How much can one summer change a person's life? For thirty-two year old Caddie Winger, one summer can make the whole world look different. A piano teacher who gives lessons to the neighborhood children, Caddie still lives with her grandmother and is extremely happy with her present life. Caddie's mother died when she was nine, and she was raised by her grandmother. Now, their roles are reversed, and it's Caddie who cares for her Nana. When her grandmother breaks her leg and insists on going into a convalescent home, Caddie finds herself being pulled out of her comfy, self-made nest. Living on her own for the first time since college, she uncovers some startling truths from her past.Jolted, she looks at the world through new eyes and begins to take charge of her future. As she makes a new best friend, takes risks she never dreamed she could, and navigates the depths and shallows of true love and devastating heartbreak, Caddie learns how to trust other people and, ultimately, how to trust herself.This is the third book by Patricia Gaffney that I've ever read, and I have truly enjoyed all three books that I've read. I loved the portrayal of the characters in The Goodbye Summer and have to say that this book was lovely to read. The Goodbye Summer by Patricia Gaffney is a definite five star read for me, and I'm certainly going to put it on my keeper bookshelf. Definitely an A+! book for me and I look forward to reading more from Patricia Gaffney very soon! :)
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while; I think I got it from my mom years ago, and never really looked at it until now. I figured it was finally time to get it off my shelf. I haven't read anything by Patricia Gaffney before, and this sounded interesting, so I gave it a try!This was an interesting read. It didn't suck me in and I don't think it was an amazing book, but I liked it. It kept me interested in reading and I wanted to figure out what happened to the characters. Caddie lives with her grandmother until her grandmother goes to Wake House because she injured her leg. Caddie is living alone for the first time in a while and doesn't quite know how to adjust. As the book goes on, we see Caddie grow and become slightly more confident in herself. She forms new relationships with other residents of Wake House, like Thea, Magill, and Cornel. She struggles with finding her independence, but ultimately, this summer transforms her life completely.Overall, it was a good book, but not great. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, but it didn't have the 'wow' factor I was hoping for throughout the story.Pagesofcomfort.blogspot.com
Do You like book The Goodbye Summer (2005)?
This was a very unusual plot for a book that I ended up enjoying - the story of a mousy 30-something who is forced to move her grandmother into a psuedo-nursing home while she lives alone but pretty much being a constant presence at the home. However, at the heart of the story, I fell for the love story of Caddie and her unlikely suitor. I've always been a sucker for this type of romance so I ended up really liking this book. The other minor stories revolving around the elderly occupants I breezed through with only some enjoyment but it was that love story that sealed the deal from my giving 4 stars to this novel.
—Lauren
** "The Goodbye Summer" by Patricia Gaffney is a bittersweet almost romance lasting over winter, so I do not understand the title. Caddy, thirty-two, has been raised by her eccentric artistic grandmother, who asks to recuperate from a broken leg in the former town magnate's mansion turned rest home. She befriends residents, especially loving elegant newcomer Thea, brain-injured engineer her age Magill, and a curmdugeon. The young man falls for Caddy, the oldest for Thea. [Spoilers: Odd behavior escalates into dementia but Nana first discloses both Caddy and her mom were illegitimate, coats everything in her room with white paint to represent the purity of old age, then returns home. Thea succumbs gracefully to a hidden heart ailment. Tracing an old love letter, Caddy find's her father's family. Caddy loses a pregnancy by a handsome jerk who dumps her, unknowing. At the final New Year party, the curmudgeon departs to live with his son's widow and unhappy boy, and a recovered working Magill woos Caddy successfully. The author's terrier is an active character. Happy ending.]
—An Odd1
One and a half stars with the possibility of two stars for the unabridged version. Ugh- so painful to get through this story. First, I've never seen an abridged version of a novel with such poor transitions. One moment, the main character can't find love, and suddenly she's heartbroken over the end of a relationship that apparently occurred in the novel, but not in the abridged text and this relationship that was over before I knew it existed plays a pivotal role in the rest of the plot line! Not one I'd ever recommend.
—Gina
