Saturday, May 11, 2019

Henry, Himself; Stewart O'Nan


AUTHOR:  Stewart O'Nan
PUBLISHER:  Viking
PUB. YEAR: 2019
SETTING:  Pittsburg, PA
FORMAT:  - print - library (384 pp)
RATING - 4.5/5

A prequel to Wish You were Here (2007) and Emily Alone (2010), Henry, Himself is a pictorial look at the life of an everyman: Henry Maxwell.

Set in 1998, Henry Maxwell is approaching 75 and 50 years of marriage, just who is Henry Maxwell?  Husband to Emily, father to Margaret and Kenny and a grandfather as well, once an alter boy, military man (WWII) and engineer for Westinghouse thanks to a college degree earned through the GI bill. Once his days were filled with busyness and now it's just Emily and his dog Rufus, but there is so much more to learn about Henry and his life which is slowly revealed in this lovely novel.

With it's short chapters and reflective style, this character driven novel about an ordinary man drew me in and had me eagerly turning the pages.  There isn't any action here to speak of but, trust me that's okay. If you can just relax and go along with the flow it's easy to fall into the flow of this story. I enjoyed the memories of Henry's childhood, his early love, marriage, career and family and summer vacations at a lake in NY.   By the end of this prequel, of what appears will be Henry's last vacation at the lake, I felt like I was part of his family.  Sweet story - read it, but be sure to read the other two books as well - it tells the whole story of the Maxwell family.

11 comments:

  1. I think I'd like all 3 books.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This does sound lovely. I enjoy reflective books like this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, thank you so much! I hadn't heard of this. I loved both books other books, and am so very happy to hear of this one. I shall order it right now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These books sound like I would enjoy reading them. I am close to Henry in age and like reading peaceful books with protagonists that age.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is the second review of this book that I've seen and both of you liked it. It sounds like a book for a quiet summer day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can't wait to read this book. I brought it home from the library yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have read the other two and loved them. Must read this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I loved both Wish You Were Here and Emily, Alone! Just got this one from the library and am hoping to start this week.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really want to read this one! I loved Emily, Alone, but haven't read Wish You Were Here, so I wonder if I should read that one first.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm glad you enjoyed it too. I love these thoughtful, quiet novels.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to visit and double thanks for any comments. If you ask a question in your comments, I will try to reply to it here, or by email if your settings allow me to do so. Thanks again for visiting.