The Last Odd Day : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A Lovely Story with Messages of Faith, Hope and Charity
Review: Fans of Lynne Hinton's previous novels will find her new book, THE LAST ODD DAY, odd indeed. Deriving its title from November 19, 1999 (11.19.1999), the "last odd day" until 3111, it is a quiet, rambling account of an older blue-collar woman coping with her husband's long-term care and her own long-term memories; it is more novella than novel and more a meditation than a narrative. However, while Jean Clover's story may not have the dramatic action or symbolic cohesion of Hinton's earlier work, it is nonetheless a lovely story replete with messages of faith, hope and charity.

The basic facts: Jean, daughter of a Cherokee woman and a blind white man, grows up poor and marries O.T., who almost immediately goes off to fight in World War II, leaving Jean home on the farm with his parents and brother. For many years, nothing much happens: O.T. works, Jean keeps house, and any disappointments either of them feel are either ignored or accepted --- until the day Jean learns that the child she has carried nearly to term has died in utero. After the grueling and gruesome experience of laboring in childbirth without a baby to take home, Jean runs away to a motel for a month, filling her room with infant clothes, toys, and paraphernalia until returning home quietly and carrying on as if nothing had happened.

The years pass, and the couple carry on as if nothing ever will happen --- until the day when O.T. is felled by a stroke and winds up in a nursing home at half his former size and with less than half of his former faculties. Jean visits and cares for him faithfully, and during one of her regular bedside stays, she learns from a caregiver that her husband has had another visitor. Jean's encounter with that person will change both of their lives.

It's not spoiling this book to reveal that O.T. had secrets; it would be spoiling the book, however, to give all of the details of what Jean does with her new knowledge. What is most fascinating about Jean's reminiscences is that, despite the lack of luxuries in her life, she lacks neither love nor wisdom. When, at the end, her conventional church-lady neighbor attempts to tie up Jean's life, Jean resists with her customary stillness, knowing that some events and emotions cannot be reduced.

Hinton's achievement in THE LAST ODD DAY is a protagonist who will not be reduced, even if her circumstances and choices have made her a woman of little consequence for many people. Jean's dignity and decency are not contrived; Hinton seems almost to have channeled this character from a deep place, from the Godhead. But while Jean is a compelling character, the reader simply doesn't have enough information about her to understand her actions. Even at 192 pages, the book feels more like a character sketch than a narrative; yet such a moving and sincere character sketch should not be ignored.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Rating:
Summary: A Lovely Story with Messages of Faith, Hope and Charity
Review: Fans of Lynne Hinton's previous novels will find her new book, THE LAST ODD DAY, odd indeed. Deriving its title from November 19, 1999 (11.19.1999), the "last odd day" until 3111, it is a quiet, rambling account of an older blue-collar woman coping with her husband's long-term care and her own long-term memories; it is more novella than novel and more a meditation than a narrative. However, while Jean Clover's story may not have the dramatic action or symbolic cohesion of Hinton's earlier work, it is nonetheless a lovely story replete with messages of faith, hope and charity.

The basic facts: Jean, daughter of a Cherokee woman and a blind white man, grows up poor and marries O.T., who almost immediately goes off to fight in World War II, leaving Jean home on the farm with his parents and brother. For many years, nothing much happens: O.T. works, Jean keeps house, and any disappointments either of them feel are either ignored or accepted --- until the day Jean learns that the child she has carried nearly to term has died in utero. After the grueling and gruesome experience of laboring in childbirth without a baby to take home, Jean runs away to a motel for a month, filling her room with infant clothes, toys, and paraphernalia until returning home quietly and carrying on as if nothing had happened.

The years pass, and the couple carry on as if nothing ever will happen --- until the day when O.T. is felled by a stroke and winds up in a nursing home at half his former size and with less than half of his former faculties. Jean visits and cares for him faithfully, and during one of her regular bedside stays, she learns from a caregiver that her husband has had another visitor. Jean's encounter with that person will change both of their lives.

It's not spoiling this book to reveal that O.T. had secrets; it would be spoiling the book, however, to give all of the details of what Jean does with her new knowledge. What is most fascinating about Jean's reminiscences is that, despite the lack of luxuries in her life, she lacks neither love nor wisdom. When, at the end, her conventional church-lady neighbor attempts to tie up Jean's life, Jean resists with her customary stillness, knowing that some events and emotions cannot be reduced.

Hinton's achievement in THE LAST ODD DAY is a protagonist who will not be reduced, even if her circumstances and choices have made her a woman of little consequence for many people. Jean's dignity and decency are not contrived; Hinton seems almost to have channeled this character from a deep place, from the Godhead. But while Jean is a compelling character, the reader simply doesn't have enough information about her to understand her actions. Even at 192 pages, the book feels more like a character sketch than a narrative; yet such a moving and sincere character sketch should not be ignored.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Rating:
Summary: What a great "little" book with a huge message.
Review: I loved this sparse tale about letting go of that which really doesn't matter and grabbing hold of that which makes all the difference in our lives.

This book reminded me of MRS. DALLOWAY or THE HOURS with it's main character doing so much internalizing. Her "interior" life was rich and full, even if her "outside" life was plain and simple. I read the book in one sitting and was charmed.

I'd like to read more by this author.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Perfect weekend book
Review: Nashville City Paper BookClub Column May 27, 2004

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kick off for summer and it is a great time to start collecting the stack of books you intend to read before Labor Day. At the top of my stack is The Last Odd Day by Lynne Hinton (HarperCollins). One of her earlier books, The Friendship Cake is a favorite of many Nashville book clubs, as are those that continue the saga, Hope Springs and Forever Friends. The Last Odd Day features new characters and it may be Hinton's best book yet - unforgettable and the perfect gift for a friend.
Saralee Terry Woods is President of BookMan/BookWoman Books, and Larry D. Woods is an attorney in Nashville.

Rating:
Summary: very 'odd' and thank goodness it was a short book
Review: This novel was nothing like Hinton's previous books; the writing was good but really didn't feel like a novel - more like a long essay on one woman's discovery of her husband's secret.

Jean Witherspoon's husband dies and she comes to deal with the secret and her life without her husband. The story is one big narrative and I was glad when it was finished.

I have so enjoyed Hinton's other books ~ this was a different turn for the author - more of a ramble to me.

Rating:
Summary: Letting go of the past
Review: This short novel focuses on Jean Witherspoon, an older woman who has lived alone ever since her husband, O.T., entered a nursing home two years before. At the start of the book, Jean discovers that an unknown woman, Lily, has been visiting O.T. without Jean's knowledge. The mystery of Lily and her connection to O.T.'s past causes Jean to begin reflecting on her own history, from the death of her younger sister, Emma, when she was seven years old to the loss of her own baby, who she called by that same name. Jean and Lily form an unlikely friendship, and each woman shares their story. For Jean, the ability to open up to Lily is transforming, as she is finally able to release long-buried emotions. For the reader, however, the effect is much less dramatic, as Jean's character remains an enigma whose present life does not clearly follow from her past experiences. Some sections of the book were engaging, but ultimately, I felt the story had little substance; although I would probably not recommend this book, perhaps it would appeal to someone who could relate more to Jean's circumstances than I could.

Rating:
Summary: Letting go of the past
Review: This short novel focuses on Jean Witherspoon, an older woman who has lived alone ever since her husband, O.T., entered a nursing home two years before. At the start of the book, Jean discovers that an unknown woman, Lily, has been visiting O.T. without Jean's knowledge. The mystery of Lily and her connection to O.T.'s past causes Jean to begin reflecting on her own history, from the death of her younger sister, Emma, when she was seven years old to the loss of her own baby, who she called by that same name. Jean and Lily form an unlikely friendship, and each woman shares their story. For Jean, the ability to open up to Lily is transforming, as she is finally able to release long-buried emotions. For the reader, however, the effect is much less dramatic, as Jean's character remains an enigma whose present life does not clearly follow from her past experiences. Some sections of the book were engaging, but ultimately, I felt the story had little substance; although I would probably not recommend this book, perhaps it would appeal to someone who could relate more to Jean's circumstances than I could.