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A Long Way from Chicago #3
A Season of Gifts
One of children's literature's most memorable characters returns in this Christmastime companion to the Newbery Medal-winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago.
The eccentric, larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel is back in this heart-warming tale. Set 20 years after the events of A Year Down Yonder , it is now 1958 and a new family has moved in next door: a Methodist minister and his wife and kids. Soon Grandma Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm on all of them: ten-year-old Bob Barnhart, who is shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his two fascinating sisters; and even his parents, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
As Christmas rolls around, the Barnhart family realizes that they’ve found a true home, and a neighbor who gives gifts that will last a lifetime.
The eccentric, larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel is back in this heart-warming tale. Set 20 years after the events of A Year Down Yonder , it is now 1958 and a new family has moved in next door: a Methodist minister and his wife and kids. Soon Grandma Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm on all of them: ten-year-old Bob Barnhart, who is shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his two fascinating sisters; and even his parents, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
As Christmas rolls around, the Barnhart family realizes that they’ve found a true home, and a neighbor who gives gifts that will last a lifetime.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2009
About the author
Richard Peck
98 books716 followersRichard Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder. For his cumulative contribution to young-adult literature, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1990.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 992 reviews
June 29, 2017
I quote: "Hoo-boy!"
This is just a great series of young people's books, which of course can be read by all ages. And I quote: A rollicking celebration of an eccentric grandmother and childhood memories....
It's a series of three, A Year Down Yonder (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) and A Long Way from Chicago (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) are the other two previous ones, A Season of Gifts plays in 1958. It's all about Grandma Dowdel and a family who comes to live next to her in a small town where a lot is going on and Grandma seems to be in the middle of everything....
The stories are light, hilarious, funny, heartwarming. Laughing out loud, chuckling... can't avoid it when you read this. After reading some tough, dark books, or... after some period of hard work, these books are as light as a feather and just lovely and fun. Therefore: I can certainly recommend Peck's books for everyone!
Richard Peck wrote a lot of books, I need to check more of his work...
Loved it!
This is just a great series of young people's books, which of course can be read by all ages. And I quote: A rollicking celebration of an eccentric grandmother and childhood memories....
It's a series of three, A Year Down Yonder (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) and A Long Way from Chicago (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...) are the other two previous ones, A Season of Gifts plays in 1958. It's all about Grandma Dowdel and a family who comes to live next to her in a small town where a lot is going on and Grandma seems to be in the middle of everything....
The stories are light, hilarious, funny, heartwarming. Laughing out loud, chuckling... can't avoid it when you read this. After reading some tough, dark books, or... after some period of hard work, these books are as light as a feather and just lovely and fun. Therefore: I can certainly recommend Peck's books for everyone!
Richard Peck wrote a lot of books, I need to check more of his work...
Loved it!
December 19, 2017
"Trouble is," Mrs. Dowdel observed, "after you've turned the other cheek four times, you run out of cheeks."
This is Peck's third go-round featuring the inimitable Grandma Dowdel, and though not as funny as A Long Way from Chicago, nor as touching as A Year Down Yonder, it's still a delightful read.
Though life inside and outside Grandma Dowdel's house hasn't changed much - she still needs to protect her privy every Halloween - the year is now 1958, and a young minister and his family have moved in next door. Grandma reluctantly comes to the rescue of twelve-year-old Bob who's being picked on by some of the local ne'er-do-wells, and gets her own Mini-Me, as Ruth Ann, Bob's little sister, imitates Grandma's every move. We get to spend a few hilarious months with Bob as he observes his eccentric neighbor, and the book concludes with a true Christmas to remember.
Richard Peck's novels are by far the best literary discovery I've made this year.
"But as the saying goes, if you can't get justice," Mrs. Dowdel remarked, "get even."
This is Peck's third go-round featuring the inimitable Grandma Dowdel, and though not as funny as A Long Way from Chicago, nor as touching as A Year Down Yonder, it's still a delightful read.
Though life inside and outside Grandma Dowdel's house hasn't changed much - she still needs to protect her privy every Halloween - the year is now 1958, and a young minister and his family have moved in next door. Grandma reluctantly comes to the rescue of twelve-year-old Bob who's being picked on by some of the local ne'er-do-wells, and gets her own Mini-Me, as Ruth Ann, Bob's little sister, imitates Grandma's every move. We get to spend a few hilarious months with Bob as he observes his eccentric neighbor, and the book concludes with a true Christmas to remember.
Richard Peck's novels are by far the best literary discovery I've made this year.
"But as the saying goes, if you can't get justice," Mrs. Dowdel remarked, "get even."
December 6, 2024
It's 1958 and twelve-year-old Bob Barnhart and his family have recently moved to a small Illinois town. They are not too sure how to take their very eccentric and rather fear-inducing neightbor, Mrs. Dowdel. However, as Christmas approaches, the Barnhart family realizes Mrs. Dowdel has given them gifts throughout the year that will last a lifetime.
This humorous, feel good book is written for youth, but I think will be appreciated much more by adults. -Deanna A.
This humorous, feel good book is written for youth, but I think will be appreciated much more by adults. -Deanna A.
December 14, 2019
I don't know if Richard Peck's Grandma Dowdel trilogy is at all autobiographical, but it sure feels like it. It's very reminiscent of Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story, book three especially, since it adds the Christmas setting at the end. I've really enjoyed these books with their home-spun humor and am sad to finish them. Oh well, I'm getting older, so it probably won't be long before I've forgotten what happens in them and I can read them again as if for the first time!
September 29, 2017
This book is the third and final book in the (very short) A Long Way from Chicago Series. It is a moderately funny little story but I can see why the series stopped at this point. The characters changed from the sister and brother who visited their grandmother, Mrs. Dowdel, in the first two books to a "new" family in town who lived next door to her. She was up to her old antics, which was amusing, but I missed the original characters and I found some of the "humour" wasn't really funny. There was a lot of bullying which, in this day, I don't feel should be presented to young people as humour.
December 23, 2018
Maybe not as good as "A Year Down Yonder", but anything with Grandma Dowdel is interesting to me. Little Ruth Ann's way of adopting the sayings and mannerisms of Mrs. Dowdel made me laugh. A small disciple. "All her gifts were supposed to be secrets." That may be what I like most about Grandma D. she didn't want praise or attention. She had a hidden well of talents and an overflowing generous impulse. She makes abundance from almost nothing. Anyway, I could rave on. Read it yourself and see what you think of her.
September 28, 2012
My reaction to this, hard on the heels of the two excellent predecessors is a loud and incredulous, "What the HELL?"
It's well-written, technically. But it's soulless and awful and parts of it made my skin crawl. The Grandma Dowdel in this book is not even shirt-tail cousins with the Grandma Dowdel in the first two. And the stereotypes! Goodness me, the stereotypes.
Bah, humbug.
It's well-written, technically. But it's soulless and awful and parts of it made my skin crawl. The Grandma Dowdel in this book is not even shirt-tail cousins with the Grandma Dowdel in the first two. And the stereotypes! Goodness me, the stereotypes.
Bah, humbug.
January 13, 2024
I loved every single minute 💗 I'm convinced Grandma Dowdel's a saint 🫶
November 10, 2024
Set a decade after the last book, Grandma Dowdel still runs roughshod over her little Illinois town, doling out her own form of justice to the wicked and for the downtrodden. Her new neighbors are a preacher and his family, trying to build a church up from nothing with hardly any resources. Under Grandma Dowdel's watchful, gruff care they get the things they need, even if those things aren't the things they expected.
It's mostly a series of vignettes, but the church and a romance between the preacher's daughter and a local bad boy provide engaging through lines.
The preacher's son isn't the greatest narrator, but this book is about as fun as the previous two.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents:
The Last House in Town
1. Locked and Loaded
2. Revival Dust
3. The Boy Next Door
4. The Figure at the Window
5. The Afternoon of the Turtle
The Fall of the Year
6. The Haunted Melon Patch
7. Fuss and Feathers
8. Indian Summer
9. Homecoming Day, and Night
10. One Too Many
11. Blazing Pumpkin
E'er the Winter Storms Begin
12. Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
13. Selective Service
14. Season of Secrets and Surprises
15. The Gift
16. A Christmas Wedding
17. A Visit from Saint Nick
Epilogue
It's mostly a series of vignettes, but the church and a romance between the preacher's daughter and a local bad boy provide engaging through lines.
The preacher's son isn't the greatest narrator, but this book is about as fun as the previous two.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents:
The Last House in Town
1. Locked and Loaded
2. Revival Dust
3. The Boy Next Door
4. The Figure at the Window
5. The Afternoon of the Turtle
The Fall of the Year
6. The Haunted Melon Patch
7. Fuss and Feathers
8. Indian Summer
9. Homecoming Day, and Night
10. One Too Many
11. Blazing Pumpkin
E'er the Winter Storms Begin
12. Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
13. Selective Service
14. Season of Secrets and Surprises
15. The Gift
16. A Christmas Wedding
17. A Visit from Saint Nick
Epilogue
November 18, 2019
Grandma to the rescue again!...
September 6, 2012
I was so anxious to read A Season of Gifts as the final episode after the hilariously entertaining A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder. I even thought the picture on the front was delightful – but oh how the whole book left me baffled, and frankly disappointed.
It starts out with hijinks by the local bullies to the poor new kid, new neighbor of Grandma Dowdel. The Grandma Dowdel of “old” would have done something to avenge the obvious rotten bullies, leaving us laughing and having at least some dignity restored to the poor, humiliated new kid on the block. I kept waiting for Grandma to do her thing…and nothing ever happened! Huh?
There was barely any character development of Bob, the preacher’s son, put through so much misery. Little sister Ruth Ann, (who apparently was over at Grandma’s house a lot) never were we privileged to get a glimpse of their relationship. Grandma has too much personality for us readers to be satisfied with assumptions. I felt like chapters were left out!
The ending was just “fine”. Grandma Dowdel has a streak of warmth and it was nicely tied up with her “gifts”. Yeah, I got the point. Overall, this sequel only gave me a couple smiles. And that’s not anywhere close to the hilarious entertainment of book#1 & #2, and wonderful raves they deserved.
It starts out with hijinks by the local bullies to the poor new kid, new neighbor of Grandma Dowdel. The Grandma Dowdel of “old” would have done something to avenge the obvious rotten bullies, leaving us laughing and having at least some dignity restored to the poor, humiliated new kid on the block. I kept waiting for Grandma to do her thing…and nothing ever happened! Huh?
There was barely any character development of Bob, the preacher’s son, put through so much misery. Little sister Ruth Ann, (who apparently was over at Grandma’s house a lot) never were we privileged to get a glimpse of their relationship. Grandma has too much personality for us readers to be satisfied with assumptions. I felt like chapters were left out!
The ending was just “fine”. Grandma Dowdel has a streak of warmth and it was nicely tied up with her “gifts”. Yeah, I got the point. Overall, this sequel only gave me a couple smiles. And that’s not anywhere close to the hilarious entertainment of book#1 & #2, and wonderful raves they deserved.
March 28, 2015
Light, easy read that is funny, heartwarming, and thought-provoking. l like the idea of an older woman being the centerpiece in this story! Mrs. Dowdel gives 'gifts' that can't be measured by size or price to the young family who moves into her neighborhood.
June 29, 2009
Head back to the wonderful character of Grandma Dowdel. In this third novel, it is 1958 and a family has moved in next door to her. They are poor as church mice, appropriate since the father is a Methodist pastor. The children include Bob, who immediately falls prey to the town bullies in remarkable fashion. There is his older sister Phyllis, who is obsessed with Elvis and with one of the bullies who bears a resemblance to The King. And then there is his younger sister, Ruth Ann, who is a little lost until she meet Grandma Dowdel. This delightful novel tells the story of the year the family spends next door to Grandma Dowdel who insists that she is neither neighborly or church going, yet manages to always be both.
Peck’s characterizations are as always clever and revealing. He has such a gentle touch with his characters even as he is showing far more of their psyche and personality than one might realize. Peck’s humor has a vintage feel as is appropriate to the time and place. It is uproariously funny. After reading two werewolf books (and setting both aside) it was a real breath of fresh cold air to read Peck’s novel.
Tightly plotted, humorous and beautifully wrapped up in the end, this book is a real treat. Appropriate for ages 8-12, I can see entire families enjoying this one as a read aloud. Classrooms would also enjoy the escapades and fun while learning a touch of history along the way.
Peck’s characterizations are as always clever and revealing. He has such a gentle touch with his characters even as he is showing far more of their psyche and personality than one might realize. Peck’s humor has a vintage feel as is appropriate to the time and place. It is uproariously funny. After reading two werewolf books (and setting both aside) it was a real breath of fresh cold air to read Peck’s novel.
Tightly plotted, humorous and beautifully wrapped up in the end, this book is a real treat. Appropriate for ages 8-12, I can see entire families enjoying this one as a read aloud. Classrooms would also enjoy the escapades and fun while learning a touch of history along the way.
November 3, 2009
Bewildered by accolades. I really expected to like this a lot (I can generally lay aside isolated incidences of racial insensitivity when I'm deciding how good a book is otherwise, or how much I like it), because I've liked many of Peck's other books, including the previous one in the series, A Year Down Yonder--I read that when it came out and commented that it was the best new kid's book I'd read in years. The writing is good here, of course, because it's Richard Peck; it's technically good. But I thought it so lifeless in comparison to his other books (and other books I've read this year). The protagonist never came alive to me at all (I looked back at the flap to see if he even had a name); I don't feel like I know a thing about him. Grandma Dowdel grated on me after a while. I don't get a sense of a good clear story arc, unless it's the thing about all the gifts Grandma Dowdel has given, as spelled out so obviously in the last pages, but even that didn't come across very clearly to me.
Ruth Ann was my favorite character; she was funny and interesting and real to me.
I usually roll my eyes when people say this about books, but I really do think this is one adults (adults older than me, mostly) are going to enjoy more than children.
A very thin year for children's fiction, indeed.
Ruth Ann was my favorite character; she was funny and interesting and real to me.
I usually roll my eyes when people say this about books, but I really do think this is one adults (adults older than me, mostly) are going to enjoy more than children.
A very thin year for children's fiction, indeed.
February 22, 2010
I liked reading about Grandma Dowdel again, but it just wasn't the same without Joey and Mary Alice. It was an okay read, but not something I would pick up right away.
February 7, 2015
A nostalgic and amusing look back to life in the 50's in Illinois. The overall message of finding gifts throughout the year that are not wrapped and put under a Christmas tree is priceless!
December 15, 2024
I read this book every Christmas and I enjoy it every time. Grandma Dowdle is my favorite book character of all time. I may or may not cry at the end every time.
December 23, 2021
A Season of Gifts is my first read of this author, and it reminds me of Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story. . . It was droll and had interesting side trips and explanations that seemed to be off point, but which come in handy later on in the tale. Amusing.
I love reads like these around this time of year. They keep the Christmas spirit humming around me and my hopes and thoughts mindful of others. This particular series is for a younger set, and this is midway through, so I think I'll check out the other books in the series.
Papa is a Methodist preacher, so there's a Christian overarch on the narrative, but then, that's what's over Christmas as well. I enjoyed Bob, our narrator, and Mz. Dowdle is a dreamboat, of a type. Community stories are built upon the backs of their unique and individual characters, and I find them charming and restful (mostly). Like Backman's hockey community, Ms. Read's English Village, McCall Smith's Gaborone. . .I do enjoy community stories, and this is one to put right along side the others.
I love reads like these around this time of year. They keep the Christmas spirit humming around me and my hopes and thoughts mindful of others. This particular series is for a younger set, and this is midway through, so I think I'll check out the other books in the series.
Papa is a Methodist preacher, so there's a Christian overarch on the narrative, but then, that's what's over Christmas as well. I enjoyed Bob, our narrator, and Mz. Dowdle is a dreamboat, of a type. Community stories are built upon the backs of their unique and individual characters, and I find them charming and restful (mostly). Like Backman's hockey community, Ms. Read's English Village, McCall Smith's Gaborone. . .I do enjoy community stories, and this is one to put right along side the others.
April 7, 2021
This one is listed as a Christmas book and it does close out in the Christmas season, but it is really an anytime book. I am not entirely certain that one can appreciate Mr. Peck's novel if one did not grow up in a small town. I can see these characters as people that I know and love and that makes this one extra special for me. Yes, there is some harshness and some stereotyping, but that was is a part of small town living as well, in fact, that is just a part of living that we are all trying to get better about. May we all have hearts (and some of us bodies) as large as Grandma Dowdel.
December 17, 2022
It's been way too long since I spent time with Grandma Dowdel. She is one of my absolute favorite book characters ever. Words cannot express how much I adore her. It was lovely to spend time with her again. In this book, the lucky Barnhart family moves in next door and gets to experience her magic. "We did some growing up wherever we were, but we grew up most in that little podunk town when we lived next door to Mrs. Dowdel."
November 14, 2022
What a fantastic way to end such a fun series - and thank you to GoodReads for showing me this book even existed! It was just as hilarious as the first two, keeping my mother and I rolling around on the floor laughing as we tried to read on. I probably said it about the other ones as well, but these books are perfect for kids and adults! I loved them in 5th grade and I still love them now.
December 24, 2020
Such a wonderful book!! A great one to read during the holiday season. We read this one as a family. We laughed often. Good lessons to discuss in the family. I loved that it ended with Christmas and how giving can happen all year.
December 27, 2023
Edited after my second reading:
This book remains one of the most charming and hilariously funny juvenile books I’ve ever read.
And Mrs. Dowdel remains my absolute favorite character in juvenile fiction.
***
If you've never met Mrs. Dowdel, you are missing out. Richard Peck's award-winning books, A Long Way from Chicago, and A Year Down Yonder, tell the most comical and heart-warming tales, all centered around the one and only Grandma Dowdel - one of the most entertaining and memorable characters in all of children's literature, in my opinion.
This book focuses on the holiday season in the 1940s in this small town, and instead of experiencing Mrs. Dowdel through the eyes of her grandchildren, we see her through the wide and stunned eyes of her new neighbors, the Methodist preacher and his family. And as in his other stories, there is humor and character on every single page.
I cannot imagine anyone who would NOT enjoy this book, quite honestly. The audiobook versions of this series are perhaps even more entertaining because the reader knows just what kind of intonation to give Mrs Dowdel, her cronies, and all those who fear her.
This book remains one of the most charming and hilariously funny juvenile books I’ve ever read.
And Mrs. Dowdel remains my absolute favorite character in juvenile fiction.
***
If you've never met Mrs. Dowdel, you are missing out. Richard Peck's award-winning books, A Long Way from Chicago, and A Year Down Yonder, tell the most comical and heart-warming tales, all centered around the one and only Grandma Dowdel - one of the most entertaining and memorable characters in all of children's literature, in my opinion.
This book focuses on the holiday season in the 1940s in this small town, and instead of experiencing Mrs. Dowdel through the eyes of her grandchildren, we see her through the wide and stunned eyes of her new neighbors, the Methodist preacher and his family. And as in his other stories, there is humor and character on every single page.
I cannot imagine anyone who would NOT enjoy this book, quite honestly. The audiobook versions of this series are perhaps even more entertaining because the reader knows just what kind of intonation to give Mrs Dowdel, her cronies, and all those who fear her.
February 13, 2017
Grandma Dowdel is back, 20 years after "A Year Down Yonder", in this bookend sequel to the the two previous novels that I loved. While not quite as good, any book that features Grandma Dowdel will be a winner with me. In this story, Grandma befriends a poor Methodist minister's family that moves in next door to her. All three children struggle fitting in, but Grandma manages to help the entire family settle in and succeed among the unique inhabitants of the town, in her own distinctive way. I missed Mary Alice and Joey, but there were still enough characters from the previous stories to enjoy this story set in a new era. Long live Grandma Dowdel!
January 5, 2016
An enjoyable look at Grandma Dowdel's antics through the eyes of a slightly cynical, reclusive preacher's son. I'd hoped it would be more Christmassy, but no matter the time of year, it was a wonderful book.
June 17, 2024
This book is a delightfully funny, and a very fast read. It’s about a family in the late 50’s setting. A move to a new town, and the children have to deal with a new school, friends, and a very eccentric new neighbor.
December 16, 2023
We read this out loud on a family road trip. It kept 5 children ages 10-20 laughing out loud.
July 9, 2023
I just love Grandma Dowdel.
Reading her shenanigans just makes every day better.
Reading her shenanigans just makes every day better.
October 6, 2018
THIS BOOK. While the narrator is no Mary Alice (or even Joey), and several of the stories had a familiar feel (being riffs off of similar stories in the preceding two books) I'm still glad to have this last glimpse of Grandma Dowdel. This book takes place approximately two decades after A Long Way From Chicago, and it's fun to see how all those nasty townspeople's children turned out. lol JUST KIDDING. But seriously, Grandma Dowdel- while holding fewer surprises for readers- is just as smart, sassy, and delightful as in the other two novels.
This is my second time reading this book. The first time was shortly after my library acquired it, because when I saw a Richard Peck novel on the new shelf I couldn't just leave it there, could I? Plus, after I pulled it off the shelf and saw that it was a companion novel to the other Grandma Dowdel books, my obsessive inner fangirl screamed with delight. (Inwardly, of course. I was, after all, in the library, and I'm pretty sure the librarians would have kicked me out if I'd screamed outwardly. The librarians in our children's/junior fiction section mean business- not unlike Grandma Dowdel). However, at that particular point in my life it had been a while since I'd read the other two books, and I remembered feeling slightly let down after reading this one. In some way, it hadn't lived up to my expectations. I decided that it was simply that this book didn't have the magic of my childhood memories attached to it, as the other two had. It wasn't bad, I thought, but I probably wouldn't read this third book ever again.
Then, the Great Grandma Dowdel Reading Binge of 2018 happened. This time, A Season of Gifts was different. It was better, because I had recently re-read the other two books. Also, I had them on hand to look up how these characters are related to the characters in the other novels, and Hoo-boy, were there a lot of references that I missed in my first go-around. That definitely made for a better reading experience. My only complaint is that we don't actually get to see Mary Alice or Joey as adults, and I'm certain in my own mind that they continued visiting their Grandma whenever they could, with their own families in tow. But then, that's just my obsessive inner fangirl again. And, in case you wondered, my obsessive inner fangirl was also delighted that Ruth Ann ends up liking the Beatles. In fact, my obsessive inner fangirl is now wondering if Richard Peck could possibly expand this series into six books? Or write a book about Ruth Ann and the Beatles? Or write a prequel about when Joey and Mary Alice's father was growing up? She is screaming "GIVE ME MORE GRANDMA DOWDEL!" with increasing urgency, and I'm not sure what to tell her, except to remind her of this fabulous little talk from the beginning of the book, that in many ways sums up the way Grandma sees the world:
"'And don't look for anything out of the law around here,' she said. 'The Cowgills and the Leapers is kin to the sheriff. No justice in these parts. It's every man for hisself.'
I felt the town tighten around my throat.
'But as the saying goes, if you can't get justice,' Mrs. Dowdel remarked, 'get even.'"
My obsessive inner fangirl: *cries* That was so beautiful!
Five minutes later, my obsessive inner fangirl is still crying. This is getting old.
Excuse me while I go read A Long Way From Chicago again. Is it my seventh time or my fiftieth? Who knows? At this point, who cares? But speaking of numbers, this is the 200th book I've added to my "read" shelf on Goodreads! Super excited about that, and glad that it was such a good one! *my obsessive inner fangirl raises of glass of apple cider as she congratulates me/herself* Here's to the next 200 books!
This is my second time reading this book. The first time was shortly after my library acquired it, because when I saw a Richard Peck novel on the new shelf I couldn't just leave it there, could I? Plus, after I pulled it off the shelf and saw that it was a companion novel to the other Grandma Dowdel books, my obsessive inner fangirl screamed with delight. (Inwardly, of course. I was, after all, in the library, and I'm pretty sure the librarians would have kicked me out if I'd screamed outwardly. The librarians in our children's/junior fiction section mean business- not unlike Grandma Dowdel). However, at that particular point in my life it had been a while since I'd read the other two books, and I remembered feeling slightly let down after reading this one. In some way, it hadn't lived up to my expectations. I decided that it was simply that this book didn't have the magic of my childhood memories attached to it, as the other two had. It wasn't bad, I thought, but I probably wouldn't read this third book ever again.
Then, the Great Grandma Dowdel Reading Binge of 2018 happened. This time, A Season of Gifts was different. It was better, because I had recently re-read the other two books. Also, I had them on hand to look up how these characters are related to the characters in the other novels, and Hoo-boy, were there a lot of references that I missed in my first go-around. That definitely made for a better reading experience. My only complaint is that we don't actually get to see Mary Alice or Joey as adults, and I'm certain in my own mind that they continued visiting their Grandma whenever they could, with their own families in tow. But then, that's just my obsessive inner fangirl again. And, in case you wondered, my obsessive inner fangirl was also delighted that Ruth Ann ends up liking the Beatles. In fact, my obsessive inner fangirl is now wondering if Richard Peck could possibly expand this series into six books? Or write a book about Ruth Ann and the Beatles? Or write a prequel about when Joey and Mary Alice's father was growing up? She is screaming "GIVE ME MORE GRANDMA DOWDEL!" with increasing urgency, and I'm not sure what to tell her, except to remind her of this fabulous little talk from the beginning of the book, that in many ways sums up the way Grandma sees the world:
"'And don't look for anything out of the law around here,' she said. 'The Cowgills and the Leapers is kin to the sheriff. No justice in these parts. It's every man for hisself.'
I felt the town tighten around my throat.
'But as the saying goes, if you can't get justice,' Mrs. Dowdel remarked, 'get even.'"
My obsessive inner fangirl: *cries* That was so beautiful!
Five minutes later, my obsessive inner fangirl is still crying. This is getting old.
Excuse me while I go read A Long Way From Chicago again. Is it my seventh time or my fiftieth? Who knows? At this point, who cares? But speaking of numbers, this is the 200th book I've added to my "read" shelf on Goodreads! Super excited about that, and glad that it was such a good one! *my obsessive inner fangirl raises of glass of apple cider as she congratulates me/herself* Here's to the next 200 books!
January 26, 2023
Mrs. Dowdel has reached truly epic heights by now. She’s a superhero who knows everything and makes everything turn out fine. It could be annoying, but the author has endeared her to us in the first two books and continues to do so in this final book. There is a hint of the moral ambiguity that runs through the other stories, but it is not so prominent here.
I did like the growth of friendship and the way the new family learns to really see Mrs. Dowdel.
I did laugh out loud a couple of times 😁
The author had a few favorite phrases that either he forgot he’d used in the previous books or he thought the reader wouldn’t remember, so that was, um, distracting.
I did like the growth of friendship and the way the new family learns to really see Mrs. Dowdel.
I did laugh out loud a couple of times 😁
The author had a few favorite phrases that either he forgot he’d used in the previous books or he thought the reader wouldn’t remember, so that was, um, distracting.
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