Book Review: Labor Day

So I have really been on the ball this year reading books, if I keep at this pace I will have all 12 books read by summer.

This book I picked off my list of books at random.

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.
But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.
In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.


MY OPINION: I really liked the way this story was written, the book flowed and kept you reading the whole way through. It is a coming of age story so I guess you should know ahead of time that it reads like a memory, and not much action is involved. If you like a story that has you on your toes wondering what will happen next this probably isn't a book for you. The ending of this book was a bit different than I expected it to be. Whether that is a good or bad thing I will leave up to your imagination.

OVERALL: I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I think you would be better off seeing the movie and skipping the book. And I am a huge fan of reading the book before I see the movie...NOT THIS TIME.