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Wild Raspberries #2
Proper Goodbye
Every heart is asked, at some point, to leave something or someone behind while it yearns and aches for a different outcome. Beebe Walker is pulled into a compelling story of lost and found. Inside, she’s haunted by a farewell that never came. Her mother abandoned her and her father without a word when she was sixteen.
Beebe is surprised by a visit from her ex-fiancé, Vincent Bostick. He brings shocking news. Reluctantly, Beebe decides to move back home, to face the past and renew a relationship with her father. Time and again, unexpected sights and sounds invade her memories. They can be both fiends and friends, welcoming and alarming.
The first person Beebe meets upon her return is a young man who’s new in town. The story Yates Strand tells adds a new facet to Beebe’s search for a proper goodbye.
Beebe is surprised by a visit from her ex-fiancé, Vincent Bostick. He brings shocking news. Reluctantly, Beebe decides to move back home, to face the past and renew a relationship with her father. Time and again, unexpected sights and sounds invade her memories. They can be both fiends and friends, welcoming and alarming.
The first person Beebe meets upon her return is a young man who’s new in town. The story Yates Strand tells adds a new facet to Beebe’s search for a proper goodbye.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2016
214 people are currently reading
1134 people want to read
About the author
Connie Chappell
15 books81 followersConnie Chappell is a bestselling author of literary fiction and literary mystery. A Springfield, Ohio, native, she devotes as much free time as possible to anything out-of-doors. Flowerbeds, golf, walking, and bicycle riding are particular favorites.
In her Wrenn Grayson Mystery Series, Wrenn is a historian and archivist in her hometown of Havens, Ohio. Best Thrillers claims Wrenn’s one-of-a-kind investigative process will have readers flipping pages in her fast-paced mysteries. Chappell take readers into the world of small-town Ohio with its unique combination of local charm and unexpected intrigue. Blending history and modern-day sleuthing, these novels provide a delightfully witty cast of new and returning characters.
Her novel, Every Cloud, is a humorous family drama, packed with mystery, romance, and fun. Readers’ Favorite provided a five-star review. “The plot is engaging and paced with great skill, moving between characters’ individual stories in order to expertly keep the reader engaged at all times.”
The Wild Raspberries Trilogy is complete. These deeply emotional family dramas tell stories of love, loss, and second chances. They have touched the hearts of readers all across the country. The titles are: Wild Raspberries, Proper Goodbye, and Summers Only.
Chappell is the recipient of many writing awards and honors. The Ohio House of Representatives presented her with a commendation in 2019, honoring her writing skills.
Whether literary or mystery, Chappell’s characters are bound to captivate readers till the very end. All of her novels are standalone books that may be read in any order.
Make contact with the author through her website, www.conniechappell.com. While you're there, sign up for her newsletter to learn about future releases.
In her Wrenn Grayson Mystery Series, Wrenn is a historian and archivist in her hometown of Havens, Ohio. Best Thrillers claims Wrenn’s one-of-a-kind investigative process will have readers flipping pages in her fast-paced mysteries. Chappell take readers into the world of small-town Ohio with its unique combination of local charm and unexpected intrigue. Blending history and modern-day sleuthing, these novels provide a delightfully witty cast of new and returning characters.
Her novel, Every Cloud, is a humorous family drama, packed with mystery, romance, and fun. Readers’ Favorite provided a five-star review. “The plot is engaging and paced with great skill, moving between characters’ individual stories in order to expertly keep the reader engaged at all times.”
The Wild Raspberries Trilogy is complete. These deeply emotional family dramas tell stories of love, loss, and second chances. They have touched the hearts of readers all across the country. The titles are: Wild Raspberries, Proper Goodbye, and Summers Only.
Chappell is the recipient of many writing awards and honors. The Ohio House of Representatives presented her with a commendation in 2019, honoring her writing skills.
Whether literary or mystery, Chappell’s characters are bound to captivate readers till the very end. All of her novels are standalone books that may be read in any order.
Make contact with the author through her website, www.conniechappell.com. While you're there, sign up for her newsletter to learn about future releases.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 11, 2017
First response: This was excellent! I never know what to expect from books that are women's lit rather than romance or mystery or such. I'm never sure what direction it will take. Or if I'll like it. Well, I sure liked this one. I'll have to write a full review in the morning. I always seem to finish a book at bedtime...
My Review:
This is a sequel to Wild Raspberries, though it is a standalone as well. If you read Wild Raspberries, you may remember the grief counselor, Beebe Walker. This book, Proper Goodbye, is her story. It was just released a month ago.
This is a wonderful book. It's full of the emotional messes that we all love to read in women's lit and the untangling of the stories to get to the truth that lies at the heart of the matter. And what lies at the heart of this mess is worth 300 pages! This is very well written. I really think Ms. Chappell has a knack for this genre. She knows how to convey all those twists and turns life takes when we're not watching. She brings out the best and worst in her characters just when they want to be wallflowers. She puts the right words in their mouths when they are really needed. Then sometimes they're the wrong words. She makes her characters real. They get caught listening at doors and are embarrassed. People are talking behind their backs, and there's a good reason for it.
This is such a great book, I think it needs to end up on my favorites list. I will definitely read it again. I highly recommend this to you and to anyone who likes a good puzzle of emotions and family messes. Keep this book in mind when they start looking for the best books written in 2016. Proper Goodbye needs to be on all the lists of bests.
This book was provided in ebook format by Black Rose Writing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions are fully my own.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review
My Review:
This is a sequel to Wild Raspberries, though it is a standalone as well. If you read Wild Raspberries, you may remember the grief counselor, Beebe Walker. This book, Proper Goodbye, is her story. It was just released a month ago.
This is a wonderful book. It's full of the emotional messes that we all love to read in women's lit and the untangling of the stories to get to the truth that lies at the heart of the matter. And what lies at the heart of this mess is worth 300 pages! This is very well written. I really think Ms. Chappell has a knack for this genre. She knows how to convey all those twists and turns life takes when we're not watching. She brings out the best and worst in her characters just when they want to be wallflowers. She puts the right words in their mouths when they are really needed. Then sometimes they're the wrong words. She makes her characters real. They get caught listening at doors and are embarrassed. People are talking behind their backs, and there's a good reason for it.
This is such a great book, I think it needs to end up on my favorites list. I will definitely read it again. I highly recommend this to you and to anyone who likes a good puzzle of emotions and family messes. Keep this book in mind when they start looking for the best books written in 2016. Proper Goodbye needs to be on all the lists of bests.
This book was provided in ebook format by Black Rose Writing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not being compensated in any way. All opinions are fully my own.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review
Want to read
December 2, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/2/2019)! 🎁
December 28, 2016
GNAB I received a free electronic copy of this Christian novel from Netgalley, Connie Chappell, and Black Rose Writing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.
This is an interesting novel, a fast read, and one that provokes mind games. Is Beebe's withdrawal from the church family a loss of faith, just a hiatus, or a necessary time out while she learns to handle the problems associated with her mother's long disappearance? Will she, like her father, wind herself around her pain and seal out the world? All of the characters in this novel are fully rounded, charismatic, and easily understood. It is a book I can easily recommend to friends and family.
pub date Dec 1
Rec Dec 21
Black Rose Writing
This is an interesting novel, a fast read, and one that provokes mind games. Is Beebe's withdrawal from the church family a loss of faith, just a hiatus, or a necessary time out while she learns to handle the problems associated with her mother's long disappearance? Will she, like her father, wind herself around her pain and seal out the world? All of the characters in this novel are fully rounded, charismatic, and easily understood. It is a book I can easily recommend to friends and family.
pub date Dec 1
Rec Dec 21
Black Rose Writing
January 5, 2017
This is a wonderful book that is well written and provides a great story with a secret to be solved in a typical small town in the Midwest. What a great idea to expand on the life of Beebe Walker, a minister and grief counselor that was introduced in the authors' first novel "Wild Raspberries". Instead of helping others, Beebe must now help herself and her father deal with loss, anger, heartbreak and mend their difficult relationship. I come from a small town and I find the characters (including the wonderful dog, Barleycorn) in the story to be believable and with the exception of a few, very lovable. Highly recommened.
May 7, 2020
Few things hurt a man more than his wife abandoning him and their young daughter because of a drug problem; him spending years not knowing where she is and if she’s alive or dead, then at last learning she passed away from AIDS. Cliff Walker has spent years in bitterness and solitude, having also pushed away their daughter, Beebe, whose face is a near-mirror image of her mother’s. Now, the news of her mother’s passing sets in motion Beebe’s return from Kansas home to Maryland, to attempt reconciliation with her father and ensure her mother a “Proper Goodbye.”
Author Chappell weaves the tapestry of the main story with many-colored threads to form the whole. Each character is essential to the main story, and like the complexities of real life, each character has his and her own story.
As a whole, her books on small-town America are much like a Norman Rockwell painting or an Aaron Copeland composition. On closer examination, the characters are less-than-perfect; they have their warts, and they have their struggles. But the love of her own town exudes through every pore of Ms. Chappell’s writing and portrays much of the idyllic life mankind should, upon finding, be grateful for and cultivate.
Author Chappell weaves the tapestry of the main story with many-colored threads to form the whole. Each character is essential to the main story, and like the complexities of real life, each character has his and her own story.
As a whole, her books on small-town America are much like a Norman Rockwell painting or an Aaron Copeland composition. On closer examination, the characters are less-than-perfect; they have their warts, and they have their struggles. But the love of her own town exudes through every pore of Ms. Chappell’s writing and portrays much of the idyllic life mankind should, upon finding, be grateful for and cultivate.
April 17, 2018
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review.
When Beebe Walker returns home, it is to confront the ghosts of the past. It is also to help her Father to move on, but she didn’t know this when she returns to live with her Father in his little care-taker cottage on the edge of the town’s cemetery.
This story is about facing your emotions and finding a way to work through them. It’s about human nature and real emotion. It holds a mirror up to ourselves and dares us to look at the image we see looking back.
When Beebe Walker returns home, it is to confront the ghosts of the past. It is also to help her Father to move on, but she didn’t know this when she returns to live with her Father in his little care-taker cottage on the edge of the town’s cemetery.
This story is about facing your emotions and finding a way to work through them. It’s about human nature and real emotion. It holds a mirror up to ourselves and dares us to look at the image we see looking back.
April 1, 2018
Thank you to Connie Chappell and Goodreads.com I won this book in a Giveaway.
Very original story, happiness and heartbreak included. This book is a "everyone comes into your life for a reason" and makes you truly ache for these characters that are all bound by one woman. One person can touch so many lives in such profoundly different ways.
Very original story, happiness and heartbreak included. This book is a "everyone comes into your life for a reason" and makes you truly ache for these characters that are all bound by one woman. One person can touch so many lives in such profoundly different ways.
May 8, 2017
A beautiful book
I loved this book about living and dying, about families and communities, about how we take care of our own. This was an in-depth and very human look at grief without being maudlin, and how the memories we keep give meaning to our living.
I loved this book about living and dying, about families and communities, about how we take care of our own. This was an in-depth and very human look at grief without being maudlin, and how the memories we keep give meaning to our living.
Read
August 15, 2018Well written novel, dragged quite a bit in the middle to late stages, I was reading on Kindle and kept checking how far until the end. But well developed characters and an interesting and emotionally complex story about who family really are to us when we don't know their full story.
April 5, 2019
A page turner with heart
I so enjoyed the characters & story line. All the twists, turns, & reality of real life just popped off the pages in a truly engaging story. It was real, raw, & written with heart.
I so enjoyed the characters & story line. All the twists, turns, & reality of real life just popped off the pages in a truly engaging story. It was real, raw, & written with heart.
October 13, 2020
Whats the proper goodbye for someone
I enjoyed reading proper goodbye is was a fast read once you start the book.very detailed very entertaining. Goodbye is hard but this was done perfectly.
I enjoyed reading proper goodbye is was a fast read once you start the book.very detailed very entertaining. Goodbye is hard but this was done perfectly.
July 11, 2017
I loved this book. What a wonderful coming together of family, strangers & community.
January 5, 2018
My cousin is a amazing writer. Her books just get better and better.
April 8, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads giveaway program. I found this book a bit boring at times as well as a bit depressing.
June 21, 2018
Good Solid Story
Greatly written. Took a bit yo get into. Enjoyed it and freely it was very solidly written. I would recommend.
Greatly written. Took a bit yo get into. Enjoyed it and freely it was very solidly written. I would recommend.
August 17, 2020
Not my kind of book at all.
February 4, 2017
In life, there are times when people must make big decisions. Decisions which will change their whole lives. In "Proper Goodbye," by Connie Chappell there are life changing decisions about careers, health and relationships. Along the way, there is the subtle reminder that what we choose to do or not do or how we choose to do it will have consequences.
I think especially about the pastor named Beebe. Ultimately, she decides to leave the ministry. This change in her life along with her work as a grief counselor in a funeral home will bring her back to an old problem. She must deal with the fact of leaving home and now whether she should go back home. She must deal with Victor Bostick, an ex-fiance too. Then, there is the abandonment an illness of her mother Abigail Walker who lives another life under an alias name. This woman has become so foreign to the family that the father cleans the grave of the wrong woman, the wrong wife and mother because he does not know she changed her name to Terri Miller. She is no longer Abigail Walker.
Life can become so complex. It helps to read about the characters in Kansas and Maryland who struggle with all sorts of problems. There is the thought that we never know where life will take us. This thought leaves no room for judgment.
At first, it is difficult to get use to the characters names and their relationships to one another. Then, it all smooths out. The characters become almost real and you begin to care deeply about their situations. I am grateful to the author, Connie Chappell. She leads the way for readers to look at social problems that are not addressed as loudly as in past years. I will look over her other titles in the future.
I think especially about the pastor named Beebe. Ultimately, she decides to leave the ministry. This change in her life along with her work as a grief counselor in a funeral home will bring her back to an old problem. She must deal with the fact of leaving home and now whether she should go back home. She must deal with Victor Bostick, an ex-fiance too. Then, there is the abandonment an illness of her mother Abigail Walker who lives another life under an alias name. This woman has become so foreign to the family that the father cleans the grave of the wrong woman, the wrong wife and mother because he does not know she changed her name to Terri Miller. She is no longer Abigail Walker.
Life can become so complex. It helps to read about the characters in Kansas and Maryland who struggle with all sorts of problems. There is the thought that we never know where life will take us. This thought leaves no room for judgment.
At first, it is difficult to get use to the characters names and their relationships to one another. Then, it all smooths out. The characters become almost real and you begin to care deeply about their situations. I am grateful to the author, Connie Chappell. She leads the way for readers to look at social problems that are not addressed as loudly as in past years. I will look over her other titles in the future.
February 1, 2017
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
Death, no matter how it happens, takes a toll on the living. It can bring people together or tear them apart. In the case of Abigail (also known as Terri), it helped reunite a father and daughter. Two people who were harboring a lot of anger and hurt, all centering around the abandonment of a wife and mother.
Abigail/Terri, like most of us, made some bad decisions in her life. In her case, she lost her family, job, respect, and her body to AIDS. However, despite her mistakes, she was a good person. She used her nursing skills to save lives. Unfortunately, through a chain of events, she couldn't be there for her family. An accident, painkillers, drug addiction and trouble with the law led to the loss of her loved ones.
For three decades, Cliff and Beebe had no clue if she was alive or dead. When you are faced with that question, you hold onto hope. When you finally get the answer, you must then face your true emotions and deal with them accordingly.
I can't imagine living in this type of limbo or the aftermath of such an event. Connie Chappell illustrated beautifully the pains, the internal battle people face in this type of predicament. She made a dark, dismal story come to life. After I read Proper Goodbye, I immediately hugged my family. I imagine you will too.
(Find more reviews/ratings at www.superkambrook.com)
Death, no matter how it happens, takes a toll on the living. It can bring people together or tear them apart. In the case of Abigail (also known as Terri), it helped reunite a father and daughter. Two people who were harboring a lot of anger and hurt, all centering around the abandonment of a wife and mother.
Abigail/Terri, like most of us, made some bad decisions in her life. In her case, she lost her family, job, respect, and her body to AIDS. However, despite her mistakes, she was a good person. She used her nursing skills to save lives. Unfortunately, through a chain of events, she couldn't be there for her family. An accident, painkillers, drug addiction and trouble with the law led to the loss of her loved ones.
For three decades, Cliff and Beebe had no clue if she was alive or dead. When you are faced with that question, you hold onto hope. When you finally get the answer, you must then face your true emotions and deal with them accordingly.
I can't imagine living in this type of limbo or the aftermath of such an event. Connie Chappell illustrated beautifully the pains, the internal battle people face in this type of predicament. She made a dark, dismal story come to life. After I read Proper Goodbye, I immediately hugged my family. I imagine you will too.
(Find more reviews/ratings at www.superkambrook.com)
December 18, 2016
2 Stars
This book is just okay.
It didn’t strike me as endearing or deeply moving. I got a little bored with it early on and it seemed to be a job just to get through the rest of the book. It really didn’t grab my attention. Just not for me, I guess.
Thanking Netgalley and Black Rose Writing for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel.
This book is just okay.
It didn’t strike me as endearing or deeply moving. I got a little bored with it early on and it seemed to be a job just to get through the rest of the book. It really didn’t grab my attention. Just not for me, I guess.
Thanking Netgalley and Black Rose Writing for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel.
March 30, 2017
I enjoyed this book very much. I admit, I purchased it because I wanted to see the types of books my new publisher, Black Rose Writing, took on and I wanted to see how their formatting compared to other publishers. Well, right from the start, I was impressed on all levels.
It's been awhile since I was grabbed by a story line right from the first page, but that did in deed occur with Proper Goodbye. The story and plot will appeal to both male and female readers. They will recognize the different challenges that crop up in life through Beebe's, Vincent's, Mosie's, Yates's, and Cliff's story lines and the readers will not only relate, but will cheer on each of them to climb over the hurdles that luck - or the lack thereof - thrust at them. Additionally, the reasons for Beebe's transition away from preaching and into a broader arena of service will resonate with many. I'm so glad I chose to read this novel and I am very happy with my decision to sign with this publisher.
It's been awhile since I was grabbed by a story line right from the first page, but that did in deed occur with Proper Goodbye. The story and plot will appeal to both male and female readers. They will recognize the different challenges that crop up in life through Beebe's, Vincent's, Mosie's, Yates's, and Cliff's story lines and the readers will not only relate, but will cheer on each of them to climb over the hurdles that luck - or the lack thereof - thrust at them. Additionally, the reasons for Beebe's transition away from preaching and into a broader arena of service will resonate with many. I'm so glad I chose to read this novel and I am very happy with my decision to sign with this publisher.
December 1, 2017
Proper Goodbye is a poignant story of love and loss. A mother mysteriously disappears and the family left behind spends years wondering what happened. Resolution comes from an unlikely source.
Abigail Walker is mother to a nine-year old daughter, Beebe. Her husband works in a cemetery. Abigail becomes injured in an accident and becomes addicted to painkillers. Working as a nurse in the nearby hospital, she becomes the subject of a scandal when she is caught stealing drugs. She leaves town, never to be seen again by anyone. Beebe and her father go on with their lives. Beebe becomes a pastor in a church in Kansas, and her father keeps his same job. Due to a complicated situation, Beebe ends up quitting her job and moving to Maryland, where she takes a job as a grief counselor.
Meanwhile, a man named Yates Strand transports a homeless woman named Terri Miller to a town called Larkspur, Michigan. She is dying of AIDS. Yates drops her off at a senior center, where she insists he leave her. Yates has known Terri for many years. He grew up learning many things from her. She saved his father’s life after a car accident. She was a wanderer, but she would end up in his town each summer. But Terri was there for his family during the loss of his mother too. Terri is taken in by the senior center, but dies soon after. Her last wishes are carried out by the man in charge of the center, Vincent Bostick. Eventually, Yates ends up working at the center as well.
The story involves how Terri’s last wishes become important to Beebe and her father and how they deal with this. Yates and Vincent help and so do others who knew Terri. It’s a very emotional story and readers should be prepared for lots of tears. But, it’s also a story of redemption and how people get closure. It’s complicated, but flows very well and is incredibly well-written. It explores the things that deeply motivate people and the way we have of hiding our secrets and burying them under the deepest emotions.
The book is very good and I enjoyed how well the author weaved the plot together by the end. It took a lot of work and it was done extremely well. The characters are all very realistic and have plenty of emotional depth to them, as well as thorough backstories. Dialog and flow of the story are excellent. The writing is top notch.
I give this book a very high rating. It was one of the best books I read all year.
Abigail Walker is mother to a nine-year old daughter, Beebe. Her husband works in a cemetery. Abigail becomes injured in an accident and becomes addicted to painkillers. Working as a nurse in the nearby hospital, she becomes the subject of a scandal when she is caught stealing drugs. She leaves town, never to be seen again by anyone. Beebe and her father go on with their lives. Beebe becomes a pastor in a church in Kansas, and her father keeps his same job. Due to a complicated situation, Beebe ends up quitting her job and moving to Maryland, where she takes a job as a grief counselor.
Meanwhile, a man named Yates Strand transports a homeless woman named Terri Miller to a town called Larkspur, Michigan. She is dying of AIDS. Yates drops her off at a senior center, where she insists he leave her. Yates has known Terri for many years. He grew up learning many things from her. She saved his father’s life after a car accident. She was a wanderer, but she would end up in his town each summer. But Terri was there for his family during the loss of his mother too. Terri is taken in by the senior center, but dies soon after. Her last wishes are carried out by the man in charge of the center, Vincent Bostick. Eventually, Yates ends up working at the center as well.
The story involves how Terri’s last wishes become important to Beebe and her father and how they deal with this. Yates and Vincent help and so do others who knew Terri. It’s a very emotional story and readers should be prepared for lots of tears. But, it’s also a story of redemption and how people get closure. It’s complicated, but flows very well and is incredibly well-written. It explores the things that deeply motivate people and the way we have of hiding our secrets and burying them under the deepest emotions.
The book is very good and I enjoyed how well the author weaved the plot together by the end. It took a lot of work and it was done extremely well. The characters are all very realistic and have plenty of emotional depth to them, as well as thorough backstories. Dialog and flow of the story are excellent. The writing is top notch.
I give this book a very high rating. It was one of the best books I read all year.
April 13, 2018
Thanks to Goodreads for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a different type story for me to read, the characters were deep, they had their own flaws, but they were all good hearted, with the desire to help people. This was a very thought provoking book, with many deep hidden lessons of true love and forgiveness. I enjoyed this book and would reccomend it.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews