Harriet Beamer takes the bus : a novel

Format:

Book

Title:

Harriet Beamer takes the bus : a novel

Author:

Moccero, Joyce Magnin.

ISBN:

9780310333555

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

311 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

After reluctantly agreeing to move in with her son and daughter-in-law, elderly Harriet Beamer takes her time as she travels from her home in Philadelphia to theirs in California, learning some things about herself on the way.

Subject(s):

Voyages and travels -- Fiction.

Older people -- Travel -- Fiction.

Genre:

Christian fiction.

Fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Stayton Public Library	IF MAGNIN Joyce	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	Magnin, J.	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Aging and recent widow Harriet Beamer insists she's getting along fine with her dog Humphrey in Philadelphia ... until she falls for the fourth time, injuring her ankle, and causing her son and daughter-in-law to cry foul. Insisting Harriet move in with them in California, they make a bet that her ankle is broken, and she foolishly promises to move if they're right. Four x-rays later, Harriet's ankle--and her heart--are broken. She packs up, ships her huge salt and pepper collection to California, and prepares to move away from the only life she knows. The only catch? She's doing it her way. Just wait till her daughter-in-law hears Harriet will travel cross country only by public transportation and alternate means. What follows is a hilarious, heartwarming journey by train, metro bus, ferry, and motorcycle. Along the way, Harriet discovers that although her family thinks it's time for her to be put out to pasture--God has a different plan.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Magnin (Bright's Pond series) continues her quirky ways with the titular character, a 72-year-old widow who takes the long way across the country when she reluctantly agrees to move in with her son and daughter-in-law in California. Her road trip is filled with bed-and-breakfasts, a GPS named Amelia, cancan dancers, petty criminals, dozens of salt-and-pepper shakers (she collects them), and-of course-increasing self-knowledge. Magnin breathes gentle life into the classic road trip structure. Harriet's sheltered naivete is occasionally beyond the bounds of belief, but Magnin has an energetic and confident sense of narrative rhythm and Harriet is funny and indelibly characterized. An extensive subplot involves Harriet's writer son, Henry, and his lawyer wife Prudence, whose family plans are at a standstill after two miscarriages. Henry is more fully rendered than Prudence, who remains somewhat opaque. Not aimed at fans of dystopia and dysfunction, it's a great read for fans of feisty-old-lady stories; spiritual elements are well blended in, like the right amount of seasoning from one of Harriet's shakers. Agency: MacGregor Literary. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.