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Hello Goodbye

3.14 of 5 stars 3.14 · rating details · 495 ratings · 116 reviews

In the summer after her freshman year of college, Abby Hansen embarks on what might be a final vacation with her parents to a historic resort in northern New Hampshire. The Presidential Hotel, with its stately rooms and old-fashioned dress code, seems almost unbearably stuffy to Abby, but the young, free-spirited hotel staff offers her the chance for new friendships, and m...more

Paperback, 273 pages

Published June 14th 2011 by Harper Perennial (first published April 25th 2009)

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Jul 15, 2012 Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction, f-literary, source-review, source-own, personal-library

Helen returns back one morning from a refreshing run, looking forward to her day, only to get a seizure. This sends her off to plenty of hospital tests after which it is determined that Helen has inoperable brain cancer. The doctors tells her husband, Elliot, that she has 9 months, but Helen doesn't know that yet***, since it's her hope that's holding her so far. With just 3 months left out of the original estimated 9, Elliot plans to spend their wedding anniversary at the Presidential hotel in...more Helen returns back one morning from a refreshing run, looking forward to her day, only to get a seizure. This sends her off to plenty of hospital tests after which it is determined that Helen has inoperable brain cancer. The doctors tells her husband, Elliot, that she has 9 months, but Helen doesn't know that yet***, since it's her hope that's holding her so far. With just 3 months left out of the original estimated 9, Elliot plans to spend their wedding anniversary at the Presidential hotel in New Hampshire with a few very close friends. To him, this is more of a goodbye trip for Helen, although she doesn't know that yet. What follows is a way for each of them - Elliot, Helen, and their teen daughter, Abby, to come to terms with Helen's illness.

*** I didn't notice this at first, but after two readers pointed out, I realized that it is weird that Helen isn't told of her time left on earth. I could understand Elliot's reasoning - he wants to keep Helen's hope alive and wants her to keep fighting. What if...? But, I do know that the doctors (most definitely in the US) wouldn't hold back that information, especially to avoid lawsuits - that would also be the hospital policy. Now that I've reflected on it, it does sound very strange and the only way I can explain it out is that the doctors probably didn't have time to spend with Helen because she was very ill. This definitely goes against what Elliot says about the doctors' reasoning.

This was a very different kind of book. It talks of a pending death due to terminal illness, but not in a depressing way. The author talks about death, and yet doesn't talk about it either, if that makes sense. It reflects the state of the characters - the illness is foremost in their minds but they try to bury it under several distractions. Isn't that how anyone tries to respond to a life-changing matter? Each character tries to address their fears and worries while still dealing with the usual yearnings of life.

I was most able to connect with Abby. It's not always that I can say that I connect with a teen, but Abby's emotions felt so realistic and vulnerable that it was hard not to relate. Seeing her mother as a shadow of her former self was stressing her out. Helen made simple spelling mistakes, was tired more often, acted childish sometimes and was so thin that her usual clothes could wrap two of her. This pained Abby a lot, but at the same time, she didn't want to acknowledge it, because then it would be more real than it is. She tries to find comfort in companionship. When a boy at the hotel starts showing interest in her, she feels special.

Elliot on the other side, made me feel deeply for him. Elliot and Helen were just in their forties, too early for death to claim either. When Elliot is with a group of couples having fun, he enjoys the company one minute and next minute, the realization that he will be alone soon shatters him. He feels terrible about holding the whole burden of Helen's time left, but he doesn't feel up to sharing with anyone.

I loved the addition of the close friends to the story. On one hand, it livens up the story, on the other, it makes the stark contrast between Helen's family and the other families even clearer. Even though they are their closest friends, with whom they have spent many a vacation, in matters of illness and death, one is still alone. There were times when I felt there was an excess focus on the trivial matters, but I still enjoyed the character focus these sections brought about.

Despite the depressing matter of death, this book hardly felt depressing. Mind you, I was reading this one at a time when I was feeling pretty low myself, and yet I was able to read it without feeling depressed. A few months back, I read a memoir about a person trying to come to terms with her mother's death, and finding it a near-impossibility. Hello Goodbye is from the other side - the whole period of anticipation, and how that can still never get you ready. You start hoping for miracles, or even buying and trying out the so-called "miracle cures" that never work. Although I have never been through either experience, I felt I could understand both at a very deep level, since I have been though similar feelings because of something terrible that happened last year. I found the reactions of the characters very realistic, and it always amazed me that the person actually going through the illness-death process is the most accepting of all.

Hello Goodbye is written in a quick fast-paced style that I found easy to read anytime, anywhere. Also, the prose was split into very short chapters. I found this a plus so far as reading was concerned, but I also thought it matched the state of the characters, in which they all dwell on the same subject and yet switch topics in their head quickly.

Overall, this was a really wonderful read, one that I would recommend. I didn't love this book, but I definitely enjoyed reading it, if that is the right choice of word here. I thought there were some parts that felt a little too convenient, but I was willing to forgive those, because I was more interested in the mental/emotional journey of the characters.(less)

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Jun 29, 2011 Xiaojuanwu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2011

Have you ever imagine how heavy the duty would be for a man when his wife is about to leave this beautiful world? We can never be able to feel the pressure he has inside.The protagonist, Elliot, who attempts to keep best smile and comfort toward his wife. Hellen, the wife of Elliot, encounters an illness of a tumor inside her brain. Life becomes a risk to her in which she can leave in any time. He uses his best ability and strength to protect his wife and his daughter. Although his self-esteem w...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Mary Lou rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Emily Chenoweth writes lyrically and precisely, drawing readers into her story by poignant and authentic details about settings, characters, and feelings. I can understand the reaction that little happens and that she's flowery, though that's not how I feel.

For me, the novel hello goodbye is more about the assumptions that we make in life, what we tell and hide from everyone, friends, loved ones, and strangers, and how these assumptions both protect and hurt us and others. It also shows aptly h...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A sweet and smartly written book about the cycle of life; beginnings and endings. This was the author's first novel and one containing deep truths about grief, aging, love and uncertainties. It tells the story about a woman in her mid 40's who is dying of brain cancer. To mark her upcoming 20th anniversary-her husband arranges for a week-long stay at a resort in the mountains of NH that sounds exactly like the MT Washington Hotel. He also arranges for 6 friends to come and celebrate with them ov...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Liberty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Liberty by: Bookshelf Bitches August Read

I honestly don't know where to begin. This book was a very emotional read for me. I wouldn't say the book is full of sad moments, it's not. I think it's because my personal life is experiencing a similar situation. This book made me cry. It made me laugh. It made me shake my head. I connected with each and every character presented. In my opinion, this book was real. It was raw. It was fantastic.

It tells the story of Elliott, Helen and Abby. Helen, the mother has been diagnosed with a terminal b...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Stephanie Holcomb rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm surprised the overall rating of this book isn't higher. It's well written, and flows beautifully, but while a little flawed (I'll get into that in a minute), I enjoyed spending my time with it.

One of my major complaints in novels, particularly novels that are best sellers and ones people gush all over about (The Notebook, anyone?) is that every character is similar, everyone is beautiful and perfect, and you have no surprises, no hurdles, no conflict.

My 2011 started out badly--I had a car a...more I'm surprised the overall rating of this book isn't higher. It's well written, and flows beautifully, but while a little flawed (I'll get into that in a minute), I enjoyed spending my time with it.

One of my major complaints in novels, particularly novels that are best sellers and ones people gush all over about (The Notebook, anyone?) is that every character is similar, everyone is beautiful and perfect, and you have no surprises, no hurdles, no conflict.

My 2011 started out badly--I had a car accident, and while no one was hurt, I was shaken. In April, my mother announced she had been diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer. I didn't know when I picked this book up that the similarities would be so profound, but I'd have to agree that if I didn't have the experience with my own mother's cancer, this book may have been too sad to get through and I may not have completed it. I felt on a level with these characters, and liked how the author took us on the journey not only of the woman suffering yet trying to make everyone happy around her, but how the cancer affected not only her family, but also her friends.

I would say I would have liked more written about these people. The chapters were amazingly short and each started about 2/3 down on the first page, the end of the chapters at the top--there was a LOT of page stretching into it. Had it been published in standard form, where the next chapter started only a few lines down, this book would have only been about 200 pages, rather than the 272 it is. It's very short, and I think I would have liked to have read more background into these people's lives, that or stretch all the stories out more. I do think one couple and half the hotel staff in the employees bungalows could have been removed, they blended into each other too much, too similar. Too many characters can muddle up a book, unless they are described so well you can instantly see them in your head, which she could have done, but didn't.

I didn't like that it was set in 1990, yet published nearly 15 years later. That's not enough of a time frame to be 'period' and instead ranks it as 'dated' as if it were written and published in 1990 and was a bit dusty. I see no reason how she couldn't have set this in present time.

However, I liked the read. It was fast, but some of her metaphors, her descriptions, were really wonderful and it was a joy to read them, like poetry (unlike the eye-rolling quoted poetry of one character in the book--really, who does that), and it was really enjoyable.(less)

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May 18, 2009 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, so I know a little of the backstory here, even though it's fiction. I recognize some of the characters' quirks. But regardless, this is an absolutely FANTASTIC book.

I was invested from the first page. And that's saying ALOT, since I'm so used to reading for analysis, not for pleasure.

I read the entire book over two days, whenever I could.

I could relate to being Abby. I could relate to the relationship between Abby and her parents and their eccentric friends. There's just something about t...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Courtney Gontz rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was very disappointed with the book. When I read the plot, I had some high expectations. It started off slow, and I hoped and prayed that it would pick up....but it didn't. There was a lot of unnecessary flashes between the past and present, which became a bit confusing at times. I also found myself getting highly agitated at the daughter for looking for love while on what could be the last vacation her mother will ever be going on. I found her selfish and wanted to slap her and ask her how sh...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, literary-fiction

This is a beautiful heart-warming story about the Hansen family. This family of three heads to New Hampshire to spent one week together on vacation and for Abby's parents to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. But this isn't any ordinary special occasion. It's going to be one for Helen, Abby and Elliott Hansen to remember. We see it through their eyes, when they deal with Helen's terminal diagnosis of brain cancer, when she has three more months left to life. In Hello Goodbye, we see...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Wendy T rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookshelf-bitches-group-reads, library-loans, books-read-in-2011

This was such a sad but beautiful story about how illness effects one family.

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Aug 27, 2011 Mindy Conde rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book - it had the potential to be a long and depressing story filled with repetition of the pain of grief. However, Chenoweth exceeded my expectations and offered a novel that was so sincere and realistic that it often had me crying. This is certainly going to be a book I remember to offer friends going through the loss of a loved one. The best part about this book is that it covers different types of grieving - by switching perspectives between...more At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book - it had the potential to be a long and depressing story filled with repetition of the pain of grief. However, Chenoweth exceeded my expectations and offered a novel that was so sincere and realistic that it often had me crying. This is certainly going to be a book I remember to offer friends going through the loss of a loved one. The best part about this book is that it covers different types of grieving - by switching perspectives between the mother, dying of brin cancer, the husband, and the daughter, as well as by showing snapshots of their friends coming to realize that not only is the end inevitable, but that it is rapidly approaching, the reader gets a sense of various kinds of grief by watching all of these people gong through it. Chenoweth's writing is so poignant that at points, I even felt that I was going through it with them.

Other reviewers have chastised the daughter for being so selfish while her mother is dying, but I think that this is selling the book short - if you take a closer look, it becomes clear that the daughter just doesn't know how to grieve and she is so caught up in her adolescent self-importance that she doesn't always make the right choices. Does that mean she isn't hurting inside just as much as the others? No, it just means she is trying to figure out how to deal with it. Let's be honest, if your mother was dying and you were just barely into college, would you have known exactly what to do? I remember being quite self-absorbed at that age and I know that I probably would have made some mistakes too. Therefore, I think Chenoweth's portrayal of the daughter isn't "irritating" as some have said, but real. She didn't just show us the standard portrayals of grief, she showed us the harder to understand ones too. Similarly, the portrayal of the husband's grief, towards the end of the novel, also becomes a bit less 'perfect' in its portrayal. You see a weakness of his, but rather than find him less sympathetic, I found him to be more real and my heart went out to him even more.

Believe me, I am not usually one to go on like this about a sappy, sentimental book, but given the subject matter, Chenoweth has turned this into something much more than the trite and affected book that I was kind of expecting. This is one that I think will go beyond library book status for me and will earn a place on my bookshelves. Read it, it really is incredible. (less)

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Jul 11, 2011 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

While this book doesn't neatly wrap up in a tidy package, it is a very human story. The writer does a very good job of creating a host of characters, most of whom are made real by their honest (and haphazard) attempts to grapple with terminal illness. There were times when I wanted to smack Elliot and Abby for their seeming selfish attitudes; the voice of Helen was fragile and precious, and I wish the reader were given more chances to hear the story from her perspective.
This story has many laye...more

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Nov 23, 2009 Walter rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel received good reviews, and was, indeed, a solid effort. It contains some lovely passages and nicely identifies some truths.

However, overall the novel is trapped somewhere between an awkward young adult novel and an unsatisfying novel for adults about a family's grief. For as many passages that pleased there were an equal number that caused a grimace ("the rustling leaves said, Hush, hush," and "In her chest, a box opened and something fell out").

The contrast between the very good ver...more

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May 11, 2010 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would give this book ten stars if I could. Beautifully written, with gorgeous prose and deep emotion, it tells the tale of a woman with terminal brain cancer, and the struggle of her family to spend their last days together. A farewell gathering of old friends, wrapped up in the guise of an anniversary party, takes center stage as each person who knows and loves Helen says their goodbyes. Her husband and daughter each connect to Helen in their own way, and the emotion is so heartfelt and real....more

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Jul 21, 2011 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, read-in-2011

Is it bad to admit that my favorite thing about this book was the cover? I picked this book up from the library and was intrigued by the premise. While it sounded a little somber, an exploration of life and loss, I thought it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with this book. It was very well written, but I just couldn't connect to it. I kept waiting for the story to pick up and hoping I'd become more attached to the characters. I was halfway through when I realized I sti...more

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Jul 20, 2009 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sweet, sad book about endings and beginnings. Abby, a college freshman is home for the summer and staying at a posh New Hampshire hotel with her family. Her parents, Helen and Elliot are celebrating their 20th anniversary and have invited their closest friends to celebrate with them. In the midst of a celebration, it is an ending because it is also an opportunity for these friends to say goodbye to Helen who has terminal cancer and has been given a matter of months to survive. It is a beginning...more

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Feb 22, 2010 TBML rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: louanne-picks, literary-fiction

Emily Chenoweth's first novel pairs good writing with a thoughtful but provocative pace. I cared about the characters from the start. A newly collegiate Abby comes home to a vacation with her mother, Helen, who has brain cancer. The vacation takes place at a hotel where a cast of characters, life-time friends of Helen's and her husband Elliot gather. Partly a coming-of-age story, this novel intertwines an appreciation and bitter-sweet yearning for more time in a life well-lived.

http://chile.las-...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I first started reading this, I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. The pace is slow at first, and the plot doesn't seem to go anywhere intriguing in the first few chapters. The characters were also hard to keep track of at times; they all seemed to blend together at one point.

The book starts to pick up towards the end, though, and I found myself emotionally invested in Abby, one of the main characters. Chenoweth writes with such poise and uses deft descriptions that manage to turn t...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Marnie Kaplan rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is something about the cover of this novel that perfectly matches the style of the writing. I think it is the feather that the title sits on. There is something feathery about the style of this novel. It is incredibly slow-paced, in the sense that the whole novel (273 pages) takes place over a short period of time. First we have the diagnosis of the protagonist with a brain tumor. Then we have an amount of days resembling a week in the August that follows. While the story begins with Helen...more There is something about the cover of this novel that perfectly matches the style of the writing. I think it is the feather that the title sits on. There is something feathery about the style of this novel. It is incredibly slow-paced, in the sense that the whole novel (273 pages) takes place over a short period of time. First we have the diagnosis of the protagonist with a brain tumor. Then we have an amount of days resembling a week in the August that follows. While the story begins with Helen and her seizure that follows a long run. The book immediately shifts to narrate the experiences of her college-aged daughter Abby and her husband of twenty years, Elliott, a head master of a prep school in Ohio. Helen, Abby and Elliott are journeying back to New Hampshire, a state they used to live in, to stay in a beautiful hotel and celebrate Helen and Elliott's twentieth anniversary with life long friends. They are also there to say goodbye, and to give Elliott a break from the mundanity of caring for his ailing wife. But it is only Elliott that knows this fact. As he has not told Helen or Abby that Helen only has three more months to live. Apparently her doctors believe it is important not to tell her as this would leave her to give up; its hard to imagine such a thing happening to an adult woman today. But the book is written in 1990 and I suppose it is possible the medical practice could have approached terminal illness differently back then. Part of me was bothered by this detail, but it is part of what gives the novel momentum and its story line, so I understand why it has to be.

There is heartache in this novel. The heartache of meeting a character who was once vivacious but only seeing her as the woman in unfancy easy-to-remove clothes, being babysat by her own child. A character who counseled troubled teens, and made the most of her own life, only to be stricken with cancer before middle age. It is an every-day story. A reality that happens to so many today. It is easily a timeless story. And yet the novel is also a clear record of a different age. It is 1990, and Abby goes to a liberal arts college where she learns to embrace vegetarianism and composting and wraps her head around the idea of the "the second shift." There is no talk of email or blackberries or phones abuzz.

At the heart of it, this is a novel about the fragility of life. One of Elliott's dear friends likes to drive fast cars, and has remarried to a wife 20 years younger. And yet, he can't fight the reality that his life is changing - he is no longer a twenty-something. One of his friend's is dying. The group dynamic is altering irrevocably.

There is no shocking ending here like in a Jodi Picoult novel (my mom is still angry about the ending of the last one). As much as we want to believe that things can change for this happy-go-lucky woman, we know they will not. Thus, Chenoweth captures a bite of the real. And in my mind that is a very big compliment.(less)

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Sep 12, 2011 Deana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who has dealt with cancer in a family member or close friend.

Recommended to Deana by: Bookshelf Bitches

Shelves: 2011, library-book, cancer

This is the story of how the members of a small family cope with the fact that the mother/wife is diagnosed with brain cancer, as well as a sort of coming-of-age of the teenaged daughter. With regard to both of those major life occurrences, the book is extremely well written. The moods conveyed are appropriate, and the author is sure to show both the bad and the good.

I didn't care for the way the book was written -- in third person with the perspective changing each chapter. Normally I don't min...more This is the story of how the members of a small family cope with the fact that the mother/wife is diagnosed with brain cancer, as well as a sort of coming-of-age of the teenaged daughter. With regard to both of those major life occurrences, the book is extremely well written. The moods conveyed are appropriate, and the author is sure to show both the bad and the good.

I didn't care for the way the book was written -- in third person with the perspective changing each chapter. Normally I don't mind switching perspectives, as it gives an idea of what all of the characters are thinking, which can be really cool. And here, it was neat to see things from all three character's perspectives, but since they were all -related-, the character went from being Elliot (in his own chapters), to "Helen's husband" to "Abby's dad" depending on the chapter, and that change was somehow jarring to me. Perhaps it was intended to remind us that each person has many roles, but it was still weird.

I enjoyed Helen's (the mother/wife) chapters the most. I really think the author did a great job of letting us know how Helen might feel during all this. Everyone around her was trying so hard to be helpful: doing things for her, buying her the newest miracle drugs and herbal remedies, taking her to a "healer", etc. But it was just making her feel exasperated and incompetent and making her hate her new body that much more.

I identified the most with Abby and enjoyed her chapters for that reason. I really enjoyed her little love triangle and was happy with her ending.

The book as a whole evoked a lot of emotions in me, though I'm embarrassed to say the only time I bawled my eyes out was when Eliot was explaining what happened to Pig (the cat). A book about a woman with terminal brain cancer, and I'm crying over a cat. But it still wasn't a book where I could read a lot in one sitting -- it was depressing and put me in a pensive mood the rest of the day.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It gave me a lot of insight and a lot to think about. I recommend it to everyone, since unfortunately, it is rare for a person to go through life completely untouched by this horrible disease.(less)

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Aug 29, 2009 Candice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Elizabeth Berg

A very good read. This is Emily Chenoweth's first novel, and I hope she will write many more. It reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Berg's novels. There is lots of detail in the everyday things, lots about relationships, too.

It is the story of a woman, Helen, dying of a brain tumor. She, her husband, and their 18-year-old daughter invite the couple's friends to celebrate their 20th anniversary at a New Hampshire resort, but it's really a time to say good-bye to Helen. A particularly poignant part of...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did not enjoy this book. This was a book I started reading with the hopes of it getting better and by the time i was halfway through it I wanted it to be over. I found it very slow moving with little hills throughout. something small would happen and then you would be back to mundane everyday living...something small...back to everyday living, etc. The positive in this book is I do think it did well touching on the characters feelings about death and showing how each dealt with it. However, I...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Kiersten rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A sad and sweet story. A pretty simple plot, but I liked the characters and there was a lot of emotion. Too many F-words though. I'm getting so sick of reading that word, especially in completely unnecessary places. Guess what, authors, no one talks like that. Especially not upper-middle class midwestern headmasters of private schools. It's just ridiculous and unnecessary and it makes it look like you're trying too hard to be cool or something. Just cut it out.

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Nov 01, 2009 ccqdesigns rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book has taken my breath away. It is a heart wrenching tale of a family in crisis trying to get through it with love, honesty and courage. Emily Chenoweth has once again painted such a wonderful picture that even includes the cat named Pig that Elliot taught to stand on her hind legs and beg to the Peacock named The Duke. Her attention to detail in all aspects of her writing bring the page to life, leave me wanting more and looking for the next chapter at the last page.

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Jan 19, 2012 Kyetra Belton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

If I am being honest, I didn't love this book. I didn't even like it enough to finish it in a timely manner. It's not that it was horrible, but just slow. It did nothing to hold my attention. At this point in my life (with a small child and no time to read), a book as to grab my attention and not let go. This was not one of those books for me.
I have read great reviews for it so I am sure that it is truly a personal issue.

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Aug 31, 2011 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-mt-bookpile

Let me start by saying that despite what the blurbage said, this was not "luminous" (I strongly suspect that people don't quite understand what the word means).

Helen has a brain tumor, which her husband knows is inoperable and untreatable, and she has fewer than nine months to live. Eliott's response is to invite all their close friends to a 20th anniversary vacation at the Presidential Hotel in New Hampshire, at which he will tell everyone about Helen's condition. Even Abby, their daughter, do...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Nicolemauerman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book earlier this month and didn't get around to writing the review until know and honestly, I don't really remember too much about it. Ok, so here is what I remember: This is about a family where the mother has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. You pretty much know from the start that's terminal, but the daugther and mother do not. They travel to an ocean side hotel to spend time with friends before she passes. This book was a total snooze feast and I never though it would...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4 stars

Helen Hansen has terminal brain cancer, and only her husband Elliot knows the full extent of her condition. Elliot plans a getaway vacation for his family, and he invites friends of the family to join them for a few days to create some final memories with Helen. The story unfolds during this week in New Hampshire, and chapters alternate from Helen's point of view, to Elliot's, to their daughter Abby's, and back and forth again and again.

While this book is extremely poignant and heartachi...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

According to The Oregonian, one of the top books of 2009 written by an Oregonian. It's a calmly paced story about a couple and their 18-year-old daughter who spend a week in New Hampshire to spend time with old friends at a beautiful hotel. It's also a chance for the wife to say goodbye as she has terminal cancer. Why oh why am I attracted to tragic books?

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Jun 29, 2011 Angela Storm rated it 2 of 5 stars

The ending cuts the entire story short, unfortunate because it desperately needs closure. The writing style is confusing, switching back and forth between present and past tenses in an incredibly awkward manner. All around, slow. I found myself wishing it would end, and several times debated just not finishing it at all.

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About Emily Chenoweth

Emily Chenoweth is a former fiction editor of Publishers Weekly. Her work has appeared in Tin House, Bookforum, and People, among other publications. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9569410-hello-goodbye?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348219764l/9569410.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9569410-hello-goodbye?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Hello Goodbye by Emily Chenoweth[/url]

Hello Goodbye

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