NOVEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Narrator Wilson Bethel's voice evokes the tension of a young man standing on the precipice of becoming a man. Bethel uses an adolescent voice to describe Henry's longing for love and wonderings about life. Bethel shines in portraying Henry's relationship with his mother, giving their interplay the realistic back-and-forth style that many mothers and sons share. As Adele's sad secret is finally revealed, Bethel's delivery turns melancholy. Listeners will appreciate how Bethel's narration gives additional strength and empathy to the dramatic story of a life-altering event in a young man’s life. R.O. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Caroline Preston
It is a testament to Maynard's skill that she makes this ominous setup into a convincing and poignant coming-of-age tale. As she has revealed in her memoirs and five previous novels, Maynard has had her own share of unsuitable attachments. She understands the deep yearnings that drive people to impulsive decisions and sometimes reckless behavior.
—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
In her sixth novel, Maynard (To Die For) tells the story of a long weekend and its repercussions through the eyes of a then 13-year-old boy, Henry, who lives with his divorced mother, Adele. On Labor Day weekend, Henry manages to coax his mother, who rarely goes out, into a trip to PriceMart, where they run into Frank, who intimidates them into giving him a ride. Frank, it turns out, is an escaped convict looking for a place to hide. He holds Adele and Henry hostage in their home, an experience that changes all of them forever, whether it's Frank tying Adele to the kitchen chair with her silk scarves and lovingly feeding her or teaching the awkward, unathletic Henry how to throw a baseball. The bizarre situation encompasses Henry's budding adolescence, the awakening of his sexuality and his fear of being abandoned by his mother and Frank, who are falling in love and planning to run away together. Maynard's prose is beautiful and her characters winningly complicated, with no neat tie-ups in the end. A sometimes painful tale, but captivating and surprisingly moving. (Aug.)
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Library Journal
The summer Henry turned 13, he had many questions about sex, "but it was clear my mother was not the person to discuss this with." A dancer, pretty like Ginger from Gilligan's Island, Adele had withdrawn from the world after her divorce from Henry's dad. Mother and son lead a lonely life together, subsisting on stacks of Cap'n Andy frozen fish dinners while Adele half-heartedly tries to sell vitamins by phone. Adele rarely leaves home, except when pressed to get Henry some last-minute back-to-school clothes. It's at Pricemart that the wounded pair meets Frank, a man with much to teach them about true love, baseball, and the best way to make a ripe peach pie. VERDICT There's a catch, of course—Frank's just escaped from prison, and there's a full-fledged manhunt underway. This coming-of-age story is gentle, unexpected, and simply told. An easy purchase. [The publisher is touting this as a change of pace from the author of To Die For; this was a pick at BookExpo 2009's Librarians' Book Shout and Share program.—Ed.]—Christine Perkins, Bellingham P.L., WA
—Christine Perkins
Kirkus Reviews
A pubescent boy learns about sorrow and regret during one blisteringly hot holiday weekend. Shifts of tone mark the progression of Maynard's latest (Internal Combustion, 2006, etc.). In an unlikely opening, 13-year-old Henry and his mother Adele agree to take home Frank, the bleeding man they meet while shopping at Pricemart. Frank turns out to be an escaped convict-a murderer in fact-yet he is unthreatening and domesticated, soon rustling up the best chili they have ever eaten. Adele, a romantic, has been left slightly unhinged and agoraphobic by her divorce; she and Frank quickly develop a sensual attraction observed by Henry, who is grappling with teenage angst over his sexuality. As the adults become lovers and Frank starts to teach Henry how to catch a baseball, the novel becomes a semi-comic exploration of what constitutes the ideal American family. But then Frank describes the circumstances of his conviction, an implausible chronicle of deception and coincidence that considerably darkens the novel's mood. Henry fears his mother is about to abandon him and shares his anxiety with his anorexic new girlfriend Eleanor, but he is wrong: The plan is for all three to flee to Canada, a plan that Eleanor will stymie. Narrated by the adult Henry 18 years later, the story shows how a boy digests, then uses the lessons learned that hot weekend. Redemption is eventually offered to all parties. Maynard expertly tugs heartstrings in a tidy tale.
From the Publisher
Joyce Maynard is in top-notch form with Labor Day. From the perfect pitch of a teenaged boy narrator to the eloquent message of how loneliness can bind people together, this is simply a novel you cannot miss.” — Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and Handle With Care
“[The] story is moving and fast-moving, affirming Maynard’s reputation as a master storyteller and showing her to be a passionate humanist with a gifted ear and heart. . . . Maynard illuminates the human experience.” — People (Four Stars)
“Maynard expertly tugs heartstrings in a tidy tale. ” — Kirkus Reviews
“Maynard’s inventive coming-of-age tale indelibly captures the anxiety and confusion inherent in adolescence, while the addition of a menacing element of suspense makes this emotionally fraught journey that much more harrowing.” — Booklist
“Maynard is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness.” — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
“Maynard deftly pulls the reader into the fragile lives of these three vulnerable characters and their preordained march toward the novel’s denouement. A marvelous read-perfect for one long sitting-this novel leaves the reader wishing it didn’t ever have to end.” — BookPage
“Maynard...is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness.” — Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
“beautifully written” — New Orleans Times-Picayune
“Maynard offers fresh insight into what constitutes family.” — USA Today
“It is a testament to Maynard’s skill that she makes this ominous setup into a convincing and poignant coming-of-age tale.” — Washington Post
“Maynard details Henry’s roller-coaster emotions for Frank – he is both jealous and grateful – and his mother’s emotional journeys – with skill and tenderness for the uncertain willingness of broken hearts to mend. The poignant results are revealing of our ability to forgive and to grow.” — Smart Money
“Labor Day is suffused with tenderness, dreaminess and love....first and foremost a page-turner...[it] puts back together the world that it destroys....you definitely need to get a box of tissues.” — Newsday
“a haunting and hopeful story” — Hartford Courant
“[A] sweet, swift read that will leave you feeling good.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“surprisingly moving” — Arizona Republic
“The novel is an extended meditation on the nature of love, grief and loneliness.... Maynard has created an ensemble of characters that will sneak into your heart, and warm it while it breaks. ” — St. Petersburg Times
“Maynard gets inside the head of an adolescent boy who is grappling with his own identity and the mysteries of sex (while revealing the secrets of making perfect pie crust). ” — Salt Lake City Tribune
“Maynard spins a fascinating story of damaged people seeking the one thing they long for – love. ” — Wichita Falls, TX, Times Record News
“Labor Day is a startling novel of love, friendship, trust, treachery, betrayal, and the deep lessons that we learn in life.... It’s a powerful, poignant mix in the hands of author Joyce Maynard and a novel no one should miss.” — www.Gather.com
“Labor Day is both a coming-of-age story and a love story- a tale of profound loss, redemption and soul searching that is not to be missed.” — www.MyDailyFind.com
“Maynard has created an ensemble of characters that will sneak into your heart, and warm it while it breaks.” — St. Petersburg Times
“But apart from being a successful thriller, this book is a fascinating portrait of what causes a family to founder, and how much it can cost to put it back on the right path. ” — NPR.org
“At once beautiful and disturbing, this remarkable novel…is a moving read.” — BookPage.com on LABOR DAY
“an uplifting story told by a boy who is just beginning to understand what life is all about.” — St. Petersburg Times
New Orleans Times-Picayune
beautifully written
People (Four Stars)
[The] story is moving and fast-moving, affirming Maynard’s reputation as a master storyteller and showing her to be a passionate humanist with a gifted ear and heart. . . . Maynard illuminates the human experience.
Booklist
Maynard’s inventive coming-of-age tale indelibly captures the anxiety and confusion inherent in adolescence, while the addition of a menacing element of suspense makes this emotionally fraught journey that much more harrowing.
Record Searchlight (Redding
Maynard...is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness.
BookPage
Maynard deftly pulls the reader into the fragile lives of these three vulnerable characters and their preordained march toward the novel’s denouement. A marvelous read-perfect for one long sitting-this novel leaves the reader wishing it didn’t ever have to end.
USA Today
Maynard offers fresh insight into what constitutes family.
Washington Post
It is a testament to Maynard’s skill that she makes this ominous setup into a convincing and poignant coming-of-age tale.
Jodi Picoult
Joyce Maynard is in top-notch form with Labor Day. From the perfect pitch of a teenaged boy narrator to the eloquent message of how loneliness can bind people together, this is simply a novel you cannot miss.
Lisa Ko
Maynard is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness.
Hartford Courant
a haunting and hopeful story
Newsday
Labor Day is suffused with tenderness, dreaminess and love....first and foremost a page-turner...[it] puts back together the world that it destroys....you definitely need to get a box of tissues.
www.MyDailyFind.com
Labor Day is both a coming-of-age story and a love story- a tale of profound loss, redemption and soul searching that is not to be missed.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
[A] sweet, swift read that will leave you feeling good.
BookPage.com on LABOR DAY
At once beautiful and disturbing, this remarkable novel…is a moving read.
Smart Money
Maynard details Henry’s roller-coaster emotions for Frank – he is both jealous and grateful – and his mother’s emotional journeys – with skill and tenderness for the uncertain willingness of broken hearts to mend. The poignant results are revealing of our ability to forgive and to grow.
Wichita Falls
Maynard spins a fascinating story of damaged people seeking the one thing they long for – love.
www.Gather.com
Labor Day is a startling novel of love, friendship, trust, treachery, betrayal, and the deep lessons that we learn in life.... It’s a powerful, poignant mix in the hands of author Joyce Maynard and a novel no one should miss.
Salt Lake City Tribune
Maynard gets inside the head of an adolescent boy who is grappling with his own identity and the mysteries of sex (while revealing the secrets of making perfect pie crust).
St. Petersburg Times
The novel is an extended meditation on the nature of love, grief and loneliness.... Maynard has created an ensemble of characters that will sneak into your heart, and warm it while it breaks.
Arizona Republic
surprisingly moving
NPR.org
But apart from being a successful thriller, this book is a fascinating portrait of what causes a family to founder, and how much it can cost to put it back on the right path.
Booklist
Maynard’s inventive coming-of-age tale indelibly captures the anxiety and confusion inherent in adolescence, while the addition of a menacing element of suspense makes this emotionally fraught journey that much more harrowing.
USA Today
Maynard offers fresh insight into what constitutes family.
Washington Post
It is a testament to Maynard’s skill that she makes this ominous setup into a convincing and poignant coming-of-age tale.
Associated Press Staff
Maynard is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness.
Record Searchlight (Redding)
"Maynard...is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness."
(Four Stars) - People Magazine
"[The] story is moving and fast-moving, affirming Maynard’s reputation as a master storyteller and showing her to be a passionate humanist with a gifted ear and heart. . . . Maynard illuminates the human experience."
Record Searchlight (Redding))
"Maynard...is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness."
People
[The] story is moving and fast-moving, affirming Maynard’s reputation as a master storyteller and showing her to be a passionate humanist with a gifted ear and heart. . . . Maynard illuminates the human experience.
MyDailyFind.com
Labor Day is both a coming-of-age story and a love story- a tale of profound loss, redemption and soul searching that is not to be missed.
Gather.com
Labor Day is a startling novel of love, friendship, trust, treachery, betrayal, and the deep lessons that we learn in life.... It’s a powerful, poignant mix in the hands of author Joyce Maynard and a novel no one should miss.
Associated Press
Maynard is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness.
