Rating: 
Summary: Very slow moving...........
Review: In a quirky story full of highly unusual people a la Anne Tyler, Patricia Gaffney has created a moving and simple tale of people who bond together because they have risen above the need to judge. And so they find glorious treasure in the most unlikely of fellow human beings.
That may sound corny, it may sound pat--but the message here is if you look beyond the surface, you just might find gold. And, like Anne Tyler before her, Gaffney takes the most seemingly ordinary people and graces their lives with beauty, showing us that every human being is an angel--no matter how deep you have to dig!
This is the story of Caddie Winger, a music teacher in her early 30s who has no notion of herself at all. She considers herself blah and invisible when she is quite the opposite. She lives an invisible existence, though, in an old house with the woman who raised her, her grandmother Nana.
As the book opens, Nana, an eclectic, very "out there" "performance artist" given to creating obscene sculptures out of mud and plants in the front yard, suddenly and without warning asks Caddie to take her to a local residence for the elderly. It is not a nursing home, but one step from it. Caddie is appalled and upset--this is totally unlike Nana. But she complies, and at the home itself, Caddie, a young and attractive woman, gets drawn in to the various lives, large and small, of Nana's residential neighbors.
In the process of listening to, and at times recording, the interesting life histories of the residents, Caddie begins to come out of her shell and put together the clues of her own self as well. It's a slow and painful process, and there is no "eureka!" suddenly on page 300. More, it is like real life is, a surprise, good or bad, around every corner.
This is simply a wonderful book. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: SEP says, A special book for a special reader....
Review: Nobody writes better about community than Patricia Gaffney. I read this book in 2 sittings and, a week later, I'm mourning the fact that I've finished it. I miss the characters so much. If you're into murder and mayhem, heaving bosoms and hot sex, this isn't the read for you. If you love books with richly developed characters, stylish prose that goes straight to the heart, and themes that touch all of us, then don't miss The Goodbye Summer.
Thanks, Patricia Gaffney for a lovely read.Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Rating:
Summary: A Very Special, Moving Novel That Touches Your Heart
Review: Okay. Here's the deal. I confess. Gaffney could write about a trip to the grocery store, and I'd pay good green money to read it. I like her voice, I love her characters, I love her wry, understated humor. Her Flight Lessons was one of the best books I've read. The Goodbye Summer is a lovely, muted story of a woman who, as her name suggests (Caddie Winger), finally takes wing and discovers herself. Gaffney is an extraordinarily gifted writer who always gives a reader a textured story with people who touch your emotions--here it's a grandmother who doesn't want to be a burden, who's aware of the shadows coming down on her creative, energetic, brain; Caddie, her granddaughter who engages with the elderly in a realistic, moving way while trying to sort out her own confused emotions; and a damaged hero who somehow makes you--and Caddie--fall in love with him. I love thrillers, fast-paced romantic comedies, spy stories, sentimental romances. And I love Gaffney's books, too. I come to each book, however, with different expectations. What I know Gaffney's writing will always give me is a story that reaches into my heart, a story that shows me the world from a different angle. The Goodbye Summer is not a book you can put down and say, "Same old, same old." The Goodbye Summer is not a book you've read before with the same old relationships and plot and only the names changed. The Goodbye Summer is fresh, rich, and emotionally engaging. The characters and their choices--and their dilemmas--are real. While it takes Caddie a while to change, to see her own possibilities, she does, and the reader is richer for having joined her on her quixotic, touching journey. This is a wonderful book, a book that defines certain kinds of relationships. And I have to say that the scene in which she attacks the, uh, risque "sculptures" outside her grandmother's house is a classic! As are the sculptures! As I said, even as cheap as I am, I figure it's money well spent when I buy a Gaffney book. And I don't wait for the paperback version!
Rating:
Summary: A CHOICE VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Review: Seasoned actress and voice performer Maxwell has proven herself adept at both comedy and drama in her stage performances. She exercises that talent to the joy of listeners as we hear conversations between some of the slightly flighty residents of Wake House, a convalescent home. Her reading of Caddie's story is heartfelt and endearing as we share the sadness of losing someone dear and the joy of discovering love. Thirty-two year old Caddie Winger is a piano teacher, content for all of her life to live with her grandmother, Frances. But Caddie's life takes a sharp turn when Frances breaks a leg and insists upon moving to Wake House. Of course, she visits her grandmother regularly and becomes close to many of the other elderly residents. Her new friends are over twice as old as she is, save for one - a young man who was injured in a sky diving accident. For the first time that she can remember Caddie is living alone, making decisions on her own, and perhaps finding a new and unexpected life. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A CHOICE VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Review: Seasoned actress and voice performer Maxwell has proven herself adept at both comedy and drama in her stage performances. She exercises that talent to the joy of listeners as we hear conversations between some of the slightly flighty residents of Wake House, a convalescent home. Her reading of Caddie's story is heartfelt and endearing as we share the sadness of losing someone dear and the joy of discovering love. Thirty-two year old Caddie Winger is a piano teacher, content for all of her life to live with her grandmother, Frances. But Caddie's life takes a sharp turn when Frances breaks a leg and insists upon moving to Wake House. Of course, she visits her grandmother regularly and becomes close to many of the other elderly residents. Her new friends are over twice as old as she is, save for one - a young man who was injured in a sky diving accident. For the first time that she can remember Caddie is living alone, making decisions on her own, and perhaps finding a new and unexpected life. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Charming!
Review: THE GOODBYE SUMMER by Patricia Gaffney I read THE SAVING GRACES a few years ago, but THE GOODBYE SUMMER, Patricia Gaffney's fourth book, is so much better. I did not love THE SAVING GRACES; it was not the perfect book. Something about the way the author put that book together did not make it flow at all. She had four central characters, and although some authors are very good at writing books like this (Maeve Binchy comes to mind), Gaffney is not. However, THE GOODBYE SUMMER was such a good book, that I am going to rate this one five stars. THE GOODBYE SUMMER is the story of Caddie Winger, thirty-five years old and is living with her grandmother, "Nana", who raised her because her mother was never home due to a singing career. Caddie never knew her father. In this book, Caddie is struggling to become someone, and when she meets the man of her dreams, she finds that she is coming out of her shell and is no longer the timid, shy, music teacher she has been all her adult life. Caddie's other inspiration are the friends she makes at "The Wake House", where her grandmother insists on living at while she recuperates from an injury. It is here that Caddie starts to come alive, especially after she meets a new member of the House, Thea, who becomes the mother and best friend Caddie has always yearned for. The words to describe this book are "charming" and "wonderful". THE GOODBYE SUMMER is filled with so many interesting characters, yet they do not overwhelm the main point of the book, which is to tell Caddie's story. I did not want this book to end. If Gaffney's future novels are as good as this, she has won a new fan in me.
Rating:
Summary: A Well-Written Novel and a Joy to Read
Review: THE GOODBYE SUMMER, Patricia Gaffney's fourth novel, centers on 32-year-old Caddie Winger, a somewhat naive and inexperienced woman who has lived with her grandmother for most of her life. Her mother, Jane (Chelsea), was too busy to be there for Caddie, and entrusted her daughter's care into her mother's hands. Without any hint of complaint, Nana took Caddie under her wing and raised her as her own daughter. The book opens with Nana alluding to a home where she would like to live while recuperating from a fall. Caddie finally figures out that the home her grandmother is talking about is Wake House, whose residents are mostly elderly people needing some help to get by but do not need a nurse or companion to see to their everyday needs. The one exception is Magill, a young man closer to Caddie's age than Nana's, who Caddie later discovers is living there while recuperating from an accident that took the life of his girlfriend. Caddie's history could be considered tragic. She worshipped her mother from afar, a woman who was caught up in the hippie movement and who thought of herself as a singer first, a mother second. Jane's life ends at the young age of 31, and Caddie does not know much more about her mother --- not until much later in the book when Caddie makes an effort to track down the man she thinks is her father, a musician who played in her mother's band. Caddie lives the life of a modern-day spinster. However, early on in the story, Caddie meets an animal trainer named Chris. While it takes Caddie a while to figure out that Chris is interested in her romantically, she is on cloud nine once she realizes his intentions. Caddie blossoms before everyone's eyes, and life takes on new meaning. When her romance with Chris takes a turn for the worst, it is her friends at Wake House who help her through her darkest moments and teach her that there is more to life than romance and love between a man and a woman. There isn't any real strong plot line to THE GOODBYE SUMMER. What makes this novel work is the characters who fill its pages. Caddie goes through life not really living it, spending her days teaching young people how to play the violin or the piano. She slowly comes out of her shell, finds out who she really is underneath the facade of being a very proper and somewhat dull person, and learns about friendship and love through the residents of Wake House. Caddie also watches as her grandmother slowly ages before her eyes. The woman she had always looked to as her mother begins to lose the ability to function normally in society. Through the friendships she builds with Magill and others at Wake House, Caddie finally connects with people other than her grandmother, and learns to be independent emotionally rather than rely solely on Nana for every basic social need. Although Caddie is the central figure in THE GOODBYE SUMMER, it is the residents of Wake House who give this book its charm and substance --- Magill, the shy and rather strange young man who finds himself drawn to Caddie; Thea, the woman who becomes Caddie's close friend and mentor, the mother she never had; Cornel, an old curmudgeon who is filled with love for Thea, but is unable to show how he feels about Thea (or anything else for that matter); and even Finny, Nana's Jack Russell Terrier, makes an impact on the reader as he goes about his doggy duties and creates havoc wherever he goes. There are a half-dozen more characters who populate this book, and they all fit perfectly. All have their slight eccentricities and quirks, which makes them all the more interesting to meet and get to know. This reviewer gives THE GOODBYE SUMMER a very hearty recommendation of five stars. While Patricia Gaffney's first novel THE SAVING GRACES fell short in terms of lovable characters and a good story structure, THE GOODBYE SUMMER, her fourth novel, shows that she has come a long way. Not only is it written well, it is also a joy to read. This reviewer will be sure to pick up her next book. --- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton
Rating: 
Summary: A lovely read with fun and interesting "elder" characters!
Review: This book was such a nice read. The main character is Caddie, a 32 year old music teacher who has always lived with her grandmother (since Caddie's mother died when Caddie was very young). Caddie's grandmother decides to go live at the local pseudo nursing home while she heals a broken leg. The home is called Wake House and the inhabitants all are quite distinctive! This story is written through Caddie's eyes. Since she is no longer living with her grandmother, she starts to get out more and eventually falls in love. In addition, she visits often with the Wake House folks and gets to learn a lot about them as she write their bios for a Wake House project. There are not many books that have so many "elder" characters written with such flair! You want to know more about them and their sometimes boring, sometimes exciting, but always REAL experiences. Just a nice, feel good book that will make you cry and laugh. I can't wait to read another by this author!
Rating:
Summary: A lovely read with fun and interesting "elder" characters!
Review: This book was such a nice read. The main character is Caddie, a 32 year old music teacher who has always lived with her grandmother (since Caddie's mother died when Caddie was very young). Caddie's grandmother decides to go live at the local pseudo nursing home while she heals a broken leg. The home is called Wake House and the inhabitants all are quite distinctive! This story is written through Caddie's eyes. Since she is no longer living with her grandmother, she starts to get out more and eventually falls in love. In addition, she visits often with the Wake House folks and gets to learn a lot about them as she write their bios for a Wake House project. There are not many books that have so many "elder" characters written with such flair! You want to know more about them and their sometimes boring, sometimes exciting, but always REAL experiences. Just a nice, feel good book that will make you cry and laugh. I can't wait to read another by this author!
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