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The Lavender Hour
Downsized from her teaching job, Jessie longs for a sense of renewal and decides to spend a year on Cape Cod, seeking to be cleansed by rushing ocean waters and comforted by the lavender hues of the setting sun. While there she volunteers with a local hospice program, where she meets Luke, a once proud fisherman whose life and body have been ravaged by cancer. Jessie’s presence is a great help to Luke’s mother, who has moved in to take care of her son.
After initial misgivings Jessie and Luke forge a deep friendship, and the former teacher is surprised to find herself opening up about her life, the loss of her father when she was a girl, her often difficult relationship with her mother, and her own battle with illness. When Luke makes a critical request of his new friend, Jessie must look deep within herself for an answer, knowing that her actions will have far-reaching effects on Luke’s family and forever change the bonds within her own.
After initial misgivings Jessie and Luke forge a deep friendship, and the former teacher is surprised to find herself opening up about her life, the loss of her father when she was a girl, her often difficult relationship with her mother, and her own battle with illness. When Luke makes a critical request of his new friend, Jessie must look deep within herself for an answer, knowing that her actions will have far-reaching effects on Luke’s family and forever change the bonds within her own.
- GenresFictionWomens Fiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2007
18 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Anne D. LeClaire
30 books98 followersI grew up on a farm in a small town in Western Massachusetts, the middle of three daughters of a school teacher mother and an electrician father. I was the family "story-teller," not always meant in the good way. In fact, I love that while I was once punished for making up stories, I now get paid for it.
Okay, so I was a small town girl. But my ambitions were as fanciful as they were impractical. My early career choices were fueled by dreams nurtured in our town library where books fired my imagination. At various times I dreamt of being an FBI agent, a girl detective, a pilot, a spy and a cow girl.
I'm a graduate of the MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts and an alumna of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts and Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
I met my future husband, Hillary, while on summer break from college. It's a classic summer story. Co-ed goes to Cape Cod for a summer job, meets and falls in love with a native and ends up living on the Cape. We now live in the seaside village of South Chatham and have two children, Hope D’Avril and Christopher, and sixteen chickens.
While raising a family, I was no closer to being the F.B.I. agent or cowgirl but did work as a radio broadcaster, an actress, a journalist and a correspondent for The Boston Globe. My work appeared in The New York Times, Redbook, and Yankee magazine, among others.
It wasn't until 1983 that, pursuing a long-held dream and encouraged by the fiction editor of Yankee, I quit my journalism jobs and began a novel, Land’s End, which was published by Bantam Books in 1985. I have since written eight other novels, including the critically acclaimed Entering Normal, The Lavender Hour, and Leaving Eden. My work has been published in many countries including Great Britain, Italy, Greece, France, Japan, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Netherlands, Brazil and Israel.
My first book-length non-fiction, Listening Below the Noise, is a meditation on the practice of silence. In addition to novels and the memoir, I write short stories and essays. I also teach and lecture here and abroad on the creative process, as well as on the practice of silence. I have taught creative writing on Cape Cod, in France, Ireland and Jamaica, at the Maui Writers Conference, and to women in prison.
My essays have been included in a number of anthologies, among them I’ve Always Meant to Tell You, Letters to Our Mothers: An Anthology of Contemporary Women Writers; From Daughters and Sons to Fathers: What I’ve Never Said; and A Sense of Place: An Anthology of Cape Women Writers.
My interests are gardening, yoga, theater, travel and aviation (I am a private pilot). I'm also interested in genealogy and am a cousin of the poet Emily Dickinson.
Okay, so I was a small town girl. But my ambitions were as fanciful as they were impractical. My early career choices were fueled by dreams nurtured in our town library where books fired my imagination. At various times I dreamt of being an FBI agent, a girl detective, a pilot, a spy and a cow girl.
I'm a graduate of the MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts and an alumna of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts and Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
I met my future husband, Hillary, while on summer break from college. It's a classic summer story. Co-ed goes to Cape Cod for a summer job, meets and falls in love with a native and ends up living on the Cape. We now live in the seaside village of South Chatham and have two children, Hope D’Avril and Christopher, and sixteen chickens.
While raising a family, I was no closer to being the F.B.I. agent or cowgirl but did work as a radio broadcaster, an actress, a journalist and a correspondent for The Boston Globe. My work appeared in The New York Times, Redbook, and Yankee magazine, among others.
It wasn't until 1983 that, pursuing a long-held dream and encouraged by the fiction editor of Yankee, I quit my journalism jobs and began a novel, Land’s End, which was published by Bantam Books in 1985. I have since written eight other novels, including the critically acclaimed Entering Normal, The Lavender Hour, and Leaving Eden. My work has been published in many countries including Great Britain, Italy, Greece, France, Japan, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Netherlands, Brazil and Israel.
My first book-length non-fiction, Listening Below the Noise, is a meditation on the practice of silence. In addition to novels and the memoir, I write short stories and essays. I also teach and lecture here and abroad on the creative process, as well as on the practice of silence. I have taught creative writing on Cape Cod, in France, Ireland and Jamaica, at the Maui Writers Conference, and to women in prison.
My essays have been included in a number of anthologies, among them I’ve Always Meant to Tell You, Letters to Our Mothers: An Anthology of Contemporary Women Writers; From Daughters and Sons to Fathers: What I’ve Never Said; and A Sense of Place: An Anthology of Cape Women Writers.
My interests are gardening, yoga, theater, travel and aviation (I am a private pilot). I'm also interested in genealogy and am a cousin of the poet Emily Dickinson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 1, 2009
I loved Anne D. LeClaie's "Entering Normal" and she continues introducing quirky eccentric but lovable characters in this book "The Lavender hour". it is rich with funny, neurotic and lovable women. The protagonist Jess is a young art teacher (laid off) and cancer survivor who decides to spend a year in her family cottage on Cape Cod. Her only source of income is the hair jewelry she makes on commission for cancer patients who send her their shorn locks pre-chemo. The side info about hair art is gross yet fascinating and it's clear LeClaire did her research. An older friend on the Cape encourages Jess to train for hospice and she volunteers for a man in his mid 40's dying of pancreatic cancer. Of course, she falls in love with him and all kind of complications follow. This is a beautifully written book, one that tenderly examines the role grief plays out in our lives and the lessons we can learn from the dying. In the end the author quote Oscar Wilde "Where there is sorrow there is holy ground" a quote I agree with based on my volunteer work with grieving children. I think this would be an excellent book for a book group because there are some interesting gray areas to examine and if you have a fondness of the Cape you will get a kick out of all the references of locations you surely know.
June 18, 2011
I wonder if I'd feel differently about this book had I not been witness to my mother's death from cancer in the local Hospice and were this not the second anniversary of that passing. The book had passed through too many hands unread, and I felt it deserved a reading, but didn't expect to be drawn in so by it. That we learn from the dying is very true. A lesson in courage, a lesson in strength. One has to be very strong to live fully while dying. I've heard the expression to "live like you were dying, , meaning to live every moment as if it was your last. My mother died like she was living; every moment imbued with hope, optimism, and love -- so much love. She taught me so much on her final journey and continues to teach me still.
And that's what this book is about: the final journey of one man with pancreatic cancer. Jessie, a cancer survivor herself, comes into his life as a Hospice volunteer. "What we forget is as important as what we remember."
When my mother was in Hospice, in those end days, there was a real peacefulness, a sense of waiting, of anticipation, of hope. Not necessarily hope for return of health, but for release and reunion, hope for freedom from pain and an unbinding of the spirit. My husband called it (Hospice) a train station for souls. No one should have to die alone.
This book is called The Lavender Hour, that time between day and dusk, night and dawn, when the boundaries are thin and rebirth mingles with death ( my description, not the author's, which I stupidly didn't mark to quote.) it is about the lessons in dying, choices, how dying serves as a model for life, and about remembrance.
And that's what this book is about: the final journey of one man with pancreatic cancer. Jessie, a cancer survivor herself, comes into his life as a Hospice volunteer. "What we forget is as important as what we remember."
When my mother was in Hospice, in those end days, there was a real peacefulness, a sense of waiting, of anticipation, of hope. Not necessarily hope for return of health, but for release and reunion, hope for freedom from pain and an unbinding of the spirit. My husband called it (Hospice) a train station for souls. No one should have to die alone.
This book is called The Lavender Hour, that time between day and dusk, night and dawn, when the boundaries are thin and rebirth mingles with death ( my description, not the author's, which I stupidly didn't mark to quote.) it is about the lessons in dying, choices, how dying serves as a model for life, and about remembrance.
June 7, 2012
I hate books like this! I WANTED to read it so badly! The plot revolved around a woman who was seeking healing in her mission as a new in-home hospice volunteer. But the language, the language, the LANGUAGE! I couldn't get past chapter three. Too bad I'll never be able to find out if the book has any redeeming qualities. It really sounded so lovely, but I just couldn't do it!
October 17, 2014
I loved the style of the author's writing. From the beginning little hints that something big was coming. I also enjoyed the local (Cape Cod) landmarks that the author would reference in Harwich Port and Chatham.
October 17, 2007
This book bored me to death.
February 12, 2011
This book went nowhere so I didn't finish it.
July 17, 2023
I like about 75 percent of this
July 28, 2021
After a painful job loss, Jessie moves alone to her family’s old Cape Cod bungalow, where she plans to spend a year taking care of herself and planning her next chapter. Instead, she volunteers as a hospice assistant and finds herself caring deeply for the young fisherman who becomes her patient. He is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, but that doesn’t dampen their connection. Things become difficult, though, when he asks her for a favor she’s not sure she can carry out.
March 1, 2010
Jessie Long is a cancer survivor who has passed the crucial five year all-clear mark. Still unsettled, unattached at 33, with a self proclaimed habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, Jessie moves to her family's empty cottage on Cape Cod where she hopes to find some equilibrium while working with a view of the sea. In the first of a series of increasingly destructive decisions, Jessie hides her medical history and volunteers to be trained as a hospice worker. She is assigned to Luke Ryder, a forty-five year old commercial fisherman in the last stages of pancreatic cancer. Jessie falls in love before she ever meets Luke, on the basis of a few candid photos.
Jessie's insistence on taking what she needs from someone as vulnerable as Luke, her self delusion and lack of insight into her own motivations effectively negate any compassion LeClaire might have hoped to evoke for her. What happens between Jessie and Luke is predictable, as is the trial that follows in which Jessie is accused of helping Luke end his own life. The trial itself might have brought some insight and complexity to an otherwise simple plot, but in fact it putters along ineffectively.
Jessie's insistence on taking what she needs from someone as vulnerable as Luke, her self delusion and lack of insight into her own motivations effectively negate any compassion LeClaire might have hoped to evoke for her. What happens between Jessie and Luke is predictable, as is the trial that follows in which Jessie is accused of helping Luke end his own life. The trial itself might have brought some insight and complexity to an otherwise simple plot, but in fact it putters along ineffectively.
March 15, 2012
I loved this book. The main character Jessie moves back to the family's Cape Code summer home after losing her teaching job, planning for a year to figure out what to do with her life. She's brought plenty of baggage with her - failed relationships, parental issues (one gone, one still living), grief and guilt. Looking for something to do and having special insight as a cancer survivor, she volunteers as a home hospice caregiver, where she meets Luke, a handsome once proud fisherman wasting away with pancreatic cancer.
A wonderfully written, incredibly touching story in which the lines of right and wrong are blurred, where small seemingly meaningless actions take on a whole new (and perhaps unintended) meaning when seen in a different light, and where Jessie learns (and perhaps us too) that relationships can also turn on a dime - grow deeper than one could imagine possible, fade away from neglect or be ripped away from us without a moment's notice - and that there can be joy in even the simplest things.
A wonderfully written, incredibly touching story in which the lines of right and wrong are blurred, where small seemingly meaningless actions take on a whole new (and perhaps unintended) meaning when seen in a different light, and where Jessie learns (and perhaps us too) that relationships can also turn on a dime - grow deeper than one could imagine possible, fade away from neglect or be ripped away from us without a moment's notice - and that there can be joy in even the simplest things.
November 6, 2008
liked more than i expected to. i picked this up because it was "endorsed" by adriana trigiani, and i was hoping for the small town fiction of the big stone gap books, but i got something more controversial with a twist as in jodi picoult's books. hospice worker jessie, herself a cancer survivor, is starting over in cape cod. when she sees a photo of her patient, luke, she has the "i know you" feeling. reclusive luke lets jessie into his life, but what kind of life can there be for two people when one is dying? luke teaches jessie much about living.
usually i don't like trial scenes in books and movies, but it works well here, thanks to the lawyer character. leclaire excels at creating characters who come from different backgrounds to get to the truth of the novel.
usually i don't like trial scenes in books and movies, but it works well here, thanks to the lawyer character. leclaire excels at creating characters who come from different backgrounds to get to the truth of the novel.
August 6, 2012
Liked it a lot. Couldn't quite decide on the stars... This was a heavy topic, but every time things were going to get intense the writing cut out and there was a time lapse. At first, I thought this was a bit of a pansy way to deal with things, but by the end of the book I really liked the style. I never felt like I missed anything and it almost gave me a needed break from the story. There were also some great phrases in the book. I'm going to start using 'the wrong side of stocky' in my daily conversations. :)
Content warning: swears!
Content warning: swears!
July 19, 2011
I am not really a reader of tales like this one; but I have to say I love this author's writing so much I will read anything she writes. This one deals with death, dying, and assisted suicide in a nonjudgemental thought-provoking manner. Anyone who has worked in nursing, hospice, or simply cared for an ill family member, will undoubtedly find something to relate to in the main character's dilemna resulting from her missteps and big heart.
March 14, 2013
Anne LeClaire's beautiful writing kept me engaged in this book, even when my irritation with the central character might have otherwise caused me to toss this one aside. While the story deals with complex emotional issues, Jessie is at times operating with such a narrow vision as to seem very selfish and astonishingly naive. My favorite of LeClaire's is her nonfiction memoir, "Listening Below the Noise", also set on Cape Cod, and I would recommend it much more so than this novel.
June 7, 2014
This has a strange plot: 32 yr old Jessie, a cancer survivor, has moved to Cape Cod to rejuvenate and to cast about for a new direction in life. She signs up as a volunteer for Hospice and then, with her first dying client, proceeds to fall in love with the man.
And that is just the start! A very needy lead female here, who lacks common sense and makes bad choices.
Good descriptions of the Cape.
And that is just the start! A very needy lead female here, who lacks common sense and makes bad choices.
Good descriptions of the Cape.
January 19, 2009
This book was a little strange for me. I read it for book club in December. I was unable to attend the discussion and I think that would have helped me sort out how I felt about this book. I just got angry a lot with the main character falling in love with a photo. Also-her artistic activities with hair jewelry was a slightly odd. I am on the fence about this book.
November 22, 2012
Well written. I liked what the author quoted at the end (of the book) in her interview... "Only an optimist can dare look life fully in the face." And, "We learn how to live from the dying." I would have given it 4 stars if there wasn't so much offensive language. =)
February 12, 2010
This book will tug at your heart strings. A young hospice worker falls in love with a man dying of pancreatic cancer. The story has many unexpected twists and turns and is a page-turner. The author is a resident of Cape Cod and features the Cape's local color.
December 8, 2010
A story of what happens when a hospice volunteer gets drawn to her patient, and forgets the guidelines. Read for my book group. It generated a lively discussion, especially when we got to talk about end of life issues.
February 24, 2011
I read this for a bookclub I was in and did not care for it. I never understood the main character's need or motivation to fall in love with a dying man in his last days to the point she broke so many rules on so many levels...to me it felt like exploitation and was very depressing and disturbing.
July 27, 2012
This book was just okay in my mind. The ending was too much too predictable for me and I found the main character not really that likeable. Not much more to say about it. It's been a while since I read it so I can't get too specific.
February 20, 2014
This was the first book I have read by Anne LeClaire; I enjoyed reading it. She kept me guessing throughout the book, as she dropped hints. The story was intriguing: why we do what we do, asking if what we do is really for others, or more for out of own own self interest.
August 22, 2014
I do not like reading about human pain, but I found this book by chance and it was interesting to discover that it caused me so much curiosity to know about the decision of the protagonist, that I finished!
October 2, 2008
Good book for discussing death penalty issues.
June 2, 2008
A hospice worker learns the very fuzzy and often grey lines that exist within our own everyday judgements and what it means to provide care. A quick, very satisfying read. Highly reccomended
September 7, 2008
Kind of depressing because of the nature of her job but heartwarming none the less
Currently reading
December 22, 2009read 1/2 the book so far
June 14, 2010
Slightly disturbing, thought provoking and a little depressing. I liked it.
September 16, 2010
I liked this - more now that I'm done than I did while in the middle of it. I think that there's too much blatant foreshadowing, but I liked the characters.
March 5, 2011
Bookclub book. Awesome book..couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews