The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon: A Novel

by Linda MacKillop

Overview

Eva wants to run away from her life--if only she could remember how

Failing memory has forced Eva Gordon to move in with her granddaughter, Breezy. But Eva hates the bustle of Boston. All she wants to do is move back to her quiet, cozy Cape Cod home and be left alone.

Then Breezy announces she's getting married, and they'll be moving to her new husband's rundown family farm, where he lives with an elderly uncle. They'll be one big family--but only Breezy and Brent think it'll be a happy one.

It's all too much for Eva. Too much change, too much togetherness, too much of an over-crowded life she never wanted. But as her desire for privacy collides with her worsening memory, Eva may find herself in a pickle she can't get out of. Can an unlikely cast of misfit characters step in to woo Eva from her self-imposed isolation?

Fans of A Man Called Ove will appreciate Eva's predicament, and enjoy the poignant, hilarious, and intergenerational rescue effort to save her from herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780825477850
Publisher:	Kregel Publications
Publication date:	05/17/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Linda MacKillop holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is a member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Her articles and essays have appeared in magazines and journals such as The Philosophical Mother, The MacGuffin, and Relief Journal, and her writing has been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and Best American Essays. This is her first novel. Linda makes her home in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Discover more on lindamackillop.com.

Editorial Reviews

02/28/2022

MacKillop’s touching debut follows an elderly woman as she struggles to maintain her independence and make peace with the past. Seventy-five-year-old Eva Gordon reluctantly moved in with her granddaughter Breezy in Boston after Eva’s memory began to fail her, but she dreams of returning to her home in Cape Cod. The hardships of Eva’s childhood made her doubtful of God, but listening to ministers while crashing funerals convinces her to make amends for her uneven parenting and to get right in the eyes of God. Breezy and her fiancé, Ian, meanwhile, decide to live on a farm with Ian’s elderly uncle George, thrusting Eva into another lifestyle change she doesn’t want. Then, while Breezy and Ian are away on their honeymoon, Isabella, a troubled young woman from Breezy’s church, comes to stay on the farm to help Eva and George. Isabella resembles Eva’s daughter Sarah, who died young, and when Isabella’s alcoholic father arrives at the farm, Eva must become the mother she never was to her children. MacKillop takes the pain of aging and regret and infuses it with soul and a touch of humor. This auspicious first outing tugs at the heartstrings. (May)

Publishers Weekly

On par with Olive Kitteridge! But where Olive woos, Eva Gordon captures. MacKillop’s characters landed in my bones, guts, heart—and took up residence. A poignant, utterly beautiful story of perspective and hope.

Cheryl Grey Bostrom

A gently acerbic, absorbing, and deeply compassionate look at the disorientation and dislocation the elderly often face in their last years, and at those who face it with them. Eva is a captivating heroine, both prickly and poignant, and Mackillop is a wise and canny writer.

Suzanne Berne

With lyrical and heartwarming prose, The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon masterfully captures themes of redemption and renewal in person, home, and land. Prepare to be endeared to the unlovable and contemplate the profundity of the grace of memory.

Katherine Elizabeth Clark

A stirring story of both great sorrow and great love . . . that reminds us that love is indeed redemptive. Much like Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon gives us a woman who begs to be hated but who, page by page, we find ourselves unable not to love,

Katherine James

The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon is an engaging and timely novel. Well-written with a dose of humor and poignancy, you will fall in love with this cast of characters who create a misfit community. MacKillop tackles the difficult issue of aging, regret and memory loss, with hope for second chances.

Correll Angela

Splendid! A novel full of life and transformation, as charming as a New England cottage by the sea. You can’t help but fall in love with spunky, hard-edged Eva Gordon and the others connected to Try Again Farm. Anyone living with regrets will appreciate the gentleness and grace of this story, and the permeating sense of love will stay with you long after the final page.

Christine Kindberg

Linda MacKillop has created a cast of endearing characters that will touch your heart. MacKillop captures the essence of what dealing with memory loss looks like, but with hope and humor. I relished her beautiful writing style and ability to elegantly convey Eva’s thoughts and emotions. A gem of a book.

Terri Kraus

A story about aging, caregiving, friendship, parenting, nostalgia, and dementia—and a delightfully memorable and flawed character who has made her fair share of mistakes in life. There is the kind of patience in the plot evolvement and character disclosure reminiscent of the writings of Marilynne Robinson.

Jim Heynen

Her memory may be rapidly failing, but seventy-five-year-old Eva Gordon’s sharp-tongued wit is ever-intact as she navigates nagging regrets and unspoken desires. Readers of all ages will recognize the enduring challenges of living with difficult childhood memories in an increasingly inscrutable present and will root for Eva, even in her harshest moments. Linda McKillop's The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon is a big-hearted family saga, suffused with grace and kindness, featuring a cast of appealing characters who would be right at home in Jon Hassler’s Staggerford or Richard Russo’s Empire Falls. A quiet triumph of goodness.

Adrienne Harun