Peter Hedges

This was a fun read because I live in the city in which it takes place and most of the places mentioned are real. It also took place in the time I grew up, so all the television shows were familiar.

Scotty Ocean turns seven. His mother leaves him and his two older sisters. Scotty tries various ways to get his mother to return to the family. Some are funny and some are embarrassing. If you are interested in a humorous book about a young boy growing up in Iowa, I would suggest The Life and show more Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. This is a laugh out loud that takes place in Des Moines. show less

I had a feeling I would like this one, just because the author wrote the screenplay for two delightful movies that I love, About a Boy and Dan in Real Life. He has a talent for creating characters that are flawed, complex but loveable. In other words Real! I really enjoyed this novel and did not want to put it down. It is a deftly told tale of the dangers of keeping secrets in a marriage. The storyline was compelling and the characters interesting, almost like you know people just like them. show more The writing is crisp and at times laugh out loud funny -- trust me, I snorted on the bus many a time!

I loved the scene where Kate called Tim to tell him that there son had finally pooped in the potty. This is the world I belong to and it is truly the little things in life that parents often treasure and celebrate. This is where Peter Hedges excels in both his novels and his screenplays, he captures some of these "real" moments beautifully and truthfully. Many a time while reading this I felt myself nodding vigouresly along with some of his obervations on life, marriage and children. As a married (For 16 years) mom with two small boys I have understood and felt the emotions that Kate is struggling with. I felt myself hoping that eventhough Tim and Kate were in a situation that has destroyed many a marriage, that they would make it.

My only disappointment with the novel, was the character of Anna. I didn't find her character very developed, almost like she was a cariacture of a real person. I really could not understand the fascination that the other characters had for her.

Most importantly for me, there was an illustion to a happy ending for the couple. Maybe this makes me a simple person, but I NEED a happy ending for me to truly enjoy a story.

Some of my favourite quotes or passages.

"I amused them and even myself, and for a few hours I was not only the mother I never had, I was the mother of all mothers"

"Hurry home, okay? We won't flush until you get here"

"I remembered something Tim once said: Children fall asleep so you can love them again"

"I mean he's begging me for it, so I make Dan the Bear an offer "Fine sweetie. Make a million by Easter and you can F*** me in the A**" ...
Some Men wait their whole lives to overhear this kind of conversation. Unfortunately, it was time to go pick up Teddy and Sam from preschool, so I stood up to leave. From the stunned expressions on their collective faces, it became clear that while they hadn't noticed me before, they noticed me now..... So to put them at ease, I turned and said. "Forgive the intrusion, but what happens if he doesn't make the money?" Claudia paused. "I haven't provided for t hat" "My suggestion for what it's worth, if he doesn't make the million by Easter -- then YOU f*** him in the a**. Then Claudia slapped her knee and roared triumphantly "Yes!"

I will be surprised if this novel is not turned into a movie. show less

Warning: What's Eating Gilbert Grape is on my favorites list. My review may be considered slightly skewed by my love for this book. Consider yourself warned.

I read What's Eating Gilbert Grape, by Peter Hedges, when I was fifteen years old and the movie had recently been released. Because I'm just that kind of person, I wanted to read the book first and then see what the movie was like. Being a huge fan of both Johnny Depp and Leonardo Dicaprio, I knew that I had to see the movie (and would show more ultimately be disappointed by it) so the book simply had to come first.

I loved this book right from the outset. During the period of my life when I first read What's Eating Gilbert Grape I was in love with first person narrative, and Gilbert is an excellent narrator! He has a unique perspective on life and on his off-the-wall family, from his morbidly obese mother (who is caving the floor in), to portly Amy and sixteen year-old boy-crazy Ellen: and of course, who can forget retarded Arnie, who is eighteen but wasn't supposed to live past ten?

"I just wanna see my boy turn eighteen. Is that too much to ask?" Gilbert's mother repeats these words like a mantra, driving Gilbert to distraction. All he wants is to get out of his small Iowa town and move up in the world, but he stays at home, helping to hold the last parts of his family together.

This is a book about families and relationships, about the importance of loving one another and of holding onto the things that really matter. It's a realistic look at small-town life. What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a very touching and enduring book. Of all the books I've ever read, none has stayed with me the way that Peter Hedge's debut novel has.

I believe that you will love this book. show less

The Heights by Peter Hedges opens as Brooklyn Heights (New York) stay-at-home-mom Kate Welch snags a high-paying job awarding grants from the philanthropic arm of an evil corporation; her husband Tim takes leave as high-school history teacher to be home with their boys and finish the doctoral dissertation he’s been writing for six years; and uber-rich and -beautiful Anna Brody moves into the neighborhood.

It's a rollicking domestic satire that reminds me of Tom Perrotta (though not dark). show more The characters (especially a couple minor ones) inject surprises and funny segues, and the narrative is presented humorously: plenty of subtext, short chapters in alternating points of view, and rapid scene cuts. In light of Hedges’ filmography, I wasn’t surprised to find myself casting roles and viewing it as a movie while I read.

Still, the storyline is (almost) as predictable as the set-up. I was wholly willing in the beginning to go along with the premise, but when the plot stayed unoriginal and the characters' actions grew implausible, I noticed how very much I was having to suspend disbelief and remain engaged. A light, escapist read for both men and women.

(Review based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher.) show less