The Goodbye Summer [Paperback]

Patricia Gaffney (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harper Torch; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743450574
• ISBN-13: 978-0743450577
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Patricia Gaffney began her writing career with the publication of Sweet Treason, a historical romance set in revolutionary Scotland. Eleven romance novels later, she tried something different--The Saving Graces, a story of women's friendships, that ended up spending 17 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

Circle of Three, Flight Lessons, and The Goodbye Summer followed, all bestsellers that established Gaffney as a premier mainstream fiction writer.

Her new book is Mad Dash, the story of a happy marriage in trouble. It's due out in Spring 2008.

Gaffney, who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, is currently at work on a novel about a man who changes his life when he finds out he's dying--then finds out he isn't. Working title: On Second Thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely read with fun and interesting "elder" characters!, July 19, 2004

By 

Judith Schonhoff "Judy" (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Goodbye Summer: A Novel (Gaffney, Patricia) (Hardcover)

This book was such a nice read. The main character is Caddie, a 32 year old music teacher who has always lived with her grandmother (since Caddie's mother died when Caddie was very young). Caddie's grandmother decides to go live at the local pseudo nursing home while she heals a broken leg. The home is called Wake House and the inhabitants all are quite distinctive! This story is written through Caddie's eyes. Since she is no longer living with her grandmother, she starts to get out more and eventually falls in love. In addition, she visits often with the Wake House folks and gets to learn a lot about them as she write their bios for a Wake House project.

There are not many books that have so many "elder" characters written with such flair! You want to know more about them and their sometimes boring, sometimes exciting, but always REAL experiences. Just a nice, feel good book that will make you cry and laugh. I can't wait to read another by this author!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite author, June 4, 2004

By 

Patricia Kay "author and avid reader" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Goodbye Summer: A Novel (Gaffney, Patricia) (Hardcover)

I agree with the reviewer who said Gaffney could write about a trip to the grocery store and she'd read it and love it. I feel the same way. I, too, love Gaffney's wry sense of humor and her ability to show me the world in a different way. That said, it doesn't really surprise me that some readers were bored, because this IS a quiet, character-driven story that develops slowly, and some readers just don't have the patience for that. One last comment: I liked this book so much I used it as an example of great writing at a talk I recently gave to a group of writers here in the Houston area. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone who loves women's fiction or who aspires to write women's fiction.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed, June 8, 2005

By 

Jen (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Goodbye Summer (Mass Market Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this the Goodbye Summer. It was different than the other chick lit books that i've read with somewhat of a surprising ending. The relationships were unique in that the main character did not seem to have best friends, just the ones she befriended at the home where her grandmother was. I will definitely look into Patricia Gaffney's other books after reading this one.