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No Return Address
On the anniversary of her mother's death, Rhonda receives a mysterious package in the mail. And it's from her deceased mother! As she tries to figure out how this is possible, Rhonda turns to the people around her, reconnects with her brother and makes new friends. While the package from her mother wasn't what she expected, Rhonda realizes it's a bigger gift than she ever imagined.
- GenresFiction
128 pages, Paperback
Published August 28, 2018
About the author
Gail Anderson-Dargatz
29 books346 followersWatch for Gail's new novel, The Almost Widow, a thriller, released May 2023.
GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A Recipe for Bees, was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Spawning Grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and short-listed for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her thriller, The Almost Wife was a national bestseller in 2021, and her most recent novel, The Almost Widow, is out in May 2023.
Gail also writes young adult and hi-lo books for the educational market. Her book Iggy’s World was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards. The Ride Home was short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, as well as the Red Cedar Fiction Award and the Chocolate Lily Book Award.
She taught for nearly a decade in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and now mentors writers online. Gail Anderson-Dargatz lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.
GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancity Book Prize. Her second novel, A Recipe for Bees, was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Spawning Grounds was nominated for the Sunburst Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and short-listed for the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Fiction. Her thriller, The Almost Wife was a national bestseller in 2021, and her most recent novel, The Almost Widow, is out in May 2023.
Gail also writes young adult and hi-lo books for the educational market. Her book Iggy’s World was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards. The Ride Home was short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, as well as the Red Cedar Fiction Award and the Chocolate Lily Book Award.
She taught for nearly a decade in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and now mentors writers online. Gail Anderson-Dargatz lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 21, 2018
I received this Rapid Reads from Orca Book Publishers via the Early Reviewers Program for my thoughts.
Short and sweet, this large print paper book which also includes a preview of the author’s next book is just under 130 pages long. “”No Return Address” is a hearth warming story about how a family grows apart and what is necessary to bring them back together.
Rhonda receives mysterious package in the mail from her mom who passed away the previous year. Curious she turns to people around her and along the way she makes new friends and reconnects with her brother.
I love those little books perfect to squeeze in when time is not on our side. Ms. Dargatz knows how in simple words make an impact that will make us think. Wouldn’t you also be curious? Although not very long the storyline is captivating and suspenseful and is said in a prose that is warm and down to heart. Well-done.
Rapprochement is a bigger gift that one can ever imagine….
Short and sweet, this large print paper book which also includes a preview of the author’s next book is just under 130 pages long. “”No Return Address” is a hearth warming story about how a family grows apart and what is necessary to bring them back together.
Rhonda receives mysterious package in the mail from her mom who passed away the previous year. Curious she turns to people around her and along the way she makes new friends and reconnects with her brother.
I love those little books perfect to squeeze in when time is not on our side. Ms. Dargatz knows how in simple words make an impact that will make us think. Wouldn’t you also be curious? Although not very long the storyline is captivating and suspenseful and is said in a prose that is warm and down to heart. Well-done.
Rapprochement is a bigger gift that one can ever imagine….
July 17, 2018
No Return Address is a heartwarming short story about love, loss, grief and rekindling family relationships. I sat down and read it in about an hour. There were several things I loved and a few things I didn’t. What I will say is that it’s a VERY short story and so with that you’re only going to get so much. There’s not a ton of depth to the characters but the plot is there.
As someone whose lost family members after a death in the family, I wish that something like this book could happen for me. Maybe if enough people read it, their mindset may change.
My favorite quote from this book goes, “ And we don’t really see our family members for who they are now. We see them for who they once were, when they were growing up.” Pretty profound statement....think on that one.
As someone whose lost family members after a death in the family, I wish that something like this book could happen for me. Maybe if enough people read it, their mindset may change.
My favorite quote from this book goes, “ And we don’t really see our family members for who they are now. We see them for who they once were, when they were growing up.” Pretty profound statement....think on that one.
August 19, 2025
Started this one because it had the first chapter at the end of From Scratch and I wanted to see where it lead. Spoiler could cause some tears. 😢 It did for me.
June 1, 2024
Sometimes the people that we love know us better than we know ourselves.
When we are with family, it's like we are in a play onstage. We are actors stuck in whatever role we grew up playing. Even when we are adults and have changed, we still act like the kids we once were. We don't really see our family members for who they are now. We see them as who they once were, when we were growing up,
Maybe its time you got to know each other as you are now, as adults.
When we are with family, it's like we are in a play onstage. We are actors stuck in whatever role we grew up playing. Even when we are adults and have changed, we still act like the kids we once were. We don't really see our family members for who they are now. We see them as who they once were, when we were growing up,
Maybe its time you got to know each other as you are now, as adults.
July 25, 2018
This was a lovely little book I read in a doctor's waiting room yesterday. It's that short, so a quick read. The story is about a woman named Rhonda who receives a package from her deceased mother, exactly one year after she died. The package contains some instructions which lead to some much needed reconciliations.-between Rhonda and her brother, and some new friends as well.
An uplifting story, something I'd imagine you're read in a magazine, or in a series.
Enjoyable.
An uplifting story, something I'd imagine you're read in a magazine, or in a series.
Enjoyable.
August 24, 2018
I’ve read two of Orca Book Publishers “Rapid Reads” and each book is just a bit longer than a short story, a little over a hundred pages, which makes it perfect for traveling or a few quite moments when you want to relax and get into a good story.
The author drew me in quickly with her tale about an adult daughter who receives a package from her mother on the anniversary of her mother’s death. No knows where it came from, but inside are some directions from her mother to do something, and following her mothers directions could change her life depending on the choices she makes. I related to the characters, and enjoyed reading No Return Address so much that I’m giving it 4 little stars. It can be read by teens, YA, and the rest of us.
The author drew me in quickly with her tale about an adult daughter who receives a package from her mother on the anniversary of her mother’s death. No knows where it came from, but inside are some directions from her mother to do something, and following her mothers directions could change her life depending on the choices she makes. I related to the characters, and enjoyed reading No Return Address so much that I’m giving it 4 little stars. It can be read by teens, YA, and the rest of us.
July 21, 2018
This book is a delightful, quick read (took me less than an hour). It is a short story about grief, family, forgiveness and the way it all shapes one's life. At first, I felt that Rhonda was being so dense about what was going on, especially as her teenage son had the purpose figured out from the beginning. But then I realized this is exactly what grief can do to a person and this book is a good reminder to let people into one's life instead of shutting them out.
Thank you Library Thing, for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you Library Thing, for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 8, 2018
A year and a few months after my mom’s death, I’m finally able to read this book about a woman coping with her mother’s death. It’s also only a short time before I leave to visit my brother, whom I haven’t seen since before our mom’s death - and this story is about brothers and sisters, too.
This story was short and sweet and really focused on the roles we play in a family, as well as how important it is to look at our family members for who they are NOW vs when we were young.
This story was short and sweet and really focused on the roles we play in a family, as well as how important it is to look at our family members for who they are NOW vs when we were young.
May 22, 2025
"No Return Address" is meant to remind people and families in particular to not put off getting together before too much time goes by. It was a sweet story about a mom who has a terminal illness and decides to have someone mail some packages after she passes away. They come in the mail to her family to get them together.
I liked it but it wasn't really a page turner. It did have a wonderful point.
I liked it but it wasn't really a page turner. It did have a wonderful point.
July 27, 2018
Very simple and simplistic, there was really no mystery here for me. Rather didactic, in fact. Not like Anderson-Dargatz's other books. I got this one as an early reviewer for LibraryThing, but I can't recommend buying it. Maybe it will be more meaningful to someone who has lost a mother recently.
February 9, 2019
Light, heartwarming, and definitely 'a rapid read'. Inspirational? Yes, it may even remind us to be kind to others. However, her earlier book "A Recipe For Bees" was much stronger and richer in language. I felt this book was written for a different audience.
March 22, 2019
This novella is a reminder of the pleasures of letters, family and friends. You can read it over a pot of tea in a quiet hour.
March 31, 2019
Very good one sitting read - family dynamics and getting instructions after a death, as the person was thinking ahead...
July 11, 2019
I cried.
December 21, 2020
Read this with my ESL Book club class. Enjoyed by all.
November 9, 2021
Such a lovely story. It shows how time can heal and that family bonds are strong.
March 25, 2023
This book wasn't all that great, it was kind of boring and I could predict the ending.
December 29, 2023
I read the ebook. This is a Rapid Reads on hoopla. Good for English learners.
May 30, 2024
Sweet tale of what happened to a family after a death.
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July 19, 2019Note I read an unpublished book but needed a placeholder for my reading challenge so I picked a random book with the same title. I didn’t actually read this novel but one that has this title (as of now) and isn’t currently published.
August 20, 2019
Very nice, short and realistic.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews