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A Better Place to Be: Based on the Harry Chapin Song

David Wind (Goodreads Author)

4.26 · Rating details · 39 ratings · 19 reviews

A story about life, though perhaps not the one you would choose to live.
inspired by the characters from the Harry Chapin song of the same name, 'A Better Place To Be' is a story of love, loss, and the ability to overcome the worst that life can throw at someone and come out the other side. ...more

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Published (first published December 1st 2017)

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Mar 07, 2018 Lynda Dickson added it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

DNF

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Mar 04, 2018 Al rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, read-2018

As the description and cover make clear, this book is based on the Harry Chapin song of the same name. Yeah, you know, Harry Chapin. The guy who wrote Taxi (no, not the TV thing with Danny DeVito, the song). Don’t know that song? How about Cat’s in the Cradle? I guess mentioning 30,000 Pounds of Bananas or W.O.L.D would be pointless. Potential readers of this book are going to fall into two camps. The kids (okay, middle-aged adults) who have no clue who Harry Chapin is and are clueless about the As the description and cover make clear, this book is based on the Harry Chapin song of the same name. Yeah, you know, Harry Chapin. The guy who wrote Taxi (no, not the TV thing with Danny DeVito, the song). Don’t know that song? How about Cat’s in the Cradle? I guess mentioning 30,000 Pounds of Bananas or W.O.L.D would be pointless. Potential readers of this book are going to fall into two camps. The kids (okay, middle-aged adults) who have no clue who Harry Chapin is and are clueless about the songs he wrote and sung, and those like me, who can still remember the sick feeling he got 36+ years ago when my brother-in-law told me Harry had died that day in a car crash.

For you kids, Harry Chapin’s pop-folk songs were story songs. His first big hit, Taxi, packed more oomph than an average novel in a touch shy of seven minutes and, despite being twice as long as a typical radio-ready song of the day, it managed to become a hit.

The author received permission to include the lyrics to A Better Place to Be in his book. He does this by using snippets at various points in the story along with including complete lyrics at the end.

For those not familiar with the song, I think you’ll like the book if this is the kind of story you’d normally go for. It’s a good story of a life that goes off the rails and of eventually getting things back on track. After reading it, find the song and give it a listen. I’d guess the odds are good it will remind you of the book.

For those already familiar with the song, all of the above might still apply. Or it might not. I suspect it depends on how you feel about this particular song. Most stories require the reader to fill in the gaps to some degree. A song that tells a story or even one without a story, but that makes some kind of point, requires the listener to fill in even more gaps. I found myself struggling with how the author filled in some of the gaps here, because that’s not what I imagined was going on in those blank spaces. The author’s interpretation wasn’t wrong, just different. If this is one of your favorite songs of all time, my advice would be that you might want to stay away. I’m glad I read this, not only because it is a good story, but also because it got me thinking about these things. Now if someone were to write a book based around some of Chapin’s other songs (Taxi springs to mind) I might steer clear. I guess I’d summarize my thoughts by saying that even though I’d probably be perceived as smackdab in middle of the target audience for this book, that my feelings about it are mixed.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. ** ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Nicholas Rossis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Before reading Wind's book, I had never heard Chapin's song. So, for me, the book was judged on its own merits. And what merits it has: it takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions, from despair to hope and back again. While its hero's life crashes and burns following his beloved wife's illness, we can't help but hope for his redemption. Instead, we watch him descend ever deeper into a hell of his own making.

Beautifully written, the book pulls no punches when Wind describes the hero's dep ...more

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Dec 03, 2017 Bronwyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

David Wind is an author I’ve read before, in other genres – fantasy sci-fi, and thrillers. This one is contemporary, literary – a very human and moving story of a man trying to cope with one of the worst tests that life can throw at you.
The central character is very well drawn, and the facts well informed.
The writing is fluent, intelligent, not overdone. I recommend it to all who are interested in the human condition and reading about the pathways we take through life.

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Sep 26, 2018 Steph Warren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

*I received a free ARC of this book with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

This story is inspired by and based on the Harry Chapin song of the same name, but where the song focuses on the everyday loneliness of average people this story is about the loneliness and grief that comes when great love is lost.

Most of the plot follows the main character, John, as he first has to come to terms with his beloved wife’s illness and then self-destructs in her absence *I received a free ARC of this book with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

This story is inspired by and based on the Harry Chapin song of the same name, but where the song focuses on the everyday loneliness of average people this story is about the loneliness and grief that comes when great love is lost.

Most of the plot follows the main character, John, as he first has to come to terms with his beloved wife’s illness and then self-destructs in her absence and has to be brought back to some semblance of living.

Both the illness and the grieving are dealt with honestly and in great detail. There is a lot of raw emotion that is recognisable to anyone who has lost someone who they are not ready to let go of. John’s spiral into alcohol dependency and subsequent rehab are explored thoroughly and realistically (for the most part…I’ll come back to that!) and this forms the bulk of the storyline, with the connection to the song lyrics coming in right towards the end.

I had a minor quibble with John’s return to normalcy, in that I became irritated at everyone treating him as if his case was ‘special’ and ‘different’ to any of the other people fighting addiction and substance abuse issues. His story is special to him, but many people turn to alcohol to deal with great emotional pain, and so I found it a little hard to swallow when his doctors, counsellors and employers were all telling him that he is ‘not like other men’. Other than this though, the slow recovery and struggle to adjust back into society were handled with great sensitivity and understanding.

In terms of the ending, David Wind has stayed true not just to the spirit of his inspiration, but to the letter, and that did create some moments of stilted dialogue as words that sound right in lyrical form sounded unnatural in the mouths of the characters having normal conversations. This was particularly noticeable in the final chapters when the story and song finally meet and reflect each other. However this simply gave the story a more formal, dignified tone, as if it were a written account of a love ballad rather than a day-to-day account.

A Better Place To Be is a thorough and open tale of one man’s journey from love, to loss, to acceptance and I feel it is a fitting homage and backstory to Chapin’s original song-story.

The announcer’s voice faded with the realization of tomorrow’s date, May twentieth. He stared through the window, seeing not the diner, but himself, reflected in the windshield – not himself as he was today, but a glimmer of who he had been a dozen years earlier. Tomorrow was his twenty-second wedding anniversary… would have been, he corrected himself with the knowledge that the stranger staring back at him bore no resemblance to who he was now.

– David Wind, A Better Place To Be

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres... ...more

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Nov 03, 2017 PelicanFreak rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow.
That word just comes to mind over and over, in regards to this book, along with the phrase, heart-wrenching. It’s good though - incredibly, in a makes-you-feel-things-and-think-things brilliantly good.

Upon first meeting John, he’s likable enough. He soon turns out to be sweet and the reader would have to be dead to not feel his love for Claire - and it is mutual. So the two of them have this great, comfortable thing…until tragedy strikes. Then the reader is treated to a gut-wrenching, realis Wow.
That word just comes to mind over and over, in regards to this book, along with the phrase, heart-wrenching. It’s good though - incredibly, in a makes-you-feel-things-and-think-things brilliantly good.

Upon first meeting John, he’s likable enough. He soon turns out to be sweet and the reader would have to be dead to not feel his love for Claire - and it is mutual. So the two of them have this great, comfortable thing…until tragedy strikes. Then the reader is treated to a gut-wrenching, realistic, accurate view of what happens all too often to too many people. I doubt there’s a person alive who cannot relate to this… Still, Wind puts it all so simply and so realistically, it’s like nothing i’ve ever read or am likely to read again.

Not only does he repeatedly rip out my heart and stomp all over it - and I like it somehow, so apparently I’m some kind of sadist - but he perfectly portrays a good - better than average actually- man turning into completely something different, as a result of the bulls--- that life has thrown at him. It’s fascinating to see someone on a downward spiral with such detail and realism and it made me think… you just never know what people have been through, in order to end up what/who/where they are. It prompted thinking about other things as well, annoying, hot-button issues like the medical care situation in America - but that’s a conversation for somewhere else.

Portrayal of John trying to crawl his way back into being a contributing member of society, and before that, even working to figure out whether that’s what he wanted, seems accurate. The help he receives from a brilliant doctor and even the rulings from a fair judge instill thoughts of something like, ‘This is how it should be in a perfect world… rehabilitating people, not just locking them up, necessarily.’

Point is, if you want a book that’s real and will make you think, this is the one.
If you don’t want to think but like a book that’ll give you all the feels, this is also the one. It’s well detailed with perfect continuity.

I’ve now read several very different genres in Wind’s voice and all are amazing; he has this rare, raw talent, to write anything, I think

And did I mention it’s based on a song? ‘A Better Place to Be’ by Harry Chapin, a song that’ll never be the same for me. It seems completely natural as if the book IS the song and the song IS the book. Brilliantly perfect.

ALL the stars. All of them. Wow.
...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Piper Templeton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A Better Place to Be by David Wind takes the reader on lead character John Edghes’ journey after life deals him a devastating blow. Inspired by the Harry Chapin song of the same name, this exquisitely-written novel pays homage to the song while creating a detailed back story and character study.

The author gets deep inside the mind and soul of John as he paints a realistic portrait of a man’s descent into despair and his struggle to reclaim functionality in the real world. It’s a long, agonizing ...more

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Dec 04, 2019 Nancy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When John loses his wife to cancer, he falls into a pit of despair. He visualizes Claire and speaks to her as he loses his job, his home, and everything else meaningful to him. With the help of a kindly and wise therapist, he begins to crawl back to life. But to reach true freedom, he must be willing to let Claire go. Sad, poignant, and heart-wrenching, this story is beautifully written and provides hope that out of the darkness will come a sliver of light. That sliver can grow into a new, happi ...more

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Sep 02, 2018 Mitzi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

John is a lonely man who lost his wife to cancer 12 years ago. He’s been through a lot, but has his life on a track with which he is now comfortable. He meets a woman in a diner, and has one night of holding someone again. She leaves while he is out getting breakfast for them. But, he now remembers how nice it is to be with someone. Is he open to letting someone else in? A lovely story based on a classic story-song.

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Jan 18, 2018 Patsy Kietzman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Exceptional read. The emotions were full on. Not a tearjerker but I would feel tears streaming down my cheeks.. we have all been sad and unhappy and lost,this book puts the words inside you as you read. Well written and paced. I felt as if I were a partner in this book. Well done. I will looking into more of your books..Thanks for a great read.

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Dec 19, 2017 Debbi Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

As a rabid Harry Chapin fan, I'm at a loss in what to say about this book. A little happy, a lot sad, and true to the song.
A good book and recommended to those of you that know there's not always a happy ending. ...more

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Feb 25, 2020 Marjorie McGuire rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This just didn’t work for me. The story didn’t lead up to the song, in my opinion. Editing was so poor... errors were extremely distracting. Really disappointed as I’ve been a Harry Chapin fan for over 40 years and I would for love his work to live on. But not like this!

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Dec 23, 2017 Bella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A moving story that is thoughtfully composed and beautifully written. Worth reading for the poetic nature of the author's prose alone, but the story will not disappoint either.

I received this book as a gift, and have decided to leave a review. ...more

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Dec 29, 2017 Ann Keeran rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A beautiful story of love, disease, death, despair and recovery. After hitting bottom, our hero finds A Better Place To Be. A definite must read for every human.

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Jun 06, 2018 gj indieBRAG rated it it was amazing

Shelves: b-r-a-g-medallion-books

We are proud to announce that A BETTER PLACE TO BE: Based on the Harry Chapin Song by David Wind is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

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Jul 09, 2018 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a very good book however I do wish the author had done more to make it more interesting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work. ...more

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Dec 05, 2017 Beth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I am huge Harry Chapin fan and now I am a David Wind fan too!

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About David Wind

David Wind

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International award winning author and double B.R.A.G. Honoree, David Wind, has published forty-three novels including Science Fiction, Mystery, and suspense thrillers. He lives in Florida, with his wife Bonnie. David is the past President (2020) of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America

A Hybrid Traditional and Independent Author, David became an independent publisher, author, and w International award winning author and double B.R.A.G. Honoree, David Wind, has published forty-three novels including Science Fiction, Mystery, and suspense thrillers. He lives in Florida, with his wife Bonnie. David is the past President (2020) of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America

A Hybrid Traditional and Independent Author, David became an independent publisher, author, and writer in 2008 with Angels in Mourning, his 'homage' to the old-time private detective's of the 50's and the 60's. (He used to sneak them from his parents' night tables and read them as a young boy.) Angels is a contemporary take on the old-style noir detective and won the Amazon.com Book of the Month Reader's Choice Award.

The first book of David's Epic Sci-Fi Fantasy Series, Tales Of Nevaeh. Born To Magic, is an international Amazon genre Best Seller, a Kindle Review of Books finalist for Fantasy Book of the year, and winner of the Silver Award from Ireland's Drunken Druid International Awards for Literary excellence. Over 80,000 copies of the Tales of Nevaeh series have been download. The first two books of David’s new series, (a prequel spin-off to Tales of Nevaeh) The Journals of Solomon Roth, is the story of how Roth became the Warlord of Nevaeh.

His mystery, suspense, Police procedurals, and thrillers are The Hyte Maneuver, (a Literary guild alternate selection); The Sokova Convention, The Morrisy Manifest, Out of the Shadows, and, Desperately Killing Suzanne. He wrote the Medical Thriller, The Whistleblower's Daughter, with Terese Ramin. The idea for this Medical Legal Thriller came shortly after the death of a close friend. David said, "I couldn't help but wonder about the medication...."

David's Contemporary Fiction novel, published in December of 2017, and based on the Harry Chapin Song, A Better Place To Be, received the Bronze Award for Literary Excellence, from Ireland's prestigious DD International Awards; A Better Place To Be was named a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree, signifying a book of the highest literary quality and written by Independent writers.

David wrote his first nonfiction book, The Indie Writer's Handbook, to help authors who have completed their manuscripts and want to publish Independently, navigate the online publishing experience. The Indie Writer's Handbook was David's second book to be awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion for literary excellence.

David's novels have been translated into 11 languages and published in 15 countries.
--Follow David on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/davidwindauthor
--Follow David on Twitter at https://twitter.com/David_Wind
--Visit David's Website at http://www.davidwind.com

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