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’m so glad I read this book. It tugs at the heart and doesn’t exactly turn out the way I imagined but that’s ok! Deep family relationships. A story about becoming friends and determination and loyalty and honesty – a little bit of many important life lessons – it will stay with you for a while!!!
This is definitely a must read. The characters were amazing. The story itself was amazing. The plot revolves around sadness, yet I never felt sad reading it, only hopeful.
My favorite book that I have read in 2019. Loved all the characters. So we’ll written. I adored “The Boy”.
This is a sweet tale of an 11-year old boy who is assigned to help an elderly woman, Ona Vitkus, with various errands. Through the story, the woman reveals herself to us, through questions from the young man. In doing so, we also learn about the boy’s parents, Belle and Quinn, and their journey.
The book is poignant and heart-warming. I enjoyed the unique style, with all the statistics of the Guinness Book of World Records. I enjoyed how the characters were revealed throughout the novel, and I enjoyed the ending, which was so sad, but just right.
#TheOneInAMillionBoy #MonicaWood
This was a wonderful heartwarming book.
Wow, what a book!! I’m going to call it one of my top three in 2018. Wow.
My review isn’t going to do it justice. Monica Wood has an amazing way with words, but the story is so very readable. “…mysterious susurrations that sounded like quavering trees” “thick, chewable air”, “She made the word lush sound like biting into Satan’s apple.” Indeed. And then there’s the story! Ona is 104 years old and quite possibly one of my favorite people to read. Deep? Riveting? Unabashedly human? I’d use them all to describe the people (so much more than characters) in this book.
Go read this. I managed day reading WITH the fab five home from school. Minor miracle. I truly, truly enjoyed reading this book.
Great descriptions. I wouldn’t necessarily say “wonderful characters” but they were real and you would recognize them if you passed them on the street. It’s a wonderful story. Our newly formed book club read it as our first book and all agreed it is probably one we never would have pulled off the shelf, but we are so glad we read it.
This ook has a lot of heart
The journey of a boy, his father and a 104 year old woman. Slow, thoughtful book. Intriguing. Heart-breaking. …with an ending chapter that is completely and overwhelmingly magnificent. An absolute must-read book. One of my very few 5 star reviews!
Great read, wonderful characters. If you you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society , you will like this book.
I loved this book and found it hard to put down. It is presented in an interesting format that allows the greater to comprehend the complexities and characteristics of the characters in greater depth. Each chapter includes traditional format of writing with the inclusion of two other formats at the end of the chapters. It’s really quite innovative. The characters are compiling and believable. As the story unfolds you are able to realistically grasp the emotions of each character and observe their evolving personal growth, both as individuals and in supportive friendships. The authorvweaves it all together beautifully and, even in the ending, creates a quiet but powerful snapshot of the dynamics of the character who is the thread that ties all of the other characters together.
A totally unexpected storyline and characters that you really came to like.
A story like I have never read. It is a book you have “to stick” with because it is written in a way that moves you back and forth between the characters and their lives. I thought it was a really good read.
I loved this book on Audible!!! Seriously, it was Amazing~with the accents & different characters so well portrayed! It was a real tear jerker but soooo worth it!
A powerful story in which the title character never appears (except in memory) and is never named. Ona, the 100+ year old heroine is a hoot.
a thought provoking story about what legacy one might leave, no matter how old you are when you die.
This book started off a bit slow for me and I almost stopped reading it. But something compelled me to keep reading and I am so glad I did. It eventually hooked me & realed me in. Wonderful story well worth the read.
Greatly enjoyed!
This was a different sort of book about a lot of different things – getting old, what it means to be a parent, commitment, goal setting, and just being and feeling different – plus a lot of other things.
I liked the characters and cared about what happened to them.
I liked the story line – and that it wasn’t a straight line but not so twisted that it was confusing.
An easy read but not fluff.
Recommended.
The characters were so interesting and I kept wishing they could be my friends. It would be a good book for a book club to discuss