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So Long, Chester Wheeler
Unlikely road trip companions form an unexpected bond in an uplifting novel about the past—lost and found—by the New York Times and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author.
Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask.
Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years—for the last time. One week, two thousand miles. To Lewis, it becomes an illuminating journey into the life and secrets of a vulnerable man he’s finally beginning to understand. A neighbor, a stranger, and a surprising new friend whose closure on a conflicted past is also just beginning.
So Long, Chester Wheeler is an uplifting novel about looking deeper into the heart and soul to form bonds with the last people we’d expect—only to discover that they’re the ones who need it most.
Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask.
Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years—for the last time. One week, two thousand miles. To Lewis, it becomes an illuminating journey into the life and secrets of a vulnerable man he’s finally beginning to understand. A neighbor, a stranger, and a surprising new friend whose closure on a conflicted past is also just beginning.
So Long, Chester Wheeler is an uplifting novel about looking deeper into the heart and soul to form bonds with the last people we’d expect—only to discover that they’re the ones who need it most.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2022
3317 people are currently reading
7518 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Ryan Hyde
72 books6,159 followersCatherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than 50 published and forthcoming books.
She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.
Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.
Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.
You can learn much more about Catherine at www.catherineryanhyde.com
She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.
Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.
Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.
You can learn much more about Catherine at www.catherineryanhyde.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,188 reviews
October 27, 2022
Catherine Ryan Howard writes a delightful character driven novel with oodles of charm as it explores the surprising intergenerational relationship that develops between 24 year old gay software developer living in Buffalo, Lewis Madigan, and his unbearable hateful and homophobic neighbour, 70 year old Chester Wheeler, a man no-one can stand, including his own children, suffering from terminal cancer. Lewis's life has fallen apart, he has lost his job, and Tim, his partner has left him, taking their entire savings. Short of money, wondering how he is going to make his rent and pay his bills, he finally gives in to the desperate Ellie, Chester's daughter, at her wit's end, by agreeing to be Chester's carer, knowing it will be a stressful and demanding role. When Chester suddenly starts being nice, Lewis knows something is up, what is he after?
It turns out Chester wants to travel 2000 miles to Arizona in his Winnebago to see his ex-wife, Sue. Lewis doesn't want to be that guy, the man refusing to grant a dying man's last wish, even though he expects the trip to be an absolute nightmare. He is not wrong as his anxiety levels rise, it is exhausting, particularly as Chester's health visibly deteriorates and his grating personality saps and drains his energy. However, odd chinks of light appear, there is the beauty of the landscape, such as the red rock and cacti country, and Chester begins to use words like sorry, please, thanks, and friend. No, Chester has not radically changed, but there is movement, on both sides, as Lewis becomes aware of and starts to see how Chester came to be who he is, the breakdown of his marriage and how he lost touch with his children. What Lewis was not expecting is to be a different man than the one he used to be before the road trip.
The author has a keen eye for the finer details of the poignant relationship of growth between two men from different generations and circumstances, capturing the grace, heartbreak, humanity, and the flaws of being human, whilst probing beneath the surface of people who might be deemed difficult characters, making me both laugh and cry. This is a beautifully written, beguiling and heartwarming story, of judgements, forgiveness, life, love, loss, grief, shot through with wisdom. It was wonderful to see Lewis re-evaluate his life and identity, consolidated further when he meets Brian Kennedy, illustrated in the epilogue with his trip with Estelle. I recommend this highly, and can see many readers loving this as much as I do. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
It turns out Chester wants to travel 2000 miles to Arizona in his Winnebago to see his ex-wife, Sue. Lewis doesn't want to be that guy, the man refusing to grant a dying man's last wish, even though he expects the trip to be an absolute nightmare. He is not wrong as his anxiety levels rise, it is exhausting, particularly as Chester's health visibly deteriorates and his grating personality saps and drains his energy. However, odd chinks of light appear, there is the beauty of the landscape, such as the red rock and cacti country, and Chester begins to use words like sorry, please, thanks, and friend. No, Chester has not radically changed, but there is movement, on both sides, as Lewis becomes aware of and starts to see how Chester came to be who he is, the breakdown of his marriage and how he lost touch with his children. What Lewis was not expecting is to be a different man than the one he used to be before the road trip.
The author has a keen eye for the finer details of the poignant relationship of growth between two men from different generations and circumstances, capturing the grace, heartbreak, humanity, and the flaws of being human, whilst probing beneath the surface of people who might be deemed difficult characters, making me both laugh and cry. This is a beautifully written, beguiling and heartwarming story, of judgements, forgiveness, life, love, loss, grief, shot through with wisdom. It was wonderful to see Lewis re-evaluate his life and identity, consolidated further when he meets Brian Kennedy, illustrated in the epilogue with his trip with Estelle. I recommend this highly, and can see many readers loving this as much as I do. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
December 4, 2022
In a Nutshell: The book was decent. But I didn’t connect with it as much as I had wanted to. Contained no surprises. Mostly predictable. Repetitive ending/epilogue. Not the author’s best work, by far.
Story Synopsis:
Where the story worked for me:
✔ Very fast-paced despite a relaxed plot.
✔ Quite a few thought-provoking quotes.
✔ Some funny scenes, especially in the conversations between Lewis and Chester.
✔ The parts about a caregiver’s role in a dying patient’s life were beautifully written.
✔ Covers nice themes such as forgiveness, relationships, heartbreaks, and emotional connections.
✔ As a coming-of-age story, the book works pretty well. Though Chester is almost seventy, the coming-of-age aspect is applicable as much to him as to Lewis. I love how the author didn’t turn Chester goody-goody just for the sake of it. He remains a grump, though to a toned-down degree.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ Flat characters despite the potential. Lewis is a software programmer who doesn’t even try searching any job once he is roped in to take care of Chester. If he were so unhappy, he surely would have at least looked for options online, no matter how bad the economy. Similarly, Chester’s daughter Ellie complained to Lewis that she doesn’t have funds for a fulltime caregiver. But the way she spends during the rest of the story contradicts her original claim.
❌ For some reason, I just didn’t feel emotionally connected neither to the plot nor to the characters. Chester was anyway tough to like because of his brashness and extreme homophobia, but Lewis should have generated a greater empathy. His change in thinking was too easy to be believable. He was like a football who rolled wherever life kicked him – no will of his own.
❌ I know such books are clichéd but this one took the cake. Not a single surprise throughout the 300 pages.
❌ The epilogue is needlessly extended and gives off déjà vu vibes. You’ll know why if you read it.
❌ Chester is a homophobe, so there are some triggering sentences in his dialogues against Lewis, who is gay. The homophobic elements feel way over the top, though this could be attributed to Chester, who is vehement in his hatred.
❌ The writing is somewhat repetitive. A part of this could be because of the first person narration of Lewis, who seems overly fond of adverbs and redundancies.
Overall, it is a decent story about the coming-of-age of a gay man in his early twenties and a dying curmudgeonly homophobe in his late sixties. But there was nothing memorable in the book. I read it, I liked it enough, I will forget it soon.
I love this author but this isn’t her best work, at least for me. I know she is capable of delivering much better.
At the same time, do note that this is a somewhat outlier review. Most of my friends here have adored this book. So if you do give it a try, I hope you love it far more than I did.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “So Long, Chester Wheeler”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
Story Synopsis:
Twenty-four-year-old Lewis lives next door to the ‘most irritating man in the world’, Chester Wheeler. Chester is a senior citizen battling terminal cancer, but this doesn’t make him likeable. However, when Lewis loses his job and the only offer available to him is to provide end-of-life care to Chester, Lewis has no choice but to accept it. Chester’s final wish is to drive to Arizona (they live in Buffalo) to meet his ex-wife after thirty-two years. Thus begins a road trip that will prove life-changing to both of them in myriad ways.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Lewis.
Where the story worked for me:
✔ Very fast-paced despite a relaxed plot.
✔ Quite a few thought-provoking quotes.
✔ Some funny scenes, especially in the conversations between Lewis and Chester.
✔ The parts about a caregiver’s role in a dying patient’s life were beautifully written.
✔ Covers nice themes such as forgiveness, relationships, heartbreaks, and emotional connections.
✔ As a coming-of-age story, the book works pretty well. Though Chester is almost seventy, the coming-of-age aspect is applicable as much to him as to Lewis. I love how the author didn’t turn Chester goody-goody just for the sake of it. He remains a grump, though to a toned-down degree.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ Flat characters despite the potential. Lewis is a software programmer who doesn’t even try searching any job once he is roped in to take care of Chester. If he were so unhappy, he surely would have at least looked for options online, no matter how bad the economy. Similarly, Chester’s daughter Ellie complained to Lewis that she doesn’t have funds for a fulltime caregiver. But the way she spends during the rest of the story contradicts her original claim.
❌ For some reason, I just didn’t feel emotionally connected neither to the plot nor to the characters. Chester was anyway tough to like because of his brashness and extreme homophobia, but Lewis should have generated a greater empathy. His change in thinking was too easy to be believable. He was like a football who rolled wherever life kicked him – no will of his own.
❌ I know such books are clichéd but this one took the cake. Not a single surprise throughout the 300 pages.
❌ The epilogue is needlessly extended and gives off déjà vu vibes. You’ll know why if you read it.
❌ Chester is a homophobe, so there are some triggering sentences in his dialogues against Lewis, who is gay. The homophobic elements feel way over the top, though this could be attributed to Chester, who is vehement in his hatred.
❌ The writing is somewhat repetitive. A part of this could be because of the first person narration of Lewis, who seems overly fond of adverbs and redundancies.
Overall, it is a decent story about the coming-of-age of a gay man in his early twenties and a dying curmudgeonly homophobe in his late sixties. But there was nothing memorable in the book. I read it, I liked it enough, I will forget it soon.
I love this author but this isn’t her best work, at least for me. I know she is capable of delivering much better.
At the same time, do note that this is a somewhat outlier review. Most of my friends here have adored this book. So if you do give it a try, I hope you love it far more than I did.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “So Long, Chester Wheeler”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
August 21, 2022
5 stars + extra credit
Oh my, yet another winner from one of my top 5 favorite authors! I am amazed by how Ms. Hyde continues to churn out these wonderful novels twice yearly, year after year after year. I discovered her rather late and have only read, I believe, 7 of her books, but all have received 5 stars from me. This newest book is outstanding in its own right but earns extra credit by breaking my 2-month book slump where I much preferred watching MSNBC, Twins baseball, or playing Worldle/Wordosis/Word Guess to reading.
So Long, Chester Wheeler checked all the boxes for me—something Ms. Hyde does every time:
-There are usually dual protagonists with an older person and a younger one, with the former teaching life lessons to the younger (though it can go both ways). Check.
-These life lessons always extend to the reader, lessons that even us oldsters can take advantage of. Check.
-There is realism, both in characters and plot. Check.
-There is humor. Check.
-There is excellent dialogue. Check.
-There is wonderful flow and pace. Check.
-There is a dynamite epilogue. Definitely a check.
-There is friendship and love (the latter usually not romantic nor central to the story). Check.
-There are plenty of feelings and there is always something about the book that will evoke a tear or three. Check.
In this novel, 24-year-old, out-of-work, out-of-cash, and recently-dumped Lewis engages in the roadshow of his life (in a creaky old Winnebago no less) with the dying, wretched, most cantankerous old man Chester Wheeler. This is probably both the most miserable and the most enlightening time of Lewis’ life. He goes in lost, broke, and clueless about his future and comes out of the experience with a jump start on the rest of his life. It was tough to put the book down and is one of my very best reads of the year. The epilogue is like icing on the cake—a real forte of Ms. Hyde’s. At the end I shed a few tears because it was over, and I’ll miss Lewis and his adventures. My game plan is to think about busting up my current reading schedule and find myself another CRH book to dig into NOW instead of next year some time. Yes, I think that would be a fine plan. Thank you, Ms. Hyde.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Hyde for an advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Oh my, yet another winner from one of my top 5 favorite authors! I am amazed by how Ms. Hyde continues to churn out these wonderful novels twice yearly, year after year after year. I discovered her rather late and have only read, I believe, 7 of her books, but all have received 5 stars from me. This newest book is outstanding in its own right but earns extra credit by breaking my 2-month book slump where I much preferred watching MSNBC, Twins baseball, or playing Worldle/Wordosis/Word Guess to reading.
So Long, Chester Wheeler checked all the boxes for me—something Ms. Hyde does every time:
-There are usually dual protagonists with an older person and a younger one, with the former teaching life lessons to the younger (though it can go both ways). Check.
-These life lessons always extend to the reader, lessons that even us oldsters can take advantage of. Check.
-There is realism, both in characters and plot. Check.
-There is humor. Check.
-There is excellent dialogue. Check.
-There is wonderful flow and pace. Check.
-There is a dynamite epilogue. Definitely a check.
-There is friendship and love (the latter usually not romantic nor central to the story). Check.
-There are plenty of feelings and there is always something about the book that will evoke a tear or three. Check.
In this novel, 24-year-old, out-of-work, out-of-cash, and recently-dumped Lewis engages in the roadshow of his life (in a creaky old Winnebago no less) with the dying, wretched, most cantankerous old man Chester Wheeler. This is probably both the most miserable and the most enlightening time of Lewis’ life. He goes in lost, broke, and clueless about his future and comes out of the experience with a jump start on the rest of his life. It was tough to put the book down and is one of my very best reads of the year. The epilogue is like icing on the cake—a real forte of Ms. Hyde’s. At the end I shed a few tears because it was over, and I’ll miss Lewis and his adventures. My game plan is to think about busting up my current reading schedule and find myself another CRH book to dig into NOW instead of next year some time. Yes, I think that would be a fine plan. Thank you, Ms. Hyde.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Hyde for an advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
January 9, 2023
EXCERPT: . . . I wandered over to the only closed bedroom door. I stood in front of it, breathing purposefully, for what felt like a long time.
Then I rapped softly. Very softly.
Chester's gravelly voice came back at me immediately. It was not soft.
'Leave me alone, Ellie.'
'It's not Ellie,' I said through the door. 'It's me, Lewis. Can I open the door?'
'I don't care. I don't need you here. Just go away and leave me on my own. I'll call you if I'm dying.'
'I'm going to open the door now, Chester.'
'No, do not open that door.'
I opened the door.
The room was dusty and depressingly dim. Everything had such a dank feel, and the air was so heavy it was almost too thick to breathe. It felt weirdly like being under water.
He was sitting in his wheelchair by the window, as though looking out, but he couldn't possibly have been looking out because the shades were drawn. That seemed odd. Then again, it was Chester Wheeler. Did I expect anything non-odd?
ABOUT 'SO LONG, CHESTER WHEELER': Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask.
Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years—for the last time. One week, two thousand miles. To Lewis, it becomes an illuminating journey into the life and secrets of a vulnerable man he’s finally beginning to understand. A neighbor, a stranger, and a surprising new friend whose closure on a conflicted past is also just beginning.
MY THOUGHTS: So Long, Chester Wheeler is a quietly important book. Most of the read, it felt quite ordinary. But every now and then there were these 'WOW!' moments. And it's those moments that matter.
This is a reminder that everyone has a past, a story, that has helped form the person that they are today. And until we know that story we have no right to judge.
I loved the parts about the caregiving to the elderly and dying. It's a very special and undervalued role. It's not all about wiping bottoms and cleaning up messes. It's also about listening and providing emotional support.
Despite his being a curmudgeonly old grump, I loved Chester's character. There's brilliant dialogue between Chester and Lewis; some is touching, some is funny, some is downright sad.
I felt that the epilogue was totally unnecessary. It really doesn't add anything of value to the story.
There are a number of valuable life lessons woven seamlessly into this book. As I said earlier, it's a quiet book. CRH doesn't slap the reader around the ears with a piece of 4 x 2 and say 'You need to take this lesson away from this story.' I think we will all take different things away, as we should.
Although I don't think this is her best work, 'So Long, Chester Wheeler' is definitely worth reading.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#SoLongChesterWheeler #NetGalley
I: @catherineryanhyde @amazonpublishing
T: @cryanhyde @AmazonPub
#contemporaryfiction #deathanddying #romance
THE AUTHOR: I am the author of more than 30 published and forthcoming books. I'm an avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan-Hyde for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinion.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Then I rapped softly. Very softly.
Chester's gravelly voice came back at me immediately. It was not soft.
'Leave me alone, Ellie.'
'It's not Ellie,' I said through the door. 'It's me, Lewis. Can I open the door?'
'I don't care. I don't need you here. Just go away and leave me on my own. I'll call you if I'm dying.'
'I'm going to open the door now, Chester.'
'No, do not open that door.'
I opened the door.
The room was dusty and depressingly dim. Everything had such a dank feel, and the air was so heavy it was almost too thick to breathe. It felt weirdly like being under water.
He was sitting in his wheelchair by the window, as though looking out, but he couldn't possibly have been looking out because the shades were drawn. That seemed odd. Then again, it was Chester Wheeler. Did I expect anything non-odd?
ABOUT 'SO LONG, CHESTER WHEELER': Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask.
Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years—for the last time. One week, two thousand miles. To Lewis, it becomes an illuminating journey into the life and secrets of a vulnerable man he’s finally beginning to understand. A neighbor, a stranger, and a surprising new friend whose closure on a conflicted past is also just beginning.
MY THOUGHTS: So Long, Chester Wheeler is a quietly important book. Most of the read, it felt quite ordinary. But every now and then there were these 'WOW!' moments. And it's those moments that matter.
This is a reminder that everyone has a past, a story, that has helped form the person that they are today. And until we know that story we have no right to judge.
I loved the parts about the caregiving to the elderly and dying. It's a very special and undervalued role. It's not all about wiping bottoms and cleaning up messes. It's also about listening and providing emotional support.
Despite his being a curmudgeonly old grump, I loved Chester's character. There's brilliant dialogue between Chester and Lewis; some is touching, some is funny, some is downright sad.
I felt that the epilogue was totally unnecessary. It really doesn't add anything of value to the story.
There are a number of valuable life lessons woven seamlessly into this book. As I said earlier, it's a quiet book. CRH doesn't slap the reader around the ears with a piece of 4 x 2 and say 'You need to take this lesson away from this story.' I think we will all take different things away, as we should.
Although I don't think this is her best work, 'So Long, Chester Wheeler' is definitely worth reading.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#SoLongChesterWheeler #NetGalley
I: @catherineryanhyde @amazonpublishing
T: @cryanhyde @AmazonPub
#contemporaryfiction #deathanddying #romance
THE AUTHOR: I am the author of more than 30 published and forthcoming books. I'm an avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan-Hyde for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinion.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 19, 2023
I always get excited when Catherine Ryan Hyde writes a new book. In her newest book, So Long, Chester Wheeler, she chose to pair two of the most unlikely people to ever get along together. Lewis Madigan and Chester Wheeler were neighbors in Buffalo. Chester Wheeler was an older man of 70. Everyone that knew Chester saw him as being a hateful, manipulative, nasty and obstinate man. Even his own children felt that way. Lewis had the misfortune of being Chester’s neighbor. Unfortunately, neighbors cannot be selected. Some people were lucky and ended up with friendly, considerate and caring neighbors. Others ended up with neighbors who minded their own business but were polite. Lewis ended up with Chester Wheeler, a very vocal homophobic neighbor. He tried to avoid Chester at all times. Lewis had come to detest Chester since he was such a vengeful old man.
Lewis, a twenty-four year old gay man had just experienced the worst day of his life. He worked in computer development and had recently been promised a promotion and a raise. To Lewis’s dismay, he was handed a pink slip instead. Lewis was out of a job. To make matters even worse, Lewis arrived home to find his boyfriend’s car packed and ready to leave. Lewis and his boyfriend had discussed moving from Buffalo to California. They had been saving to make the move. When Lewis arrived home, he discovered that his boyfriend was going to California without Lewis and had absconded all the money that they had saved. The icing on the cake was that Chester Wheeler was outside on his porch and had witnessed the entire thing. Of course Chester made homophobic remarks to Lewis about his boyfriend leaving him. What else could go wrong that day?
Chester Wheeler was terminally ill. He was confined to a wheelchair. Chester needed round the clock care. Lewis observed, that Chester being Chester, he had driven away each and every health care aide that came to take care of him. Chester’s daughter, finally, was given no choice but to come and take care of her father herself. The only problem was that her daughter was about to give birth and she needed to be with her daughter. Chester’s daughter needed someone to provide end of life care for her father and Lewis needed money desperately. Even though Lewis had no health care experience and he disliked Chester adamantly, he decided to take the job of caring for Chester. Lewis and Chester fell into a routine and Lewis was determined to fulfill his promise. No matter how difficult Chester was Lewis would do what he needed to do. Then Chester made a request. Chester’s dying wish was to go to Arizona to see his ex-wife one last time and get closure. How could Lewis deny a dying man, even if it was Chester, his last wish? Lewis and Chester traveled in Chester’s Winnebago to Arizona. That trip would change the way Lewis viewed Chester, their relationship and the way Lewis saw himself.
Catherine Ryan Hyde proved once again to be a masterful storyteller. This uplifting story was character driven and well plotted. I enjoyed how Lewis’s life came full circle and how he came to embrace the changes in his life. So Long, Chester Wheeler, brought the realization to fruition that you cannot always judge a book by its cover. Sometimes unforeseen situations can mask what was really there all along. I really enjoyed reading So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde and highly recommend it. Publication is set for December 6, 2022.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lewis, a twenty-four year old gay man had just experienced the worst day of his life. He worked in computer development and had recently been promised a promotion and a raise. To Lewis’s dismay, he was handed a pink slip instead. Lewis was out of a job. To make matters even worse, Lewis arrived home to find his boyfriend’s car packed and ready to leave. Lewis and his boyfriend had discussed moving from Buffalo to California. They had been saving to make the move. When Lewis arrived home, he discovered that his boyfriend was going to California without Lewis and had absconded all the money that they had saved. The icing on the cake was that Chester Wheeler was outside on his porch and had witnessed the entire thing. Of course Chester made homophobic remarks to Lewis about his boyfriend leaving him. What else could go wrong that day?
Chester Wheeler was terminally ill. He was confined to a wheelchair. Chester needed round the clock care. Lewis observed, that Chester being Chester, he had driven away each and every health care aide that came to take care of him. Chester’s daughter, finally, was given no choice but to come and take care of her father herself. The only problem was that her daughter was about to give birth and she needed to be with her daughter. Chester’s daughter needed someone to provide end of life care for her father and Lewis needed money desperately. Even though Lewis had no health care experience and he disliked Chester adamantly, he decided to take the job of caring for Chester. Lewis and Chester fell into a routine and Lewis was determined to fulfill his promise. No matter how difficult Chester was Lewis would do what he needed to do. Then Chester made a request. Chester’s dying wish was to go to Arizona to see his ex-wife one last time and get closure. How could Lewis deny a dying man, even if it was Chester, his last wish? Lewis and Chester traveled in Chester’s Winnebago to Arizona. That trip would change the way Lewis viewed Chester, their relationship and the way Lewis saw himself.
Catherine Ryan Hyde proved once again to be a masterful storyteller. This uplifting story was character driven and well plotted. I enjoyed how Lewis’s life came full circle and how he came to embrace the changes in his life. So Long, Chester Wheeler, brought the realization to fruition that you cannot always judge a book by its cover. Sometimes unforeseen situations can mask what was really there all along. I really enjoyed reading So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde and highly recommend it. Publication is set for December 6, 2022.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2022
Author Catherine Ryan Hyde has become a favorite author of mine. My usual genres are biographies and historical fiction, but Hyde's emotive fiction novels have become a reliable and welcome palate cleanser. At one point while reading this the tears started falling and I thought, "She's done it again!"
Twenty-Four year old Lewis had one of those bad luck days when he lost his software developer job, then came home to his boyfriend suddenly moving out. His next door neighbor was a wheelchair bound carmudgeon in his late sixties named Chester Wheeler. Whenever Lewis had the misfortune to encounter Chester he would be subjected to homophobic verbal abuse such as being called "fruity". Also, Lewis would always notice a different hired caretaker because they would always quit.
Well, a really bad day got even worse when Lewis got a knock on the door from Chester's daughter, offering Lewis the job as his temporary caretaker until something else could be figured out. It was a desperate situation because her daughter was soon to give birth and she needed to fly home. Lewis certainly needed the money and felt compassion for Chester's daughter, so agreed to help. It was a bitter pill, though, because Chester had always been so vile and rude to him. The plot thickens when its revealed that Chester has a Winnebago and a fierce desire to travel to Arizona to see his ex-wife Sue who he hadn't seen in thirty-two years. It turns out that Chester has advanced cancer and not long to live. So of course this book has all the "feels" including end of life issues, conflicting personalities, finding one's purpose in life, resolving differences and saying goodbye.
I plowed through the book very quickly and effortlessly, carried away by this lovely story. Highly recommended, especially if you like poignant reads.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
November 7, 2022
While this had a slightly different feel than some other Catherine Ryan Hyde novels, it’s like her other work in that it’s beautifully written and filled with uplifting messages that seem organic (as opposed to feeling like I’m being bonked over the head with you-should-take-away-this-meaning-from-this-part-of-the-book).
Lewis Morgan is a 24-year-old computer programmer who has been told he’s about to get a significant raise but instead gets a pink slip. Losing his job couldn’t come at a worse time because when he gets home, his boyfriend is packing up his car and leaving him, meaning not only does Lewis have to deal with the loss of a relationship, he no longer has a roommate to help with rent.
His homophobic neighbor Chester Wheeler is constantly throwing insults his way, often using the term “fruit.” But Chester, who uses a wheelchair, has burned through so many home healthcare aides, the only child he has who is still talking to him has taken over, but desperately trying to get home to her daughter, who’s about to go into labor and make her a grandmother for the first time. She offers Lewis a significant amount of money to watch Chester, just for the week, while she goes home to her daughter through birth and then can try to find anyone else willing to come in to help. Desperate for the money, he figures he can survive anything for the week.
Chester asks Lewis to fulfill his dying wish, which involves getting the Winnebago out of storage and traveling from Buffalo, NY, to Phoenix, AZ. As you can imagine, the trip changes both of them.
I really enjoyed this novel, and I wish I had Lewis’s patience dealing with difficult people. This is up there with my favorite CRH books, and I’ve read many.
NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of this book, which RELEASES DECEMEBER 6, 2022.
Lewis Morgan is a 24-year-old computer programmer who has been told he’s about to get a significant raise but instead gets a pink slip. Losing his job couldn’t come at a worse time because when he gets home, his boyfriend is packing up his car and leaving him, meaning not only does Lewis have to deal with the loss of a relationship, he no longer has a roommate to help with rent.
His homophobic neighbor Chester Wheeler is constantly throwing insults his way, often using the term “fruit.” But Chester, who uses a wheelchair, has burned through so many home healthcare aides, the only child he has who is still talking to him has taken over, but desperately trying to get home to her daughter, who’s about to go into labor and make her a grandmother for the first time. She offers Lewis a significant amount of money to watch Chester, just for the week, while she goes home to her daughter through birth and then can try to find anyone else willing to come in to help. Desperate for the money, he figures he can survive anything for the week.
Chester asks Lewis to fulfill his dying wish, which involves getting the Winnebago out of storage and traveling from Buffalo, NY, to Phoenix, AZ. As you can imagine, the trip changes both of them.
I really enjoyed this novel, and I wish I had Lewis’s patience dealing with difficult people. This is up there with my favorite CRH books, and I’ve read many.
NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of this book, which RELEASES DECEMEBER 6, 2022.
February 17, 2023
4 Stars
November 17, 2022
Publication Date: 06th Dec 2022
3.7 Stars
One liner: Heartwarming but not enough
Lewis Madigan is having the worst time of his life. He lost his job, the market is dull, and has no money to pay the rent. Having a rude, homophobic old man in a wheelchair as a neighbor frustrates him even more. But desperate times call for desperate measures. He agrees to become a temporary caregiver for his neighbor, Chester Wheeler.
As if that isn’t enough, Lewis feels compelled to take Chester on a drive to Arizona to meet his ex-wife. Driving Chester in a Winnebago and becoming a part of his complicated life wasn’t Lewis’ plan. But he does it anyway.
Lewis is more than surprised to learn more about the dying old man’s past. Their friendship forms a new beginning in his life… but Chester has only days left on this earth.
The story comes from the first-person POV of Lewis.
My Thoughts:
I read Dreaming of Flight by the author and loved it. Though I wasn’t expecting a similar story, I did want the same kind of feeling. This one delivers only 70% of it.
The writing is easy to follow. Lewis is 24 years old and sounds almost close to his age (and like a late teen at times). He grows assertive as the story progresses, so that’s good to read.
The premise is very good, but the execution seemed more on the surface level. Chester’s homophobia is the only thing that seems emphatic and disturbing. The rest of the emotions were sorted a little too quickly. What’s more, it feels like the author doesn’t want readers to see too deep into Chester’s past. We get bits and pieces and have to weave a story on our own.
Monetary troubles are real in any country. Here Lewis has money issues, but they are sorted out without much effort. The only thing is that he has to take care of Chester for the time being. Ellie seems to be super generous with finances. I sure wouldn’t say no to a fairy godmother like her!
Sue’s character is well done, though she gets limited space. Her arc is more implied, but it is still a better arc in the book.
Lewis is a sweet guy. He knows to draw boundaries and still be caring toward others. The book is his coming-of-age story as well. But it’s not seamless for two reasons.
The last chapter/ epilogue is a short story in itself. I was ready to get a rough gist of Lewis as a happy man in his new career and with a thriving love life. What I get is another story half-similar to Chester in a condensed form. Let’s say it did nothing to make me feel warm, say aww… or get teary-eyed.
To Summarize, So Long, Chester Wheeler is a heartwarming story about dealing with life and learning to grow with grace. I wish it was better edited to up the emotional quotient.
Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #SoLongChesterWheeler
3.7 Stars
One liner: Heartwarming but not enough
Lewis Madigan is having the worst time of his life. He lost his job, the market is dull, and has no money to pay the rent. Having a rude, homophobic old man in a wheelchair as a neighbor frustrates him even more. But desperate times call for desperate measures. He agrees to become a temporary caregiver for his neighbor, Chester Wheeler.
As if that isn’t enough, Lewis feels compelled to take Chester on a drive to Arizona to meet his ex-wife. Driving Chester in a Winnebago and becoming a part of his complicated life wasn’t Lewis’ plan. But he does it anyway.
Lewis is more than surprised to learn more about the dying old man’s past. Their friendship forms a new beginning in his life… but Chester has only days left on this earth.
The story comes from the first-person POV of Lewis.
My Thoughts:
I read Dreaming of Flight by the author and loved it. Though I wasn’t expecting a similar story, I did want the same kind of feeling. This one delivers only 70% of it.
The writing is easy to follow. Lewis is 24 years old and sounds almost close to his age (and like a late teen at times). He grows assertive as the story progresses, so that’s good to read.
The premise is very good, but the execution seemed more on the surface level. Chester’s homophobia is the only thing that seems emphatic and disturbing. The rest of the emotions were sorted a little too quickly. What’s more, it feels like the author doesn’t want readers to see too deep into Chester’s past. We get bits and pieces and have to weave a story on our own.
Monetary troubles are real in any country. Here Lewis has money issues, but they are sorted out without much effort. The only thing is that he has to take care of Chester for the time being. Ellie seems to be super generous with finances. I sure wouldn’t say no to a fairy godmother like her!
Sue’s character is well done, though she gets limited space. Her arc is more implied, but it is still a better arc in the book.
Lewis is a sweet guy. He knows to draw boundaries and still be caring toward others. The book is his coming-of-age story as well. But it’s not seamless for two reasons.
The last chapter/ epilogue is a short story in itself. I was ready to get a rough gist of Lewis as a happy man in his new career and with a thriving love life. What I get is another story half-similar to Chester in a condensed form. Let’s say it did nothing to make me feel warm, say aww… or get teary-eyed.
To Summarize, So Long, Chester Wheeler is a heartwarming story about dealing with life and learning to grow with grace. I wish it was better edited to up the emotional quotient.
Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #SoLongChesterWheeler
December 2, 2022
Lewis Madigan is a young gay man who has just lost his job and his partner has left him. He agrees to look after his older neighbor Chester Wheeler who has cancer and is nearing the end of his life. Chester is very cantankerous and disliked by pretty much everybody. In order to fulfill Chester's last wish to see his ex-wife, Lewis and Chester set out in Chester's old Winnebago to travel from Buffalo to Arizona.
This was an enjoyable read with some uplifting moments and lots of humour. Chester and Lewis each came to some realizations about themselves during the trip. I shuddered to imagine Lewis driving that "boat" through many different States and held my breath every time he had to get Chester out of the RV or help him take care of business (bodily functions!) as Chester is in a wheelchair and unable to stand or walk on his own. I had to laugh when Lewis described making a "thousand-point turn" trying to get out of a neighbourhood. The book is well written, the characters are believable and the chapters are a good length.
My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
This was an enjoyable read with some uplifting moments and lots of humour. Chester and Lewis each came to some realizations about themselves during the trip. I shuddered to imagine Lewis driving that "boat" through many different States and held my breath every time he had to get Chester out of the RV or help him take care of business (bodily functions!) as Chester is in a wheelchair and unable to stand or walk on his own. I had to laugh when Lewis described making a "thousand-point turn" trying to get out of a neighbourhood. The book is well written, the characters are believable and the chapters are a good length.
My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
January 31, 2023
I mean the part about learning enough about him that I started to understand him. Because somewhere along the line … somewhere down the road in this process I got something. All the way down to my gut I got something I’d never gotten before. I got that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it’s not about me at all. They can say something terrible to me or about me, but they’re revealing themselves, not me. It has nothing to do with me. They’re just showing me the landscape on the inside of themselves as they project it out onto somebody else.
(Page 245) Lewis explaining his relationship with Chester after their road trip.
The story is about two very different, antagonistic people. Chester Wheeler is a cantankerous 70 year old man dying from cancer and confined to a wheelchair. Lewis Madigan, is a 25 year old unemployed neighbor who is recruited to take care of him. Together they travel in Chester’s Winnebago across country.
At the end of the book the author suggests a few topics for a book club discussion. She mentions apology and closure, but I thought this book was about hope. These two very different people who can’t stand each other are forced to spend a great deal of time together with no distractions. They talk and are able to reach an understanding and mutual respect for each other’s differences. With our current environment of social, cultural and political differences, could this be a message of hope that we might someday be able to talk to each other and resolve our differences.
I sometimes wonder how so many readers can set such a high count of books for their GoodReads challenge, and then actually read that many books. I think this book may have answered that question. I would loved to have read this entire book in one sitting. The story is told with a lot of snappy dialogue which usually makes for quick reading. The story grabbed me right at the start and held my attention to the very end. I lost track of where I was in the book and turned the page to find I was at the end. It made me sad.
BETTER A BLEEDING HEART THAN NO HEART AT ALL
A bumper sticker Lewis puts on Chester’s Winnebago before their road trip replacing one that said:
CAUTION: I BRAKE FOR NOBODY
For What It’s Worth.
I am not one who likes to mention movies when talking about books, but this book reminded me of a movie we watched recently: Green Book. “[T]he film is inspired by the true story of a 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer and later actor Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who served as Shirley's driver and bodyguard.” (Wikipedia)
In this movie we see the same result of a mutual respect between two very different characters who became lifelong friends.
November 25, 2022
When Lewis Madigan lost both his job and partner on the same day, he was shattered. He didn't have any idea what he could do to pay the rent, and to top it off, his obnoxious neighbour, Chester Wheeler, constantly was on his case. Chester was wheelchair bound and cancer ridden, but that didn't stop him. His nasty comments had driven away more than one health carer and his daughter Ellie was desperate. She could stay no longer as her daughter was about to have her baby, so she put it to Lewis that he could provide end-of-life care for her father, and she would pay him well. Wondering what he had let himself in for, Lewis was mentally and physically exhausted at the end of each day. And then Chester asked for a favour...
The Winnebago Chester owned was in good shape and the mechanic who checked it over said it was ready to go. Lewis had not driven a vehicle as big but with a little training, he more or less had the hang of it. Heading off to Arizona with Chester strapped in beside him, the days ahead would be long and tedious, filled with vitriol, nastiness and a bucket load of patience on Lewis' part. Two thousand miles and Chester's ex-wife Sue was at the end of the trip. Chester didn't let her know he was coming...
So Long Chester Wheeler is another well-written novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde which I adored from start to finish. Although an angry and bitter old man, Chester was frightened and vulnerable; Lewis was a caring and compassionate young man who learned a lot about himself on the journey. I haven't long been reading this author's work, but have loved each and every novel. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
The Winnebago Chester owned was in good shape and the mechanic who checked it over said it was ready to go. Lewis had not driven a vehicle as big but with a little training, he more or less had the hang of it. Heading off to Arizona with Chester strapped in beside him, the days ahead would be long and tedious, filled with vitriol, nastiness and a bucket load of patience on Lewis' part. Two thousand miles and Chester's ex-wife Sue was at the end of the trip. Chester didn't let her know he was coming...
So Long Chester Wheeler is another well-written novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde which I adored from start to finish. Although an angry and bitter old man, Chester was frightened and vulnerable; Lewis was a caring and compassionate young man who learned a lot about himself on the journey. I haven't long been reading this author's work, but have loved each and every novel. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2022
Lewis is a 24 yr old gay man who lives in Buffalo, NY.. he just lost his job and his partner left him at around the same time.
Lewis has a very mean spirited and homophobic neighbor named Chester, who is 69yrs old, with terminal cancer..and he can’t keep a caretaker to watch over him because of his demeanor.
Well.. in spite of his feelings about Chester.. Lewis ends up taking on the caretaker job after Chester’s daughter practically begs him to and also offers him a large wage to do so!
The rest of the story is both funny and heartwarming and involves a road trip with Chester.
I’ve never read this author before and I enjoyed this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!
Lewis has a very mean spirited and homophobic neighbor named Chester, who is 69yrs old, with terminal cancer..and he can’t keep a caretaker to watch over him because of his demeanor.
Well.. in spite of his feelings about Chester.. Lewis ends up taking on the caretaker job after Chester’s daughter practically begs him to and also offers him a large wage to do so!
The rest of the story is both funny and heartwarming and involves a road trip with Chester.
I’ve never read this author before and I enjoyed this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!
September 25, 2022
Lewis Madigan has just had the worst day of his life, the software developer is counting on receiving a promotion and pay rise. Instead he’s given a pink slip and his final pay check, and arrives home to find his boyfriend is leaving him.
His grumpy homophobic neighbor notices Tim leaving, he’s rather happy about it and makes a nasty comment. Chester Wheeler lives alone next door, he’s wheelchair bound, his daughter is desperate to find him a new health-care worker and she thinks Lewis is the perfect replacement. Lewis doesn’t need the hassle, he has no experience taking care of people and however he does require the money. All he needs to do, is make sure Chester takes his medication, be on call twenty four hours a day and how hard can it be? Chester is difficult, he pushes Lewis’s buttons, has a go at him all the time for being gay and is downright horrible.
One day Chester is nice to him, Lewis is suspicious, and he has every right to be, Chester wants him to drive him from Buffalo to Arizona and so he can see his ex-wife before he passes away. Lewis would have to drive a Winnebago two thousand miles, take care of a frail Chester and he agrees! For the unlikely pair, it’s a time of being way out of their comfort zone and self discovery. Lewis sees another side to Chester, and under the prickly exterior he’s human and has regrets.
I received a copy of So Long, Chester Wheeler from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Another uplifting, emotional and life changing story from Catherine Ryan Hyde. Lewis gives Chester the greatest gift, and receives one himself and he discovers that helping someone in their final days is the highest calling and the purest of services. Five stars from me, I’m always a blubbering mess when I read Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books, she has a way with words and tugging at my heartstrings and she’s done it once again.
His grumpy homophobic neighbor notices Tim leaving, he’s rather happy about it and makes a nasty comment. Chester Wheeler lives alone next door, he’s wheelchair bound, his daughter is desperate to find him a new health-care worker and she thinks Lewis is the perfect replacement. Lewis doesn’t need the hassle, he has no experience taking care of people and however he does require the money. All he needs to do, is make sure Chester takes his medication, be on call twenty four hours a day and how hard can it be? Chester is difficult, he pushes Lewis’s buttons, has a go at him all the time for being gay and is downright horrible.
One day Chester is nice to him, Lewis is suspicious, and he has every right to be, Chester wants him to drive him from Buffalo to Arizona and so he can see his ex-wife before he passes away. Lewis would have to drive a Winnebago two thousand miles, take care of a frail Chester and he agrees! For the unlikely pair, it’s a time of being way out of their comfort zone and self discovery. Lewis sees another side to Chester, and under the prickly exterior he’s human and has regrets.
I received a copy of So Long, Chester Wheeler from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Another uplifting, emotional and life changing story from Catherine Ryan Hyde. Lewis gives Chester the greatest gift, and receives one himself and he discovers that helping someone in their final days is the highest calling and the purest of services. Five stars from me, I’m always a blubbering mess when I read Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books, she has a way with words and tugging at my heartstrings and she’s done it once again.
February 22, 2023
This is the first book I have read from this author and it will not be the last, this is a beautiful story, beautifully told, filled with so many emotions as we see Lewis Madigan have his life turned upside down, in a journey with a cranky homophobic man Chester Wheeler as they travel across seven states for Chester to find closure.
Lewis is gay and very is happy with his life he has just been told he is getting a pay rise and a promotion, but within days it changes dramatically he gets laid off at work, comes home to find that his partner is leaving him and then to cop abuse from his horrid neighbour Chester, how bad can life get?
So when Chester’s daughter Ellie asks him to become Chester’s career in his last days, he agrees only because he needs the money , it is to be running errands making sure he takes his medication and be there when the grumpy man calls, this starts with a lot of bickering, arguing and generally Chester making Lewis’s life hard.
Then Chester asks Lewis to drive him to Arizona to see his ex-wife in the Winnebago Chester has, a week together, starts to change them both, lots of talking and Lewis starts to understand Chester more and this trip sees Lewis realise that he is good at caring for people could it be his future?
This is a story that will make you smile it is uplifting, inspiring and moving and I loved it from start to finish, Lewis is so caring and understanding and has found I think the best job for him and the future people he will care for. I do highly recommend this one.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.
Lewis is gay and very is happy with his life he has just been told he is getting a pay rise and a promotion, but within days it changes dramatically he gets laid off at work, comes home to find that his partner is leaving him and then to cop abuse from his horrid neighbour Chester, how bad can life get?
So when Chester’s daughter Ellie asks him to become Chester’s career in his last days, he agrees only because he needs the money , it is to be running errands making sure he takes his medication and be there when the grumpy man calls, this starts with a lot of bickering, arguing and generally Chester making Lewis’s life hard.
Then Chester asks Lewis to drive him to Arizona to see his ex-wife in the Winnebago Chester has, a week together, starts to change them both, lots of talking and Lewis starts to understand Chester more and this trip sees Lewis realise that he is good at caring for people could it be his future?
This is a story that will make you smile it is uplifting, inspiring and moving and I loved it from start to finish, Lewis is so caring and understanding and has found I think the best job for him and the future people he will care for. I do highly recommend this one.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.
December 21, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Reading a Catherine Ryan Hyde novel is like receiving a hug from someone after a long time apart. I look forward to her May and December releases and I cannot get enough of her titles. Lucky for me, Kindle Unlimited has a number of her other books up for grabs! Guess what I will be doing during my school holidays?
So who is Chester Wheeler? Chester Wheeler happens to be the curmudgeonly neighbor of Lewis Madigan. To say that the two neighbors do not like each other would be an understatement. They cannot STAND each other. Chester never hesitates to make a comment about Lewis being gay or the friends that come over to his house. However, for some unexplainable reason, Lewis, currently out of work, finds himself hesitantly agreeing to be Chester's caregiver after a plea from the latter's grown daughter. Chester is dying of cancer, and Lewis needs to pay his rent. But somewhere along the way, the two find themselves in Chester's Winnebago flying down the highway so that Chester can make amends.
I cannot resist a curmudgeon literary trope. I loved the banter between the two protagonists and it really was a heartwarming story. My subtraction of a star is that I think the epilogue while purposeful in showing the future detracted a bit from the glow I was feeling as the regular chapters came to a conclusion.
Publication Date 06/12/22
Goodreads review 21/12/22
#SoLongChesterWheeler #NetGalley.
Reading a Catherine Ryan Hyde novel is like receiving a hug from someone after a long time apart. I look forward to her May and December releases and I cannot get enough of her titles. Lucky for me, Kindle Unlimited has a number of her other books up for grabs! Guess what I will be doing during my school holidays?
So who is Chester Wheeler? Chester Wheeler happens to be the curmudgeonly neighbor of Lewis Madigan. To say that the two neighbors do not like each other would be an understatement. They cannot STAND each other. Chester never hesitates to make a comment about Lewis being gay or the friends that come over to his house. However, for some unexplainable reason, Lewis, currently out of work, finds himself hesitantly agreeing to be Chester's caregiver after a plea from the latter's grown daughter. Chester is dying of cancer, and Lewis needs to pay his rent. But somewhere along the way, the two find themselves in Chester's Winnebago flying down the highway so that Chester can make amends.
I cannot resist a curmudgeon literary trope. I loved the banter between the two protagonists and it really was a heartwarming story. My subtraction of a star is that I think the epilogue while purposeful in showing the future detracted a bit from the glow I was feeling as the regular chapters came to a conclusion.
Publication Date 06/12/22
Goodreads review 21/12/22
#SoLongChesterWheeler #NetGalley.
November 10, 2022
I was delighted to see this new book by Catherine Ryan Hyde as she is now one of my favorite authors. I've read quite a few of her books and haven't been disappointed once.
Lewis is 24 years old and has just lost his job as a software developer in Buffalo, New York. When he arrived home after getting laid off he found his boyfriend packing the car. He was leaving Lewis and heading to California without him. To make the day even worse his wheelchair-bound, curmudgeon of a neighbor, Chester Wheeler, made a homophobic comment. then the neighbor's daughter knocks on Lewis' door and asks if he would be a temporary caregiver for Chester since he has scared off all available caregivers and she needs to go home as her daughter is having a baby. Since he really needed the money and Chester is dying and needs help, Lewis agrees to help - temporarily.
While taking care of Chester he finds out Chester has a Winnebago and a wish to travel to Arizona to see his ex-wife before he dies. After a lot of thought Lewis decides it would be no worse driving that it would be staying in Chester's apartment.
This story is character driven and the characters are outstanding. I loved Lewis for the responsibilities he shouldered because he felt it was right and for his determination to do a good job. I kind of felt sorry for Chester, but am not sure I could have stood his constant verbal abuse.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on December 6, 2022.
Lewis is 24 years old and has just lost his job as a software developer in Buffalo, New York. When he arrived home after getting laid off he found his boyfriend packing the car. He was leaving Lewis and heading to California without him. To make the day even worse his wheelchair-bound, curmudgeon of a neighbor, Chester Wheeler, made a homophobic comment. then the neighbor's daughter knocks on Lewis' door and asks if he would be a temporary caregiver for Chester since he has scared off all available caregivers and she needs to go home as her daughter is having a baby. Since he really needed the money and Chester is dying and needs help, Lewis agrees to help - temporarily.
While taking care of Chester he finds out Chester has a Winnebago and a wish to travel to Arizona to see his ex-wife before he dies. After a lot of thought Lewis decides it would be no worse driving that it would be staying in Chester's apartment.
This story is character driven and the characters are outstanding. I loved Lewis for the responsibilities he shouldered because he felt it was right and for his determination to do a good job. I kind of felt sorry for Chester, but am not sure I could have stood his constant verbal abuse.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on December 6, 2022.
December 6, 2022
So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde
So Long, Chester Wheeler is an absolutely amazing book. I laughed till I had tears rolling down my face at the dialogue between Lewis and Chester, an unlikely pair of opposites. The banter is witty and hilarious. Someone special in your life will appreciate this book as a heartwarming Christmas gift. Don't miss it!
Synopsis:
Lewis Madigan, age twenty-four is a gay man seeking a new job. He reluctantly agrees to provide care for his terminal neighbor Chester Wheeler. Chester is an insufferable homophobe who never misses an opportunity to voice his opinions. Lewis reluctantly agrees to help Chester fulfill his last wish. The duo set off cross-county in a rust bucket Winnebago to see Chester's ex-wife whom he has not seen in thirty-two years. During the trip, the two develop an unexpected friendship that will leave a lasting imprint on the hearts of readers.
Everyone would love to have a Lewis Madigan in their lives. Smart, sensitive and loving, the main character is a joy to read about. Although Catherine Ryan Hyde is not a fan of writing sequels, I would adore reading one about Lewis. I highly recommend this delightful book. It is a joy from start to finish.
So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde is available on December 6th. (5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for sharing this outstanding book with me. I love every page of it!
#SoLongChesterWheeler #CatherineRyanHyde #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #b
So Long, Chester Wheeler is an absolutely amazing book. I laughed till I had tears rolling down my face at the dialogue between Lewis and Chester, an unlikely pair of opposites. The banter is witty and hilarious. Someone special in your life will appreciate this book as a heartwarming Christmas gift. Don't miss it!
Synopsis:
Lewis Madigan, age twenty-four is a gay man seeking a new job. He reluctantly agrees to provide care for his terminal neighbor Chester Wheeler. Chester is an insufferable homophobe who never misses an opportunity to voice his opinions. Lewis reluctantly agrees to help Chester fulfill his last wish. The duo set off cross-county in a rust bucket Winnebago to see Chester's ex-wife whom he has not seen in thirty-two years. During the trip, the two develop an unexpected friendship that will leave a lasting imprint on the hearts of readers.
Everyone would love to have a Lewis Madigan in their lives. Smart, sensitive and loving, the main character is a joy to read about. Although Catherine Ryan Hyde is not a fan of writing sequels, I would adore reading one about Lewis. I highly recommend this delightful book. It is a joy from start to finish.
So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde is available on December 6th. (5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for sharing this outstanding book with me. I love every page of it!
#SoLongChesterWheeler #CatherineRyanHyde #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #b
January 1, 2023
This book was such a surprise to me! It is the first book I have read by this author (and definitely won't be the last) so I really didn't know what to expect at all.
The main character in the book is Lewis Madigan and the book opens with his life falling apart, in his twenties, Lewis finds out on the same day that he is made redundant that his partner is leaving him. No income and no one to share the rent. On arriving home he is abused by his cantankerous neighbour Chester, who is wheel chair bound and going through carers at the rate of knots.
It is not long after this that the very disparate worlds of Lewis and Chester collide and they are forced to spend time together. It is through this that they not only get to know each other, but come to understand themselves.
I really enjoyed the dynamics of this book and its observations of human relationships. Told with humour and great empathy, this was a wonderful book.
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.
The main character in the book is Lewis Madigan and the book opens with his life falling apart, in his twenties, Lewis finds out on the same day that he is made redundant that his partner is leaving him. No income and no one to share the rent. On arriving home he is abused by his cantankerous neighbour Chester, who is wheel chair bound and going through carers at the rate of knots.
It is not long after this that the very disparate worlds of Lewis and Chester collide and they are forced to spend time together. It is through this that they not only get to know each other, but come to understand themselves.
I really enjoyed the dynamics of this book and its observations of human relationships. Told with humour and great empathy, this was a wonderful book.
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.
June 12, 2022
Lewis is a 24 yr old man who finds himself without a job and his boyfriend leaves him the same day. He lives next door to Chester Wheeler who is a 70 year old man dying of cancer and no one gets along with him including his daughter or anyone in town. He needs 24/7 care and since she can’t find anyone willing to take care of him, she offers the job to Lewis. This book had me laughing out loud many times throughout! Lewis and Chester go on a trip - a very long car trip and what could happen then? Everything! I just love every single book Catherine Ryan Hyde writes and this may be my latest favorite of hers. She’s such a great storyteller! I highly recommend ALL - EVERY SINGLE BOOK- that Catherine writes!!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Might just be my favorite book of 2022.
July 21, 2023
"Master storyteller Catherine Ryan Hyde is back following Dreaming of Flight with her latest, SO LONG, CHESTER WHEELER —another heartwarming, inspiring, witty, and uplifting tale of two unlikely characters. An unexpected friendship, a life-changing road trip, and some wise life lessons."
Set in Buffalo, NY, we meet Lewis Madigan, a twenty-four-year-old gay man laid off from his six-figure software job. His partner left and moved without him to California. That was supposed to be their dream.
To make matters worse, he despises his next-door neighbor, Chester Wheeler. No one liked Chester, the sixty-nine-year-old man with lung cancer in a wheelchair. A hateful, mean, homophobic, and bitter older man. He could not keep an in-home health care worker, as he ran them all off.
When Chester's latest healthcare worker leaves, his daughter, Ellie (going to be a new grandmother living out of state), is now desperate for help with her dad's care. She pleads with Lewis if he would fill the position. She thinks it would be great since he lives next door and needs a job. It does not matter he does not have healthcare experience.
Lewis dreads being around this man. He, of course, was not interested, but when the jobs did not come, and he needed money, he decided to take it. Ellie is friendly and happy to accommodate Lewis in any way, and the money is good.
It was a rough go at first, but Lewis is firm with Chester and tries to get to the bottom of his unhappiness with life. He also has a 24 hr feed intercom between the homes at night which is annoying.
Then Chester comes up with the idea that Lewis will drive him from Buffalo to Arizona in his Winnebago. Could he be cooped up with this spiteful man like this for weeks to travel across the country?
Chester's ex-wife, Sue, is in Arizona, and it appears he has some things to get off his chest before it is too late. She also left him for his best friend, Mike, years ago.
However, Lewis feels guilty since this request is to fulfill the last wish of a dying man, so he agrees. He also makes another stop after Sue.
From the bumper stickers on the Winnebago to arguments about anything and everything, the detours, and ultimately the cross-country road trip is full of drama, exhaustion, scorecards, laughs, wise life lessons, and getting to know one another, both past and present.
Before the trip ends, Lewis has learned something about himself and his fellow traveler. Chester wasn't a great person, but he was a person.
"All the way down to my gut I got something I'd never gotten before. I got that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it's not about me at all."
—Lewis Madigan, So Long, Chester Wheeler
What a journey! Ultimately, due to his experience with Chester, Lewis finds a new career and meets someone new. A Winnebago and more trips with more clients.
"Treat people well. Otherwise, you might die, and no one will notice or find it especially relevant to their life."
After caring for Chester and Estelle, Lewis comes to know himself better. By the end, each main character has irrevocably altered the other's life. Everyone has something special they can bring to the world.
"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." —Joseph Campbell
I have so many favorites from CRH; however, this one is my favorite since Take Me with You!
Full of unforgettable characters written with Hyde's characteristic warmth, humor, and insight into people. I love hanging out with her characters that jump off the page!
The novel is an ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions. Book Club questions included.
Beautifully written, a novel of making amends, apologies, forgiveness, and second chances.
Catherine Ryan Hyde is a long-time favorite author of mine, and I have read all her books and anxiously await the next masterpiece. She has a gift and a way with people, words, and places.
She gets to the heart of the matter and uses her characters to learn wise lessons from one another. I enjoy how she often uses unlikely people and pairs them (Multi-generational, young and old) because they have so much to learn from one another.
Anytime I want to take a break from reading heavy psychological suspense thrillers or need an inspiriting story to lift my day or mood, I know I can pull out a Catherine Ryan Hyde book and escape in the beautiful journey. I always learn something and have that heartwarming feeling after reading one of her books.
If you have not read her books, I highly recommend them! For fans of Elizabeth Berg and Fredrik Backman.
Thank you to #LakeUnion and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, review, and enjoy. I also pre-ordered the audiobook narrated by Michael Crouch (one of my favorite male narrators).
Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +++
Pub Date: Dec 6, 2022
Dec 2022 Must-Read Books
Set in Buffalo, NY, we meet Lewis Madigan, a twenty-four-year-old gay man laid off from his six-figure software job. His partner left and moved without him to California. That was supposed to be their dream.
To make matters worse, he despises his next-door neighbor, Chester Wheeler. No one liked Chester, the sixty-nine-year-old man with lung cancer in a wheelchair. A hateful, mean, homophobic, and bitter older man. He could not keep an in-home health care worker, as he ran them all off.
When Chester's latest healthcare worker leaves, his daughter, Ellie (going to be a new grandmother living out of state), is now desperate for help with her dad's care. She pleads with Lewis if he would fill the position. She thinks it would be great since he lives next door and needs a job. It does not matter he does not have healthcare experience.
Lewis dreads being around this man. He, of course, was not interested, but when the jobs did not come, and he needed money, he decided to take it. Ellie is friendly and happy to accommodate Lewis in any way, and the money is good.
It was a rough go at first, but Lewis is firm with Chester and tries to get to the bottom of his unhappiness with life. He also has a 24 hr feed intercom between the homes at night which is annoying.
Then Chester comes up with the idea that Lewis will drive him from Buffalo to Arizona in his Winnebago. Could he be cooped up with this spiteful man like this for weeks to travel across the country?
Chester's ex-wife, Sue, is in Arizona, and it appears he has some things to get off his chest before it is too late. She also left him for his best friend, Mike, years ago.
However, Lewis feels guilty since this request is to fulfill the last wish of a dying man, so he agrees. He also makes another stop after Sue.
From the bumper stickers on the Winnebago to arguments about anything and everything, the detours, and ultimately the cross-country road trip is full of drama, exhaustion, scorecards, laughs, wise life lessons, and getting to know one another, both past and present.
Before the trip ends, Lewis has learned something about himself and his fellow traveler. Chester wasn't a great person, but he was a person.
"All the way down to my gut I got something I'd never gotten before. I got that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it's not about me at all."
—Lewis Madigan, So Long, Chester Wheeler
What a journey! Ultimately, due to his experience with Chester, Lewis finds a new career and meets someone new. A Winnebago and more trips with more clients.
"Treat people well. Otherwise, you might die, and no one will notice or find it especially relevant to their life."
After caring for Chester and Estelle, Lewis comes to know himself better. By the end, each main character has irrevocably altered the other's life. Everyone has something special they can bring to the world.
"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." —Joseph Campbell
I have so many favorites from CRH; however, this one is my favorite since Take Me with You!
Full of unforgettable characters written with Hyde's characteristic warmth, humor, and insight into people. I love hanging out with her characters that jump off the page!
The novel is an ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions. Book Club questions included.
Beautifully written, a novel of making amends, apologies, forgiveness, and second chances.
Catherine Ryan Hyde is a long-time favorite author of mine, and I have read all her books and anxiously await the next masterpiece. She has a gift and a way with people, words, and places.
She gets to the heart of the matter and uses her characters to learn wise lessons from one another. I enjoy how she often uses unlikely people and pairs them (Multi-generational, young and old) because they have so much to learn from one another.
Anytime I want to take a break from reading heavy psychological suspense thrillers or need an inspiriting story to lift my day or mood, I know I can pull out a Catherine Ryan Hyde book and escape in the beautiful journey. I always learn something and have that heartwarming feeling after reading one of her books.
If you have not read her books, I highly recommend them! For fans of Elizabeth Berg and Fredrik Backman.
Thank you to #LakeUnion and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, review, and enjoy. I also pre-ordered the audiobook narrated by Michael Crouch (one of my favorite male narrators).
Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +++
Pub Date: Dec 6, 2022
Dec 2022 Must-Read Books
December 21, 2022
Omgosh if you want a great “Listen” get the audiobook of this novel. Phenomenal story, you go through all the emotions (reminded me of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”. Michael Crouch is superb as the narrator, Louis amongst other characters. I’m so glad I picked this up and ended my year on this. I feel satisfied and fulfilled.
Do yourself a favor…
Do yourself a favor…
November 20, 2022
So Long, Chester Wheeler is a novel by award-winning best-selling American author, Catherine Ryan Hyde. When Lewis Madigan heads to work in the morning, he has a job as a software developer, a place to live and a boyfriend with whom he’s saving up for their dream of leaving the dull grey sky and dirty snow of Buffalo to live near the ocean in California.
When he returns home, he’s one of four his boss reluctantly had to let go, and Tim has packed up his belongings, and their savings, and is driving to California without Lewis. What makes it (only marginally) worse is that his awful neighbour, Chester Wheeler throws taunts at his plight. The man is an opinionated, homophobic, argumentative bigot who sits on his front porch in a wheelchair shouting insults. He’s managed to see off every health care worker sent to help him.
But the job market is terrible, and Lewis is going to have to make rent on his own. And Chester’s daughter, Ellie is desperate enough to offer decent money. That’s how, against his better judgement, he becomes the temporary carer for this mean, callous, thoughtless man.
Lewis learns that Chester has widespread cancer, terminal, with just months to live. He barely tolerates Chester’s nasty jibes, “but when he needed something, I put that aside, because it was my job to be there for him. I’d agreed to do it, and I took that responsibility seriously.”
Eventually they make a sort of truce, enough that Chester asks Lewis to help with his dying wish: to drive his Winnebago to Arizona to see his ex-wife. But does he really want to go on a road trip with this obnoxious man?
His dear friend, Anna has good advice: “you have a way of pushing decisions down the road. It’s like you’re waiting to be sure how it’ll pan out before you decide. But that never works. We can’t ever know that going in. I think you just need to choose a path and see where it takes you.”
It’s a trip that proves to be a revelation to both of them, learning to tolerate one another and discovering the person behind the behaviour. Lewis finds himself fulfilling unexpected roles and later realises that he now understands “that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it’s not about me at all. They can say something terrible to me or about me, but they’re revealing themselves, not me. It has nothing to do with me. They’re just showing me the landscape on the inside of themselves as they project it out onto somebody else.”
What really surprises him is that, despite the lack of any formal training, more than one person tells him he has a gift for dealing with difficult people, even to the extent of backing it up with a push in this new direction.
Ryan Hyde really knows people and, as always, many of her characters restore the reader’s faith in humankind. Lewis is an earnest young man, full of good intentions, and his friends are kind and sensible and insightful. She gives them plenty of wise words and insightful observations.
An example from a nurse on dealing with the indignities of end-of-life: “I think it has the definite potential to be degrading for the patient, but it’s in our power to defuse that, which is a huge service to do for someone who’s dying.” Ryan Hyde’s latest has humour and heartache; it is poignant, heart-warming and uplifting; a real pleasure to read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.
When he returns home, he’s one of four his boss reluctantly had to let go, and Tim has packed up his belongings, and their savings, and is driving to California without Lewis. What makes it (only marginally) worse is that his awful neighbour, Chester Wheeler throws taunts at his plight. The man is an opinionated, homophobic, argumentative bigot who sits on his front porch in a wheelchair shouting insults. He’s managed to see off every health care worker sent to help him.
But the job market is terrible, and Lewis is going to have to make rent on his own. And Chester’s daughter, Ellie is desperate enough to offer decent money. That’s how, against his better judgement, he becomes the temporary carer for this mean, callous, thoughtless man.
Lewis learns that Chester has widespread cancer, terminal, with just months to live. He barely tolerates Chester’s nasty jibes, “but when he needed something, I put that aside, because it was my job to be there for him. I’d agreed to do it, and I took that responsibility seriously.”
Eventually they make a sort of truce, enough that Chester asks Lewis to help with his dying wish: to drive his Winnebago to Arizona to see his ex-wife. But does he really want to go on a road trip with this obnoxious man?
His dear friend, Anna has good advice: “you have a way of pushing decisions down the road. It’s like you’re waiting to be sure how it’ll pan out before you decide. But that never works. We can’t ever know that going in. I think you just need to choose a path and see where it takes you.”
It’s a trip that proves to be a revelation to both of them, learning to tolerate one another and discovering the person behind the behaviour. Lewis finds himself fulfilling unexpected roles and later realises that he now understands “that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it’s not about me at all. They can say something terrible to me or about me, but they’re revealing themselves, not me. It has nothing to do with me. They’re just showing me the landscape on the inside of themselves as they project it out onto somebody else.”
What really surprises him is that, despite the lack of any formal training, more than one person tells him he has a gift for dealing with difficult people, even to the extent of backing it up with a push in this new direction.
Ryan Hyde really knows people and, as always, many of her characters restore the reader’s faith in humankind. Lewis is an earnest young man, full of good intentions, and his friends are kind and sensible and insightful. She gives them plenty of wise words and insightful observations.
An example from a nurse on dealing with the indignities of end-of-life: “I think it has the definite potential to be degrading for the patient, but it’s in our power to defuse that, which is a huge service to do for someone who’s dying.” Ryan Hyde’s latest has humour and heartache; it is poignant, heart-warming and uplifting; a real pleasure to read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.
January 25, 2023
Another amazing book from this author! I really need to read everything she's ever written. RTC
December 23, 2022
Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors. Her books are thoughtful and beautifully written. This gem is no exception. I loved her interesting characters, their challenges and transformation. An uplifting and relatable story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
January 8, 2023
Thank you, Goodreads Giveaways, and to the amazing author, Catherine Ryan Hyde for this "TANTALIZING" book!
#KUDOS!
#WINNER!
#GOODREADSGIVEAWAYS!
#KUDOS!
#WINNER!
#GOODREADSGIVEAWAYS!
November 19, 2022
And she’s done it again! The Queen of Heartwarmers, which always feature young characters you wish you could adopt into your family, has produced another winner. So Long, Chester Wheeler is about an unusual road trip, featuring two unforgettable creations - a young gay man at a crossroad in his life, and the miserable cantankerous old homophobe at the end of his. It’s moving, funny and enlightening, and I loved it.
Lewis Madigan has just lost his job and his boyfriend and has no idea how he’s going to pay his rent. His neighbour Chester Wheeler is wheelchair-bound and dying of lung cancer, and has driven away every available paid carer with his mean comments and outrageous behaviour. His daughter, desperate to get home for the birth of her first grandchild, makes Lewis an offer he can’t refuse - step in as an emergency home care assistant for a week, for enough money to keep him going until he can find another job. Both Lewis and Chester hate the idea, but with no other options they just have to get on with it, and as they learn they can tolerate each other after all, Chester makes a surprising request: will Lewis drive his Winnebago across the country to Arizona to take him to see his ex-wife before he dies?
Catherine Ryan Hyde manages to keep coming up with original stories which feature similar themes - unusual friendships, self-discovery, and coming to terms with the past, but is able to still create unique characters and situations so they never feel formulaic or predictable. This is told from Lewis’ first person past perspective, and we warm to him from the start - he is kind, thoughtful, honourable and diligent - but also willing to stand up for himself. In contrast, Chester is magnificently awful! He’s deliberately provocative and offensive, relentlessly angry and misanthropic, and an expert in pushing other people’s buttons. The clever thing here though, is that we don’t see him change, but we do come to understand him a bit better, and see the effect that the past has had on him, even if most of his misery is self-inflicted. Lewis does change, however, growing into the person he was always destined to be - the epilogue is very satisfying. This one wasn’t quite as emotional as some of her previous books, but it had more humour. 5 easy stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. So Long, Chester Wheeler is published on December 6th.
Lewis Madigan has just lost his job and his boyfriend and has no idea how he’s going to pay his rent. His neighbour Chester Wheeler is wheelchair-bound and dying of lung cancer, and has driven away every available paid carer with his mean comments and outrageous behaviour. His daughter, desperate to get home for the birth of her first grandchild, makes Lewis an offer he can’t refuse - step in as an emergency home care assistant for a week, for enough money to keep him going until he can find another job. Both Lewis and Chester hate the idea, but with no other options they just have to get on with it, and as they learn they can tolerate each other after all, Chester makes a surprising request: will Lewis drive his Winnebago across the country to Arizona to take him to see his ex-wife before he dies?
Catherine Ryan Hyde manages to keep coming up with original stories which feature similar themes - unusual friendships, self-discovery, and coming to terms with the past, but is able to still create unique characters and situations so they never feel formulaic or predictable. This is told from Lewis’ first person past perspective, and we warm to him from the start - he is kind, thoughtful, honourable and diligent - but also willing to stand up for himself. In contrast, Chester is magnificently awful! He’s deliberately provocative and offensive, relentlessly angry and misanthropic, and an expert in pushing other people’s buttons. The clever thing here though, is that we don’t see him change, but we do come to understand him a bit better, and see the effect that the past has had on him, even if most of his misery is self-inflicted. Lewis does change, however, growing into the person he was always destined to be - the epilogue is very satisfying. This one wasn’t quite as emotional as some of her previous books, but it had more humour. 5 easy stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. So Long, Chester Wheeler is published on December 6th.
January 1, 2023
So Long, Chester Wheeler is a heart warming and uplifting story of the unexpected bond that evolves between Lewis Madigan, a young gay man, and his crotchety and homophobic 70 yr old neighbour, Chester Wheeler.
A story full of life lessons that made me laugh and cry.
Highly Recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
A story full of life lessons that made me laugh and cry.
Highly Recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
May 5, 2025
Ms Hyde has done it again, the diversity and depth of her books about human nature astound me. This one took me quite a while to warm to. Lewis, our MC, has had his boyfriend leave him and take their joint savings to California, he has lost his job as a software developer and he lives next door to the most awful man alive, Chester Wheeler, who is dying and needs a carer.
The rest of the book mostly details Lewis looking after Chester in his dying days, driving him across the country from Buffalo to Phoenix, then LA. Some really good stuff here, lots of personal growth with both people, and lots going on in finding closure. 4.5 stars for me. Some notable quotes follow.
It’s weird how you think you know somebody, but then suddenly you don’t. How you think you know what a person thinks and how they feel, but then it turns out you only knew what they chose for you to know. How there are two whole people in there, and one is a perfect stranger. (p. 5).
Then we just left that sitting on the kitchen table for a minute while I decided if there were any words on the planet it might be safe to say. (p. 156).
“I know where he is,” I said. That simple statement brought on lots—and I do mean lots—of silence.
(p. 172).
I got that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it’s not about me at all. They can say something terrible to me or about me, but they’re revealing themselves, not me. It has nothing to do with me.
(p. 245).
The rest of the book mostly details Lewis looking after Chester in his dying days, driving him across the country from Buffalo to Phoenix, then LA. Some really good stuff here, lots of personal growth with both people, and lots going on in finding closure. 4.5 stars for me. Some notable quotes follow.
It’s weird how you think you know somebody, but then suddenly you don’t. How you think you know what a person thinks and how they feel, but then it turns out you only knew what they chose for you to know. How there are two whole people in there, and one is a perfect stranger. (p. 5).
Then we just left that sitting on the kitchen table for a minute while I decided if there were any words on the planet it might be safe to say. (p. 156).
“I know where he is,” I said. That simple statement brought on lots—and I do mean lots—of silence.
(p. 172).
I got that when a person is rude and abusive to me, it’s not about me at all. They can say something terrible to me or about me, but they’re revealing themselves, not me. It has nothing to do with me.
(p. 245).
January 17, 2023
Every now and then you read a book that changes you within. So Long, Chester Wheeler, showed me how to deal with something that was bothering me for a few months now.
In October 2022 I read the excellent review of this book by Paromjit and I knew I had to read this. I do not have the gift of words as Paromjit has, let alone Catherine Ryan Hyde. I can only say that the story touched my heart and I felt changed after finishing it.
I do not want to disclose too many details, but I realized that sometimes people who are hateful to others, only do so because they have a problem. It's not you, it's them. Maybe strange that I realized this now because of course I knew that already - but this time it really hit home.
So thank you Catherine Ryan Hyde, for this. And thank you Paromjit, for writing such an excellent review.
In October 2022 I read the excellent review of this book by Paromjit and I knew I had to read this. I do not have the gift of words as Paromjit has, let alone Catherine Ryan Hyde. I can only say that the story touched my heart and I felt changed after finishing it.
I do not want to disclose too many details, but I realized that sometimes people who are hateful to others, only do so because they have a problem. It's not you, it's them. Maybe strange that I realized this now because of course I knew that already - but this time it really hit home.
So thank you Catherine Ryan Hyde, for this. And thank you Paromjit, for writing such an excellent review.
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