Sunday, October 04, 2009

Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney

Amazon.com:

Ever since his mother left, life hasn't been easy for Heath Wellington III. Between his father's (Junior's) bouts with alcoholism and literary rejection, and Heath's own wrongful suspension from school, there hasn't been all that much to be thankful for.

But following the tragic death of estranged grandfather Senior, father and son alike stand to inherit a life-changing fortune . . . with one catch.

Heath and Junior must spend the next three months managing Senior's bed and breakfast, located in the same Massachusetts home Junior has spent the last eight years trying to escape.

Upended from his everyday life and relocated to a town where everyone knew and loved the grandfather he can't even remember, Heath finds an inn full of some of the strangest people he's ever met, such as:

* Winsted, the old, wise Jamaican man who used to lead the prayers in Senior s factory;

* Mrs. Farrel, an elderly woman giving away her late husband's fortune letter by letter;

* Mustang Sally, the muscle-bound, tattooed grease monkey who doubles as a children's author;

* And Carter, the silent TV news junkie and secret Harvard graduate.

And, at a nearby school is Savannah, Junior's first love, and her adorable, autistic daughter, Tori.

But most of all, there's Junior himself, vinegar to Heath's oil. As Heath adjusts to his new world, what he needs most is to start anew with his father, to understand that Junior, too, is dealing with loss, and to realize that, even in the most tragic of times, there's a lot in life to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving at the Inn is a beautiful story of family and forgiveness, and a sure holiday classic. Tim Whitney's fantastic, heartwarming debut is one you'll want to read with the whole family for years and years to come.

Thanksgiving at the Inn was definitely a feel good kind of book for me. Heath is having a tough time living with his dad who is not easy at all to be around and his mother is out of the picture. Because of him, he never really got to know his grandfather. So when the chance comes (through his grandfather's will) to learn more about his Grandfather, Heath is sort of interested in this opportunity but knows his dad sure isn't.

I love the cast of characters we meet at his grandfather's inn. Winsted who basically runs the inn and is friendly to all, Mrs Farrel a mysterious old woman, Mustang Sally, who is multi-talented, and Carter the reluctant Harvard graduate. They all bring something to the story and teach Heath about his family and how you don't have to be related to be a family. I personally loved Winsted and Mustang Sally, they both had hearts of gold!

The author really covers a lot of ground dealing with things such as grief, guilt, alcoholism, autism, and love among other things. I thought it was fitting to frame the story around the Thanksgiving season. The author really created a heartwarming story of redemption. Overall a heartwarming and hopeful story!

Thanksgiving at the Inn was released on October 1st
Genre: Middle Grade
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

6 comments:

  1. This sounds like it would get you in the spirit of Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday!

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  2. Sounds like it has all kinds of interesting characters!

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  3. I liked Winsted as well but admit the Jamaican accent got old after awhile. I just wanted to scream "in proper English please" LOL

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  4. I am about to start this one. Sounds perfect for this time of year.

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  5. Anonymous12:44 PM

    I may have to pick this up next month.

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  6. i loved this one =)

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