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There are currently 48 member reviews
for The Big Finish
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Debra S. (Thurmont, MD)
Not my cup of tea
Just not for me.
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Elizabeth D. (Apple Valley, MN)
Didn't click for me
I went into this book with certain expectations, so should not fault anyone but myself when they weren't met. I thought this book would be warm and funny, perhaps even inspirational. Instead, it made me a little anxious (lots of logistics of hiding someone in a confined building, for example). The writing was fine, and as someone with a parent in a memory care unit, the overall setting of the assisted living facility rang true, especially the discordance between the protected world of the home/facility and the daily life that goes on outside its walls. I also thought the friendship between Carl and Duffy was realistic.
I didn't think the book flap description of Duffy as curmudgeonly was accurate - instead, he and his friend Carl seemed to be the stars of the assisted living facility, according the description at the beginning. I never really connected to Josie as a character - I couldn't really get a read on anything about her, other than that she drank. Why did people like Alice, like her? I have no idea. I didn't even feel like I had a clear picture of her age or appearance, perhaps in part because some of the older residents referred to her as a young girl, which is not what I would call a young woman in her early twenties. I have no idea what was important to her, what her motivation was for getting clean, etc.
One final nit is with the cover, as it shows a scene that never happens in the book. Yes, Duffy does go for a ride, but not with Josie, so I'm not sure why that is depicted.
Overall, not a favorite of mine, but I appreciate the chance to have read it, so many thanks for Bookbrowse and Penguin Random House for the opportunity!
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Paula K.
Old Folks and Damaged Young Folk
It seems we have a new sub-genre of books featuring the social commingling of young people (often troubled young women) with octogenarians for an outcome that solves problems for both ends of the age spectrum, e.g. "The Story of Arthur Truluv" and "A Man Called Ove". This is the basic formula for "The Big Finish" by Brooke Fossey. I really wanted to like this book, especially since the first impressions made by the cover art looked like there would be a clever treat in store. But I just couldn't engage my temporary suspension of disbelief to buy the premise that a house full of elderly folks and one uber-attractive chef would be able to help a young woman deep in the throes of alcoholism complete enough of a detox in a couple of days, thereby enabling a dramatic personality makeover. And while the old folks were endearing in a "Cocoon" sort of way, the references to shaky hands, walkers and other nursing home type trappings became a little tired about mid-way through the book. "The Big Finish" tried to offset the hardship of aging with humor, but I found one of the more compelling themes to be the very real worry of many of Centennial's (the name of the nursing home) residents that their lifespans would outpace their financial resources. All in all, I enjoyed "The Big Finish" but felt that some of its predecessors achieved more success with the formula.
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Beth B. (New Wilmington, PA)
With Age Comes Wisdom and Surprises
Life is indeed a journey, easier for some than for others.
First, the author has a lively grip on the foibles of aging.and the importance of maintaining one's sense of humor as the days march on. Second, this is largely shallow in plot and characterization. Third, if one is in the mood for a romp through the Centennial assisted living facility, go for it. Not a huge investment of time is involved. Duffy Sinclair is the star of the show.
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Catherine H. (Nashua, NH)
The Big flop
Reading that some people compared "The big finish" to "The Story of Arthur Truluv" by Elizabeth Berg or "A man called Ove" by Frederik Backman is down right blasphemy and an insult to two exceptional writers.
"The Big Finish" is bad and cheap dialogues from page 1 up to the end and a pathetic try to imitate the two above mentioned great writers.
I hope Mrs. Fossey was better at working as an aerospace engineer and should have definitely kept her day job.
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Helene M. (Washington Island, FL)
A Huge Disappointment!
I really wanted to like THE BIG FINISH, but, sadly, there was NOTHING to like. Had I not been committed to writing a review for Book Browse, l I would have thrown the book away after the fist two chapters.
The plot is somewhere between the movies, Grumpy Old Men, and Lost Weekend. There are no characters in this book, only caricatures ... the bumbling old guys, the nurse withe the heart of gold, the hard-hearted owner of the assisted living facility, the beautiful but broken granddaughter and the sweet older ladies who want to help. The dialog bounces between colloquial Sourthern ..."fixing to," to standard English circa 1964 ... "daddy-o." Really???? The blurb on the back of the book promises a "funny, insightful, and life-affirming debut." Oh, how I wish. What the book delivers is demeaning to people who actually live and work in assisted living facilities It trivializes the social changes faced as people age out of their own homes and often fall away from their social network as well. What could have been a warm, respectful treatment of the realities of lifestyle and family changes was anything but. Have time to waste? Waste it on doing your nails, mowing the lawn, taking the dog for a walk, or visiting an older person in a nursing or assisted living facility. Don't waste it reading this book.
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