The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don’t they teach you anything at school? So says 104-year-old Ona to the 11-year-old boy who’s been sent to help her out every Saturday morning. As he refills the bird feeders and tidies the garden shed, Ona tells him about her long life, from first love to second chances. Soon she’s confessing secrets she has kept hidden for decades. One … hidden for decades.
One Saturday, the boy doesn’t show up. Ona starts to think he’s not so special after all, but then his father arrives on her doorstep, determined to finish his son’s good deed. The boy’s mother is not so far behind. Ona is set to discover that the world can surprise us at any age, and that sometimes sharing a loss is the only way to find ourselves again.
“Readers won’t be able to resist falling for Ona … The conclusion will leave them smiling through their tears.”—Shelf Awareness
“Poignant … There is much to enjoy in this heartfelt tale of love, loss, and friendship.”—Express
“A must-read book … Whimsical and bittersweet.”—Good Housekeeping
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I found this book to be both heart wrenching and hopeful. Well worth the read.
This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. I fell in love with the 104 year-old main character. It is funny, endearing, sad, and wonderful all at the same time. I couldn’t wait for my reading time each night to fall in love again with this story and find out where it was leading me.
Wonderful human study. Characters evolve slowly and interesting ly. Great story of the human condition. Cu
Loved the connection between unexpected characters.
I thought this was a wonderful story. It was very different and make for an intriguing read.
This is a great book. It inspires you to enjoy life more.
One of the best books I have read in recent years. Highly original. Loved every page. I loved all of the characters, flaws and all.
I loved this very different book that grasped me too quickly for me to second-guess why I was drawn to it. The story is of a 104-year-old woman who is befriended by, then befriends in turn, a precocious but odd, maybe autistic, young boy. When he dies suddenly, his grieving father reaches out to the elderly woman to better understand his son; and the boy’s obsession with Guiness World Records draws them further together and eventually includes the mother. The grief of all three is evident throughout the book but the boy’s infectious joy and its impact on his new friend keep the circumstances from being too depressing. Though the book flexes back and forth in time before and after the tragedy, the shifts are logical for the way the story is unfolding. The author’s use of real records from Guiness and a record quest within the book is ingenuous. Read it!
Loved this book!
I really enjoyed this book in all of its’ sadness and quirky relationships.
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time!
Absolutely one of the most poignant stories I’ve ever read. Can’t say enough.
I loved this book! It is a gentle tale, but haunting. The theme of dealing with loss is portrayed so beautifully. I think this is a must read for everyone!
One of my favorite books ever!
This is a quirky story of a “found” family, starting with an unusual little boy scout. I admit that I was a bit tentative about reading a story about a boy scout who dies because I have two of my own! But it was a sweet story and I would recommend it to others.