Labor Day

A fascinating story of damaged people seeking love and acceptance

Labor Day weekend, for most, is a time for celebration, a last fling before the seriousness of school and fall set in.

In Joyce Maynard's new novel, "Labor Day," the holiday weekend is not quite a party for one family in a small New Hampshire town. It will be a time of life-altering occurrences that would shape their futures forever.

Thirteen year old Henry and his mother, Adele, are shopping for school items when they are approached by a bleeding man asking for their help. So they take him home, to find out later that the man, Frank, is an escaped convict on the run. He somehow cajoles Adele into letting him stay while the police search for him, and she agrees. This would be the beginning of a six-day odyssey for Henry and his mother that neither of them could ever have imagined.

As the story unfolds, through Henry's voice, the reader is taken through Henry's family history of a bitter divorce, miscarried babies, remarriage and new siblings and his mother's gradual loss of her grip on reality. It seems as if Frank is somewhat of a savior come to turn their lives around. He gives Henry the attention that he craves from a father-figure, and to Adele he gives companionship and adoration that she has been without for so long.

In a mesmerizing way, Frank weaves his way into their lives, making beautiful promises that he could never keep. When Henry begins to realize that this idyllic situation is doomed, it's up to him, as man of the house, to save his mother from certain heartbreak, if not incarceration.

Maynard spins a fascinating story of damaged people seeking the one thing they long for - love. It's intriguing to watch these characters go through their paces, all the time wanting to yell at them "don't you know what's going on here?" and "how could you be so stupid?" But wrapping her tale up with a satisfying ending, the reader can take away a sense of completion for Henry's family and that is a gift in itself.

- Sharon Galligar Chance (http://sharonsgardenofbookreviews.blogspot.com)

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

I Loved This Book!

I couldn't put this book down! The depth of the characters are great! The story is so sad, yet very touching....I couldn't stop the tears! I really liked the ending! This author is a great writer! Don't miss this one!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a super character study

On the Labor day weekend in 1987, thirteen year old Henry persuades his single mother Adele to leave their dump for a trip to the nearby PriceMart. He is ecstatic when she agrees as she never leaves their home except if she absolutely has to since his dad left her and remarried.

They meet Frank, who bullies them into picking him up. An escaped convict, Frank needs a place to hide from the law so he coerces the mother and son to take him into their home or else. However, as he holds them prisoner in their home, the trio forges a relationship with him in charge. He tenderly ties Adele to a chair using her silk scarves as gentle ropes; while feeding her. He teaches Henry, who hates sports as he stinks at them, to throw a baseball. He soon finds he wants more from the mom as they fall in love and consider fleeing together, and with her son who fears desertion from his mom and his surrogate father.

This is a super character study that focuses on the changing relations between three protagonists over the Labor Day weekend. A Stockholm syndrome effect occurs as each grows closer to one another. Henry is the glue that keeps the story line focused as he admires Frank's courage and mentoring skills while also fears he will take his mom with him leaving her son behind when he goes on the lam. Fans will relish three seemingly losers finding something special during the long weekend together even as each anticipates no happy ending (the Sword of Damocles always lurking during the holiday) ;instead they expect to pay a steep price for six days and five nights of a fairy tale.

Harriet Klausner

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a story about love, loss and the struggle to find yourself. It's proof that in this great big world, it is possible to find happiness and a place to call home.

Henry is thirteen-years-old and a bit of a recluse. As the other boys in the neighborhood spend their time outside, Henry spends his time indoors, watching TV and taking care of his divorced mother, Adele. Their meals consist of canned soup and quiet conversation. This is a typical day for them. However, during one, long, hot Labor Day weekend, they head to the local Pricemart to pick up a few items. This, in itself, is rare as Adele does not enjoy being outside anymore. She'd rather stay in the comfort of her home but on this particular morning, she decides to enter the store with Henry.

While she is shopping, Henry is confronted by a man named Frank. The man, obviously injured, is in pain and simply asks if Henry and his mom can help him. Although Adele has her issues, she has been known to help those in need in the past, so Henry takes Frank to his mom, and their lives change forever.

Frank has a story of course. A sketchy past involving a mistake he made when he was younger, but through Frank's actions, Adele sees a man who is solid and true. A man who cares deeply for those close to him, and when he manages to bring happiness into their home, happiness that hasn't existed for years, Henry becomes fond of him too.

Labor Day is a wonderful read. The characters are forced to look within themselves and the interactions between them are so beautifully orchestrated. I say orchestrated because their interactions are seamless and subtle but speak volumes as far as what's going on within these people. It takes an author's delicate hand to push that envelope. Pushing it too much creates a "staged" feel and not pushing it enough creates hollow characters without substance.

Labor Day is my favorite type of book. It's the kind of book that you read, experience and then once done, think about for days on end. I highly recommend it.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

I LOVED THIS BOOK

STORY WAS VERY TOUCHING AND KEPT ME WANTING MORE. THE STORY STAYED WITH ME A FEW DAYS AFTER I FINISHED THE BOOK.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

LABOR DAY

GREAT BOOK HARD TO PUT DOWN SOLID CHARACTERS, LOVE IT.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorites

I loved this book. It was great read and held my attention from start to finish. Could barely put it down!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Seriously Flawed, but ....

Joyce Maynard's Labor Day is a seriously flawed book, a disappointment in so many ways. But... The book is written from the viewpoint of a 13 year old boy except for the last 30 pages. She manages to write that quite convincingly. There seemed to be honesty in the emotions expressed. Some of the characters are three dimensional, though most aren't. So what are the flaws. Frank is a saint, not a bad bone in his body. Everybody has a few bad bones. The timing is far too condensed, only 6 days. But many books that have a romantic edge commit the same error. Then I think the editor should be shot. There were whole chunks of the story that really felt like they had been chopped out. They'd been written and then dropped, particularly some references to baseball. In a particularly egregious error, cellos don't have frets! So the editor thinks that the guitar which Ms. Maynard had originally written was too plebeian. "Let's change it to a cello". At least do the follow up work. But with all of that, the story resolves in better ways than it might have. And there are interests maintained. I can't recommend it. But I can't trash it, despite its flaws.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

So many great reviews I admit I really struggled through

This is my first read by this author and thought it was a strong writing style and well developed characters I just really struggled with the story I think. It was hard for me to believe from the beginning and found myself disappointed I guess throughout most of it. The flow is a little weak for me at the end when such a short time of the story is drug on through so many chapters and then BAM we fly through adulthood. I would have rather had a little more leading up to his adult life or nothing at all and ended in his youth, just made it feel too rushed at the end. Hard book for me enjoy, Sorry!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Sweet Romance

This story is about a woman, with her young son, who meets a man in a store and because he needs help, takes him to their home she shares with her son. This is the only unrealistic issue with this book. Her doing this is a contradiction to her carefully raising her son to protect him from some of society's evils. If you can get past this point, it's a lovely story. The mom, boy and man all basically fall in love. As the story twists and turns, you begin to see that this may not work out for any of them, but hang in there and the ending will surprise and delight you. The story is well written and quickly creates empathy for the characters involved. It moves at just the right pace, and I plan on reading other novels by this author. Hope you enjoy it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Labor Day weekend

This book is about a mother and her son who let an escaped fugitive into their home for the Labor Day weekend. The mother and son have very few friends. The book centers on how the characters interact with each other while trying to stay as low key as possible. This is a good book about love and forgiveness and well worth reading.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Doc

Yep.

this book is amazing!

this book is amazing!

Starts a bit slow, but picks up

This is a decent book. It starts out a little slow, but picks up as you go.
You just have to keep in mind that the story is about the boy, not the "mysterious bleeding man".
It's an easy read, perfect for summer!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Okay

Somewhat slow. 3.5 stars.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

interesting story

interesting story

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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