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One Vacant Chair: A Novel
A hilarious and irresistible new novel by Joe Coomer, whom The Washington Times calls "a marvelously creative comic writer"
It's where you sit down that determines everything in life.
Sarah's aunt Edna paints portraits of chairs. Not people in chairs, just chairs. The old house is filled with the paintings, and the chairs themselves surround her work-a silent yet vigilant audience. At the funeral of Grandma Hutton-whom Edna has cared for through an agonizingly long and vague illness-Sarah begins helping her aunt clean up the last of a life. This includes honoring Grandma's surprising wish to have her ashes scattered in Scotland.
"We were two fat women, eighteen years apart, a chair artist and a designer of Christmas ornaments, who only knew we had troubles and a hot summer to get through," says Sarah. But as it turns out, there is a great deal more to quirky Aunt Edna's troubles than Sarah could possibly imagine. As the novel turns from the hot, oppressive heat of Texas to the misty beauty of Scotland, she learns of her aunt's remarkable secret life and comes to fully understand the fragile business of living, and even of dying.
Praised for his richly drawn characters and as a master storyteller, Joe Coomer is at the height of his powers in One Vacant Chair .
Winner of the S. Mariella Gable Fiction Prize
It's where you sit down that determines everything in life.
Sarah's aunt Edna paints portraits of chairs. Not people in chairs, just chairs. The old house is filled with the paintings, and the chairs themselves surround her work-a silent yet vigilant audience. At the funeral of Grandma Hutton-whom Edna has cared for through an agonizingly long and vague illness-Sarah begins helping her aunt clean up the last of a life. This includes honoring Grandma's surprising wish to have her ashes scattered in Scotland.
"We were two fat women, eighteen years apart, a chair artist and a designer of Christmas ornaments, who only knew we had troubles and a hot summer to get through," says Sarah. But as it turns out, there is a great deal more to quirky Aunt Edna's troubles than Sarah could possibly imagine. As the novel turns from the hot, oppressive heat of Texas to the misty beauty of Scotland, she learns of her aunt's remarkable secret life and comes to fully understand the fragile business of living, and even of dying.
Praised for his richly drawn characters and as a master storyteller, Joe Coomer is at the height of his powers in One Vacant Chair .
Winner of the S. Mariella Gable Fiction Prize
273 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
9 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Joe Coomer
16 books77 followersJoe Coomer is a fiction and nonfiction writer who lives outside of Fort Worth, Texas, and on the coast of Maine. He "spends his winters in Springtown, Texas, where he runs a pair of large antique malls. He lives in a fairly new Victorian house that he spent a year and a half building in the late eighties, a project he wrote about in Dream House [1991]. His wife, Isabelle Tokumaru, runs her paintings conservation practice in the third story, while he writes novels in the kitchen, where the food is close. Summers, they live in Stonington, Maine, an active fishing village on the coast. When the weather's nice, he takes his old motor sailer, "Yonder", on day sails and cruises down east. He chronicled her purchase, restoration, and his stupidities at sea in Sailing in a Spoonful of Water [1997]."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
April 22, 2019
I enjoyed this as I read it. I chuckled at everyday conversations and I mused about the troubles that occur and the topics that are touched upon. It felt genuine; what is delivered is what people really do say to each other. This is a book where it is the passage that is the point rather than the end.
The central theme is relationships - primarily between husband and wife, but also within an entire family. The husband is unfaithful and the wife, well, she must figure out whether to leave or stay. Can she build something new from the life they had shared before? Does she want to? There are two daughters in college; they are in the process of leaving the nest. In this respect, the theme is broader. It is about how marital relationship change over the years and about gaining a sense of who you are as an individual. One is not merely an appendage to another. Sure you are a wife and a daughter and a mother and a granddaughter too, but who are you on your own? That is the central question of this book. What do you want to make of yourself?
Other themes are covered. Art. Why does an artist create? For herself or for others? Who do you do things for? For yourself or for others? How do you perceive yourself? Should one stay where one is born or should one go out and see the world? Interracial marriage and euthanasia and illness and impaired senses and death and ultimately what you do with your life while you have it. There are no definitive answers, neither in the book nor in real life.
Yes, the book has humor.
- ”That woman’s kitchen is a one butt kitchen.”
- The phone call from the girls was just “one long complaint”.
- “I thought I was a real cup of hot chocolate.”
The humor is a comment on normal life and normal people. The lines switch from making you smile to making you think.
- “Painting isn’t for bill paying. Painting is for painting.”
- “What we see emanates from us.”
- “Nobody should make up rules about art, not even for beginners.”
- “It doesn’t matter what you paint, Sarah, but your manner of treating it should be respectful.”
- “Everybody makes their hands with the kind of work they do.”
- “Nothing makes you feel more rotten than lying to your kids.”
- “The hurt doesn’t dissolve the love.”
- “We are losing her, but she is losing all of us.”
- “At last, a chair is simply a stable platform for repose.”
I am not giving the book more stars because at times the lines drown in metaphors and because the book just sort of stops. I would have appreciated more of an ending.
The audiobook is narrated by Lee Ann Howlett. There is an accent, and I am guessing that it is a southern accent I am hearing. The family is from Texas. The intonation used for Sarah gives a strong sense of who she is. It is she that is telling us what happens. This is her story. It is easy to distinguish between Sarah and her aunt, who is 18 years older. Sarah is 44. These are the two central characters. The older paints pictures of chairs, the younger Christmas ornaments. When the two women travel to Scotland we do not hear Scottish dialect. The narration is clear and easy to follow.
The central theme is relationships - primarily between husband and wife, but also within an entire family. The husband is unfaithful and the wife, well, she must figure out whether to leave or stay. Can she build something new from the life they had shared before? Does she want to? There are two daughters in college; they are in the process of leaving the nest. In this respect, the theme is broader. It is about how marital relationship change over the years and about gaining a sense of who you are as an individual. One is not merely an appendage to another. Sure you are a wife and a daughter and a mother and a granddaughter too, but who are you on your own? That is the central question of this book. What do you want to make of yourself?
Other themes are covered. Art. Why does an artist create? For herself or for others? Who do you do things for? For yourself or for others? How do you perceive yourself? Should one stay where one is born or should one go out and see the world? Interracial marriage and euthanasia and illness and impaired senses and death and ultimately what you do with your life while you have it. There are no definitive answers, neither in the book nor in real life.
Yes, the book has humor.
- ”That woman’s kitchen is a one butt kitchen.”
- The phone call from the girls was just “one long complaint”.
- “I thought I was a real cup of hot chocolate.”
The humor is a comment on normal life and normal people. The lines switch from making you smile to making you think.
- “Painting isn’t for bill paying. Painting is for painting.”
- “What we see emanates from us.”
- “Nobody should make up rules about art, not even for beginners.”
- “It doesn’t matter what you paint, Sarah, but your manner of treating it should be respectful.”
- “Everybody makes their hands with the kind of work they do.”
- “Nothing makes you feel more rotten than lying to your kids.”
- “The hurt doesn’t dissolve the love.”
- “We are losing her, but she is losing all of us.”
- “At last, a chair is simply a stable platform for repose.”
I am not giving the book more stars because at times the lines drown in metaphors and because the book just sort of stops. I would have appreciated more of an ending.
The audiobook is narrated by Lee Ann Howlett. There is an accent, and I am guessing that it is a southern accent I am hearing. The family is from Texas. The intonation used for Sarah gives a strong sense of who she is. It is she that is telling us what happens. This is her story. It is easy to distinguish between Sarah and her aunt, who is 18 years older. Sarah is 44. These are the two central characters. The older paints pictures of chairs, the younger Christmas ornaments. When the two women travel to Scotland we do not hear Scottish dialect. The narration is clear and easy to follow.
July 28, 2011
I decided to read this book after reading John's review a while ago. I'm glad I did. It's different than my usual in setting and characters and ultimately was quite different than what I expected. I won't go heavily into plot other than to say the primary characters are Sarah, a 44 year old woman who has left her husband because he cheated on her. She can't decide whether to reconcile or divorce. She is taking advantage, in a sense, of the death of her grandmother, by moving in with her Aunt Edna after the funeral, and offering to help distribute grandma's ashes to Scotland.
The author, who is male, does an admirable job, in capturing these women, primarily through Sarah's narration and their conversation. Part of their bond is also art as Edna has been painting for years while Sarah has turned her art to working for greeting card companies. both women have expressed and unexpressed frustrations; the plot holds some foreshadowed changes. Very early hints are easy to miss. There are moments I chuckled and smiled at the characters (or with them). These are moments I always enjoy in any novel.
I found this a quietly enjoyable novel with some twists and turns. I've seen quirky mentioned which also describes it. Probably not everyones cup of tea but it was good for me.
The author, who is male, does an admirable job, in capturing these women, primarily through Sarah's narration and their conversation. Part of their bond is also art as Edna has been painting for years while Sarah has turned her art to working for greeting card companies. both women have expressed and unexpressed frustrations; the plot holds some foreshadowed changes. Very early hints are easy to miss. There are moments I chuckled and smiled at the characters (or with them). These are moments I always enjoy in any novel.
I found this a quietly enjoyable novel with some twists and turns. I've seen quirky mentioned which also describes it. Probably not everyones cup of tea but it was good for me.
July 9, 2009
This is the second book I've read from Joe Coomer, and like the last, I really enjoyed it. Again, this male author writes convincingly in a female voice. The story is mainly about the relationships between women (aunt and niece, mother and daughter, sisters), but it also explores relationships between couples (one new marriage and one broken marriage), relationships between fathers and daughters, and the relationship one has with oneself on the journey to self-discovery. The story opens with the burial of one family member and closes with the burial of another, and in between there even lies a bit of a mystery. The characters in this story come alive through the well-crafted personalities Coomer gives them; even the minor characters were colorful, often quirky and sometimes hilarious. I look forward to reading yet another of this author’s novels.
June 18, 2011
Having liked Coomer's The Loop last year, I saw this one on sale at Audible, and went for it (none of his other works have been recorded yet).
The story is told from the point-of-view of Sarah, a 44 year old separated wife who's recently discovered her husband was having an affair; the book opens with her grandmother's funeral at the Fort Worth family home where her Aunt Edna had cared for the bedridden woman for the previous 20 years. The will is read to the family afterwards, including a provision that the ashes be scattered in Scotland. Edna has the grandfather exhumed and cremated, bringing him along, to mix the couple's ashes at a few Scottish sites. During the trip, the storyline changes somewhat abruptly, becoming darker and dramatic by the time they return. It's really not possible to say more without spoilers, but although I really liked the story, I'll throw in an "I suppose so" to those who found the last part a bit difficult to accept.
While the writing quality was generally quite high, I was a bit put off by Sarah's self-pity over her marital situation. Perhaps others might find her reaction authentic, but I grew frustrated with her inability to either divorce or reconcile; that aspect remains pretty much unresolved at the end. Another point I found slightly jarring was that from the time of the Scottish incident (let's call it), Sarah stops speaking exclusively in the present, referring to (hinting at) future events ("As I was later to learn ..." etc.), which fit in hindsight, but detracted for me as a reader at the time. That having been said, I definitely recommend the book for the authenticity of the main characters, including James, Edna's blind, black significant other - a shout-out to Coomer for bringing up that the inter-racial aspect was an issue for James and his family as well, not just the white folks.
And, while I'm shouting out, Lee Ann Howlett's narration made the book for me. Edna seemed believable as a retired school cafeteria worker, who'd never left Texas before heading to Scotland, coming across as going with flow with what she didn't fully understand, rather than seeming ignorant (narrator tone helped with that). Sarah sounded the way I'd expect, businesslike college graduate for contrast when the women are together, yet more vulnerable (self-pitying at times as above to me) in her thoughts. It's tough to talk about James without that dratted spoiler thing happening, but Howlett did quite well by him. The other characters were fairly minor as a group.
I'd be truly interested to hear how others feel about Coomer's writing as a woman (really two including Edna).
The story is told from the point-of-view of Sarah, a 44 year old separated wife who's recently discovered her husband was having an affair; the book opens with her grandmother's funeral at the Fort Worth family home where her Aunt Edna had cared for the bedridden woman for the previous 20 years. The will is read to the family afterwards, including a provision that the ashes be scattered in Scotland. Edna has the grandfather exhumed and cremated, bringing him along, to mix the couple's ashes at a few Scottish sites. During the trip, the storyline changes somewhat abruptly, becoming darker and dramatic by the time they return. It's really not possible to say more without spoilers, but although I really liked the story, I'll throw in an "I suppose so" to those who found the last part a bit difficult to accept.
While the writing quality was generally quite high, I was a bit put off by Sarah's self-pity over her marital situation. Perhaps others might find her reaction authentic, but I grew frustrated with her inability to either divorce or reconcile; that aspect remains pretty much unresolved at the end. Another point I found slightly jarring was that from the time of the Scottish incident (let's call it), Sarah stops speaking exclusively in the present, referring to (hinting at) future events ("As I was later to learn ..." etc.), which fit in hindsight, but detracted for me as a reader at the time. That having been said, I definitely recommend the book for the authenticity of the main characters, including James, Edna's blind, black significant other - a shout-out to Coomer for bringing up that the inter-racial aspect was an issue for James and his family as well, not just the white folks.
And, while I'm shouting out, Lee Ann Howlett's narration made the book for me. Edna seemed believable as a retired school cafeteria worker, who'd never left Texas before heading to Scotland, coming across as going with flow with what she didn't fully understand, rather than seeming ignorant (narrator tone helped with that). Sarah sounded the way I'd expect, businesslike college graduate for contrast when the women are together, yet more vulnerable (self-pitying at times as above to me) in her thoughts. It's tough to talk about James without that dratted spoiler thing happening, but Howlett did quite well by him. The other characters were fairly minor as a group.
I'd be truly interested to hear how others feel about Coomer's writing as a woman (really two including Edna).
February 12, 2013
I love, love, love Joe Coomer. I've read 4 books now and all are just totally different and equally wonderful. This one is, first of all, a book about love. Love between a mother and child, love between a husband and wife, familial love. A book of life and death. A book of choices. A book of loss and of finding oneself.
Sarah's husband, Sam, has cheated on her after many years of marriage. When Grandma Hutton passes away, the family converges on the family home, where Aunt Edna has taken care of Grandma for many years. Grandma had become old and embittered. Her husband passed away, and 2 of her children moved away, taking their families and she found forgiveness hard to come by. No one wanted to visit since her was always so mean to them. Sarah decides to stay after the funeral to help aunt Edna take Grandma's ashes to Scotland. While there Sarah learns some of Aunt Edna's secrets.
Aunt Edna has decided to marry her beau, James, who has helped her for some time in fixing chairs, which are her passion. She paints but only chairs - nothing else.
I really can't say enough about this book and about Joe Coomer. Read any of his books - you won't be disappointed.
Sarah's husband, Sam, has cheated on her after many years of marriage. When Grandma Hutton passes away, the family converges on the family home, where Aunt Edna has taken care of Grandma for many years. Grandma had become old and embittered. Her husband passed away, and 2 of her children moved away, taking their families and she found forgiveness hard to come by. No one wanted to visit since her was always so mean to them. Sarah decides to stay after the funeral to help aunt Edna take Grandma's ashes to Scotland. While there Sarah learns some of Aunt Edna's secrets.
Aunt Edna has decided to marry her beau, James, who has helped her for some time in fixing chairs, which are her passion. She paints but only chairs - nothing else.
I really can't say enough about this book and about Joe Coomer. Read any of his books - you won't be disappointed.
August 11, 2025
Little slow and quirky at the beginning, but worth a read to watch the main character and mystery develop.
November 29, 2012
This is the first story that I've read in a long time that is a real story, with a plot and a natural ending. For example, A Discovery of Witches and Cinder just set up the location and the characters, and a situation or two but not a story.
And it's a good story too. Lots of depth. Good Texas characters and Coomer does well with women's voices. I didn't understand Sarah's lack of forgiveness. There was alot of Edna's actions I didn't agree with, but I understood them (for example, her choice of a wedding dress). Hard to think she didn't begrudge over 20 years of tending to her mother. I wonder if I'll be that sure of myself when I'm 62.
And it's a good story too. Lots of depth. Good Texas characters and Coomer does well with women's voices. I didn't understand Sarah's lack of forgiveness. There was alot of Edna's actions I didn't agree with, but I understood them (for example, her choice of a wedding dress). Hard to think she didn't begrudge over 20 years of tending to her mother. I wonder if I'll be that sure of myself when I'm 62.
April 10, 2012
Found this book by accident on the CLPL book club list. Has something for everyone...wildly funny, very touching, great characters...struck me just right. Set in Fort Worth and Scotland it moves fast through a funeral, a trip abroad, a wedding, something illegal and a believable finish. Once I stopped crying I started making plans...Thanks, Becky, for finding this one.
September 16, 2011
The book is about a woman named Sarah who, at the death of her grandmother, is staying with her Aunt (who was her grandmother's caretaker) while she figures out what is going on in her life/marriage since she had recently discovered that her husband has cheated on her and despite his remorse and begging to be forgiven, she's unsure of her feelings for him with the feelings of betrayal seem to remain foremost in her mind.
Sarah ends up spending time with her Aunt Edna a painter of chairs and retiring lunch lady while she figures out what is what and helping her Aunt to deal with her grandmother's wish to have her ashes spread in Scotland. Half the book is getting to know Sarah and Edna and their getting to know each other while figuring out what is next in their lives and the other is their trip to Scotland and the effect it has on them both. Both are artistic and somewhat stubborn types who are trying to figure out what is next and Edna does a lot to bring Sarah to certain realizations and changes of thinking. To me this was the interesting and thought provoking part of the book, along with the insights about art and painting.
I happened to listen to this book as an Audible.com download. The reader wasn't bad but not one of the usual dramatic actors turned animated professional reader. She was more of someone you know who reads fairly well reading you the story.
There's a lot of great little insights and passages in the book which I think made it more appealing to me being that the protagonist has a few characteristics as myself, ex. age physical shape, and being at a crossroads. Though an enjoyable read for me, I think many might find the book a little less gripping if they're not middle aged women who seem to be the target audience.
I liked this story despite it not being my usual genre or style.
Sarah ends up spending time with her Aunt Edna a painter of chairs and retiring lunch lady while she figures out what is what and helping her Aunt to deal with her grandmother's wish to have her ashes spread in Scotland. Half the book is getting to know Sarah and Edna and their getting to know each other while figuring out what is next in their lives and the other is their trip to Scotland and the effect it has on them both. Both are artistic and somewhat stubborn types who are trying to figure out what is next and Edna does a lot to bring Sarah to certain realizations and changes of thinking. To me this was the interesting and thought provoking part of the book, along with the insights about art and painting.
I happened to listen to this book as an Audible.com download. The reader wasn't bad but not one of the usual dramatic actors turned animated professional reader. She was more of someone you know who reads fairly well reading you the story.
There's a lot of great little insights and passages in the book which I think made it more appealing to me being that the protagonist has a few characteristics as myself, ex. age physical shape, and being at a crossroads. Though an enjoyable read for me, I think many might find the book a little less gripping if they're not middle aged women who seem to be the target audience.
I liked this story despite it not being my usual genre or style.
July 31, 2010
"Its where you sit down that determines everything in life." Most readers will recognize some of themselves and the people they love and hate in this book. Aside from the story itself, this book's greatest strength is in its vivid descriptions. Coomer captures nuances with absolutely wonderful skill, and he is able to use similes and metaphors that resonated in my very soul. This novel captures the agony of life decisions pertaining to becoming a full-time caretaker and accepting what family members can and cannot do for family members with long term illnesses - especailly from a distance. In addition to everything else this book is about two women at turning points in their lives who embark on an adventure, that takes them from the hot oppressive heat of Fort Worth, Texas to the misty beauty of Scotland. Coomer draws Edna and Sarah on this journey with ease and beauty. Sarah and Edna both have secrets, and along the way, Sarah learns of her Aunt's remarkable secret life and comes to fully understand the fragile business of living and even of dying. ** Just a note. I was the full time caretaker of my Mother in her last years, and less than a month ago, she passed away. Her life did not mirror either of these women, but even given the heavy sadness one feels about the loss of a loved one, and the watching of their lives fade away, there was a brief few hours of bliss while I enjoyed this wonderful book. Read it, you won't be disappointed.
January 21, 2013
James is the only character I liked in this novel. He was quirky, while endearing. Most of Joe Coomer’s characters were flat, boring or mean spirited, especially in their dealings with each other. Sarah and Edna were so abrasive that their cruelty to one another made me uncomfortable, even anxious. The harsh style Coomer chose when writing interactions between characters seemed overly nasty and hence not realistic. The story was painfully slow. I actually skimmed sections of the book. (Probably the reason I finished the book in a few days.) Not until the very, very end is there significant, somewhat interesting movement in the story. See my complete review at: www.opinionatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com
June 10, 2022
The first half of this book is horrible, it is slow and meaningless and I thought about quitting the book so many times. Not sure why I stuck with it. But when they get to Scotland the book turns and I found myself having these deep emotional connections with characters. I won't give anything away, but keep with it. I can only give it 3 stars though because I had to get through that first 2/3 of the book and that was tough
March 31, 2015
I typically don't have a problem with a man writing a female perspective; but I just don't feel like Coomer captured the complexity that should have been there for either of the main characters. The continual fat-shaming and harping on the affair really took away from the character development and deeper story for me.
December 5, 2011
Sweet, moving story. Lovable characters, with some good twists and turns along the way. (and the descriptions of Scotland made me want to see it for myself.)
May 14, 2016
I kept falling asleep reading this, but I did finally finish it. It made me feel like a groggy snail.
May 10, 2016
A sensitive, humorous, and deep story about a woman who learns there is much more to her Aunt Edna than just a school 'lunch lady' who paints chairs.
January 8, 2023
I liked this book, but I certainly didn't think it was hilarious, as one review dubbed it. And, in my opinion, it was nowhere as enjoyable as Coomer's "Pocketful of Names".
November 11, 2013
This is story of a Ft Worth family that is touching and very funny at times. I enjoyed it.
August 14, 2022
This is my third Joe Coomer book. I’m adding it to my favorites list. The story is told by Sarah and begins when she attends her grandmother’s funeral. Sarah’s aunt Edna has spent the last 20 years caring for the elderly woman. Sarah decides to stay afterwards to help her Aunt Edna plan and prepare for a trip to Scotland to scatter the ashes. Both women are artists; Sarah decorates Christmas ornaments and Edna paints portraits of chairs. They have a wonderful, warm relationship. Though Edna knows the real reason Sarah decided to stay with her and help on this journey was to avoid her cheating husband. While waiting for the cremation to be completed and their passports obtained, Edna becomes engaged to James, the blind man who repairs her chairs. The story is lighthearted and fun and there are little surprises throughout the story. The author adds a couple unexpected twists that turn the plot a bit dark gave the story some depth. The story made me laugh, cry, and sympathize. A very good read.
August 23, 2017
As a collector of chairs (and to find that I am not alone!), this book appealed to me. It has been in my library, waiting to be read, for a number of years. The book starts out with the death of a grandmother in Fort Worth, TX and family comes to her funeral from all over the country. The funeral is held in her backyard and chairs of all sizes and shapes are brought out of the house. No two alike. There are paintings of the chairs all over the house, on the walls, on the chairs, on the floor. Even in the bathroom. Chairs everywhere. The story starts out to be about chairs but takes off from there in many directions. Laced with humor, quirky situations and relationships, the story starts in Texas and continues through Scotland and back to Texas. The Scotland half of the book was great! I was very surprised at a few twists and turns toward the end. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Loaded with great artsy characters and and a bit of sage advice as well.
February 6, 2018
"The big mistake waiting for someone's approval will be a long time coming. You have to like the moment of working or your work will be valueless." This advise from Aunt Edna sums her attitude about a life well lived moment to moment. Sarah needed her Aunt at this very important crossroads of her life and she seemed to know that. This Vacant Chair approaches dying and living with beauty, power and life changing. The characters are finely executed and needed to encircle the story and its worth. The trip to Scotland alludes to the break from the chains in many areas for both Sarah and Aunt Edna. For a book that provides light in a dark spot, in the end the warmth and love you feel for these characters follows you in memory so kindly. This is so full of acceptance, redemption, comfort, and awareness of how goodness changes our direction.
April 5, 2020
Aunt Edna paints chairs and takes care of her mother. The mother passes and granddaughter Sarah comes to help Aunt Edna. Sarah's marriage is balancing after her husband has an affair. So off go Sarah and Aunt Edna to Scotland to scatter the ashes. Secrets are revealed on the trip, oh the secrets! Upon returning, Aunt Edna marries, but soon after, passes too. Another secret develops. Intrigued?
June 3, 2018
This read is gentle, humorous, and sad. Aunt Edna was an artist who painted only chairs, most of whom she collected in the home she shared with her mother. The house was filled with chairs, each one of a kind. She cared for her ill mother for many years until her death. A few months later Aunt Edna died, too. But this is only the surface of the story. There is a depth that can be found only upon reading the entire novel. It's full of love. Love that prompts people to do the things that should be done. Read this book and get to know Aunt Edna and her family.
June 8, 2023
Part I is not that compelling and I had to set the book aside to read something else.
Parts II and III are much more interesting. Aunt Edna is a philosophical character whose life was quite bland but whose paintings became a way for her to endure that life. The family dynamics that develop as a result of her decisions and deceptions are what compel the reader to finish the book.
Parts II and III are much more interesting. Aunt Edna is a philosophical character whose life was quite bland but whose paintings became a way for her to endure that life. The family dynamics that develop as a result of her decisions and deceptions are what compel the reader to finish the book.
March 31, 2024
Story about an aunt, an artist, a caregiver, and her niece, also an artist, but also a mom and wife who is trying to decide if she should leave her husband. The pair travel to Scotland to scatter grandma’s and grandpa’s ashes. The aunt will marry a black man upon their return. The aunt has devoted her life to caring for her elderly mom (the grandma) and drawing and painting chairs.
July 21, 2024
Interesting, sometimes funny. An exploration of grief and trying to do the right thing, secrets, where life takes us when we don't know what to do next.
If I had read the print version, I'm not sure I would have finished it. There was something about the narrator's performance that really worked and kept me coming back.
If I had read the print version, I'm not sure I would have finished it. There was something about the narrator's performance that really worked and kept me coming back.
April 1, 2023
The first half seemed to drag on but I did enjoy the diversity of the characters and their everyday conversations. The relationship that developed between Aunt Edna and Sarah was my favourite part of this book.
October 3, 2017
One of my favorite books of all time - If you only read one Joe Coomer, read this one or A Pocketful on Names. Earlier ones are quirky and fun especially The Loop.
November 9, 2017
I ended up loving the humanity of this poignant story, even though it did not grab me at the beginning. Real and peppered with moments that will bring you to laughter!
April 10, 2018
Just didn't like this book or it's subject.
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