Labor Day

I really wanted to see this movie when it came out last year. It stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. Do you remember seeing the previews? I never knew what it was about but it got great reviews. I still haven't seen the movie but when I found out it was based on the book by Joyce Maynard, I decided to start there.

Source

Good Reads' Synopsis: "With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.

In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend."

What I Thought: Two great reads in a row! This hasn't happened for a long time. This is a powerful little story. It's a fast read you will not regret. The character of Henry was sweet yet heartbreaking. All of the characters were really very well developed. Now that I know the book is good, I'll try not to be disappointed by the movie.


Rating: * * * 1/2