The Last Odd Day

by Lynne Hinton

Book Overview

From the Bestselling Author of Friendship Cake Comes a Remarkable Story of Love, Loss, Infidelity, and Forgiveness

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060750596
• ISBN13: 9780060750596
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Message inside.

There is a clear message inside. Have to read the whole book to find out though. This is a quick, easy read about a woman who was born to a Indian woman and white blind man. She meets her husband O.T. whom is in a nursing home and eventually passes. While he is in the nursing home, a nurse says that she is glad their daughter gets to come visit. What you will find out is who is the daughter visiting and where did she come from since they were never able to have children. They had one girl, Emma and she passed as a baby. This book is about the spirit of a person and is enjoyable. At times, was hard to follow with the flashbacks etc. Enjoyable though!

Oddly finding a good book

Once in a while a book comes along that just fits perfectly into one's life for that particular moment. The Last Odd Day is certainly that book for me right now. Even the clever title, which notes that the date 11-19-99 is the "last odd day" until the next millennium, leads the reader to be assured that he is in for an amazing journey navigated by a very brilliant mind. The story tells of Jean, who is half Cherokee half white. She notes the last days spent with her husband O.T. who is slipping through her fingers following a losing battle with a stroke. Jean visits O.T. in the nursing home before he passes away and learns that a mysterious woman has been visiting him as well. Jean finds out about a stunning secret her husband of 57 years has been hiding and while struggling to deal with the details of it, learns a lot about herself. She begins to reevaluate her life and the marriage she was a part of. Lynne Hinton makes usage of the most vivid imagery allowing the reader to actually see and smell the sights and foods she is describing. From the house where she grew up in the woods to the apple pie with ice cream that she shares with a newfound friend. Through detailed descriptions of the setting in which Jean grew up compared with the life she now leads, the reader is taken on a trip from her childhood home in the Smokies to a beach where she is able to allow herself some personal time. From words of wisdom passed to her by her Grandma Cedar to advice from her nosy neighbor, Maude, Jean discovers new friendships and answers about her life that she has been struggling with her whole life. The characterization that Hinton brings to the story allows the reader to clearly see into and actual feel the emotional rollercoaster in which Jean is riding. She gives so many detailed descriptions of people that were such a huge part of Jean's life including her family, her friends, and those who were of great importance that she lost along the way. I would recommend this book for anyone who just wants to relax and enjoy a very special story.

What a great "little" book with a huge message.

I loved this sparse tale about letting go of that which really doesn't matter and grabbing hold of that which makes all the difference in our lives. This book reminded me of MRS. DALLOWAY or THE HOURS with it's main character doing so much internalizing. Her "interior" life was rich and full, even if her "outside" life was plain and simple. I read the book in one sitting and was charmed. I'd like to read more by this author. Enjoy!

A Lovely Story with Messages of Faith, Hope and Charity

Fans of Lynne Hinton's previous novels will find her new book, THE LAST ODD DAY, odd indeed. Deriving its title from November 19, 1999 (11.19.1999), the "last odd day" until 3111, it is a quiet, rambling account of an older blue-collar woman coping with her husband's long-term care and her own long-term memories; it is more novella than novel and more a meditation than a narrative. However, while Jean Clover's story may not have the dramatic action or symbolic cohesion of Hinton's earlier work, it is nonetheless a lovely story replete with messages of faith, hope and charity.The basic facts: Jean, daughter of a Cherokee woman and a blind white man, grows up poor and marries O.T., who almost immediately goes off to fight in World War II, leaving Jean home on the farm with his parents and brother. For many years, nothing much happens: O.T. works, Jean keeps house, and any disappointments either of them feel are either ignored or accepted --- until the day Jean learns that the child she has carried nearly to term has died in utero. After the grueling and gruesome experience of laboring in childbirth without a baby to take home, Jean runs away to a motel for a month, filling her room with infant clothes, toys, and paraphernalia until returning home quietly and carrying on as if nothing had happened.The years pass, and the couple carry on as if nothing ever will happen --- until the day when O.T. is felled by a stroke and winds up in a nursing home at half his former size and with less than half of his former faculties. Jean visits and cares for him faithfully, and during one of her regular bedside stays, she learns from a caregiver that her husband has had another visitor. Jean's encounter with that person will change both of their lives.It's not spoiling this book to reveal that O.T. had secrets; it would be spoiling the book, however, to give all of the details of what Jean does with her new knowledge. What is most fascinating about Jean's reminiscences is that, despite the lack of luxuries in her life, she lacks neither love nor wisdom. When, at the end, her conventional church-lady neighbor attempts to tie up Jean's life, Jean resists with her customary stillness, knowing that some events and emotions cannot be reduced.Hinton's achievement in THE LAST ODD DAY is a protagonist who will not be reduced, even if her circumstances and choices have made her a woman of little consequence for many people. Jean's dignity and decency are not contrived; Hinton seems almost to have channeled this character from a deep place, from the Godhead. But while Jean is a compelling character, the reader simply doesn't have enough information about her to understand her actions. Even at 192 pages, the book feels more like a character sketch than a narrative; yet such a moving and sincere character sketch should not be ignored. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Perfect weekend book

Nashville City Paper BookClub Column May 27, 2004Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kick off for summer and it is a great time to start collecting the stack of books you intend to read before Labor Day. At the top of my stack is The Last Odd Day by Lynne Hinton (HarperCollins). One of her earlier books, The Friendship Cake is a favorite of many Nashville book clubs, as are those that continue the saga, Hope Springs and Forever Friends. The Last Odd Day features new characters and it may be Hinton's best book yet - unforgettable and the perfect gift for a friend.Saralee Terry Woods is President of BookMan/BookWoman Books, and Larry D. Woods is an attorney in Nashville.