this book wants something, prosperity or adventure or love or lust or power. I did not notice one person in this story who wanted to make the world a better place - again, contributing to the sense of pessimism. Yet, I'm not sure if I would call everyone in this book selfish (as in, say, "Madame Bovary"). The two main characters have lost their husbands, Ray is trying hard to run a business, Katherine is concerned for the well-being of her family, Jo is paranoid, etc. They aren't content with life but at least I can see what is making their lives difficult.

I can't say I enjoyed this novel, but I think it is worth the effort. It gives us a different kind of adventure story, one where everything is a little broken or spoiled or booby-trapped and there's no gold statue at the end of the tunnel. I think most of the characters end up disappointing the other characters because they're all going after different things, and let's face, that's reality. Dickinson wasn't giving us a parable here; he creates a hybrid of heartfelt struggles and lackluster anticlimaxes.

[Reader007]

I had fun with the story! The tosses and turns of their life were funny, yet real. The adventure helped to revive my love of reading. The story showed how you can get through life by working together. What do you think? The last 100 pages /story line seemed less connected and less fun. I was like...that escalated quickly....
Overall, great writing because it drew me in. A family member told me they really enjoyed the book and had read it many times.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off entertaining then got ridiculous with Helene being blind and Ina giving her directions on the road driving 12miles per hour. Why wouldn't Ina learn to drive or fly out to California?

I stopped reading as they were driving out as it was dragging on and no longer entertaining.

[imelda kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture of old age at its best and worst.

I loved both the comradely between the characters and unique situations they were placed in. A very interesting read for anyone with family connections.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable characters.

[Nanci · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treat from start to finish.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough for an airplane ride, took a while to get going. A bit dated in some attitudes re: young people and also homosexuality.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and charming.

[Janis Fread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted it to be better - it was different, and had it’s moments - then I just wanted to finish it. As it was my choice for Book Club, disappointed.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book and well written.

[Lisa Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly

[Brenda J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!! Well written.

[Kate Penzenstadler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the quickest read but definitely a fun adventure

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned the basic premise of this book around twenty years ago and wanted to read it. It wasn't until recently that I did a search and figured out the title and author. At first, I was thrilled that the book was meeting my expectations. Unfortunately, that didn't last. I expected more humor than the book delivered. On the other hand, I was very touched by the relationship of the sisters and somewhat interested in the story of their lives. My interest waned beyond the initial idea of their cross-country drive. It is all okay and very well-written mainstream fiction. It's just not my preference.

[Jan Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book probably 20 years ago and liked it a lot. BUT, as I have gotten older and my relationships with my sisters is still one of my life's greatest blessing I wanted to reread. It took a while to remember the name of the book and then find it again. But, I must say it was even better reading in my sixties than it was in my fourties.
I am looking forward to passing off to my sisters and the discussing who will be the blind driver and who will be drinking in the passenger seat!

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't hardly know what to say about this book. Best as I can describe it, I guess...it has a story to it. But then Dickinson's novels always have an actual story to tell. This one is about 2 widowed sisters who decide to take a trip across the country from Chicago to California. One of them is blind. One of them can drive a car. The other, can't. Definitely a quirky, original novel.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It's probably been 15 years since I read it. The part about the two sisters driving across country just cracked me up! Kinda reminded me of my mom & Aunt Clarky. I loaned the book to someone and I realized today that I never got it back. I want to read it again, so will have to buy it for myself again.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT! I don't often laugh out loud when I read, but I did throughout this book. Two widowed sisters decide they won't take the violence of their Chicago neighborhood any longer and decide to drive to California. One sister can drive but she's blind, and the other can't drive and loves to drink. It's a hoot from beginning to end.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fairly skeptical about this book. I've owned it for probably eight years and never felt particularly drawn to it. The first half of the book is a tad slow, but I soon became drawn into the story of two sisters whose relationship is both complex and striking. I really enjoyed the nonchalance with which each plot point was presented. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Lea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much more than the escapades of two widows crossing this vast country at twelve miles an hour. This book is about family, forgiveness, and change - the changes one makes and the changes out of one's control. Lovely story, endearing characters, a few laughs, a few tears, and more than a few surprises.