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There are currently 73 member reviews
for The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
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Joanne W. (Ossining, NY)
Unexpectedly great read
This story of an unlikely friendship between a troubled young adult and an octogenarian with secrets is told with honesty and wit. Both were believable and in their own way, quirky but likable.
As an aging reader myself I am always thrilled to read about a woman in the latter part of her life with real feelings and desires. I highly recommend this book.
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Peggy H. (North East, PA)
Rollicking Good Read
How many books have crossed my path recently with a feisty and funny older person as the protagonist? Sadly, very few, with this exception! This was a great fast read, with some fun twists and turns. We get to take a road trip with an octagenarian, a 20-something, and a convicted felon, who wouldn't love that? Add in gangsters, dementia, and a jewel heist, and you are sure to love it.
I am very sad that Louise won't be in any sequels! I would love to see more adventures with her.
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Susan R. (Julian, NC)
Unlikely Friendship
Twenty-one year old Tanner doesn't want to do much but sleep and play video. In the past, she had great plans but an accident caused her to lose her scholarship and she had to come home. She is so upset with the changes in her life that she doesn't exert any energy trying to find a job or planning to go back to school. Her parents try to help her by getting her a job as a live in caretaker for an 84 year old woman who has broken her hip. Louise feels that she's capable of taking care of herself but her daughter insists that she needs a live-in caretaker. The initial meetings between Tanner and Louise don't give either of them fonder feelings about each other. In the beginning, they totally ignore each other. Tanner plays video games while Louise entertains herself and insists on her two fingers of vodka every afternoon. Soon Tanner begins to notice some strange things at the house. When she sees a news report of police looking into jewel heist forty years earlier, she's shocked to see that one of the thieves looks just like Louise. Things get even stranger when Louise goes to Tanner's room in the middle of the night and tells her that she will pay Tanner for taking her to California but they have to leave right now.. Even though Tanner has no idea what's going on, she leaves with Louise. She has no idea why they are leaving in the middle of the night but suspects that it has something to do with the jewelry heist years ago.
The road trip is their chance of getting to know each other. Gradually their negative feeling disappear and they realize that there are in this together. The banter between the two main characters is often very humorous with some laugh out loud moments. Louise is a feisty 84 year and her character provided the most laughs for me.
This charming and unique story of a developing friendship between two very different characters is heartfelt and humorous. Their road trip across the country is full of problems - like finding parts for the vintage Jaguar that they are driving but the more time they spend together, the more they learn to like and respect each other.
This is my favorite book by this author. It's a quick read with a bit of mystery, a bit of romance and two very real and lovable main characters that I won't soon forget.
Thanks to BookBrowse for a copy of this book to read and request.
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Renee T. (Seward, PA)
Wonderful Read!
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley is absolutely one of my favorite books from 2022! Tanner and Louise, plus all the minor characters involved with them, are so well written I felt like they were real people by the end of the book! Oakley's writing is superb, and the story she tells is a different take on the "female buddy book". I was laughing out loud one minute at the dialogue and events, and then crying a few paragraphs later when a character said something poignant. The story also has twists and turns and gradual reveals that kept me reading "just one more page". I have been recommending this book to all of my reading friends, and have added it to my list of book club choices for 2023.
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Peggy A. (Morton Grove, IL)
Thelma and Louise Mashup
This is a highly entertaining story of inter generational bonding in the tradition of Thelma and Louise. However, the hook here is that the main characters are about 60 years different in age which leads to a very different perspective on just about everything. At first meeting where Tanner was hired to act as a nanny to Louise, things seemed to spiral downwards. Tanner was going thru a rough time and thought this would be a cakewalk and she could get paid for basically doing nothing. Louise unwillingly acquiesced to her children's demands to get a caregiver but chose to remain distant…as she said transparency in a relationship was highly overrated. The plot develops and soon the two are joined in a common cause.
I thought the writing was clever, sometimes even profound. It kept my interest throughout.
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Angela W
Great read
I was not expecting to enjoy this book. With characters like elderly lady and confused 20-something, I was not expecting much. Boy was I wrong - fun story and memorable, funny adventure. I highly recommend this book.
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Becky D. (Gloucester, VA)
Refreshing and a fun read, but still with substance
I love a book where the character(s) evolve: overcome/work through issues and grow as a result. Then, it's icing on the cake if the main characters (an elderly woman recovering from broken pelvis and a barely 20 something struggling with forced life changes) are like oil and water (but are in a symbiotic relationship!), hiding their own secrets, fighting their own demons and then embark on a forced road trip under the threat of legal repercussions.
It was definitely a quick read, mainly because it was hard to put down.
Humor was sprinkled throughout: the conversations between the children of the elderly character and the FBI, reminded me of a Greek chorus. When explaining her type of emotional support to the 20 something (who felt it was lacking), her response was, "Watch Oprah if you want inspiring, I just tell the truth!" (p.269)
It would be a good book for discussion in a book club.
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