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Most Beautiful Words
Twelve-year-old Autumn's world is shattered when her beloved Great-Pop, Tommy Johnson, suffers a stroke that leaves him comatose. With everyone around her resigning themselves to the inevitable, Autumn is the only one not willing to give up. She and Great-Pop have more secret stories to share with each other, after all. More stories about Roy McMillan—the great love of Tommy's life whom he lost fifty years ago. Autumn struggles to keep Great-Pop on this side of death's door. But how can she compete with the beautiful and mysterious Valley—a place of surreal magic where the sun never fully sets? Especially when there's someone familiar in the Valley who will do everything he can to keep Great-Pop from returning to her.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2014
1 person is currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Raine O'Tierney
25 books173 followersRaine O'Tierney wants to change the world...one sweet story at a time. When she's not writing, Raine is either playing video games or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job. She believes the best thing we can do in life is be kind to one another, and she enjoys encouraging fellow writers.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 3, 2016
Rainbow Award winner for best Gay Fantasy...
This story threads together several story lines - the present, where twelve-year-old Autumn hopes desperately for her beloved, stroke-afflicted Great-Pop to wake from his coma and speak to her.
-the past, where Great-Pop was a young man named Tommy, a farm boy with a violent father; a youth who was very much in love with neighbor boy Roy McMillan, in an era when that was an impossible dream.
-the fantasy, where characters interact in a world of oddness and symbols, and the battle for life and love is a tug-of-war for one man's heart.
This is beautifully written and imaginative. The character of Autumn, with her mixed family characters, her grieving for the person who has loved her best, and her pre-teen self-absorption, is beautifully realized. The love story of two young men in a bygone era is poignant. And the fantasy world's mysteries unfold slowly, but not impossibly so. This is part romance, part growing up, part a story about family love and letting go. The only downside to the structure for me was that in moving round and round from one part to the next, I never quite sank into the emotional connections I wanted to make with the characters. Still a unique book and one very well worth the read.
This story threads together several story lines - the present, where twelve-year-old Autumn hopes desperately for her beloved, stroke-afflicted Great-Pop to wake from his coma and speak to her.
-the past, where Great-Pop was a young man named Tommy, a farm boy with a violent father; a youth who was very much in love with neighbor boy Roy McMillan, in an era when that was an impossible dream.
-the fantasy, where characters interact in a world of oddness and symbols, and the battle for life and love is a tug-of-war for one man's heart.
This is beautifully written and imaginative. The character of Autumn, with her mixed family characters, her grieving for the person who has loved her best, and her pre-teen self-absorption, is beautifully realized. The love story of two young men in a bygone era is poignant. And the fantasy world's mysteries unfold slowly, but not impossibly so. This is part romance, part growing up, part a story about family love and letting go. The only downside to the structure for me was that in moving round and round from one part to the next, I never quite sank into the emotional connections I wanted to make with the characters. Still a unique book and one very well worth the read.
December 10, 2014
I don't have words beautiful enough to review this book. It is INCREDIBLE.
This is possibly the most emotional story I've ever read. It begins with tragedy, and then, as Tommy's story unfolds, it becomes more tragic, and I thought... Hold on a minute! Isn't this Raine O'Tierney? Home of The Sweetness? How on Earth is she going to achieve THAT?
But she did. Oh my word, did she!
What I love about this story is that Raine has taken risks with the story-telling. I don't think I've come across anything like it before. The narrative has three main elements: Autumn (Tommy's great granddaughter) is the main character, so there's her story in the present. Then there are the stories told to her by her Great Pop, introduced via her memories of their relationship, but narrated in the same third-person past tense as the rest of the book. These tell the love story - Tommy and Roy - and it's a skin-tingler. It's gentle, sweet and romantic. Finally there is the "fantasy" element, which uses that wonderful 'could be dream, could be illusion, could be real' approach that means it will appeal to all, regardless of their beliefs.
It's a clever, clever book.
And it made me cry. By the bucketful. But it also made me smile.
I love the characters without exception (although Hannah's got some serious growing up to do). And because of the way it began, I knew that it was going to be a rough ride, leading to the kind of ending that is as happy as it can be, but someone has to lose out.
The (happy) ending is just perfect. The beginning is perfect. All the stuff in between is...perfect.
In summary, this book is clever, beautiful and so wonderfully well-written. These, Raine O'Tierney, are the Most Beautiful Words I have ever read. Thank you.
This is possibly the most emotional story I've ever read. It begins with tragedy, and then, as Tommy's story unfolds, it becomes more tragic, and I thought... Hold on a minute! Isn't this Raine O'Tierney? Home of The Sweetness? How on Earth is she going to achieve THAT?
But she did. Oh my word, did she!
What I love about this story is that Raine has taken risks with the story-telling. I don't think I've come across anything like it before. The narrative has three main elements: Autumn (Tommy's great granddaughter) is the main character, so there's her story in the present. Then there are the stories told to her by her Great Pop, introduced via her memories of their relationship, but narrated in the same third-person past tense as the rest of the book. These tell the love story - Tommy and Roy - and it's a skin-tingler. It's gentle, sweet and romantic. Finally there is the "fantasy" element, which uses that wonderful 'could be dream, could be illusion, could be real' approach that means it will appeal to all, regardless of their beliefs.
It's a clever, clever book.
And it made me cry. By the bucketful. But it also made me smile.
I love the characters without exception (although Hannah's got some serious growing up to do). And because of the way it began, I knew that it was going to be a rough ride, leading to the kind of ending that is as happy as it can be, but someone has to lose out.
The (happy) ending is just perfect. The beginning is perfect. All the stuff in between is...perfect.
In summary, this book is clever, beautiful and so wonderfully well-written. These, Raine O'Tierney, are the Most Beautiful Words I have ever read. Thank you.
October 25, 2014
For my honest and true view of this book, please read …MORE
Goodreads TOS-compliant review (I think, let me know when they tell us what the rules are):
"The book I just read is about two (or three) lovely people, written in beautiful language, by a very good and prolific author. I liked it very, very much.
It is for sale on Amazon.”
DISCLAIMER: My reviews now all have this pretty face, so that all and everyone on Goodreads can stay happy and beatific. I’ll let you know if I change my mind. See the real review above for my thoughts on this book.
Goodreads TOS-compliant review (I think, let me know when they tell us what the rules are):
"The book I just read is about two (or three) lovely people, written in beautiful language, by a very good and prolific author. I liked it very, very much.
It is for sale on Amazon.”
DISCLAIMER: My reviews now all have this pretty face, so that all and everyone on Goodreads can stay happy and beatific. I’ll let you know if I change my mind. See the real review above for my thoughts on this book.
January 25, 2015
Whatever words I pick to try and describe Raine O'Tierney's Most Beautiful Words will never come close to being adequate. This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read, and I can only try to explain why.
The characters are real; the author captures Autumn, the young protagonist, absolutely perfectly. She, and her recollections of her wonderful wonderful great-grandfather, are painted in vivid technicolour, as she struggles to cope with the fact that he is between worlds. The dreams - or fantasy - she endures in her sleeping moments are wonderful in their lucidity, and it is only towards the end of the book that you wonder just how much is fantasy.
A beautiful, well-written story that left me weeping buckets. Weeping probably isn't the right word - I had full on, snotty, sobbing, given myself a headache from crying, bereftness at the end of this book. But for that it is wonderful, and it is beautiful, and everybody should bloody well read it. I'd dare someone not to be moved - no, bruised and battered - by the emotional rollerocaster of love, loss, acceptance and half a century of uncompromised devotion.
A fabulous, unrivalled read.
The characters are real; the author captures Autumn, the young protagonist, absolutely perfectly. She, and her recollections of her wonderful wonderful great-grandfather, are painted in vivid technicolour, as she struggles to cope with the fact that he is between worlds. The dreams - or fantasy - she endures in her sleeping moments are wonderful in their lucidity, and it is only towards the end of the book that you wonder just how much is fantasy.
A beautiful, well-written story that left me weeping buckets. Weeping probably isn't the right word - I had full on, snotty, sobbing, given myself a headache from crying, bereftness at the end of this book. But for that it is wonderful, and it is beautiful, and everybody should bloody well read it. I'd dare someone not to be moved - no, bruised and battered - by the emotional rollerocaster of love, loss, acceptance and half a century of uncompromised devotion.
A fabulous, unrivalled read.
April 19, 2016
I had a really hard time getting into this story, not reading it mind you. I honestly feel it's well written. My problem was I couldn't seem to connect with Autumn, I tried, I wanted to, I did feel badly for her but it just wasn't enough to make that emotional connection that I like to have with a main character when reading a book.
Much of this story is told through the perspective of a 12 year old girl fighting to keep her world from being upended with the loss of her Great-Pop, a man who was a strong and constant presence in her life. Autumn is a 12 year old dealing with a lot, especially for a 12 year old. Unfortunately what I couldn't get past was the fact that to me at times she seemed to be a rather selfish child and therein lies the problem. Autumn is a child, I on the other hand am not and it took me until I was over half way through this book to remember that 12 year olds don't have the maturity or life experience of someone who is 50+ years old and if they do then there's something wrong with one or both of us. Once I got my mind around this fact I began to view Autumn and her selfishness a little differently and after giving consideration to my own behaviour at that age and that of my child and godchildren and other 12 year olds I've known, I realized that Autumn really wasn't any different from many children her age.
For Autumn it was her Great-Pop, for me it was my Grandmother. That one person who touches our life, who gives us a love that is constant and unending while teaching us what it means to love and give of ourselves. This was the connection that helped me to see Autumn as what she was just a typical young girl trying to make sense where there just didn't seem to be any and in the end to realize that maybe my problem hadn't been that I didn't relate strongly enough to this character but that maybe I saw too much of a me that's been buried for a very long time and still misses that one person enough to cry for their loss.
In spite of my less than stellar start with this book I found that for about the last 30% or so of this book I was very emotionally involved and ended up giving this book 4 stars because Tommy and Roy's story did tug at me emotionally and was very much the reason that I kept reading this story. Theirs was a beautifully told story about a love that wasn't to be but in spite of the odds it somehow managed transcend time and life itself to find a way.
No there weren't any tears but there was a steady ache in my chest as I read on and desperately wished for an ending that wouldn't happen and instead was given an ending that worked and left me feeling satisfied and pleased that I had stuck with it and read this book.
Much of this story is told through the perspective of a 12 year old girl fighting to keep her world from being upended with the loss of her Great-Pop, a man who was a strong and constant presence in her life. Autumn is a 12 year old dealing with a lot, especially for a 12 year old. Unfortunately what I couldn't get past was the fact that to me at times she seemed to be a rather selfish child and therein lies the problem. Autumn is a child, I on the other hand am not and it took me until I was over half way through this book to remember that 12 year olds don't have the maturity or life experience of someone who is 50+ years old and if they do then there's something wrong with one or both of us. Once I got my mind around this fact I began to view Autumn and her selfishness a little differently and after giving consideration to my own behaviour at that age and that of my child and godchildren and other 12 year olds I've known, I realized that Autumn really wasn't any different from many children her age.
For Autumn it was her Great-Pop, for me it was my Grandmother. That one person who touches our life, who gives us a love that is constant and unending while teaching us what it means to love and give of ourselves. This was the connection that helped me to see Autumn as what she was just a typical young girl trying to make sense where there just didn't seem to be any and in the end to realize that maybe my problem hadn't been that I didn't relate strongly enough to this character but that maybe I saw too much of a me that's been buried for a very long time and still misses that one person enough to cry for their loss.
In spite of my less than stellar start with this book I found that for about the last 30% or so of this book I was very emotionally involved and ended up giving this book 4 stars because Tommy and Roy's story did tug at me emotionally and was very much the reason that I kept reading this story. Theirs was a beautifully told story about a love that wasn't to be but in spite of the odds it somehow managed transcend time and life itself to find a way.
No there weren't any tears but there was a steady ache in my chest as I read on and desperately wished for an ending that wouldn't happen and instead was given an ending that worked and left me feeling satisfied and pleased that I had stuck with it and read this book.
October 14, 2014
This is such a beautiful book. It is bittersweet, unusual in terms of narrator and how reality and fantasy subtly interweave, and a very romantic male/male love story on top of it all. Written from the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl, it encompasses her great-grandfather’s life, and their family history, shared in the form of the stories he tells her. And Autumn is all about the stories.
Autumn loves her Great-Pop Tommy with all her heart, but, like all children, she is initially very selfish in her love. When he has a stroke and ends up in a coma, everyone seems to agree this is it, that it is time for him to go. But Autumn doesn’t agree. She loves him, and she wants to hear more stories about him and Roy, the man he loved over fifty years ago. She is convinced that if the adults would only let her see him, she is sure she can make him wake up, make him return to the living. Only when she finally does get to visit him in the hospital, it seems that reality doesn’t work the way she so desperately wants it to work.
At this point the story shifts location into a mysterious Valley and Autumn discovers she has a real fight on her hands. And as determined as she is to keep Great-Pop Tommy with her in the land of the living, there is someone else in the Valley who will fight equally hard to stop Great-Pop Tommy from ever leaving the Valley. Ultimately, Autumn has to search her heart for what is more important, and in the process, she grows up a little and learns what true love is really all about.
If you like bittersweet stories that contain a large dose of reality, yet manage to end well, if you don’t mind reality and fantasy intermingling for the purpose of a great story that just needs too be told, and if you’re looking for an imaginative, very sweet, and touching story about family and love, then you will probably like this novel. I was pulled in from the beginning, and think it is absolutely brilliant.
Autumn loves her Great-Pop Tommy with all her heart, but, like all children, she is initially very selfish in her love. When he has a stroke and ends up in a coma, everyone seems to agree this is it, that it is time for him to go. But Autumn doesn’t agree. She loves him, and she wants to hear more stories about him and Roy, the man he loved over fifty years ago. She is convinced that if the adults would only let her see him, she is sure she can make him wake up, make him return to the living. Only when she finally does get to visit him in the hospital, it seems that reality doesn’t work the way she so desperately wants it to work.
At this point the story shifts location into a mysterious Valley and Autumn discovers she has a real fight on her hands. And as determined as she is to keep Great-Pop Tommy with her in the land of the living, there is someone else in the Valley who will fight equally hard to stop Great-Pop Tommy from ever leaving the Valley. Ultimately, Autumn has to search her heart for what is more important, and in the process, she grows up a little and learns what true love is really all about.
If you like bittersweet stories that contain a large dose of reality, yet manage to end well, if you don’t mind reality and fantasy intermingling for the purpose of a great story that just needs too be told, and if you’re looking for an imaginative, very sweet, and touching story about family and love, then you will probably like this novel. I was pulled in from the beginning, and think it is absolutely brilliant.
September 18, 2015
Most beautiful words indeed... heart-achingly beautiful. I have never cried this much in my life, but it really is the most beautiful story.
I love how it goes from past to present to afterlife and back again; it all works beautifully together and it's hard to believe Tommy & Roy aren't real. In fact, I prefer to believe they came back from their Valley to persuade Raine to tell us their story... It's a sad one, but there's also great beauty and a happy ending. Go read.
Readers are advised to have a roll of paper towels handy, and not to read it before having to go out in public.
I love how it goes from past to present to afterlife and back again; it all works beautifully together and it's hard to believe Tommy & Roy aren't real. In fact, I prefer to believe they came back from their Valley to persuade Raine to tell us their story... It's a sad one, but there's also great beauty and a happy ending. Go read.
Readers are advised to have a roll of paper towels handy, and not to read it before having to go out in public.
March 22, 2017
This book really surprised me! I originally bought it when it was on sale and let it sit on my e-reader for a bit. I then decided to join the November Pick It For Me Challenge over at the LGBT Fantasy Fiction group, and when I was matched up with Michael, I realized I was out of my depth, since he's so well-read in the genre. Not one single book I've read seemed right for a suggestion, so I went through my to-read books and chose one I thought we'd both enjoy. I hope he enjoys it as much as I did.
This is not really a romance book, and it isn't really a fantasy book. I'd categorize it as more of a magical realism-type book, but I've never been fond of that genre, since it is so elitist. The narrator is twelve-year-old Autumn, a totally believable and enjoyable pre-teen girl who loves pink, stuffed animals, her best friend, and especially her Great-Pop, Tommy Johnson. She is the sole keeper of Tommy's secret that his first and one true love was his childhood sweetheart Roy, who died tragically young . Great-Pop slips into a coma early in the book, and then the narration splits, showing us his time in a limbo-like place where he has no memory of his past life. In this miraculous Sunset Valley, he meets the mysterious, charming Rook as well as a little housekeeper-princess named Reina, and both of them need Tommy to side with them and come to the "right" side of this beautiful new wonderland.
This is a really genuine, engrossing story about life and death and everything in between. While we do get truly lovely snippets of Tommy and Roy's forbidden romance, the book belongs to Autumn, whose kindness and love for her Great-Pop propel the story forward and beg us to keep reading. While she lies in bed with a raging fever, she is allowed to move between the worlds of life and death, dividing her time between begging Great-Pop to come back to the world and navigating the always-confusing world of childhood love, loss, and hope.
While the main theme of the book--the choice between the past and present--is not a new one, the characters are wonderful enough to make us fall for them and sympathize with the tough decisions they must make. I love the way we weave in and out of the real and fantasy worlds and how they completely make sense in the context of the story. Roy and Tommy could not have their happy ending in the real world, so Roy builds Tommy a happy ending in the "after," waiting patiently for him to arrive. But Autumn, who has barely begun her own life, cannot fathom how Tommy would ever want to leave the world one, a world in which gay parents and marriages are normal and accepted, where she is normal and accepted. These are tough themes and they become especially poignant with Autumn as our protagonist.
I read this whole book in one day, hardly putting it down for breaks. It's a well-written story full of love, loss, and hard decisions, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
(My next book is the one actually assigned to me for the Pick it For Me Challenge, which is Broken Wings by Katica Locke. I'm about 10% into it and it is a very different type of fantasy, which makes for a fun comparison).
This is not really a romance book, and it isn't really a fantasy book. I'd categorize it as more of a magical realism-type book, but I've never been fond of that genre, since it is so elitist. The narrator is twelve-year-old Autumn, a totally believable and enjoyable pre-teen girl who loves pink, stuffed animals, her best friend, and especially her Great-Pop, Tommy Johnson. She is the sole keeper of Tommy's secret that his first and one true love was his childhood sweetheart Roy, who died tragically young . Great-Pop slips into a coma early in the book, and then the narration splits, showing us his time in a limbo-like place where he has no memory of his past life. In this miraculous Sunset Valley, he meets the mysterious, charming Rook as well as a little housekeeper-princess named Reina, and both of them need Tommy to side with them and come to the "right" side of this beautiful new wonderland.
This is a really genuine, engrossing story about life and death and everything in between. While we do get truly lovely snippets of Tommy and Roy's forbidden romance, the book belongs to Autumn, whose kindness and love for her Great-Pop propel the story forward and beg us to keep reading. While she lies in bed with a raging fever, she is allowed to move between the worlds of life and death, dividing her time between begging Great-Pop to come back to the world and navigating the always-confusing world of childhood love, loss, and hope.
While the main theme of the book--the choice between the past and present--is not a new one, the characters are wonderful enough to make us fall for them and sympathize with the tough decisions they must make. I love the way we weave in and out of the real and fantasy worlds and how they completely make sense in the context of the story. Roy and Tommy could not have their happy ending in the real world, so Roy builds Tommy a happy ending in the "after," waiting patiently for him to arrive. But Autumn, who has barely begun her own life, cannot fathom how Tommy would ever want to leave the world one, a world in which gay parents and marriages are normal and accepted, where she is normal and accepted. These are tough themes and they become especially poignant with Autumn as our protagonist.
I read this whole book in one day, hardly putting it down for breaks. It's a well-written story full of love, loss, and hard decisions, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
(My next book is the one actually assigned to me for the Pick it For Me Challenge, which is Broken Wings by Katica Locke. I'm about 10% into it and it is a very different type of fantasy, which makes for a fun comparison).
October 17, 2015
Tears upon tears I was emotionally enraptured in this beautiful read. The characters were all so different, and I only felt the connection on the fantasy level and not so much on the reality of some of the family issues. It was sparse in between the fantasy story and the story of real events that Tommy and Roy's relationship was the main focus even in death or limbo, but the surrounding family had that secret drama too and alot of unsettled issues. Virginia having seven children meaning their offspring spread quickly and non of them knew they were not biologically connected to GrandPop or did they? Being he was such a great man I don't think most let it deflect the responsibilities he took upon Virginia's family. They knew all her kids wasn't all babies, but anyway she accepted her place in his life and they're friendship was important to who they were. She was a heartbroken stressed out single mother of seven children, and he was a heartbroken gay man who needed to fulfill a dream of being a great father for Roy. All in all the connection created a huge family legacy from one great deed. I cried for Autumn because I had that great and special relationship with my granddad too. I was different, and he singled me out and I was his special girl. This was beautiful and I was crying a lot lol!!
December 23, 2015
This is a heartbreaking, beautiful story that left me shattered to pieces and crying my eyes out. This is about true love, a close-knit family, stories that can fill entire lifetimes, and a journey through dreams, life and death to learn what truly matters. I will remember this amazing, haunting love story for a long time to come. Loved everything about it! Even now the mere memory breaks me apart again. Raine, you are a master of enchanted storytelling, no question about that. Highly, highly recommended!!!
December 4, 2014
"Most beautiful words" begin with a wonderfully written scene describing an old man, Tommy, at the pharmacy getting prescriptions for him and his wife. He is having troubles remembering which of two different brands of pills it is that his wife Virginia really wants. The details in the scene from the color of the cap of the pill bottle to the confusion Tommy feels when the price for his prescriptions seems to have increased with a hundred dollars, to his disappointment with the pharmacist treating him badly is all wonderfully executed and was what pulled me to this novel in the first place. The writing is excellent. The themes are serious and the characters are at times thought provoking.
"Most beautiful words" is a love story, but it is not a romance. It's about love in several different aspects the main being the love between Autumn and her great grand father, Great-Pops. Autumn is the novel's main character; she's an immature, rather selfish 12 year old. perhaps this is how 12 year olds are, but I am prone to think my own 12 year old is a bit more mature than this. Anyway, Autumn is devastated at the idea of her comatose Great-Pop dying and is prepared to do anything to keep him with her even if that means others will suffer because of it. I am usually a fan of less than stellar characters, I am particularly interested in characters that show readers a meaner side of themselves but I found it at times a bit tiresome to put up with Autumn. At times I wished an adult would sit her down and explain to her that a man as old as her Great-Pop has lived a long life and that it is now time to let him go. with times she understands this, but it takes a lot for her to reach this point.
This is also a story about love between friends, between Tommy and Virginia, and finally about romantic and physical love, between Tommy and Roy. Neither of these loves are however at the center of the story, and I found that I got to sketchy a picture of Tommy and Roy and their relationship to get seriously invested in their romance.
This is also a story about dying and letting go. Tommy's first love dies unexpectedly in the same unannounced way that real life tragedies happen. Then there's Tommy's stroke and coma and hi struggle in the land in-between, where he struggles to remember who he is and what he really wants.
The main reason for my setting a three star instead of a four is not because of the writing or because of the plot, but because my expectations wasn't met with the story I received while reading. I had hoped for more focus on Tommy and Roy's relationship when they were both young and alive, because I love a romance set in a historical time, even if that time is in the early second half of the 20th century. This is not that kind of story, but it is still a lovely story and if you want to read a m/m novel with a somewhat different focus this may be what you're looking for.
"Most beautiful words" is a love story, but it is not a romance. It's about love in several different aspects the main being the love between Autumn and her great grand father, Great-Pops. Autumn is the novel's main character; she's an immature, rather selfish 12 year old. perhaps this is how 12 year olds are, but I am prone to think my own 12 year old is a bit more mature than this. Anyway, Autumn is devastated at the idea of her comatose Great-Pop dying and is prepared to do anything to keep him with her even if that means others will suffer because of it. I am usually a fan of less than stellar characters, I am particularly interested in characters that show readers a meaner side of themselves but I found it at times a bit tiresome to put up with Autumn. At times I wished an adult would sit her down and explain to her that a man as old as her Great-Pop has lived a long life and that it is now time to let him go. with times she understands this, but it takes a lot for her to reach this point.
This is also a story about love between friends, between Tommy and Virginia, and finally about romantic and physical love, between Tommy and Roy. Neither of these loves are however at the center of the story, and I found that I got to sketchy a picture of Tommy and Roy and their relationship to get seriously invested in their romance.
This is also a story about dying and letting go. Tommy's first love dies unexpectedly in the same unannounced way that real life tragedies happen. Then there's Tommy's stroke and coma and hi struggle in the land in-between, where he struggles to remember who he is and what he really wants.
The main reason for my setting a three star instead of a four is not because of the writing or because of the plot, but because my expectations wasn't met with the story I received while reading. I had hoped for more focus on Tommy and Roy's relationship when they were both young and alive, because I love a romance set in a historical time, even if that time is in the early second half of the 20th century. This is not that kind of story, but it is still a lovely story and if you want to read a m/m novel with a somewhat different focus this may be what you're looking for.
April 30, 2016
I am sorry! This review is kind of all over the place but bear with me.
I didn't want to write a review for this book because madness is my operating system and laziness is my virus. But I just felt so guilty for not writing a review because it felt like I was cheating the world of knowing about a truly fantastic and amazing story.
Autumn is a twelve year old who doesn't want her Great-Pop to leave her but across the chasm in the afterlife there is another person who just can't wait to reunite with the love of his life.
This book is fantafabulous (a word I made up just for this book because it was both fantastic and fabulous). It is just such a heart-warming story that left me so touched.
Autumn's struggles are like that of a person who doesn't want to let a loved one go, so much so that her love for her Great-Pop is what is holding him back from reaching his final destination.
And then there is Roy who lost his love too young and I hate they fact that he died and left his Tommy alone and then Tommy had to live years without him. But now that Roy has Tommy in his kingdom again he will never let him go even if Tommy doesn't know him and even if he has to fight a twelve year old for him.
This book is not perfect but something doesn't need to be perfect to be unbelievably amazing.
I couldn't get enough of Roy and Tommy and there stories, in fact I want all their stories. I just loved the fact that they considered themselves as each-other's husband. There was something just so sweet about them together and it had me hooked. I really wanted more of them even a teensy-weensy bit more, they were just so awesome and my favourite story even if it was sad was when Roy avenges his husband. It was bitter sweet but it kind of highlighted what kind of a person Roy was and just how much Tommy and Roy meant to each other.
And then there is Autumn who loves stories and she reminded me of just how much I love stories and it kind of reminds me of how much I enjoy my family get togethers when all the elders tell stories. It also made me aware that I really want to know these stories and pass them on and I guess I can thank Autumn for that. Autumn loves her Great-Pop a great deal and she loves the stories that he tells her and she treasures those stories.
This book kind of broke my heart a little, it really encompasses the heart-break of losing a loved one but mellows it with the hope of meeting your loved one again.
If you got to the end of my review - thank you and you should truly read the book. It is a story, I will treasure.
I didn't want to write a review for this book because madness is my operating system and laziness is my virus. But I just felt so guilty for not writing a review because it felt like I was cheating the world of knowing about a truly fantastic and amazing story.
Autumn is a twelve year old who doesn't want her Great-Pop to leave her but across the chasm in the afterlife there is another person who just can't wait to reunite with the love of his life.
This book is fantafabulous (a word I made up just for this book because it was both fantastic and fabulous). It is just such a heart-warming story that left me so touched.
Autumn's struggles are like that of a person who doesn't want to let a loved one go, so much so that her love for her Great-Pop is what is holding him back from reaching his final destination.
And then there is Roy who lost his love too young and I hate they fact that he died and left his Tommy alone and then Tommy had to live years without him. But now that Roy has Tommy in his kingdom again he will never let him go even if Tommy doesn't know him and even if he has to fight a twelve year old for him.
This book is not perfect but something doesn't need to be perfect to be unbelievably amazing.
I couldn't get enough of Roy and Tommy and there stories, in fact I want all their stories. I just loved the fact that they considered themselves as each-other's husband. There was something just so sweet about them together and it had me hooked. I really wanted more of them even a teensy-weensy bit more, they were just so awesome and my favourite story even if it was sad was when Roy avenges his husband. It was bitter sweet but it kind of highlighted what kind of a person Roy was and just how much Tommy and Roy meant to each other.
And then there is Autumn who loves stories and she reminded me of just how much I love stories and it kind of reminds me of how much I enjoy my family get togethers when all the elders tell stories. It also made me aware that I really want to know these stories and pass them on and I guess I can thank Autumn for that. Autumn loves her Great-Pop a great deal and she loves the stories that he tells her and she treasures those stories.
This book kind of broke my heart a little, it really encompasses the heart-break of losing a loved one but mellows it with the hope of meeting your loved one again.
If you got to the end of my review - thank you and you should truly read the book. It is a story, I will treasure.
November 2, 2014
After reading this, I'm going to have to stop saying, "I don't read YA." This was by far one of the best books I've read in a long time.
This is not merely a book about two men who fell in love at a time when they had to keep everything secret. It's also not merely a book about a dying man and his relationship with his beloved great-granddaughter. It's about how all relationships are complex and multi-faceted and how love doesn't just have one size or shape.
I loved the main narrator, Autumn, and her spirit. At twelve, she came across as perfectly realistic. She's at once very innocent and young, yet she knows a lot about complicated grown-up things. It's her journey of self-discovery that's most relatable, even for adults. She's learning how to both let go and hang on, something most people struggle a lifetime to discover.
I think I started crying by chapter three and sniffled on and off for the duration of the story (I completely lost it by the end). But as weird as this may sound, it was a happy kind of sad. Be prepared to invest in a lot of tissues when reading this one.
The shifts in point of view/narration and the parts that are fantasy surprised me a little, but I don't think that took away from the story. I loved the way everything came together in the end, and it made sense to tell the story that way.
I don't have a single negative thing to say about this book. I have a child around the same age as Autumn, and this book is definitely appropriate for me to share with him. (Other parents may not agree; there are references to intimacy, though nothing graphic, and it's clear in the story that Autumn's Great-Pop has shared them with her.) Everyone should read this book, and I'm of the opinion we should share it with our kids and talk with them about the themes.
Ms. O'Tierney has earned a new fan, and I plan to find and read as many of her other works as I can.
I give it 5 stars.
I was given this in return for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.
Amy
This is not merely a book about two men who fell in love at a time when they had to keep everything secret. It's also not merely a book about a dying man and his relationship with his beloved great-granddaughter. It's about how all relationships are complex and multi-faceted and how love doesn't just have one size or shape.
I loved the main narrator, Autumn, and her spirit. At twelve, she came across as perfectly realistic. She's at once very innocent and young, yet she knows a lot about complicated grown-up things. It's her journey of self-discovery that's most relatable, even for adults. She's learning how to both let go and hang on, something most people struggle a lifetime to discover.
I think I started crying by chapter three and sniffled on and off for the duration of the story (I completely lost it by the end). But as weird as this may sound, it was a happy kind of sad. Be prepared to invest in a lot of tissues when reading this one.
The shifts in point of view/narration and the parts that are fantasy surprised me a little, but I don't think that took away from the story. I loved the way everything came together in the end, and it made sense to tell the story that way.
I don't have a single negative thing to say about this book. I have a child around the same age as Autumn, and this book is definitely appropriate for me to share with him. (Other parents may not agree; there are references to intimacy, though nothing graphic, and it's clear in the story that Autumn's Great-Pop has shared them with her.) Everyone should read this book, and I'm of the opinion we should share it with our kids and talk with them about the themes.
Ms. O'Tierney has earned a new fan, and I plan to find and read as many of her other works as I can.
I give it 5 stars.
I was given this in return for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.
Amy
August 21, 2016
After reading this, I’m going to have to stop saying, “I don’t read YA.” This was by far one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
This is not merely a book about two men who fell in love at a time when they had to keep everything secret. It’s also not merely a book about a dying man and his relationship with his beloved great-granddaughter. It’s about how all relationships are complex and multi-faceted and how love doesn’t just have one size or shape.
I loved the main narrator, Autumn, and her spirit. At twelve, she came across as perfectly realistic. She’s at once very innocent and young, yet she knows a lot about complicated grown-up things. It’s her journey of self-discovery that’s most relatable, even for adults. She’s learning how to both let go and hang on, something most people struggle a lifetime to discover.
I think I started crying by chapter three and sniffled on and off for the duration of the story (I completely lost it by the end). But as weird as this may sound, it was a happy kind of sad. Be prepared to invest in a lot of tissues when reading this one.
The shifts in point of view/narration and the parts that are fantasy surprised me a little, but I don’t think that took away from the story. I loved the way everything came together in the end, and it made sense to tell the story that way.
I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this book. I have a child around the same age as Autumn, and this book is definitely appropriate for me to share with him. (Other parents may not agree; there are references to intimacy, though nothing graphic, and it’s clear in the story that Autumn’s Great-Pop has shared them with her.) Everyone should read this book, and I’m of the opinion we should share it with our kids and talk with them about the themes.
Ms. O’Tierney has earned a new fan, and I plan to find and read as many of her other works as I can.
This is not merely a book about two men who fell in love at a time when they had to keep everything secret. It’s also not merely a book about a dying man and his relationship with his beloved great-granddaughter. It’s about how all relationships are complex and multi-faceted and how love doesn’t just have one size or shape.
I loved the main narrator, Autumn, and her spirit. At twelve, she came across as perfectly realistic. She’s at once very innocent and young, yet she knows a lot about complicated grown-up things. It’s her journey of self-discovery that’s most relatable, even for adults. She’s learning how to both let go and hang on, something most people struggle a lifetime to discover.
I think I started crying by chapter three and sniffled on and off for the duration of the story (I completely lost it by the end). But as weird as this may sound, it was a happy kind of sad. Be prepared to invest in a lot of tissues when reading this one.
The shifts in point of view/narration and the parts that are fantasy surprised me a little, but I don’t think that took away from the story. I loved the way everything came together in the end, and it made sense to tell the story that way.
I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this book. I have a child around the same age as Autumn, and this book is definitely appropriate for me to share with him. (Other parents may not agree; there are references to intimacy, though nothing graphic, and it’s clear in the story that Autumn’s Great-Pop has shared them with her.) Everyone should read this book, and I’m of the opinion we should share it with our kids and talk with them about the themes.
Ms. O’Tierney has earned a new fan, and I plan to find and read as many of her other works as I can.
March 24, 2015
synopsis:
autumn is 12 years old, and her great grandfather has a stroke. he is the one person in her huge family that autumn connects with, and she is devastated. autumn remembers the stories that her great-pop tommy has told her, including a secret story that no one else knows about the love of his life, roy. autumn is drawn to a strange dream world with a man named toren and rook, and she realizes that rook wants to take her great-pop from her. roy also visits autumn, and shares stories that autumn hasn't heard before, or without the flourishes that her great-pop has put in them, and she realizes that she has a choice: she can hold on to her great-pop or let him go.
what i liked: i liked the way the story was told, with a definite separation between each of the three parts: the present, the past as told by various people to autumn and the dream world of toren, rook and reigna. i liked tommy and roy together, and i liked that tommy found a kindred spirit in autumn. i liked that autumn came to the realization that she did.
what i didn't like: nothing.
autumn is 12 years old, and her great grandfather has a stroke. he is the one person in her huge family that autumn connects with, and she is devastated. autumn remembers the stories that her great-pop tommy has told her, including a secret story that no one else knows about the love of his life, roy. autumn is drawn to a strange dream world with a man named toren and rook, and she realizes that rook wants to take her great-pop from her. roy also visits autumn, and shares stories that autumn hasn't heard before, or without the flourishes that her great-pop has put in them, and she realizes that she has a choice: she can hold on to her great-pop or let him go.
what i liked: i liked the way the story was told, with a definite separation between each of the three parts: the present, the past as told by various people to autumn and the dream world of toren, rook and reigna. i liked tommy and roy together, and i liked that tommy found a kindred spirit in autumn. i liked that autumn came to the realization that she did.
what i didn't like: nothing.
November 12, 2014
Title: Most Beautiful Words
Author: Raine O'Tierney
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Reviewer: Jay
Genre: Young Adult
Type: Romance
Pairing: Gay
Length: Novel
Heat Rating: ♨♨
Book Rating: ★★★★½
This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
This story contains so much that no review will do it justice. The love between a granddaughter and her grandfather. The love of two men in a time when it had to be kept secret. The love between a man and a woman that were really best friends. We are reminded that true love never goes away, that love is complex, and of the heartfelt struggles surrounding letting go. This one will stick with you long after the last page is turned and you have shed many tears of sadness and joy.
Complete Review at WoDF - Most Beautiful Words
Author: Raine O'Tierney
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Reviewer: Jay
Genre: Young Adult
Type: Romance
Pairing: Gay
Length: Novel
Heat Rating: ♨♨
Book Rating: ★★★★½
This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
This story contains so much that no review will do it justice. The love between a granddaughter and her grandfather. The love of two men in a time when it had to be kept secret. The love between a man and a woman that were really best friends. We are reminded that true love never goes away, that love is complex, and of the heartfelt struggles surrounding letting go. This one will stick with you long after the last page is turned and you have shed many tears of sadness and joy.
Complete Review at WoDF - Most Beautiful Words
January 22, 2017
Oh man. I feel like I've been pulled in a hundred different directions, only being put back together again with the ending chapters.
I don't even know how to begin to explain this wonderful book. I laughed. I cried - several times. I wanted to shake Autumn and Roy too many times to name over their fight for Tommy. I reveled in Tommy and Roy's love for each other. I agonized over the difficulties that they suffered. I celebrated the life that Tommy was able to have, surrounded by his wonderful family.
And I hurt for a young girl and the loss of her Great-Pop that she struggled with.
This book was beyond my expectations, and I'm so glad that I was able to read it.
I don't even know how to begin to explain this wonderful book. I laughed. I cried - several times. I wanted to shake Autumn and Roy too many times to name over their fight for Tommy. I reveled in Tommy and Roy's love for each other. I agonized over the difficulties that they suffered. I celebrated the life that Tommy was able to have, surrounded by his wonderful family.
And I hurt for a young girl and the loss of her Great-Pop that she struggled with.
This book was beyond my expectations, and I'm so glad that I was able to read it.
November 30, 2015
Hmm, somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me.
A tearjerker, and the
I might change this review later after thinking about the story more.
A tearjerker, and the
I might change this review later after thinking about the story more.
December 9, 2015
It was a really difficult book to read, dealing with an hard issue such as death. But the way it was faced is really sweet and strong. I think it's really difficult to let go people you love, and this book teach us to let go. Well written even if confusing in some passage, nonetheless a very agreeable book. Touching.
May 18, 2015
Almost a five star read. The writing is excellent, the plot is very unique and well done, but the character of Autumn is just a little off the mark; it was hard to imagine a 12 year-old doing some of the things she did.
Four Stars!
Four Stars!
Want to read
October 13, 2014I won this book in a giveaway and am very excited to read it. I've heard great things about Raine's writing.
December 15, 2015
Most Beautiful Words by Raine O’Tierney: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwid... 2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
January 10, 2016
I spent a box of tissues on that one ...
November 21, 2016
3.5 Stars. Sort of bittersweet while reading but with an HEA after all.
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