The Man Who Left
by Theresa Weir
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Pub Date Mar 03 2013 | Archive Date Jun 14 2014
Description
2013 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
2013 BARNES & NOBLE BESTSELLER2013 AMAZON.COM BESTSELLER2013 iTUNES BESTSELLER
What readers are saying: "Even better than THE ORCHARD!"
~~~THE MAN WHO LEFT is a memoir about the importance of fathers. It's about
the men who leave, and the men who stay.
It's a familiar story. Father leaves his wife and children and never
looks back. Theresa Weir was five when her father left his family for a better
life with a wealthy socialite. Many years passed with only occasional and
grudging contact by Theresa's father. When Theresa married into a successful
farm family, her father resurfaced, but she couldn't help but be suspicious of
his awkward visits.
Years later, when the aging socialite dies and Theresa's father is
diagnosed with Alzheimer's, people expect Theresa to move to Florida to care
for him. A daughter's duty.
This is Theresa's personal story of a strained and painful
father/daughter relationship.
What does a daughter owe the father who abandoned her?
From the editor:
THE MAN WHO LEFT could be considered a companion to the stunning memoir
THE ORCHARD. But where THE ORCHARD is a dark fairy tale, THE MAN WHO LEFT is
pure Middle American gothic, told in Theresa Weir's unadorned yet richly
powerful and emotionally resonant style. A story about the burdens of
remembering and the costs of forgetting, THE MAN WHO LEFT poignantly chronicles
the emotional consequences of betrayal and abandonment by those who are
supposed to love us the most.
A Note From the Publisher
THE MAN WHO LEFT could be considered a companion to the stunning memoir
THE ORCHARD. But where THE ORCHARD is a dark fairy tale, THE MAN WHO LEFT is
pure Middle American gothic, told in Theresa Weir's unadorned yet richly
powerful and emotionally resonant style. A story about the burdens of
remembering and the costs of forgetting, THE MAN WHO LEFT poignantly chronicles
the emotional consequences of betrayal and abandonment by those who are
supposed to love us the most.
Advance Praise
What readers are saying: "Better than The Orchard!"
"Theresa Weir is skilled at breaking my heart with her engaging, authentic prose. The Man Who Left can be read as a stand alone, but it can easily be considered a companion memoir to her critically acclaimed The Orchard. An honest and emotional account of Alzheimer's and absence that I highly recommend." ~ Book End Babes
"This book, as everyone points out, is a companion piece to "The Orchard," a memoir about Theresa's marriage. I loved that book and thought it was the best thing I read in 2011. So I was quick to pick up this book which is about the author's earlier life. Again, I found it mesmerizing. I am fascinated by getting behind the doors of America's households and Theresa allows us in to her teenage life here (also, her later life, helping out her elderly father who abandoned the family.) Highly Recommended. Paul LaRosa, author of Leaving Story AvenueMarketing Plan
From the author of The Orchard
PRAISE FOR THE ORCHARD
An Oprah Magazine Fall Pick
Featured Review in Entertainment Weekly
Number Two on October Indie Next List
BJ's Book Club Spotlight
LIbrarians' Best Books of
2011Maclean's Top Books of 2011
On Point (NPR) Best Books of 2011
Abrams Best of 2011
Publishers Lunch (Publishers Weekly) Favorite Books of 2011Best
Nonfiction of 2011
One Book, One Community Read
Target Book Club Pick, September 2012
Books-A-Million February 2013 Book Club Pick
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781475049404 |
| PRICE | $13.99 (USD) |
Average rating from 13 members
Featured Reviews
Willa a, Reviewer
Reviewed from e-arc provided by NetGalley
In her second memoir, romance and mystery writer Theresa Weir writes the antithesis of a romance: the story of a man who deserted his true love, and their children, for the sake of a wealthy lifestyle with a much older woman. It's also a mystery that will never be solved.
The first person narrative alternates between young Theresa's past, a harrowing story of children left at the mercy of an insane and abusive mother, and present day Theresa's attempts to connect with the father she had seen "fewer than twenty times since he and my mother divorced fifty years ago," who has Alzheimer's disease. The story of her relationship with her father, what there was of it, is a history of neglect and slights: a rare visit to his wealthy home, where she finds her Christmas presents to him still unopened months later; a desperate letter that got no response. Yet somehow she can't quite let the connection go, despite how much he deserves it, despite how pointless it is:
Alzheimer's has removed the chance of my being able to find closure and possibly forgive him. I always thought someday we would discuss what happened, and maybe I would eventually come to understand why he did what he did. But now, even when he's right in front of me, I know I'll never have the answers I need. Everything is unfinished.
Yet it's not at all an unsatisfying book -- though like The Orchard, it's certainly a painful one to read. Although Weir's questions may never be answered, her raw testimony is powerful and important.
Lynda S, Reviewer
Thought Provoking & Brutally Honest. Amazingly well-written. This is a book that makes you think – just what would you do if faced with these same decisions. Although The Man Who Left is a companion book to Ms. Weir’s book The Orchard, this does read as a stand-alone. Enjoy! NetGalley and Belfry Press provided an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Reviewer 21037
I have enjoyed Theresa Weir's writing since her early books in the late 1980's, and I am always thrilled when she comes out with a new book. It is rare for me to enjoy memoirs, but hers flow so smoothly that I love them as much as fiction. She is a great storyteller, no matter what genre she chooses. This book is the story of her father and their rather difficult relationship. It really made me feel for what the author has been through in her life. I have liked learning more about Theresa Weir in her memoirs, and hope she will write more of them. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan
General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
