The Last True Love Story (Audible Audio Edition) Brendan Kiely Kirby Heyborne Audible Studios Books
Download As PDF : The Last True Love Story (Audible Audio Edition) Brendan Kiely Kirby Heyborne Audible Studios Books
From the critically acclaimed author of The Gospel of Winter and the coauthor of All American Boys comes a cool, contemplative spin on hot summer nights and the classic teen love story as two teens embark on a cross-country journey of the heart and soul.
The point of living is learning how to love.
That's what Gpa says. To Hendrix and Corrina, both 17 but otherwise alike only in their loneliness, that sounds like another line from a pop song that tries to promise kids that life doesn't actually suck. Okay, so love. Sure.
The thing about Corrina - her adoptive parents are suffocating, trying to mold her into someone acceptable, predictable, like them. She's a musician, itching for any chance to escape, become the person she really wants to be. Whoever that is.
And Hendrix, he's cool. Kind of a poet. But also kind of lost. His dad is dead, and his mom is married to her job. Gpa is his only real family, but he's fading fast from Alzheimer's. Looking for any way to help the man who raised him, Hendrix has made Gpa an impossible promise - that he'll get him back east to the hill where he first kissed his wife, before his illness wipes away all memory of her.
One hot July night, Hendrix and Corrina decide to risk everything. They steal a car, spring Gpa from his assisted living facility, stuff Old Humper the dog into the backseat, and take off on a cross-country odyssey from LA to NY. With their parents, Gpa's doctors, and the police all hot on their heels, Hendrix and Corrina set off to discover for themselves if what Gpa says is true - that the only stories that last are love stories.
The Last True Love Story (Audible Audio Edition) Brendan Kiely Kirby Heyborne Audible Studios Books
I'm a huge fan of young adult literature. 4 out of 5 books that I read are written for younger audiences, but honestly, they're my favorite books to read, perhaps because so many of them really touch on real life issues. The Last True Love Story is a story about just that: love. But it's not the story you might expect. Yes, a young romance does blossom between Teddy (Hendrix) and Corrina. But to me, the true love story is the one that exists between Teddy and his ailing grandfather, Gpa, and Gpa and his late wife.Anyone who has known and loved someone diagnosed with Alzheimer's knows what a devastating and cruel disease it can be. It steals everything most precious to the individual; memories, recognition, a sense of awareness. And it steals the person away from his or her loved ones. In The Last True Love Story, Teddy breaks Gpa out of his assisted living facility to embark on a cross-country road trip with Corrina in an attempt to help Gpa relive his memories of Gma one last time.
This is a moving and deeply personal book, one that fans of young adult literature and I think particularly fans of John Green, will enjoy and appreciate.
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Last True Love Story (Audible Audio Edition): Brendan Kiely, Kirby Heyborne, Audible Studios: Books, ,Brendan Kiely, Kirby Heyborne, Audible Studios,The Last True Love Story,Audible Studios,B01ND4JTX7
People also read other books :
- The New Life Words of God for Young Disciples of Christ Andrew Murray James Philip Lilley Books
- The Spookshow Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Tim McGregor Caitlin Gallogly Kemah Bay Marketing LLC Books
- Tears of a Clown The Healing Begins Burnadette A Richards 9781490548647 Books
- Sun and Moon Ice and Snow (Audible Audio Edition) Jessica Day George Jessica Roland Audible Studios Books
- Break Through Your Upper Limits On TV Clint Arthur 9781494828219 Books
The Last True Love Story (Audible Audio Edition) Brendan Kiely Kirby Heyborne Audible Studios Books Reviews
I love 'road trip' novels. Anything could happen on the way 'there'. Where is 'there'? Why is the trip being made? As one character often says in Brendan Kiely's new novel, The Last True Love Story - 'You have to respect the road trip."
Hendrix's beloved Gpa is slipping away from him - Alzheimer's is stealing his memories. Hendrix has been writing down the stories of Gpa and Gma (loved these inserted tales), but when Gpa says he wants to go 'home', Hendrix impulsively decides to sign him out of the retirement home and drive from LA to Ithaca, New York. Problem is he doesn't have a license. He's got a car - his mom is out of the country and won't notice that her 'bug' (or Gpa) are missing for at least a few days.
Corrina is seventeen as well, but does have her license. Both Hendrix and Corrina are lonely and out of step with the rest of their peer groups, but sense something in each other - kindred spirits? And so the road trip is on with each character having their own reasons to head out.
I loved all three main characters. Corrina's smart mouth and 'acting out' hide an insecure young woman trying to find her place in her family and society. But when the mask comes off, she's a kind, intuitive person. Hendrix too, is struggling with unresolved family questions. His father is dead and no one really talks about him. There may be answers about 'Dead Dad' in Ithaca as well. Gpa affected me the most. Alzheimer's has touched my family as well. The glimpses into Gpa's life and his love for his deceased wife make for some touching and poignant scenes. And the times he forgets are well (and sadly) depicted.
The relationship between Hendrix and his Gpa is a joy to read. The budding relationship between Hendrix and Corrina is sweet and believable. Family dynamics are also explored from many viewpoints. These three are not just navigating the road, but life as well.
Music is such a big part of any road trip. I ended up jotting down many of Corrina's play lists - rock and roll classics with a healthy dose of new stuff.
Great opening prologue.....
"I'd feel like this is all coming to the end, except I can't. Because it can't be. It can't be the end, not for Gpa, not for Corrina, and not for me, because it is out here on the road in the middle of nowhere that I have finally come to understand what my grandfather means when he says that the point of living is learning how to love."
.....and some great endings too - lines, songs and stories - that I'll let you discover. And yes, I can absolutely see The Last True Love Story as a movie.
One of the first things that caught my eye was the back cover of this book. David Arnold, author of Mosquitoland was quoted as saying, "Brendan Kiely's writing soars off the page" and I thought to myself, oh yea? Well, we'll see. Well, I did see, and I am mightily impressed.
This book had me from the very first page and I never wanted to put it down. The struggles of the young, coming to terms with who we are, how we fit in...it's all here. The struggles of the elderly is a predominant theme also. As Gpa (our elderly character) struggles with his increasingly failing memory, his grandson stuggles too, as he comes to grips with how his life is changing, how his one connection to the unknown figure of his father, is fading quickly. His family circle is diminishing and he feels scared and alone. Enter Corrina, a seemingly self assured musician who has struggles of her own. They undertake a trip across the country to bring Gpa back to where he first lived with his beloved wife in the hopes he can capture those magical moments before they disappear forever.
This book of becoming, of acceptance and the dawning awareness of the young when they discover the world is a big place and there is much going on beyond their own scope and vision is an exceptional read. I was drawn in immediately and loved each character. Their flaws made them so real and relatable. I think this could easily be adapted for the big screen!
I've seen some reviews that say to leave this book for the youngsters. I just can't agree with that. There are lots of insights and honestly, I liked being reminded of what it felt like to be a confused teenager, even if just for a little while.
This is the perfect book for a teenager's summer reading list. *I would say 14 and up.
Well written. Loved the premise of trying to fulfill a grandpa's last request.
Bought it for a YA class and I loved it. It was one of the best books my professor assigned out of the 30.
The third brilliant work from a new master. Keily captures adolescence better than anyone since Salinger. If you haven't read his first two works then
you're cheating yourself.
What a beautiful story of love across the generations! Kiely deftly captures the complexities of love from various perspectives in life in prose that is both elegant and accessible. The three main characters, the teenagers Hendrix and Corrina and the grandfather GPA, are all well-developed as the novel moves towards a satisfying conclusion. Though written for young adults,as an adult I found the novel an enjoyable and emotionally satisfying read which I am recommending to friends of all ages!
I'm a huge fan of young adult literature. 4 out of 5 books that I read are written for younger audiences, but honestly, they're my favorite books to read, perhaps because so many of them really touch on real life issues. The Last True Love Story is a story about just that love. But it's not the story you might expect. Yes, a young romance does blossom between Teddy (Hendrix) and Corrina. But to me, the true love story is the one that exists between Teddy and his ailing grandfather, Gpa, and Gpa and his late wife.
Anyone who has known and loved someone diagnosed with Alzheimer's knows what a devastating and cruel disease it can be. It steals everything most precious to the individual; memories, recognition, a sense of awareness. And it steals the person away from his or her loved ones. In The Last True Love Story, Teddy breaks Gpa out of his assisted living facility to embark on a cross-country road trip with Corrina in an attempt to help Gpa relive his memories of Gma one last time.
This is a moving and deeply personal book, one that fans of young adult literature and I think particularly fans of John Green, will enjoy and appreciate.
0 Response to "∎ Read Free The Last True Love Story (Audible Audio Edition) Brendan Kiely Kirby Heyborne Audible Studios Books"
Post a Comment