A grieving widow and a disenchanted writer form an unexpected bond in a novel about second chances and finding the courage to let go of the past.
It’s been three years since Claire Kite lost her husband, David, an aspiring novelist, in a tragic car accident. Claire finally finds the courage to move on; then she discovers among the remnants of her shattered world her husband’s last manuscript. … last manuscript. It’s intimate, stirring—and unfinished. An idea comes to her…What if she can find someone to give David’s novel the ending it deserves?
Whitaker Grant is famous for his one and only bestselling novel—a masterpiece that became a hit film. But after being crippled by the pressure of success and his failed marriage, Whitaker retreated from the public eye in his native St. Petersburg, Florida. Years later, he’s struggling through a deep midlife crisis. Until he receives an intriguing request from a lonely widow. To honor David’s story, Whitaker must understand, heart and soul, the man who wrote it and the woman he left behind.
There’s more to the novel than anyone dreamed. Something personal. Something true. Maybe, in bringing a chapter of David’s life to a close, Claire and Whitaker can find hope for a new beginning.
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An Unfinished Story is the perfect mix of character-driven, heartstring-pulling drama and sharp-witted humor. I was thoroughly entertained and found myself in awe of Walker’s talent as a writer. I’m not even sure where to begin… His storyline was poignant and meaningful. His prose was masterful and full of gorgeous imagery that made the setting come alive for me. His pacing was spot-on. The dialogue was brilliant—deep and soulful at times, witty and amusing at others. On top of all that, he has created a complex and marvelously memorable character in Whitaker Grant, who charmed and amused me at every turn. I could go on and on. At the end of the day, this was a wonderfully enjoyable book. Clearly, Boo Walker is an author whose time has come.
This story touched me in so many ways, not the least of which was the delicacy, yet realistic way, grief was approached by the author, Boo Walker. I also loved how he touched on the plight of children in the foster system. I think what amazed me most about this book was the development of one of the main characters, Whitaker. The author takes him from rock bottom, after being on top of the literary world, and slowly has him evolving back into the man he had once been – and more! He was hard to like at first – even a bit disgusting – but by the end of the story he has captured hearts in more ways than one! This is just a remarkable and heartfelt story and I loved it!
A very good story of a young widow, Claire. struggling three years after losing her husband and a writer, Whitaker, who achieved fame with his first book, but ten years later is struggling to produce another. The two are brought together when Claire finds the unfinished manuscript her husband left behind and seeks out Whitaker to finish it. There was much to love about this book…second chances, courage in the face of adversity, the plight of thousands of children in the foster care system. I particularly enjoyed Whitaker’s struggle to write again and the way his journey is portrayed – at times humorous, at times sad, at times frustrating. It all felt very real.
I was intrigued from the beginning, but the story moves very slowly at times, focusing maybe too much on the turmoil and heartbreak the two main characters are dealing with to the point where it gets a bit repetitive. But, a very good story and one I recommend.
It was a really interesting story with a nice ending of a boy being adopted.
Great book!
A profoundly beautiful story.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and was pleasantly surprised. The characters are well-developed and it was easy to feel their range of emotions.
On the third anniversary, of her husband, David’s unexpected death, Claire is at last going to open the door to his office and clean it out. She hasn’t been living in what David called their “forever home” but now has finally sold it which forced her to go into his office. While emptying his desk, she finds the novel he was working on. He had asked that she not read it until it was complete but she is optimistic she has gathered enough courage to now read David’s last words.
Ten years ago Whitaker Grant had written a best-seller, which later was made into a movie. Having frequented the popular restaurant owned by Claire, he gifted David a copy of his book. That book is what motivated David to try writing again. Whitaker, however, was at a stand-off with his writing career, suffering from a long-term writers block.
After Claire read David’s novel, she was convinced she had to honor his wish to have it published. She first had to find an author to write the rest of David’s compelling story and immediately thought of Whittaker Grant. She was completely convinced he was the one who should write the ending of the book, however, convincing Whittaker was a challenge she wasn’t prepared for. He absolutely refused and nothing was going to change his mind.
The journey Claire takes to ensure that David’s book gets finished and published is extraordinary. She is totally committed to persuade Whittaker to take on the job.
This book held my complete interest until the very last page was turned. Once I began to read, it was extremely difficult to put down. This is an incredible story!
Not wanting to retell the story -or be a spoiler-I would highly recommend this book -It has something for everyone. I spent a pleasurable couple of days pursuing -Saving Orlando -to its finished status-
If Nicholas Sparks and Maeve Binchy had a baby, he might sound a lot like Boo Walker. An Unfinished Story strikes a perfect balance between humor, warm-heartedness, and the daily pathos of being human.
Grieving widow Claire Kite and frustrated writer Whitaker Grant cross paths in Boo Walker’s moving novel, An Unfinished Story. Accurately conveying the complexity of human emotions, this story of love and healing kept me turning pages and tugged at my heart. Not to be missed.
Nice happy book
An Unfinished Story is an immersive tale about a quest to find something real and true after life turns upside down. Boo Walker has written a book with a tender heart, cast against the soft background of coastal Florida, a setting rendered with a hand for delicate detail. A great story of redemption that carted me away.
I love books with breathing characters you can root for, a narrative of human life to which you can relate, a conclusion that can stop the heart, and an author who can bind them all together with passion and soul. Boo Walker proves he’s that kind of writer with An Unfinished Story.
October 9, 2020
Grab you by the heart kinda book!
Wonderful characters moving through a unique series of events. I enjoyed their interactions and individual quirks. The emotional stuff was handled in a very clear and respectful way. I loved that.
This story was unexpected and beautifully heart-warming. Three years after her husband’s death, Claire finally decides to clean out his office and finds the manuscript her husband was working on and sits down to read it. The story is personal and enlightening, and then it ends. But that can’t be it…Claire know this book needs to get published, but it needs an ending. Who better to finish it than the local author who inspired her husband to go back to writing? Whitaker Grant has writer’s block and is afraid he is going to be a one-hit-wonder. When Claire comes to him offering to pay him to finish the book, he turns her away. He’s so mired in his own problems; he can’t take on anyone else’s. Claire is persistent and once he reads the novel, he understands why she is adamant. There is so much more to the novel and the more time they spend together working on it, the more they learn.
This was a wonderful novel of loss, grief, and learning to live again, realizing that you lose someone that it doesn’t mean your life is over.
AN UNFINISHED STORY is my first novel by Boo Walker and I really enjoyed it and his writing style. I will be checking out his past novels and watching to see what he comes out with next.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#ANUNFINISHEDSTORY #BOOWALKER #LAKEUNIONPUBLISHING
A heartwarming tale of loss, love, and starting over, An Unfinished Story is the perfect hopeful summer read.
This was my first book by this author. I really enjoyed the story. A grieving widow finds a written book by her spouse that is missing the ending and it’s her only quest to find an author to finish it so she can begin to move on in the grieving process. The author she finds is in a mid-life crisis of his own and struggling to move on from a broken marriage and writing block. Claire is obsessed with having Whitaker Grant finish the book and won’t take no for an answer. The book opens up some secrets that Claire never knew about and has to deal with the deception she feels. The book touches on love, loss, and second chances. I would recommend this book.
I listened to the audiobook version of this title. I like this author, but was disappointed. I’m in the minority, but the narration ruined it for me. I was excited about the storyline and then met the main characters. I didn’t like Claire at all. Want to use the word stalker, but a little too harsh. Annoying pushy or somewhere in between. Whitaker was stuck, but grow up for goodness sakes. And his mother? The narration for her was killed it for me. May have gotten better, more interesting or maybe I’d have grown to care about either Claire or Whitaker, but I didn’t so surprisingly for me I couldn’t finish. Read it don’t listen if you’re interested.
If I could give this story 10 stars I would. I don’t think a book has touched me like this in awhile. I have never read anything by this author and am so happy to have found him.
This is the story of Whitaker, an author with profound and debilitating “writers block”, and struggling to get through each day. The collapse of his marriage and his ten year struggle to recreate another best seller is slowly destroying him.
A young widow, Claire, can’t move on after losing her husband in a tragic car accident.David was an aspiring writer and she finds a manuscript of the book he was working on, but it was unfinished.
She knows the one writer that she wants to provide an ending to the wonderful story that she discovered, is Whitaker! The effort provides to be difficult, and so begins a friendship and the biggest challenge of their lives, to discover where David was going with this story, and who was Orlando.
#BooWalker, such a talented, sensitive storyteller. His characters are very strong and very likable. I loved this book so much and it brought tears several times. He really succeeds in bringing their pain and struggle to the reader.
I thank the author, #LakeUnionPublishing and #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own!
If Tomorrow Never Comes. This book could well be a sequel to the hit Garth Brooks song of many years ago, as it follows a widow as she finally tries to move on from her husband’s sudden death three years ago. Based on my own interactions on social media with so many writers, the struggles Whitaker goes through seem to be all too real – and his stalking of neighborhood people who don’t pick up their dog’s poop is one of the most hilarious-because-it-is-so-tempting-to-actually-do things I’ve read in quite some time. And the video game Whitaker finds himself playing just trying to give his mind space to come up with The Next Big Idea is apparently fake, but sounds like it could be *awesome* in the right hands. (I’m a Fallout/ Mass Effect / Outer Worlds kind of gamer, and it sounds like it might be in that vein, or at least Halo.) Overall a very strong book, one that manages to sink new hooks every so often as it propels to an arguably blatantly obvious yet still satisfying finale. Very much recommended.