The Testament of Harold's Wife
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4.4 • 7 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
“A glorious—and unique—tale of tragedy, resilience, and one kick-ass grieving widow and grandmother. I laughed, cried, and cheered.” —Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son
This ebook contains a bonus essay from the author about the inspiration for the book!
After losing her husband, Harold, and her beloved grandson, Cody, within the past year, Louisa has two choices. She can fade away on her Indiana family farm, where her companionship comes courtesy of her aging chickens and an argumentative cat. Or, she can concoct A Plan. Louisa, a retired schoolteacher who’s as smart, sassy, and irreverent as ever, isn’t the fading away type.
The drunk driver who killed Cody got off scot-free by lying about a deer on the road. Harold had tried to take matters into his own hands, but was thwarted by Gus, the local sheriff. Now Louisa decides to take up Harold’s cause, though it will mean outsmarting Gus, who’s developed an unwelcome crush on her, and staying ahead of her adult son who’s found solace in a money-draining cult and terrible art.
Louisa’s love of life is rekindled as the spring sun warms her cornfields and she goes into action. But even the most Perfect Plans can go awry. A wounded buck and a teenage boy on the land she treasures help Louisa see that the enduring beauty of the natural world and the mystery of human connection are larger than revenge . . . and so is justice.
“Part romp, part suspense, but above all, a love story. I adored this fun yet poignant book.” —Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A widower takes up her late husband's mission to get revenge on the man who killed their grandson in the gripping latest from Hugo (Graceland). Louisa and Harold run a small farm in rural Indiana, and their greatest joy is their five-year-old grandson, Cody. When Cody is hit and killed by a drunk driver, their lives are shattered. As Louisa struggles to care for her distraught son, Gary, Harold begins plotting to destroy the man responsible for the crash but he kills himself before carrying out his plan. Now, one year after his death, Louisa has decided to do it for him. Though the plot is promising and Louisa is a charming protagonist, Hugo tells most of the story through flashbacks that often pull the reader out of the scene and leave the current lives of the characters feeling stagnant. In an underdeveloped subplot, Louisa must keep a romantically interested sheriff away, but the vengeance plot and the revelation of Louisa's tragic past drive the book . Hugo's novel of thwarted redemption is a strange mix of caper and thriller that, disappointingly, never allows readers access to the whole of Louisa's experience.
