Pocketful of Poseys

4.25⭐

After their mother, Lucinda “Cinny” Maynard Posey, passes away in an assisted living facility in Hanover, New Hampshire, twin siblings Grace Tingley and Brian Posey, now both in their forties, embark on a “funereal odyssey” in keeping with her final wishes. As per Cinny’s wishes, they are to spread her ashes along with their father Frank’s in several locations across the globe – places that hold a special meaning for them. Each location comes with specific instructions and letters in which Cinny shares stories about these places and what makes them special for her. The novel follows Grace and Brian and their respective spouses, Jack and Ella, and children, Grace and Jack’s daughter Chelsea (in her twenties) and show more Ella’s sixteen-year-old daughter from a previous relationship Sage over their three-week trip across New Zealand, Thailand, Rome, Grindelwald and Oxford with a final stop in New Jersey. In the course of their trip, Cinny’s children and their families work past their reservations and past resentments, connect with new members of the family and reconnect with one another in an emotional journey filled with heart, laughter, a sense of shared loss and opportunity for personal reflection.

Beautifully written with real and relatable characters. I found Pocketful of Poseys by Thomas Reed to be an insightful, entertaining and thought-provoking read. I enjoyed the humor, the heartfelt moments and the journey as a whole. Not only do we get to know more about the siblings and their respective relationships and family members, but we also get to know more about their parents and the special moments they shared. Each of these individuals is flawed, each harboring secrets and insecurities that impact their personal relationships. They are quick to judge each other but the forced proximity enables them to reevaluate their priorities, take responsibility for their actions and try to understand one another. The author touches upon several sensitive topics such as sibling rivalry, sexual orientation, infidelity and the death of a parent among others with empathy and compassion. I should mention that the circumstances surrounding Cinny’s death were heartbreaking and I think readers might find certain aspects of the same quite disturbing for distinct reasons. I did feel the novel was a tad long drawn but at no point did I lose interest in the story. Overall, I found this novel to be an immensely satisfying read.

I received a digital review copy from the publisher via Edelweiss+. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. show less

Pocket Full of Posey's is a slow build... on family relationships, family history and family trust. It has a lot of love, a lot of humor and a lot of chutzpah. At their mothers dying request two fraternal twins and their respective families are charged with basically traveling the world to scatter their parents ashes at specific spots where their mother Cinny has felt strong connections. Lots of travel adventure, lots of family interaction, and quite a bit of family surprises ensue. I really liked this book, especially the ending. The author summed up all of us as human beings traveling through life really quite well. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book.

Grace and Brian are fortysomething twins whose mother Cinny has just died. Before she died, Cinny wrote specific instructions, through a collection of letters, for Grace and Brian to take their respective families on a journey to various locations around the world where they are to spread the ashes of Cinny and their father Frank. What ensues is a trip to New Zealand -> Thailand -> Italy -> Switzerland -> England -> last but not least, New Jersey. The storytelling here reminded me of Richard Russo. This is a cast of characters, each with his/her own flaws and funny (so funny!) quirks and anecdotes. I traveled along with the Poseys as they discovered their parents' secrets and learned show more about themselves in the process. This was a joy to read. show less

Various members of the Posey family, including twins, a brother and sister, are charged with dispersing their parents' ashes in several locations around the world to commemorate places that meant a lot to them. I literally laughed out loud through the first portion of the book, but once the journey began, I didn't find it as humorous. After a while, it became a series of adventures taken on by people with a lot of money who get away with breaking rules at times. I never connected with some of the characters and found others rather annoying. There are a lot of good messages throughout the book about appreciating the people we love and the time that we have on Earth. The book was ok, but I wouldn't reread it.

ARC version: grammatical errors present in edition
My main critique for the entire book is if sage is going to be the woke youth trope questioning Brians sexuality in relation to everything Ella, Grace, his humor, etc is not very bi-visible. I almost DNF the book if it wasn't for the potential and maybe the authors intention. No matter how many years pass peoples mindset tend to be you are either straight, gay, or lesbian. The spectrum of sexuality is every growing changing and vast. It was also intriguing to see the wealth and opportunity this white family was given due to sacrifice. This book allowed me to think on many things & I truly enjoyed it overall!

Pocketful of Poseys is a heartwarming family story I found easy to engage with. I enjoy stories abut families learning to accept and forgive, especially when livened up with a little humor, like this one is. I thought the pacing was a little uneven, but I enjoyed the book very much. Thomas Reed's writing style is smooth and lively, a real pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

This book was okay, but should have been so much more. Two adult children, their spouses, and two children, one a teen the other a young adult, spend three weeks traveling together to 6 destinations around the world to spread Cinny and Frank’s ashes according to Cinny’s instructions. Each spot is significant in some way as described in each of the six sealed letters opened at each destination.
It just fell flat for me. I don’t always like cheap manipulation, but while the characters sometimes talked about deep feelings, I didn’t feel them. I think perhaps the problem was that while most of the characters were female the author is a man. In some ways the male characters rang more truly.