Parting Gifts

by Charlotte Vale Allen

On the day of her late husband's funeral, widow Kyra Latimer is confronted by a young woman claiming to be her long-lost daughter, given up for adoption twenty years earlier, who leaves her toddler son with his "grandmother" to raise among the eccentric members of Kyra's famous British theatrical family.

Genres: Fiction, Drama

448 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Charlotte Vale-Allen was born in Toronto and lived in England from 1961 to 1964 where she worked as a television actress and singer. She returned to Toronto briefly, performing as a singer and in cabaret revues until she emigrated to the United States in 1966.

Shortly after her marriage to Walter Allen in 1970 she began writing and sold her first novel Love Life in 1974. Prior to this book's publication she contracted to do a series of paperback originals for Warner Books, with the result that in 1976 three of her books appeared in print.

Her autobiography, the acclaimed Daddy's Girl, was actually the first book she wrote but in 1971 it was deemed too controversial by the editors who read it. It wasn't until 1980, after she'd gained success as a novelist, that the groundbreaking book was finally published.

One of Canada's most successful novelists, with over seven million copies sold of her 30+ novels, Ms. Allen's books have been published in all English-speaking countries, in Braille, and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

In her writing she tries to deal with issues confronting women, being informative while at the same time offering a measure of optimism. "My strongest ability as a writer is to make women real, to take you inside their heads and let you know how they feel, and to make you care about them."

A film buff and an amateur photographer, Allen enjoys foreign travel. She finds cooking and needlework therapeutic, and is a compulsive player of computer Solitaire. The mother of an adult daughter, since 1970 she has made her home in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could. I would have to say this is the best book I have read so far this year. I'm not sure why I have never run across Charlotte Vale Allen before. She is quite a prolific writer. I will definitely read more of her work but I don't know that any of her books could top this one. I don't want to give the story away but a woman loses her husband to a freak accident and when she gets home from the funeral a stranger (female) is waiting for her, confronts her, says she is the daughter that the protagonist gave away many years before. Kyra says that she has never had a child and is in fact unable to have children but this woman will not listen. She has a very dirty little boy with her and she says that she is leaving her son, the dirty little boy, with Kyra as she can't take care of him anymore. Kyra has wanted a child for so long and so she decides to take the little boy even though she knows she is not this girl's mother. Kyra's friend happens to be there and the friend is a lawyer so she quickly draws up papers and makes the child's mother sign them so that Kyra has the child legally. The rest of the book is about Kyra and Jesse, the little boy she takes to raise. He has been severly abused and Kyra has much to overcome in raising him. There is a tragic twist to the story that I will not go into as it would give you no reason to pick up this book and read it. If you cry easily make sure you have kleenex handy. I had to put the book down several times as I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe. There is a surprise twist toward the end of the book that was totally unexpected. I wish two things about this book, I wish it had been longer and I wish there was a sequel.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE!!!

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This paperback had a fairly good plot. Kyra loses her husband and suddenly a woman drops a 3 year old off and expects her to keep him. She does a decent job of bringing him up, and in the process learns all kinds of things about her mother and brother. However, later on the son, Jesse becomes ill. I disagreed with how she handled the method of healing and giving the son so much freedom in his choices. The story largely took place in England where there was a great deal of incomprehensible slang.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out very well, good development and very quick paced. Quickly loved the main character and the addition of the adoptive child was riveting. Relationship between him and his cousins endearing and the main character's cousin was great. Up pops the brother who also added to the story. Then they sell and move and it all falls apart. So much unsaid and too much said. I just felt there was way too much detail about things no one cares about. About 1/2 of the way in I just wanted the book to be finished. It's not a bad book but there's nothing special about it either.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The majority of this book was set in England, which I enjoyed immensely. I also loved the many British phrases and mannerisms used in the book. At first, the plot seemed a little far fetched, but not so much as to ruin it for me. As it went on, I just got more and more into it. It was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed, and even if I would have liked a different outcome, the chosen ending befitted the book perfectly, and I will definitely seek more from this author.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know this author but bought parting gifts for 50 cents from a yard sale. I can honestly say, I am absolutely stunned. Fabulous characters, beautiful insightful and heart warming story. My god, this book is one of the best book I've ever read! In top 10! Ive already bought more Vale Allen books. I'm sure they will also be breath-taking

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with one primary storyline but also several subplots. I was riveted during the first part of the book. Later chapters contained lots of changes and new characters and that diluted the focus a little for me. But, along with the changes, came new storylines that were each current day and interesting. A satifying read.

[Nadia Silva C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

sad

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow, what a story! It was nice to get back to reading this author's novels again... but once I got into the first few pages, I felt as if I needed to keep a dictionary handy to look up some of the long big words that peppered the story... but I persevered and the story captured my interest! This is about Kyra and her life of a troubled childhood growing up in a family of entertainments' elite! However, during her adult life she finally found happiness with her airline pilot soulmate; but just after a decade of bliss she was slammed with widowhood! And now this is when her life really began on the journey of her destiny! A young woman, an unbelievable birth certificate and a 3 year old little boy who looked like someone out of Charles Dickens novel 'Oliver'.... So it was Jess's journey with Kyra and her family that gave them all gifts of intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, love, security, friendship and family until the final end when parting was the one 'gift' that no one really wanted but in reality it does happen ... oh dear, I do need a tissue with this very, very descriptive prose !

[Gift Elenwo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my God, I so much love this book. It was very intriguing. I love the characters, the plot, everything

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warm embrace

Such a beautiful story of loss and love. This book touches the heart. It’s a story that I can and have read over and over.

[Artie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this - a sad/happy tale. Not too sappy at all.

[CAW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older book - written in the 80's. I like the way she writes - very literally and grammatically correct. I'll read a few more of the authors books to see if I like the others as much.

[Rose Elbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured out part of the book after the first four chapters, but it was a very good read and it was very sad and I truly enjoyed it.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book right up until the end. The ending was a little too unrealistic for me.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a sad and heartwrenching story of a remarkable boy named Jesse and a recently widowed woman named Kyra.

From back cover:

"When Kyra Latimer loses her husband to a freak accident in Manhattan, she can't imagine how she'll be able to move into the future without him. But on the day of his funeral, the unimaginable happens.

A young woman, with a small boy in tow, shows up at Kyra's home, claiming to be the child Kyra surrendered for adoption some twenty-odd years before. Refusing to accept the truth-that Kyra cannot possibly be her mother-Jennifer Cullen insists on leaving her three-year-old son,Jesse, with his "grandmother". Touched by the boy's visible neglect, Kyra agrees to keep Jesse. And Kyra takes on a new role-as mother.

As it turns out, Jesse is no ordinary child, and Kyra is no ordinary mother. In the course of their life together, Kyra and Jesse flourish and flounder in unanticipated ways. Until, finally, Kyra is forced to confront an impossible choice: whether or not to honour the life-or-death decision of her adopted son."

This was a remarkable novel!!

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Kyra Latimer loses her husband to a freak accident in Manhattan, she can't absorb the fact of his absence and can't imagine how she'll be able to move into the future without him. But on the day of his funeral, the unimaginable happens.
A young woman, with a small boy in tow, shows up at Kyra's home, claiming to be the child Kyra surrendered for adoption some twenty-odd years before. Refusing to accept the truth - that she cannot possibly be Kyra's child - Jennifer Cullen insists on leaving her three-year-old son, Jesse, with his "grandmother." If Kyra won't take the boy, Jennifer is going to turn him over to Children's Aid.
Touched by the boy's visible neglect, and as deaf to reason in her own way as Jennifer is in hers, Kyra agrees to keep Jesse. Kyra and Jesse flourish and founder in unanticipated ways. Until, finally, Kyra is forced to confront an impossible choice: whether or not to honor the life-or-death decision of her adopted son.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first section of the book, when a 3 year old boy is left with a grieving widow, and she has to learn to deal with his physical and emotional abuse and help him to trust her. The second section of the book takes place 10 years later and involves the boy's medical problems and his adoptive mother's relationship with a movie director. I enjoyed the description of life on a movie set and the wardrobe designer's duties, but the details of the disease felt more like instruction than entertainment. Some characters from the first section (cousin Glenda, for example) do not appear again and since I liked this character I felt disappointed. Probably 100 pages could be taken out from the book and it would have been a better read.

[Lynn Hallbrooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is the kind that starts out a bit slow then picks up speed as you go along. The background information given in the beginning is essential as the story progresses.

It is a fiction story with a non-fiction real life feel to it. I laughed and cried with the characters. It even has a few of those life's mysteries inserted through out to keep you wondering what will happen next.

I truly believe this was a Good Read.

[Feevii · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was quite hard to read at first considering the tiny fonts but as I went on I got hooked and decided to follow Jesse and Kyra to the end ..I didn't actually get the title at first I didn't pity Jesse for being sick when I was still at that chapter but I was exasperatedly sad...I cried yeah ..a lot and even now i still read it over and over ...not boring at all.and I was the only who finished it in our class..

Date I finished this ..years ago..I think I was twelve

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy Parting Gifts AT ALL. It seemed like the target reader was a child- nothing was left to the imagination. The reader was basically told what to think about the characters, the plot, etc. My mom and I read this together as "our book club" selection, and she thought the same thing. However, she was at least able to make it to the end while I had to give up three-quarters of the way through. I had expected more after some reviews on GoodReads.

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the mystery in this book and the characters-I totally understood what they were going through...most of them. Aunt Cathy...yikes! ***if you have children this will probably make you cry in sadness and in anger...then maybe make you hug your own kids tight and/or become foster parents.

This book honors all the moms in the world, however, they came to be a mother.

I do want to read more by this author. A Book Club book-at least I think it should be one

[Serena Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first half better than the second half. Jesse as a 13-year-old boy used a vocabulary way beyond his age, even taking into account his intelligence and way with words. This was in the mid-1980s, so it wasn't believable to me. Maybe in the 1880's 13-year-olds spoke like that! Anyway, the writing was pretty good for the most part and I will likely remember the book for quite a while.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one....I don't think I've read anything else by this author but will definitely look for more books. A story of families, the angst and joy they share through the years, friendships and love....good book!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching story about love and loss and family.

[Ck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad story, but very interesting. Recommend it highly.

[Caron]

I really enjoyed this book. I would love to know the sweet main character personally, as he was the wisest little boy. Loved.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book...tho it was one of the few books that made me cry...just what I needed...very good...

[Diane Hachigian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, sad story

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Had some very interesting parts, but a little slow.

[Tony L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, a friend of mine inadvertaintly told me the ending, I will finish it to find out how, good read so far. Love this author.