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384th out of 1,056 books
—
2,025 voters
One Vacant Chair
by
Joe Coomer
A hilarious and irresistible new novel by Joe Coomer, whom The Washington Times calls "a marvelously creative comic writer"
It's where you sit down that determines everything in life.
Sarah's aunt Edna paints portraits of chairs. Not people in chairs, just chairs. The old house is filled with the paintings, and the chairs themselves surround her work-a silent yet vigilant a...more
It's where you sit down that determines everything in life.
Sarah's aunt Edna paints portraits of chairs. Not people in chairs, just chairs. The old house is filled with the paintings, and the chairs themselves surround her work-a silent yet vigilant a...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 1st 2003
by Graywolf Press
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I decided to read this book after reading John's review a while ago. I'm glad I did. It's different than my usual in setting and characters and ultimately was quite different than what I expected. I won't go heavily into plot other than to say the primary characters are Sarah, a 44 year old woman who has left her husband because he cheated on her. She can't decide whether to reconcile or divorce. She is taking advantage, in a sense, of the death of her grandmother, by moving in with her Aunt Edn...more
5 likes · like · see review
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This is the first story that I've read in a long time that is a real story, with a plot and a natural ending. For example, A Discovery of Witches and Cinder just set up the location and the characters, and a situation or two but not a story.
And it's a good story too. Lots of depth. Good Texas characters and Coomer does well with women's voices. I didn't understand Sarah's lack of forgiveness. There was alot of Edna's actions I didn't agree with, but I understood them (for example, her choice of...more
And it's a good story too. Lots of depth. Good Texas characters and Coomer does well with women's voices. I didn't understand Sarah's lack of forgiveness. There was alot of Edna's actions I didn't agree with, but I understood them (for example, her choice of...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is the second book I've read from Joe Coomer, and like the last, I really enjoyed it. Again, this male author writes convincingly in a female voice. The story is mainly about the relationships between women (aunt and niece, mother and daughter, sisters), but it also explores relationships between couples (one new marriage and one broken marriage), relationships between fathers and daughters, and the relationship one has with oneself on the journey to self-discovery. The story opens with the...more
3 likes · like · see review
I love, love, love Joe Coomer. I've read 4 books now and all are just totally different and equally wonderful. This one is, first of all, a book about love. Love between a mother and child, love between a husband and wife, familial love. A book of life and death. A book of choices. A book of loss and of finding oneself.
Sarah's husband, Sam, has cheated on her after many years of marriage. When Grandma Hutton passes away, the family converges on the family home, where Aunt Edna has taken care of...more
Sarah's husband, Sam, has cheated on her after many years of marriage. When Grandma Hutton passes away, the family converges on the family home, where Aunt Edna has taken care of...more
Nov 16, 2011
Therese
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lovers of quirky novels
Recommended to Therese by:
book club
A selection for the book club at my local library (Crystal Lake Public Library) that I read later on my own to catch up (orig. they read it for 4/2010). I enjoyed this book thoroughly! The main character Sarah is a bit of a Smart Alec and is going through some interesting middle-age issues: a loss of a not-so-loved relative, an impending separation/divorce?, and a reconnection with a quirky and fun relative, her aunt Edna, who only paints chairs. I enjoyed thinking about how simple objects like...more
After reading Pocketful of Names by Joe Coomer, I new I had to try more of his work. One Vacant Chair is totally different and equally as good. What a treat to be able to read two distinctly different books by the same author back to back and have both of them rank up with my "best I have read in a long time" list. This one took me a while to get into, but the perseverance was worth it. At it's core it is the story of Aunt Edna who had taken care of her lingering, unpleasant Mother her entire ad...more
Sep 16, 2011
Sarah Booth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
middle aged women. women at a cross roads in their lives.
The book is about a woman named Sarah who, at the death of her grandmother, is staying with her Aunt (who was her grandmother's caretaker) while she figures out what is going on in her life/marriage since she had recently discovered that her husband has cheated on her and despite his remorse and begging to be forgiven, she's unsure of her feelings for him with the feelings of betrayal seem to remain foremost in her mind.
Sarah ends up spending time with her Aunt Edna a painter of chairs and reti...more
Sarah ends up spending time with her Aunt Edna a painter of chairs and reti...more
"Its where you sit down that determines everything in life." Most readers will recognize some of themselves and the people they love and hate in this book. Aside from the story itself, this book's greatest strength is in its vivid descriptions. Coomer captures nuances with absolutely wonderful skill, and he is able to use similes and metaphors that resonated in my very soul. This novel captures the agony of life decisions pertaining to becoming a full-time caretaker and accepting what family mem...more
Found this book by accident on the CLPL book club list. Has something for everyone...wildly funny, very touching, great characters...struck me just right. Set in Fort Worth and Scotland it moves fast through a funeral, a trip abroad, a wedding, something illegal and a believable finish. Once I stopped crying I started making plans...Thanks, Becky, for finding this one.
2 likes · like · see review
"Do you think home is some place you're from or some place you have to find?" More likely than not, you don't know Joe Coomer. But that line is just one of the countless good reasons you should. He has written nine lovely books; I've read all but one and I believe he is one of the great unsung writers working today. His tiny, often quirky, always human stories are as engaging and thoughtful as any heralded writer you could name. But even given my high regard for him, this book is special. Full o...more
James is the only character I liked in this novel. He was quirky, while endearing. Most of Joe Coomer’s characters were flat, boring or mean spirited, especially in their dealings with each other. Sarah and Edna were so abrasive that their cruelty to one another made me uncomfortable, even anxious. The harsh style Coomer chose when writing interactions between characters seemed overly nasty and hence not realistic. The story was painfully slow. I actually skimmed sections of the book. (Probably...more
Having liked Coomer's The Loop last year, I saw this one on sale at Audible, and went for it (none of his other works have been recorded yet).
The story is told from the point-of-view of Sarah, a 44 year old separated wife who's recently discovered her husband was having an affair; the book opens with her grandmother's funeral at the Fort Worth family home where her Aunt Edna had cared for the bedridden woman for the previous 20 years. The will is read to the family afterwards, including a provi...more
The story is told from the point-of-view of Sarah, a 44 year old separated wife who's recently discovered her husband was having an affair; the book opens with her grandmother's funeral at the Fort Worth family home where her Aunt Edna had cared for the bedridden woman for the previous 20 years. The will is read to the family afterwards, including a provi...more
"It's where you sit down that determines everything in life. I never choose a seat casually anymore, even when the room is empty."
I loved this book. It made me laugh (butt icicles ...) and cry (I did what she asked. At least I think she asked it). Although probably the first story I've ever read in this style ... a male author writing as a female in the first person ... Joe Coomer did a great job. His main character, Sarah, very believable. Strong and yet vulnerable. His other characters, quirk...more
I loved this book. It made me laugh (butt icicles ...) and cry (I did what she asked. At least I think she asked it). Although probably the first story I've ever read in this style ... a male author writing as a female in the first person ... Joe Coomer did a great job. His main character, Sarah, very believable. Strong and yet vulnerable. His other characters, quirk...more
What a completely unexpected delightful book. I thought I was settling in for a long, slow read (a woman who only paints chairs? odd, but not thrilling) and instead found myself engrossed in the lives of Aunt Edna and Sarah as they struggle with death, unfaithfulness, and the discovery of happiness despite the struggle. I realize this sounds sad and depressing, but I caught myself laughing more than a few times and ended the book with a content sigh. Looks like I've gotta add more Coomer to list...more
This novel begins with Sarah attending the funeral of her grandmother. As with most Joe Coomer novels Sarah is at an unpleasant place in her life. She is a fourty-something mother whose husband has betrayed her. She takes refuge with and also takes care of her grieving Aunt Edna, grandmother's caretaker for the last 20 some years. Aunt Edna is an artist who paints chairs - only chairs. Sarah designs Christmas ornaments
It is a story of families and relationships. I don't know how Joe Coomer pulls...more
It is a story of families and relationships. I don't know how Joe Coomer pulls...more
Aunt Edna is another unique and quirky character from Joe Coomer. An artist who has apparently sacrificed her life to care for her difficult mother, she is in fact a woman who has done exactly what she wanted, despite everyone else's interpretation. It's a good book that can make you re-think your expectations of how someone should make their choices in life--whether how to respond to a husband's infidelity or deal with an aging parent's needs. And all with a good dose of dry humor.
Well, the characters were a bit hard for me to relate to. Coomer's gift with beautiful use of language shines through a strange bogginess at times and kept me moving through it. The story did not have enough depth to be memorable, but for a study in atmosphere, it succeeds. As the wife of a cheating man, Sarah just wasn't furious enough, and James seemed to be a characature. Edna needed more power and punch and hard liquor to be sympathetic. So glad I stumbled upon Joe Coomer, though.
Apparently, I'm having a bad reading streak. This was a book club selection that I quit about halfway through. The plot dragged on painfully, like fingers on a chalkboard & I couldn't relate to any of the characters. One of the things that I couldn't understand is if Sarah worked for Hallmark, why she lived in St. Louis, when Hallmark's headquarters is based in Kansas City. She might telecommute, but that was never mentioned & being from Missouri, it bothered the crap out of me. I think...more
My ratings of Joe Coomer's books may seem inflated to some readers, but I really love his stories and characters. The three I have read were gifts from my daughter, and though I tend to read too quickly, the essence of the stories reverberates for some time. I will probably read them all again.While he writes beautifully, the stories are comfortable to to just escape into, not so 'literary' that I need to keep a dictionary handy.
I have now read two of Joe Coomer's books, and this was my favorite of these two. I am again impressed with Coomer's ability to so accurately reflect and write about the female mindset, way of thinking, and relationships with other females. I enjoyed the story, the scenery, and the dynamics of the relationships involved. I did not find myself bored with the story or feeling that it needed to move faster as I did with the other Joe Coomer book I have read. This story made me think and drew me in,...more
I haven't finished it yet...but the other book club all disliked the book immensely. No one cared about the characters. However I am almost done and I'm finding it funny, I like the characters a lot. I found the characters refreshingly human. If I change my mind before I finish I will add to my comments.
I still liked the book, though it did get a little strange at the end. It wasn't a page turner, but I'm glad I read it. Should be lots to talk about in book club....hee hee.
I still liked the book, though it did get a little strange at the end. It wasn't a page turner, but I'm glad I read it. Should be lots to talk about in book club....hee hee.
The descriptions of making art were fascinating and, as usual, the characters the author created were fully realized and interesting. The underlying theme of dying and assisted suicide encourages discussion of this issue, but I found that the family relationships and the meaning of love were far more compelling.
It is clear to me that Joe Coomer is a man surrounded by amazing women. How else can a male author delve in to a woman's heart, soul, and mind so thoroughly? My favorite Coomer novel to date. I read it slowly, so as to not miss the beautiful prose, the imagery, and incredible dialogue. It was sad to turn the last page and leave these characters.
A beautiful story about family. Aunt Edna and her niece Sarah are the main characters. They are both artists - Edna paints portraits of chairs and Sarah designs christmas ornaments for Hallmark. After the death of Edna's mother the two large women go on a trip to Scotland to scatter grandma and grandpa's ashes. Edna reveals some special secret about living and dying and her up coming marriage to a blind man of color.
I loved the writing style and language use.
I loved the writing style and language use.
First Joe Coomer book I read. Found it when I was reshelving books at the library. Loved the characters. They are so well crafted that you feel you know them. Unique plot lines. Really enjoyed it, but enjoyed Pocketfull of Names more.
I guess the point of the book was that even boring people have their secrets, their crimes and their talents. But did the author hve to go to such lengths to prove that this woman was boring?
Among my favorite people in life are the lunch ladies in the school cafeterias and artists...this book's main character is both....a quiet, unassuming Yoda in a lunch ladies' uniform....
I really liked this book a LOT...I continued to be surprised that the author's a male. I liked the 2 main characters, and they're both a hoot!
Who would ever think about writing about an artist who only paints chairs? Life lessons in support systems we all need to get by.
I read this for a bookclub. Not really my cup of tea. I read the first third and the last third. The writing and imagery were good.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Great Book | 1 | 12 | Sep 06, 2008 03:36pm |
Joe Coomer is a fiction and nonfiction writer who lives outside of Fort Worth, Texas, and on the coast of Maine. He "spends his winters in Springtown, Texas, where he runs a pair of large antique malls. He lives in a fairly new Victorian house that he spent a year and a half building in the late eighties, a project he wrote about in Dream House [1991]. His wife, Isabelle Tokumaru, runs her paintin...more
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“Could we possibly be from the place we want to be? Were we from the place we died rather than the place we were born? Are our aspirations our home? Maybe we are from that place to which we're bound, and that's why desire hurts so much, this longing to find a place to rest, to get home. We're not from the past, but the future.”
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