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Arlene I. (Johnston, RI)
A Great Perspective on Life:
This book was an easy read but not overly simplistic. Tanner and Louise are quirky, endearing and lovable characters. You have a twenty-one year old self-doubting woman trying to find her footing in life (Tanner) and a wise-cracking eighty-three year old, who is self-assured and breaks all kinds of rules in the name of doing the right thing (Louise).
Colleen Oakley brings you on an unconventional road trip filled with laugh-out loud antics between two characters sixty-something years apart and a cast of friends along the way. The author explores the friendship that woman have with other woman; assumptions of
…more people based on observations only; relationships between aging parent and their children and how we all have a degree of self doubt, no matter life experiences or our age.
Tanner is the driver and Louise is the passenger in an odd-ball journey from Florida to California in which you meet well-meant characters along the way. I would absolutely recommend this book book to all ages. Tanner and Louise's journey would make a fantastic book club read. (less)Mrs. Louise Wilt and Tanner are the two most unlikely of companions, and I was delighted and frustrated with each quirky step and word and whine, just enough to put me into their mindsets. The characters are well developed — including all the ways these two women are so different, and I couldn't wait to read more. It's a captivating journey for the reader and these two characters. It's also about looking outside your view to see through the eyes of someone much different than you. It's raucous (and a time or two rowdy), as well as tender and hopeful. I highly recommend this author and a big WOW for the book.
Gwen C
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
This delightful, intelligent, charming, laugh out loud caper grabbed me from the first few pages. This deft take on “Thelma and Louise” begins with 21 year old injured and angry Tanner squaring off against 84 year old injured and feisty Louise. Amazingly enough I identified with both of the characters - having lived with my grandmother briefly after college and now a senior citizen recovering from a broken leg and kneecap. We were admonished not to quote directly from the book until final editing was done, but that hasn’t stopped me from reading passages aloud to others. I am definitely buying this book for
…more friends. I hope it’s published before Christmas! (less)I have been in a reading funk. I have started so many books, and put them aside. I started The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, put it aside, but couldn't stop thinking about the characters, kept going back, reading a little more, set aside, then ponder the characters, and then finally read the last 50 at one sitting. I highly recommend this book. Fun, shades of gray characters, interesting plot twists, great to read, especially if you are in a reading slump.
Thank you to Bookbrowse for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Anne C.
Great Book for a Book Club to Read
This is a very well-plotted story with intriguing characters and an exciting plot!
I was immediately drawn to Louise, an 84-year-old widow whose grown children are concerned for her health, and 21-year-old Tanner, who is reluctantly persuaded to be a live-in companion and driver for Louise. They are not settling in well together, until some unexpected news causes Louise to suddenly leave for a trip across the country. Since she is unable to drive because of recent hip surgery, she convinces Tanner to drive her, with the promise of a large cash payoff when they get to California.
During their trip both find out
…more much more about each other’s lives, but the true reason for the trip is not revealed until the final chapters. Before that reveal, the reader is treated to a series of funny events, as Louise outwits everyone they meet along the way. There is even a bit of romantic adventure for both women.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be looking for more from this author. This would be a good book for a book club to read together, especially if it includes members of several ages. (less)I enjoyed this book immensely, although when I started reading it, I had trouble getting engaged. That did not take long, and I was hooked. The characters are quirky and fun. Twists and turns everywhere which kept me from putting the book down. I was totally surprised at the ending.
Frances Ilnicky-Van Ameyden
A True Review
I've never read author Colleen Oakley novels, but The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise suggests I may read her other novels.
The first few chapters did not lead me to think about reading more of this story, nor any other works by Ms Oakley. (An older teen girl groaning and moping about her "sorry life" was a downer to this reader.) But, I plunged ahead, and, to my surprise and gratification, I am glad I did.
Ms Oakley's characters came to life and are well- rounded, lively, and funny! The author's sense of humor tickled me no end! Additionally, by book's end a higher purpose for the characters'
…more escapades comes to life, and a resolution is reached.
Truth: I not only will read another novel by Colleen Oakley, but I will look forward to reading it. (less)Fun, well-written, and studded with surprises, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise will tickle you, encourage you, and keep you turning the pages.
Twenty-one-year-old Tanner is in a funk after an injury derails her soccer career.
Eighty-four-year-old Louise is on a mission to correct a past mistake.
Never have two such different women needed each other so much. But exactly why they need each other creates a book chockful of rich themes.
The most obvious theme is friendship, especially friendship that can transcend a significant generation gap. Here’s where the book sparkles. Tanner and Louise make
…more assumptions about each other from the get-go. Though the idea of a generation gap is nothing new, this “Mostly True Story” examines why we make snap judgments and how that inhibits good relationships. The women’s cross-country car journey serves as a structure that delivers them from postulations to understanding.
Mistakes—or perceived mistakes—is another important theme. As readers, we have the objectivity to see clearly, and this causes us to root for the characters who are muddling more through mistaken beliefs than true failures. It's relatable because who of us hasn’t done the same? Who hasn’t lost sleep over worries about how we could have done something differently? How Tanner and Louise handle and think about their regrets is food for thought about how we, the readers, handle our own.
Author Colleen Oakley also explores what constitutes real intimacy in relationships—whether it’s a friendship or a love interest. Though the main characters of Tanner and Louise are very different, they are the same in many ways, primarily in how they reveal themselves to others. Both are reticent to share too much. Both would prefer to keep their true identities safely concealed. Both want others to accept them for face value instead of revealing vulnerabilities.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is about understanding and accepting yourself and others and moving on in life. And, as the title reflects, this witty novel will keep you guessing till its satisfying conclusion. (less)
