The Book of Polly

A Novel

De: Kathy Hepinstall

Narrado por: Jenna Lamia

With a kick like the best hot sauce, this is the laugh-out-loud story of a girl determined to keep up with her aging, crazy-as-a-fox mother.

Willow Havens is 10 years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to chase varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors - and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young, modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late 50s when Willow was born, so Willow knows she's here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow's father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere. It's just her and bigger-than-life Polly.

Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and especially Polly's life pre-Willow. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, 50 years ago and vow never to return? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun the Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her past?

The Book of Polly has a great blend of humor and sadness, pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about the grip of love in a truly quirky family, and you'll come to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter duos you've ever met.

©2017 Kathy Hepinstall (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Delightful...funny and poignant." (People)

"A mother/daughter comedy steeped in quirky characters, personal history mysteries, and no small amount of love, The Book of Polly is a delightful read about one of the world's most fundamental relationships." (Refinery29)

"Hepinstall’s Southern coming-of-age novel...[is] full of laughter and warmth and sadness. This is a warm and fresh tale." (Publishers Weekly)

Superb, excellent, well-written, enjoyable, best narrator Jenna Lamia brings the characters to life, as usual

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The main character, Willow, is interesting and believable and her obsession with her elderly mother’s health is realistic and exquisitely well portrayed, as a typical obsession of any worried child. The relationship between her mother, Polly, and her older brother, Shell, was touching and poignant and very real. I enjoyed every single minute of my reading of this book, I am so sad that I finished it, I wish I could just start it over again. I cannot rate this book highly enough. Jenna Lamia is the best narrator out there, and that is how I found this book, by searching for a list of books that she narrates.

Endearing!!

It’s been a long time since I laughed out loud and shed tears from a book. And Jenna Lamia never disappoints!!

Good book

Book was good. A few plots within one, which made it interesting. Not disappointing.

Simply Outstanding!

It's been a long time since I fell head-over-heels in love with a story from the very first page, but I really did with this book. It was wonderfully funny one moment and deeply moving the next. These are characters that burst off the page fully formed. Their flaws are all too human, and the little mysteries between them never feel forced or contrived.

Jenna Lamia's narration (The Secret Life of Bees) is perfection.

Do yourself a huge favor and read this book!

Fantastic Narration

Great story. Loved the author’s writing style. Jenna Lamia’s narration was wonderful and brought the characters to life. Jenna Lamia is always fabulous.

simply, hysterically southern

loved the story and the narrator. I'm sad it's over. Polly is my new hero! I'll be quoting her for years. I'll listen to this one again.

thumbs up

i really wasn't too sure about this at the beginning, but ended up liking THE BOOK OF POLLY very much. polly sure had some zingers...i did not like the way she spoke to willow as a child, but as willow became a teen, i found it very endearing -- go figure!
i appreciated that the story moved along, didn't feel like i was getting bogged down just to 'fill up pages'.
excellent narration.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

The narrator was perfect for the voices of Willow and Polly. I hated for this story to end!

Perfectly, perfect!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is my first adventure with the immensely talented Kathy Hepinstall.
Her storytelling is a journey of the five senses, with her sixth sense of human nature shinning through each and every character. What a wonderful gift she has!

Great story, Great Narration

The Book of Polly is a wonderful work of fiction. The diverse group of characters and carefully crafted tale created by Kathy Hepinstall, are brought to life during Jenna Lamia’s truly extraordinary narration. A must read, or listen.