Labor Day in Around the World in 80 Books

Jun 14, 2010 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: xx-2010-xx

4.5 stars. A lovely, lovely book. Wow, what a page-turner. A book to experience. Thx, Glenn, for the rec.

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Feb 25, 2015 alana rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-on-the-big-screen, romance, audiobook, 2015-read-harder

Labor Day is a pleasantly surprising take on a romance novel. The love story between Adele and Frank is told through the eyes of her 13 year old son Henry. Without spoilers, Adele is a single mother who doesn't get out of the house much anymore. On a rare trip out for back-to-school shopping at the beginning of Labor Day weekend, Henry encounters an injured Frank in the store who then asks for Adele's help. The book focuses on that holiday weekend when Frank serves as a father figure for Henry a ...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Tanya rated it liked it

Shelves: op-book-club-reads-2010-2014, 2010

While the story took place over six days, it almost felt longer because so much happened in the course of that short week. I hadn't ever really read a book that had the perspective of a boy on the verge of adolescence as the narrator - I found it interesting to deal with emotions and circumstances from his point of view.

The story makes me believe in true love and destiny--that a certain path must be followed to lead you exactly where you are supposed to be--though there may be significant pain ...more

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Dec 19, 2013 AmyAmy rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, finished-reading

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Told through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy, the story moved easily, and the voice was credible as one coming from an adolescent.

Teenage Henry lives with his mother in a modest home, sharing frozen dinners with her. According to Henry, his family members are his mother and his gerbil, period... NOT his father, who lives with his new family.

Something's wrong with his mother. She rarely leaves the house. Her hands shake. She sends Henry into her bank to withdraw money. The ........................
Told through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy, the story moved easily, and the voice was credible as one coming from an adolescent.

Teenage Henry lives with his mother in a modest home, sharing frozen dinners with her. According to Henry, his family members are his mother and his gerbil, period... NOT his father, who lives with his new family.

Something's wrong with his mother. She rarely leaves the house. Her hands shake. She sends Henry into her bank to withdraw money. The reasons for her seclusion and her shaking hands is revealed later. (I don't want to spoil it for you)

In the first few pages, Henry meets a bleeding man at Priceliner, while his mother is in another aisle of the store. The man asks Henry for help. Henry brings the sweating man to his mother, who thinks better of bringing this man in her car and to her home (ya THINK??!?), what is what he is requesting. In the book, she gives in. In the movie, they saw how stupid that was, and had her continue to say no, only to have the man put a forceful grip on the boy's neck and say "This needs to happen."

The book (and movie) takes place in 6 days: Thurs-Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon-Tue.

SPOILER ALERT (even tho this is revealed in the trailer)... (don't read any further, but I won't reveal the end, just what happens around page 25)...

The man is wanted for murder. But the man says he's innocent. Hmm. On Thursday, he ties the woman up, but not tightly. He spoon feeds her. At night, he unties her, telling her "Now, if the police ever catch me, you can say I tied you up." On Friday, he teaches Henry to throw a baseball, and how to make a sensual peach pie. On Saturday, he fixes stuff around the house. By Sunday, he's madly in love. So is she. On Monday, they make plans to go to Canada. Tuesday is the first day of school, but Henry doesn't go.

I actually loved this book. 99.9999999% of movies aren't as good as the book, but this movie came close, just like the movie 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was up there with Harper Lee's novel.

I liked Joyce Maynard's easy writing style so much, I read another book she wrote called "The Usual Rules" about a 13 (again 13!) year old girl who lost her mother in the twin towers in 2001. It was a good read (Goodreads, get it?!), but not nearly as good as Labor Day. I didn't read anything else yet by Joyce Maynard. Should I?

I should add that there was a side character who was HILARIOUS. It was a girl who Henry meets half-way thru the story, a girl about his own age. She cracked me up! A published author myself, I love comical side characters when the rest of the premise is dead-serious.

The ending was predictable, but still good. I would love to read a reverse-sequel telling how his mother got this way, a novel showing Henry at age 7 or around there. ...more

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