Father’s Day audiobook

This could have been a too sentimental, overly unrealistic story in a the hands of a less skilled writer but it wasn't. That's not to say that it wasn't sentimental . It was , but for me the sentimentality was just enough to get me . Perhaps the twist at the end was a bit unrealistic, but I was glad that I didn't quite guess it . What I found to be realistic were the characters that I quickly became attached to and their genuine relationship. This is the story of a man fighting his demons, an angry man who has been fighting his whole life from the time he was a child up against his abusive , alcoholic father to the time when his rage sends him to jail for blinding a man in a fight. Jason in spite of the trouble he's been in , is essentially a good man . He cared for his brother Steve as children when they lived a less than desirable home life with a tyrant of an alcoholic father and a mother who didn't protect them. When we meet him he's faced with a huge dilemma- whether to take custody of his brother's daughter, six year old Harvey, orphaned when her parents are killed in a car crash .( This is in the second sentence of the Goodreads book description so I don't consider it a spoiler.)Some of my Goodreads friends who read my reviews will know I've got a soft spot for stories from the point of view of children, so of course I was immediately taken with Harvey. But I was also taken with the wonderful person that Harvey has become at 26. She is now living and working in Paris and planning a Father's Day surprise for Jason when he comes to visit. The story alternates in time and place starting with New York and then Paris but it moves back and forth to various times which we are taken to as Jason opens up a new gift each day that brings a particular reminiscence in her childhood. I loved this slow telling of their story and was particularly touched by the things that Harvey remembers, the things that represented important moments in their relationship. I thought that the biggest gift that Harvey gave to Jason was making a meeting that happens between Jason and someone from his past. This was revealed with one of the gifts and took place years before .I'll leave it at that so if you read this, you can discover this beautiful thing for yourself.I thought this was an especially heart felt story after I read an article entitled, "Raising a Princess Single Handedly" ( NYT , 6/26/09 ) by Simon Van Booy who writes about raising his daughter after his wife passed away. This is my first book by this author not because he wasn't on my radar . I own one of his other books , The Illusion of Separateness and just haven't gotten around to reading it but I will . Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.

A Father's Day FableAnyone who has read Simon Van Booy's two previous novels or exquisite short stories will know his style. Short declarative sentences, with few subsidiary clauses; adjectives and adverbs serving a precise purpose or omitted entirely; few Latinate words. Not everyone will like it; it is language stripped to its bare essentials. I find it refreshing though: clear cool water on a hot day. Here is how this latest book begins:Harvey was born in a redbrick hospital on a hill. It was the hardest day of her mother's life and she cried for a long time after.There was a park near the hospital where children went on swings and ran away from their parents. Harvey's mother used to go there when she was pregnant. She sat on a bench and ate little things from her purse.There was also a duck pond that froze in winter. People came early, in twos and threes. They held hands going around in loose circles. There was no music, just human voices and the clopping of skates.When Harvey was old enough to feed the ducks…Yes, it is the story of a young girl growing up, written in the language one reads to children. Not a fairy story exactly, set in the real world, but with the air of a fable. This continues for 18 pages with the girl growing up on Long Island, an only child, looked after by loving parents. Then when Harvey is six, a new section begins, marked "Twenty years later." Harvey is now working in Paris, living in a small apartment and awaiting the arrival of her father on what is clearly his first visit. That visit, and the memories of the rest of her childhood and adolescence, will be the subject for the rest of the book. And surprisingly, although Harvey is now an adult, the slightly childish tone continues. For this is still a fable, a fable about fatherhood, as simple in its way as Beauty and the Beast, but remarkably moving.If you haven't read the back cover or product description of the book, I suggest you stop reading now. For Van Booy reveals things much more slowly and carefully than his publicists. He will tease you by mentioning that Harvey has been doing some digging, and knows a secret about her father that she means to discuss with him during his stay. If you have read the blurb, though, you may guess what it is. (view spoiler)[The man Harvey calls "Dad" is not in fact her birth father, but his black-sheep brother, a convicted felon forced into taking care of the girl after her parents were killed in a car crash. Over the course of the next few days, as they take little excursions around Paris and her dad opens the small presents that Harvey has assembled for him, we will learn of that difficult upbringing, the almost magical intervention of a fairy godmother in the shape of a Social Services worker named Wanda, and the slow redemption born of the love between father and child. But this is not Harvey's secret; of course she had known about her parents' death all along. (hide spoiler)] When the secret does emerge at the very end, it is something both beautiful and unexpected—too contrived for a realistic novel, for sure, but the perfect bow to top the Father's Day gift that Simon Van Booy has written here.

Here we have a gentle parable: The wayward son, detested by one and all, upon the tragic death of his honored brother, is called upon to adopt and care for his brother's orphaned child — a child who will become the means to his redemption and his return to respectable society. On the face of it, little more than an extended cliché. But of course, this is Simon Van Booy and I suppose he would make a compelling novel out of Goldilocks. Under Van Booy's pen, Jason, the self-destructive, angry, crippled ex-convict emerges as a complex, nuanced personality whose innate decency has been submerged under the baggage of a violent, dysfunctional parentage and hobbled by his deep-set rage. Time, circumstance and a couple of fortunate breaks (along with the need to live up to the fatherhood role he has stumbled into) conspire to save him from himself.The book has garnered sharply mixed reviews; it is, after all, just a sentimental novelette, or at best a celebration of the glorious gift of fatherhood. But it's a tale that I believe is most likely to be embraced by those among us who have been deprived of conventionally loving parenthood. And in these troubled times, an emotionally comforting feel-good story is welcome.

Father's Day by Simon Van Booy is a very highly recommended story about a father and daughter that follows two timelines.The novel opens as Harvey, a little girl, is remembering scenes around her as a very young girl. Then we jump twenty years ahead into the future when Harvey at age 26 is living in Paris, and planning a special week of activities for her father, who is coming to visit her over Father's Day. Harvey has a box of gifts that symbolize some important moment in their lives together. The last gift she has will free her father from a secret he's been keeping for years.Harvey's parents were been killed in a car accident when she was six and she ends up living with her father's estranged older brother, Jason. Jason is a disabled ex-con and a recovering alcoholic who has anger management issues. He reluctantly becomes Harvey's father - and rises to the occasion. These chapters follow the building relationship between Jason and Harvey and notes important events in their lives together as Harvey grows up.The alternating present day chapters take place in Paris and follow the father and daughter as they enjoy each others company and Harvey plans special activities for them to enjoy. The affection Harvey feels for Jason is palatable; clearly he has been a great father for her. The alternating chapters telling their story as she grows up show what Jason has done and sacrificed to care for Harvey. She didn't fully comprehend some of the things he did until later, as an adult.Father's Day is a wonderful, emotionally honest, poignant novel about a unique family. And yes, I did shed some tears as I was reading. Jason is trying very hard to be a good father, but, it becomes clear that he perhaps learned how to be a good father from being a good big brother. The bond between Jason and Harvey is as strong as any father/daughter relationship. The two build a relationship and a future.The writing is incredible and perfectly captures the relationship between the two. I loved Van Booy's The Illusion of Separateness and this adoration continues with Father's Day. Again, it feels like each word, each sentence has been very carefully planned. The language and sentences are seemingly simple, but express a world of emotion. (I like the idea that this story is reminiscent of a fable.) This is another thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent novel that you need to savor, as the depth of the relationship between the two slowly unfolds and builds.Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.

Harvey is an adorable, rather bratty six-year-old girl when her parents are killed in a car accident. Aside from ancient maternal grandparents, her closest relative is her dad's brother, Jason, who has refused to have anything to do with family for far longer than Harvey is old. He's been in prison for violent assault, has lost a leg in a motorcycle accident, and ekes out a reclusive living selling stuff on eBay. A wonderful social worker reaches out to him about taking custody of his niece. Jason's smokey-voiced scoffs, refusals and protestations very, very gradually give way.I am a sucker for stories about hard-assed characters who get dragged kicking and screaming into tender places. (Ernest Gaines's 'A Lesson Before Dying' is a great example.) I like being made to work hard to embrace unlikeable characters: when they break through, I break open. That is basically the story here: the relationship between Harvey and Jason ripped my heart out. The novel put me through my paces before I got to tear up.I listened to it on audio, which, with the proviso mentioned below, I highly recommend. The narrator, Bronson Pinchot, added another layer of feeling to the tale with the Long-Island-accented macho voice he gave Jason--absolutely perfect--and Harvey's little-girl voice. The vocal aspect was so key to my experience that I'm not at all sure how much I'd have enjoyed it solely as a text.Father's Day is not without its flaws, though. A quarter to a third of the story concerns Jason visiting Harvey twenty years later in Paris, where she lives, for Father's Day. This part felt unsatisfying and totally extraneous. Harvey has prepared a series of Father's Day presents for Jason, one of which he opens each day of his visit, triggering another narrative dip back into the real story, two decades earlier. The hokey gifts embarrass Jason, and struck me as nothing but clunky narrative devices. My dissatisfaction about the Paris part of the novel was exacerbated by Pinchot's mystifying choice to barely age the adult Harvey's voice at all.Finally, a plot twist is introduced at the last possible narrative moment, which left me cold. It too was totally unnecessary, and nearly spoiled my overall take on the novel. Yet I still highly recommend this imperfect little novel, for its pitch-perfect, unsentimental, tender heart: a desperate little girl holding her wee hand out to a broken man, him slowly, warily reaching back.

This is not my first book that I've read by this author and won't be my last. This writer has the unique ability to grasp me, and reel me in, almost as if he's sitting next to me and speaking. How can you not read his work and not think that he's lived this. A heartwarming story that brought tears to my eyes in so many places. Jason and Harvey lives could have ended up so differently had they not found each other. Heart felt, conversational, quiet, with a twist. How could we ask for anything more?

Als Harveys Eltern tödlich verunglücken, wird sie von ihrem Onkel, Jason, adoptiert. Jason neigt zu Wutausbrüchen, ist vorbestraft und ist eigentlich alles andere als ein perfekter Adoptivvater. In "Mit jedem Jahr" erzählt Simon van Booy, wie Jason und Harvey zu einer Familie werden, wie sie einander helfen, ihre Probleme zu bekämpfen.Das ist das erste Buch von Simon van Booy, das ich gelesen habe, aber sicherlich nicht das letzte. Ich fand seinen Schreibstil sehr schön, zart und elegant.Die Geschichte wird aus zwei Perspektiven erzählt und springt immer zwischen Gegenwart und Vergangenheit; man hat aber trotzdem kein Problem der Geschichte zu folgen.Es gibt sowohl lustige als auch traurige Momente, man wird von dem Buch emotional berührt - es ist ein sehr schönes Buch über die Eltern-Kind-Liebe.Ich kann aber dem Buch nicht das volle Sternzahl vergeben und muss einen Stern für das letzte Geheimnis abziehen - ich fand diesen Geheimnis in diesem Buch fehl am Platz.

I love this author. Periodically there is a sentence that is so beautiful and alive with sweetness. I didn't love the neatness of the end but the characters and the tension in the plot kept me engaged.

At heart the the author portrays the mercy needed for his characters to survive and grow in this world. This is another thoughtful book that allows the reader to explore difficult lives in a way that honors each character's life stories.

I would like to send a HUGE thank you to the author, the publisher Harper Collins and TLC Book Tours for having me on the tour and giving me chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.Father’s Day is an adult contemporary book about a young girl Harvey, who when her parents tragically die in a car accident is taken in (much to his surprise) by her estranged uncle. And that’s basically all that I am willing to say about the plot other than what you read in the description above because I don’t want to give anything away about this book as it was a wonderful read.When I first started Father’s Day, I wasn’t much a fan of the POV but as I kept reading I got used to it and it definitely drew me in. I started getting into this book in the first chapter and it held my attention all the way through. It was SO hard to put down. As a daddy’s little girl myself, I found this book to be tender and emotional. I absolutely loved it, it enchanted me from start to finish. It’s hard to describe my feelings about this book because it was such an emotional read for me but that in itself is a sign of a great book and one that I will think about for years.I loved reading about Harvey and Jason and seeing their bond strengthen over the years and through the experiences they shared together both good and bad. After I got used to the POV I came to appreciate it because it gave me a sense of understanding of what both Jason and Harvey were feeling about the other person. Towards the end of the book, I couldn’t help but cry (just read it already!). I loved this book, I thought it was beautiful, tender and just special.Five stars and a recommendation from me!

I won this advance uncorrected proof copy from the Goodreads giveaways - thank you. As I started to read the book, I was a bit dismayed to find it began in a very 'American' style - not usually one of my favourite styles. However, as I read it, I found myself getting drawn more and more into the story. I enjoyed the looking back and then up to date and how the lives intertwined with Harvey's. One small criticism is that I didn't always know what age Harvey had reached - was she still playing with dolls as a teenager? Although it was a fairly unconventional upbringing, Harvey and Jason obviously loved each other and enjoyed spending time together. The ending raised more questions than it answered - but you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean. Good story, well told.

I loved this book; didn't want it to end... so I deliberately slowed down. But it ended too quickly anyway. Every page, every single page, I enjoyed reading. Carefully note the author because there are a lot of books with this title... the best years of her father's life had only been the beginning of hers .pg 28. He should have tried to enjoy things more -marveling at the finality of moments he now recognized as happiness .38.MEMORIES hold our lives in place but weigh nothing and cannot be seen or touched .pg 50. DISAPPOINTMENT later is better than no hope to begin with .pg 65. The war only ends for those who have not been in one .pg 88."You remember when we did that, Dad?." "I don't " "That's funny, because I think about it all the time." 118

First book I read by Van Booy and I am in love. Reading this book was the first time in recent memory that I have felt that real, true thrill of reading, that excitement to get to the book whenever I could. The characters, Jason and Harvery, are absolutely real, quirky and unforgettable, the writing lyrical, the story deeply compelling. I am giving it a 5 though technically I would give it a 4.5 because a very wonky thing happens within a few pages of the end that I find rather untenable but otherwise, I highly recommend reading this book. I cannot wait to read the rest of Van Booy's work.