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Parting Words
Daniel Whittaker has left some unusual instructions in his will: in order for his three children to collect their generous inheritance, they must hand-deliver letters addressed to strangers from their father's past. Who are these people and what was their significance to Daniel? For his eldest son, Richard, there are hidden motives for his impatience to settle the will. His sister Evonne is still hurting from decades of her parents' disapproval. The youngest sibling, Kelly, believes she knew her father best. As Daniel's children carry out his last wishes, each of them must confront their entrenched ideas about their father, and reconsider their own lives. What they discover is beyond anything they imagined.
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2017
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185 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 20, 2018
When Daniel dies his will contains a very interesting instruction. The will cannot be finalised until his three children, Richard, Evonne and Kelly hand deliver a number of personal letters to the people concerned if they are still alive or to their next of kin. Richard, Evonne and Kelly have no idea who these people from their father’s past are or even much information for them to work from to track them down.
Each of these adult children have issues. Richard is desperately impatient for the will to be finalised so he can resolve issues in his own life. Evonne harbours years of hurt resulting from parental disapproval. The youngest, Kelly, has also been affected by parental disapproval in regards to her youngest son Eden. As each of them carry out the task of delivering the letters it uncovers events from their father’s past they knew nothing about and aspects of his character they had no idea about. What changes will what they learn make in their own lives?
The concept was interesting and the characters totally believable. Richard is an arrogant prat. Evonne is hurt and embittered by her parents and the past but happy in a long time loving relationship with her partner Libby. Kelly has a secret of her own she harbours about Eden’s father. It is a book that makes you think. If you could uncover all the secrets from a parent’s life would you really want to know? Will it affect the way you view them and also your own life and its decisions? It raises questions about identity, attitudes, choices and ways in which society has changed (or not) over the years. It is an easy read and kept me involved throughout, even though I did feel it tended to get a little didactic on certain issues and it does seem a little contrived at times. However, an engaging read and I would be interested to read another book by this author.
Each of these adult children have issues. Richard is desperately impatient for the will to be finalised so he can resolve issues in his own life. Evonne harbours years of hurt resulting from parental disapproval. The youngest, Kelly, has also been affected by parental disapproval in regards to her youngest son Eden. As each of them carry out the task of delivering the letters it uncovers events from their father’s past they knew nothing about and aspects of his character they had no idea about. What changes will what they learn make in their own lives?
The concept was interesting and the characters totally believable. Richard is an arrogant prat. Evonne is hurt and embittered by her parents and the past but happy in a long time loving relationship with her partner Libby. Kelly has a secret of her own she harbours about Eden’s father. It is a book that makes you think. If you could uncover all the secrets from a parent’s life would you really want to know? Will it affect the way you view them and also your own life and its decisions? It raises questions about identity, attitudes, choices and ways in which society has changed (or not) over the years. It is an easy read and kept me involved throughout, even though I did feel it tended to get a little didactic on certain issues and it does seem a little contrived at times. However, an engaging read and I would be interested to read another book by this author.
June 27, 2019
A lovely, sentimental and thought-provoking read. A journey through the life of 88-year-old Daniel Whittiker via letters delivered by his children, in order to receive their inheritance.
When one thinks one knows the life of those around them, it is often death that reveals many secrets. In this case, through the letters, we learn Daniel’s story from the age of 10 until his death through these 12 letters. Covering WWI and life in Queensland, Australia through those years, into the 50’s and onto the modern era; laws, practices and morals are well incorporated.
A little slow in places but an authentic and believable read.
When one thinks one knows the life of those around them, it is often death that reveals many secrets. In this case, through the letters, we learn Daniel’s story from the age of 10 until his death through these 12 letters. Covering WWI and life in Queensland, Australia through those years, into the 50’s and onto the modern era; laws, practices and morals are well incorporated.
A little slow in places but an authentic and believable read.
November 29, 2017
Cass Moriarty’s book makes us question how well we really know our parents, and how those we think we know the best, those we live with, may still be strangers to us because of the stories we create about each other – stories that may have little bearing on the ‘truth’. The consequences of long-past events continue to reverberate through our expectations and assumptions of our family.
Parting Words is an elegant and easy-to-read novel. Because of the episodic nature of the letters that must be delivered, I found I could dip in and out. But I wanted to read it in one go, as each piece of Daniel’s legacy to his children is revealed, building up a more three-dimensional picture of who he was and the events and people that shaped his life. Moriarty delivers twists when foreshadowed events do not create the picture I was expecting. At other times, I was right in my predictions, but by the time of the revelation I felt emotionally invested in the characters and discovered these aspects about themselves and their father through the character’s perspective. This is a story that made me weep on more than a few occasions.
Please read the rest of my review here: https://kalinapier.wordpress.com/2017...
Parting Words is an elegant and easy-to-read novel. Because of the episodic nature of the letters that must be delivered, I found I could dip in and out. But I wanted to read it in one go, as each piece of Daniel’s legacy to his children is revealed, building up a more three-dimensional picture of who he was and the events and people that shaped his life. Moriarty delivers twists when foreshadowed events do not create the picture I was expecting. At other times, I was right in my predictions, but by the time of the revelation I felt emotionally invested in the characters and discovered these aspects about themselves and their father through the character’s perspective. This is a story that made me weep on more than a few occasions.
Please read the rest of my review here: https://kalinapier.wordpress.com/2017...
September 13, 2017
Another great book by Cass Moriarty!! I devoured Parting Words, and couldn't help but wonder what letters my loved ones would write in the same situation - and which I would write after looking back on my own life. After reading it so quickly the first time, I want to go back and read it again, more slowly and deliberately.
September 26, 2018
I've only recently discovered this local Queensland author and I've enjoyed both her books - must be something to do with the name as I'm a huge fan of Liane Moriarty (no relation). The storyline of Parting Words is reminiscent of a good old fashioned Agatha Christie novel without the murder and in a modern setting. And I mean that in a good way. Patriarch dies leaving a will with certain conditions to be met by his offspring before they inherit a cent. There's a lot more depth here though; during their quest to do their dead father's bidding, the children learn truths about their father and themselves. Convincing characters and an intriguing plot all in a local Brisbane setting - Heaven!
January 9, 2018
This book didn’t capture me the way The Promise Seed did.
September 10, 2017
A beautiful story demonstrating how little we may know if those we love,
May 21, 2020
This is a beautifully nuanced book about how well do we really know our parents? After the death of their father 3 adult children are given the task of hand delivering letters written by their father which have been held in safe keeping by the family lawyer. It is through these letters that we learn about the father and these letters also in some ways teach the children something about themselves too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book it gave me much to ponder.
October 11, 2017
Great read! Enjoyed the complexities of characters. Very thought provoking... Just how well do we know our loved ones? This novel will stay with me a while as did the authors first novel 'The Promise Seed'.
October 28, 2017
I liked this book a lot. It took me a while to get into it, but that was due to personal distractions. At first I was a bit worried that the story was going to be to "old" for me. I'm 39, and most of the main characters are in there 50s and 60s. I like to have something to identify with in a story. I didn't have a problem connecting with this novel. I loved the idea behind Daniels redemption and reconnecting to his own children after death. Some people find opening themselves up much more difficult face to face & I truly loved reading his letters and finding out why each one was sent. Very quick read (unless you are having personal dramas like I was) would recommend this book as a great read.
October 4, 2017
This book was so lovely - I read the first few pages and then put it down for several weeks, to prolong the pleasure. It reveals - letter by letter - the joys & regrets of Daniel Whittaker's life; revealing their father to his children bit by bit, like peeling back the layers of an onion. Who would I leave letters to? Who would my parents leave letters for? How well do I really know them? This book leaves me thinking about it, mulling things over & considering my family's hidden depths.
January 4, 2018
I liked the concept of this book - an elderly man's will giving his adult children a list of letters to deliver before they can receive their inheritance - which immediately sets up the potential for relationship tensions and conflict. And there's certainly lots of both in this book.
The story kept me interested throughout and on the whole the characters were authentic, particularly Richard; however I felt that the plot was too contrived to be believable, in that the letters that each person delivered just happened to deal with issues that were relevant to their particular situation - considering the letters were randomly chosen, (except for the final ones). Too much coincidence! And I also felt at times the story was didactic, that some of the dialogue had an air of preachiness about it. A bit more subtlety would have improved the writing style.
Apart from those points, an enjoyable read, with a positive, yet realistic ending.
The story kept me interested throughout and on the whole the characters were authentic, particularly Richard; however I felt that the plot was too contrived to be believable, in that the letters that each person delivered just happened to deal with issues that were relevant to their particular situation - considering the letters were randomly chosen, (except for the final ones). Too much coincidence! And I also felt at times the story was didactic, that some of the dialogue had an air of preachiness about it. A bit more subtlety would have improved the writing style.
Apart from those points, an enjoyable read, with a positive, yet realistic ending.
November 21, 2017
The concept behind this book were good but aspects really irritated me so I could only give it 3 stars. I felt the author wanted us to like the father as we came to understand him through the letters but I despised the old despot by the end of the book. The kids characters were a bit 2 dimensional as well.
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October 17, 2024
I strugglllleeeeddd through this. Mediocre writing style and a slow storyline with a non existent climax. This had more potential but poor character development/delivery (author just spent their time stating facts or writing flashbacks to make sense of a later off hand comment). Tried to demonstrate how much children can truly not understand or know their parents, but missed the mark for me
May 6, 2025
After the bitter nihilism of the last novel that I read, it was a pleasure to read Parting Words by Cass Moriarty. It is a novel about values, and how our values influence the people we become and the ways we behave.
I have never approved of people using their bequests to try to control matters from beyond the grave, but that is exactly what Daniel does. He sends the three off on quests to find people that he has wronged, or who he has failed to acknowledge, or owes recompense to, or who deserve an explanation for his behaviour. Moriarty's imaginative plot delivers a variety of people as recipients of these letters and their experiences cover a range of events in a life that spans schooldays, military service in WW2 and a successful career in real estate.
It's a fantasy, of course, to believe that Daniel can 'put things right' decades later by using his children as couriers, and since some of those to whom the letters are addressed have been dead for years, Richard asks, not unreasonably, why didn't he do it himself when he and they were still alive? And what was Daniel hoping for, by passing his responsibility off onto his children? That is the question for book groups to mull over. And after all, don't we all put off doing things that make us feel uncomfortable, eh?
The characterisation of Richard is interesting. He's cranky, and he has reason to be since he's keeping the news of his retrenchment secret from his wife and he's hoping that his father's money will assuage his woes. But he's also opinionated, racist, sulky and mean-spirited.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/05/06/p...
I have never approved of people using their bequests to try to control matters from beyond the grave, but that is exactly what Daniel does. He sends the three off on quests to find people that he has wronged, or who he has failed to acknowledge, or owes recompense to, or who deserve an explanation for his behaviour. Moriarty's imaginative plot delivers a variety of people as recipients of these letters and their experiences cover a range of events in a life that spans schooldays, military service in WW2 and a successful career in real estate.
It's a fantasy, of course, to believe that Daniel can 'put things right' decades later by using his children as couriers, and since some of those to whom the letters are addressed have been dead for years, Richard asks, not unreasonably, why didn't he do it himself when he and they were still alive? And what was Daniel hoping for, by passing his responsibility off onto his children? That is the question for book groups to mull over. And after all, don't we all put off doing things that make us feel uncomfortable, eh?
The characterisation of Richard is interesting. He's cranky, and he has reason to be since he's keeping the news of his retrenchment secret from his wife and he's hoping that his father's money will assuage his woes. But he's also opinionated, racist, sulky and mean-spirited.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/05/06/p...
December 6, 2020
Cass Moriarty has chosen an intriguing way to tackle questions about our life experiences, how much we are shaped by them, and how little we often know about those nearest to us. I found it poignant that the children of Daniel Whittaker came to understand their father only after his death. If there was ever a novel which argues the case for better communication, this is it.
The structure of the novel, with a dozen letters leading to a dozen revelations, is slightly awkward (and anyone who's done family history research knows how difficult it can be to pin the past down), but within the struts of that structure lies a very moving story about what it is to be human and how we so easily allow ourselves to be hurt through misunderstandings and through fear of ridicule or rejection. As it always is with the best books, I found myself thinking about it and mulling over its message long after I'd read the final page.
The structure of the novel, with a dozen letters leading to a dozen revelations, is slightly awkward (and anyone who's done family history research knows how difficult it can be to pin the past down), but within the struts of that structure lies a very moving story about what it is to be human and how we so easily allow ourselves to be hurt through misunderstandings and through fear of ridicule or rejection. As it always is with the best books, I found myself thinking about it and mulling over its message long after I'd read the final page.
June 2, 2019
Bit of a blah book. It was well-written but kind of flat, never felt gripped by it or very invested in any of the characters. Kept putting it down and then not picking it up again for ages, never got that nagging feeling of wanting to know what happened next.
I think the dad's letters were supposed to be very surprising and even shocking but somehow I found them a bit predictable. Because of the way the book was plotted, building up to each letter & then showing the aftermath of the way it affected the characters, I went into each one EXPECTING to be surprised and therefore NOT really being very surprised when the reveal happened, if that makes sense!
I'm starting to feel like there must be a factory where Australian writers named Moriarty are mass produced. Although it turns out this one is not related to Jaclyn or Liane.
I think the dad's letters were supposed to be very surprising and even shocking but somehow I found them a bit predictable. Because of the way the book was plotted, building up to each letter & then showing the aftermath of the way it affected the characters, I went into each one EXPECTING to be surprised and therefore NOT really being very surprised when the reveal happened, if that makes sense!
I'm starting to feel like there must be a factory where Australian writers named Moriarty are mass produced. Although it turns out this one is not related to Jaclyn or Liane.
July 13, 2024
"Parting Words" by Cass Moriarty is a thought-provoking fiction novel that revolves around the final wishes of Daniel Whittaker, who leaves an unusual request in his will. To receive their inheritance, his three children—Richard, Evonne, and Kelly—must deliver letters to strangers from their father's past. Each sibling has a unique relationship with their father and varying motivations: Richard is eager to settle the will for hidden reasons, Evonne still harbors resentment from past disapproval, and Kelly believes she knew her father best. As they fulfill his last wishes, they uncover surprising truths about their father and themselves, challenging their long-held beliefs and altering their perspectives. This 256-page novel explores themes of family, legacy, and self-discovery.
January 24, 2019
Daniel Whittaker died, and to settle his estate, his 3 middle-aged children , Richard, Evonne, and Kelly, are required to deliver 12 letters to people from their father's past.
Richard is an aggravating person, and the letters he had to deliver only made him more so.
Evonne is gay, and had her parents wrath and they never welcomed her life long partner. Reading his letters made her angry, but she came to accept the new people in her life that came as a result of the deliveries.
Kelly is the youngest child. She is the single mother of two young adult twins, and a 5 year old. She is also saddened by the letters, but finds the most releaf after reading them with the people she meets.
Richard is an aggravating person, and the letters he had to deliver only made him more so.
Evonne is gay, and had her parents wrath and they never welcomed her life long partner. Reading his letters made her angry, but she came to accept the new people in her life that came as a result of the deliveries.
Kelly is the youngest child. She is the single mother of two young adult twins, and a 5 year old. She is also saddened by the letters, but finds the most releaf after reading them with the people she meets.
October 13, 2021
An intriguing premise: 3 adult children are required to hand-deliver 12 letters from beyond from the grave in order to inherit a sizeable estate. This condition of the will contrives to bring the family together and 'clean the slate' of the father (the deceased). Conveniently, all the recipients show their letter - some of which reveal shocking truths - to the person who delivers it (and the reader). However, what begins with so much promise, turns into a series of predictable interactions with a long list of minor characters. Nevertheless, the novel is an enjoyable read and Moriarty's writing is superb.
January 3, 2021
This book came up as a recommendation based on some of my previous reading. It sounded intriguing and I ordered it.
So glad that I did as I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It appealed to me in that I love to write and receive letters; and was curious to know what was in the letters that Richard, Evonne and Kelly were having to hand-deliver.
They made for a super story, and it just goes to show that we don't really know everyone completely. I did love the main characters and their interactions.
So glad that I did as I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It appealed to me in that I love to write and receive letters; and was curious to know what was in the letters that Richard, Evonne and Kelly were having to hand-deliver.
They made for a super story, and it just goes to show that we don't really know everyone completely. I did love the main characters and their interactions.
February 15, 2021
Another great book by Cass Moriarty. The father of three grown children dies and leaves behind letters which need to be hand delivered before an inheritance can be distributed. The children learn a lot about their father and his interactions with different people throughout his life. So many people left an impression on the man’s life but he never told them in person, just through the letters. I wish his son had been a bit more remorseful, but other than that, an excellent read.
September 13, 2018
I liked this book and I finished it in no time. The characters are believable and I like the Brisbane setting because that’s where I live 😀
The only reason I didn’t give it more then 3 stars is because the book was at times a little predictable...
If you liked this book then you definitely have to read her other book “The Promise Seed”.
The only reason I didn’t give it more then 3 stars is because the book was at times a little predictable...
If you liked this book then you definitely have to read her other book “The Promise Seed”.
September 17, 2020
Very disappointed after finishing her first The Promise Seed I was so excited to start this one however I felt something was missing. Felt rushed. I couldn’t connect with the siblings or the recipients of the letters. Would have been interesting to find out more about their Mother seemed a whole other story with her their relationship and marriage
January 17, 2018
This book didn't capture me the way "The Promise Seed" did. I thought it was somewhat boring, and very predictable even though the story line should have been interesting. It's an fascinating thing for a parent to do and a lesson to learn that what a parent leaves you is a blessing, not a right.
December 9, 2017
A good story with a nice Brisbane flavour
January 29, 2018
Beautiful story about the circle of life. Do we really ever know anybody, even ourselves? A great read.
April 21, 2018
Wonderful! Inspiration and calming!! Such an entwined story that reads easily. Thank you for an enjoyable read CM about the strength of family!!
May 22, 2018
I loved this book & could not put it down. It was riveting!
June 19, 2018
How well do we know our own family?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews