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The One-in-a-Million Boy

by Monica Wood

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8046627,557 (4.15)64
For years, guitarist Quinn Porter has been on the road, chasing gig after gig, largely absent to his twice-ex-wife Belle and their odd, Guinness records-obsessed son. When the boy dies suddenly, Quinn seeks forgiveness for his paternal shortcomings by completing the requirements for one of his son's unfinished Boy Scout badges. For seven Saturdays, Quinn does yard work for Ona Vitkus, the spry 104-year-old Lithuanian immigrant the boy had visited weekly. Quinn soon discovers that the boy had talked Ona into gunning for the world record for Oldest Licensed Driver. Despite himself, Quinn picks up where the boy left off, forging a friendship with Ona that allows him to know the son he never understood.… (more)
  1. 10
    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (WendyRobyn)
    WendyRobyn: It's a while since I read the Safran Foer book, but something about the boy characters and their quests (perhaps for meaning through collected data?) seems akin.
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Showing 1-5 of 64 (next | show all)
Boy Scout is assigned to help an elderly woman each Saturday for 3 months. They develop a unique friendship, with her telling him her life and giving him guidance in his. The boy comes up with her being in the Guiness Book of world records. Hilarious what they come up with to enter her for - oldest living woman, oldest driver (and he's teaching her to get her license back). But when the boy dies suddenly, the father takes over bringing a lot of joy to both of them. ( )
  nancynova | Mar 8, 2024 |
I cannot overstate the tenderness of this novel. A story of unusual friendships, world records, loss, and deep, deep bonding, The One-in-a-Million Boy will break your heart over and over again. But then it'll put you back together, and it'll all be worth it. ( )
  Elianaclaire | Jan 3, 2024 |
Oh. Oh, how I loved this book. It captured my imagination immediately, and it didn’t let go - not even for a moment - the entire time I was reading it. The writing is lyrical, poetic, and breathtaking. The plot heartbreaking, uplifting, and hopeful. The characters genuine, likeable, and so very, very human. I haven’t read a book like this in ages. I wanted to live inside the world Wood created. I wanted to be friends with Ona, and Quinn, and Belle. And most of all, I wanted to know the boy the way they knew him, because I’m sure my life, too, would be enriched by his presence. The One-In-A-Million Boy takes an honest, sweet, and lovely look at the challenges of loving someone with a developmental disability - while never naming the boy’s disability, or the boy himself. An absolute triumph of a novel. I can’t wait to read more of Wood’s work. ( )
  Elizabeth_Cooper | Oct 27, 2023 |
Sweet, in a good way. People want to make others happy, an expression of love. ( )
  cathy.lemann | Mar 21, 2023 |
3.5. It was good. Towards the end, it started to feel like it wasn't going much of anywhere, at least not anywhere fast. ( )
  CarolHicksCase | Mar 12, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 64 (next | show all)
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For Joe Sirois, who completed our family, and Gail Hochman, who made the whole journey
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This is Miss Ona Vitkus.
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For years, guitarist Quinn Porter has been on the road, chasing gig after gig, largely absent to his twice-ex-wife Belle and their odd, Guinness records-obsessed son. When the boy dies suddenly, Quinn seeks forgiveness for his paternal shortcomings by completing the requirements for one of his son's unfinished Boy Scout badges. For seven Saturdays, Quinn does yard work for Ona Vitkus, the spry 104-year-old Lithuanian immigrant the boy had visited weekly. Quinn soon discovers that the boy had talked Ona into gunning for the world record for Oldest Licensed Driver. Despite himself, Quinn picks up where the boy left off, forging a friendship with Ona that allows him to know the son he never understood.

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