Reviewer: Tina Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: August 3rd 2010
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 272
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With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, lonely, friendless thirteen-year-old Henry spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming with only his emotionally fragile, long-divorced mother for company. But everything changes on the Thursday before the holiday weekend when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank asks Henry for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons, about the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting those we care about above ourselves—and that real love is worth waiting for.
From acclaimed author Joyce Maynard comes a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenager—and the man he later becomes.
In the beginning I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one or not, but after only a couple chapters in, I was hooked. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard is a book that I couldn’t wait to pick up before I went to bed to see what was happening next. It was not only a poignant coming-of-age story of a young boy, it also portrayed his mother who was struggling with her own demons as well. I found myself wanting to hug this boy and it really made me think about how sometimes the things we think we know about a person can be totally off. It is a story about love and the strange ways it can be found.
I love the way the book ended as well. Instead of being tragic like I actually expected, it instead made me feel good and showed that sometimes good things come out of bad situations. It shows the power of love as well as the power of forgiveness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a book that makes you smile as you close the back cover.
Grade: 4 out of 5