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Paper Hearts
Eighty-three-year-old Max Boyle would rather die than be forced into assisted living. So when he comes across teenage runaway Chancy Deel sleeping in his garage, he sees an opportunity for both of them. Giving Chancy a home just might keep him from losing his. But in securing a place to live, these lonely hearts discover a place to belong.
- GenresFiction
333 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2007
2 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Debrah Williamson
2 books9 followersA native Oklahoman, Debrah Morris was born near Will Rogers's birthplace. She grew up in Claremore, Oklahoma. She comes to storytelling naturally. As a child, she was a wide-eyed and appreciative audience when her grandparents told colorful tales of their Cherokee and Irish ancestors in the old Indian Territory. Her love of the past was sparked by accounts of the Trail of Tears, outlaws and lawmen, cowboys and cattle, and the Oklahoma Land Run. A member of the Cherokee Tribe of Oklahoma today, she is still learning about tribal history and culture.
Debrah has always been a reader. In fact, she can't recall ever learning how. The summer she was 12, she vowed to read every book in the local library. Starting with the A's, she plowed through the shelves, reading such varied volumes as Alcott's Little Women, Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Le May's The Searchers, and Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. It was a small library, yet it took her years to make it all the way to Frank Yerby. That early alphabetical exploration cemented her eclectic reading habits.
Debrah began writing fiction in third grade. Once she cracked the penmanship code, she discovered she could actually put all those words on her spelling list to good use by stringing them together to express her own ideas. She wrote new chapters for all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series of books and strong-armed her two younger sisters into acting out her stories. She's been writing, and some say strong-arming, ever since. Growing up in a rural farming community gives her the background she needs to write effectively about hometown America. Her country school was small — 12 of the 17 graduates in her class began first grade together — but it gave her a strong academic education and instilled a lifelong love of learning that prompted her to eventually earn a graduate degree.
After earned a bachelor's degree in communications, Debrah got married, and had three children in five years. While taking an adult writing class, she collaborated with Pat Shaver and they sold their first novel to Silhouette Romance in 1983. This collaboration produced more than twenty contemporary and historical romances under four pseudonyms: Dianne Thomas, Joanna Jordan, Pepper Adams, and JoAnn Stacey. Careerwise, she has reinvented herself several times over the years, working at a variety of jobs ranging from bookkeeper to teacher to clinical therapist. But she's never found anything she likes to do more than write down daydreams for other people to read.
Before staring her solo writing career, Debrah earned a post-graduate degree in speech language pathology and worked in an adult neurological rehabilitation center. Her novels have been nominated for Booksellers Best, National Readers' Choice Awards, and Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Silhouette Romance 2002. Now, she signed her novels as Debrah Williamson. She also speaks at writing workshops and teaches writing in a university program at University of Oklahoma and to adults.
Debrah lives in Norman, Oklahoma with her husband. She has three children, two married stepdaughters, and four stepgrandchildren. Her pets include three cats, one dog, and five fat lily-pond goldfish. She doesn't have much spare time, but when she isn't working or writing, she enjoys gardening, counted cross-stit
Debrah has always been a reader. In fact, she can't recall ever learning how. The summer she was 12, she vowed to read every book in the local library. Starting with the A's, she plowed through the shelves, reading such varied volumes as Alcott's Little Women, Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Le May's The Searchers, and Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. It was a small library, yet it took her years to make it all the way to Frank Yerby. That early alphabetical exploration cemented her eclectic reading habits.
Debrah began writing fiction in third grade. Once she cracked the penmanship code, she discovered she could actually put all those words on her spelling list to good use by stringing them together to express her own ideas. She wrote new chapters for all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series of books and strong-armed her two younger sisters into acting out her stories. She's been writing, and some say strong-arming, ever since. Growing up in a rural farming community gives her the background she needs to write effectively about hometown America. Her country school was small — 12 of the 17 graduates in her class began first grade together — but it gave her a strong academic education and instilled a lifelong love of learning that prompted her to eventually earn a graduate degree.
After earned a bachelor's degree in communications, Debrah got married, and had three children in five years. While taking an adult writing class, she collaborated with Pat Shaver and they sold their first novel to Silhouette Romance in 1983. This collaboration produced more than twenty contemporary and historical romances under four pseudonyms: Dianne Thomas, Joanna Jordan, Pepper Adams, and JoAnn Stacey. Careerwise, she has reinvented herself several times over the years, working at a variety of jobs ranging from bookkeeper to teacher to clinical therapist. But she's never found anything she likes to do more than write down daydreams for other people to read.
Before staring her solo writing career, Debrah earned a post-graduate degree in speech language pathology and worked in an adult neurological rehabilitation center. Her novels have been nominated for Booksellers Best, National Readers' Choice Awards, and Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Silhouette Romance 2002. Now, she signed her novels as Debrah Williamson. She also speaks at writing workshops and teaches writing in a university program at University of Oklahoma and to adults.
Debrah lives in Norman, Oklahoma with her husband. She has three children, two married stepdaughters, and four stepgrandchildren. Her pets include three cats, one dog, and five fat lily-pond goldfish. She doesn't have much spare time, but when she isn't working or writing, she enjoys gardening, counted cross-stit
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 1, 2008
I have so much good to say about this novel, I'm not sure where to begin. Debrah Williamson is an accomplished novelist who published close to 30 romance novels either alone or with a collaborator under a variety of pen names before publishing her first mainstream novel, SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN, a couple of years ago. I loved SINGING, so I was pretty certain I would enjoy PAPER HEARTS. However, I did not anticipate that I literally would not be able to put down the book. I read it in 2, maybe 3 sittings, which is unusual for me these days, as I'm a writer myself and must spend most of my time writing rather than reading. It's rare that I don't see "mistakes" (technical, grammatical) when I read. It's rare that I get totally swept into an author's world. Both occurred with PAPER HEARTS.
The story of a 15-year-old runaway and her unlikely cohort, an 83-year-old widower who'd rather die than move into a nursing home, is touching and inspiring. I know I brought some of own personal experience to my reading of this novel, as my grandfather lived to 106 and did not move into a nursing home until 105. And, even then, he did not want to leave the home where he had lived on his own for 15 years after the death of my grandmother; however, after 2 bad falls he required at least two 24-hour caregivers. His spirit was a lot like Max Boyle's in PAPER HEARTS. And 15-year-old Chancy Deel will touch the core of any person who's ever felt like they were on the outside looking in. Debrah Williamson is one talented writer, and I am totally looking forward to whatever she writes next.
The story of a 15-year-old runaway and her unlikely cohort, an 83-year-old widower who'd rather die than move into a nursing home, is touching and inspiring. I know I brought some of own personal experience to my reading of this novel, as my grandfather lived to 106 and did not move into a nursing home until 105. And, even then, he did not want to leave the home where he had lived on his own for 15 years after the death of my grandmother; however, after 2 bad falls he required at least two 24-hour caregivers. His spirit was a lot like Max Boyle's in PAPER HEARTS. And 15-year-old Chancy Deel will touch the core of any person who's ever felt like they were on the outside looking in. Debrah Williamson is one talented writer, and I am totally looking forward to whatever she writes next.
September 9, 2009
I loved it! Thanks for the suggestion Ashlee. Definitely a "tender" story. =-)
April 23, 2020
The story, a teen running away from a toxic environment crosses paths with an elderly man who just wants to live his days out in his home, was interesting enough to get my attention. The voice the author gave the characters is what pushed it over the top. Caring and eager to learn mixing with clever and sarcastic. These characters feel real and I enjoyed spending time reading them. The book is easy to read, the story flows well. I would recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate the young and the older.
August 14, 2019
One of my all-time favorites!
June 16, 2021
A beautiful book about love and chosen families. This is a heartwarming read!
July 18, 2024
This was a very heart warming read.
August 14, 2008
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Chancy Deel has always been left by the ones who she trusted and loved the most, never having a happy life. Without much thought to her next action, Chancy felt is was her time to leave. So she hitched her way to Wenonah, Oklahoma. When arriving, the treacherous weather sets the scene to how Chancy's first day in Wenonah will be like. With no shelter and no one to turn to, Chancy wishes she would have put some thought into running away.
Max, never a healthy person, knew that his wife would surely outlive him. Sadly, this wasn't the case, since his wife, Hanna, had passed away because of cancer. He missed everything about her, from her bossiness to how she was so strong willed. Depressed and living with his dog, Max just didn't know why his life turned out like this.
Chancy and Max, from two different generations with two distinctive attitudes, find themselves in the same boat -- and will soon be in the same home.
At first, Max's decision to let Chancy stay with him was for him to be able to keep the home he and his wife shared a life in. But, soon he will discover that this decision will benefit the both of them, since they each now have someone to help them cope.
Their strong personalities will clash, a strong bond will overcome them, and a new life for each of them will blossom.
Heartwarming and sentimental, PAPER HEARTS will leave a wonderful impression on those who are willing to enter the lives of two vulnerable and lovable characters. Debrah Williamson is a storyteller who can make her readers feel the emotions that these characters are going through. A lovely novel that should be shared and passed down.
Chancy Deel has always been left by the ones who she trusted and loved the most, never having a happy life. Without much thought to her next action, Chancy felt is was her time to leave. So she hitched her way to Wenonah, Oklahoma. When arriving, the treacherous weather sets the scene to how Chancy's first day in Wenonah will be like. With no shelter and no one to turn to, Chancy wishes she would have put some thought into running away.
Max, never a healthy person, knew that his wife would surely outlive him. Sadly, this wasn't the case, since his wife, Hanna, had passed away because of cancer. He missed everything about her, from her bossiness to how she was so strong willed. Depressed and living with his dog, Max just didn't know why his life turned out like this.
Chancy and Max, from two different generations with two distinctive attitudes, find themselves in the same boat -- and will soon be in the same home.
At first, Max's decision to let Chancy stay with him was for him to be able to keep the home he and his wife shared a life in. But, soon he will discover that this decision will benefit the both of them, since they each now have someone to help them cope.
Their strong personalities will clash, a strong bond will overcome them, and a new life for each of them will blossom.
Heartwarming and sentimental, PAPER HEARTS will leave a wonderful impression on those who are willing to enter the lives of two vulnerable and lovable characters. Debrah Williamson is a storyteller who can make her readers feel the emotions that these characters are going through. A lovely novel that should be shared and passed down.
May 14, 2010
I picked this book up for $3 at the Dollar General Store and thought it would be some nice, fun, light reading. I was pleasantly surprised when, from the moment I opened it, it hooked me and didn't let go even at the end as I was wiping tears out of my eyes.
It was THAT good. The characters were all interesting and their relationships and experiences played well off of each other. Each character showed growth on their journey through the book.
The two main characters, Uncle Max and Chancey, played beautifully off of one another. I sort of figured out how the book was going to end as soon as I realized the extent of Uncle Max's health problems, but that didn't make it any less beautiful and bittersweet when the end of the book finally arrived. I bawled like a baby.
This book was so much more than I expected.
It was THAT good. The characters were all interesting and their relationships and experiences played well off of each other. Each character showed growth on their journey through the book.
The two main characters, Uncle Max and Chancey, played beautifully off of one another. I sort of figured out how the book was going to end as soon as I realized the extent of Uncle Max's health problems, but that didn't make it any less beautiful and bittersweet when the end of the book finally arrived. I bawled like a baby.
This book was so much more than I expected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2008
This is one of the best books that I have read in quite a while, I thoroughly enjoyed it!! This was a powerful touching story about a teenage girl, who left her abusive mother back in Pittsburgh to head west with no place in mind except to escape. She ends up in small town Wenonah, Oklahoma where she meets an elderly man named Max Boyle. Chancy Deel needed a home and someone to care about her. Max thought he needed someone to assist him so he could remain in his home. He needed more than assistance - he needed a reason to live. Chancy became that reason. For anyone who has aging parents, this really hits home, I loved this book!
November 18, 2014
There is nothing quite like the ecstasy of loving a book with your whole entire heart. I read this off a rec list of "adult books teens will enjoy," and it was spot-on. Utterly heartwarming storytelling, complete with a dog. Spent a fair amount of this book misty-eyed and aching in a good way; also, Hanna, I love how even as an absent character she was so vivid throughout the book that I missed her too. The ending felt a bit rushed, but not unsatisfying, so there was literally nothing I disliked.
July 24, 2008
I walked by this book on the library shelf for months before finally picking it up and taking it home with me. I'm so glad I did! Paper Hearts tells the tale of fifteen year old runaway Chancy Deel and eighty-five year old widower Max Boyle. They meet up unexpectedly in Wenonah, Oklahoma and seem to be just what the other needs. Touching and uplifting, this book was a nice, easy read that affirms the goodness of people.
April 1, 2008
Sweet. Nicely addresses the problems that abused/neglected children and frail elders face in our country.
That said, it's one of those books that you know in the beginning how it will turn out. Not really a problem for me, but if you want suspense and a gripping how-will-it-end story, pass this one by.
That said, it's one of those books that you know in the beginning how it will turn out. Not really a problem for me, but if you want suspense and a gripping how-will-it-end story, pass this one by.
September 20, 2008
Easy reading but amazingly good characters. The story mainly revolves around a troubled teenage girl and an elderly man and how they learn from and help each other. The characters and the situations they find themselves in are believable without being too predictable. A nice book to lift your spirits and make you think about the impact you may have (especially unknowingly) on other people.
February 8, 2014
Paper Hearts has a heartwarming theme, pulling me in from the very first page. I enjoyed getting to know Max and Chancy and how these two lost souls found each other. However, I became bored with it, because it seemed to come to a climax much too soon. For a much better, lighter and funnier read, I definitely recommend Debrah Williamson's other title, Singing With the Top Down.
January 26, 2012
This is absolutely one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read. It's such a mix of emotions, and the characters are so believable and realistic. I could hardly bear to put it down each time I picked it up and started reading! A warm, touching and beautiful story.
May 12, 2012
This book was fabulous! A very character-driven story with such vivid and wonderful characters. You were cheering for Chancy all the way, as well as Max. Very well written; Debrah captures your attention and holds it. You can't wait to find out what's going to happen next. Such a great read!
April 13, 2008
Very, very nice story, especially for anyone who faces dealing with aging parents.
May 21, 2009
This was a REALLY sweet book!
December 19, 2009
This is a great heart warming story. It is right up there with Tending Roses. My grandmother, mother and I all loved it. It is a book for all ages.
February 7, 2010
After starting this book, I realized that I have already read it! I remember really enjoying this touching story and would recommend it!
April 12, 2010
Good, easy read. Nice heartwarming story.
July 25, 2013
I expected this to be sort of like reading a Hallmark movie ... and it was, but the writing was good enough and the characters compelling enough to offset that.
February 8, 2014
Beautiful story with beautiful characters
January 29, 2016
oh my gosh sooo awsome!!! emotional ! about a homelss teenage girl finds her first friend, compation, and guardian in an older man. thei friendship and struggles are so great!!!
Read
April 18, 2014This book is perfect for someone who needs to know where they belong in the universe.
April 17, 2016
I love this book!!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews