I read this book in short bursts so that I could savor the characters. What fun. To really get the most from this book, I recommend reading The Funeral Makers first.

This is the second book I've read by Cathie Pelletier and the story keeps getting better. The Funeral Maker being the first of the trilogy, I can't wait to read the third. These caracters just won't quit. What a great read when you just want to relax and have a good laugh. I will definitely read every book by this author and I dare say if you read one, you're hooked. Keep them coming.

For the unabridged flavor of northern Maine, Cathie Pelletier delivers. I've read three of her books so far, and they've all been good. For a good story, I recommend them strongly.

I was a bookseller in the audience the night Cathie Pelletier picked up her award in Boston for this book, the New England Book Sellers Award. And never has one been more deserved. This has got to be one of the best novels of American life and progress and folklore ever put in print. What a shame future readers will have to search to find it unless it's put back in print. OPRAH, where are you on this one?

I won't bother to recap the theme of the novel, since that's been done quite adequately elsewhere, but I will say that this novel is very funny and sad at the same time - I was either laughing or crying with each page. The author brings these characters to life with such love and depth of feeling that I feel like I know them. I bought this book hoping to learn a little more about the state of Maine and its people (I've recently moved here) and I ended up discovering a new author to add to my list of favorites. Don't miss this one!

The Weight of Winter is one of Pelletier's best yet. This book offers a brilliant description of small town America. She has a magical way of painting a story in which she weaves together layers of tales so true to life that you begin to feel for and with each character. Pelletier has a gifted knack for describiing the small town attitude and character of New England. I strongly recommend this to people who like books with heart, character and New England charm

I think that anything Cathie Pelletier writes would be beautiful, and she's proven it again by taking on someone else's childhood story of a Christmas visit from Santa, to a poor child in Kentucky. You and your kids will really love this poignant tale.

Skeeter Davis, the greatest of Grand Old Opry female vocalists, has written an unforgettable children's Christmas book based on her own childhood. This is THE book to give to children for Christmas - about the true meaning of Christmas versus material gifts. The children you love could scarcely have a better role model than the wonderful Miss Davis, truly one of the most beautiful souls around and a great human being.

Someone needs to wise up and get this book back in print. I had to search all over hell and finally ended up buying it from an online shop. I'm a big Cathie Pelletier fan, but I had missed this one when it came out. What a film this would make! I wish I were like Rosemary in this story. What a woman. And Uncle Bishop is the uncle we all wish we had. I laughed all right, but the sad moments curbed it for me in just the right ways.

The most wonderful thing about this lovely book is that it's more about Americana than country music. (I'm not even that big a fan of country--I bought it because I'm a Cathie Pelltier fan--I love her novels!) But I ended up reading every story and loving them all, especially the ones for Jeanne Pruett (I saw it in COUNTRY CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL, too) Skeeter Davis, and Jimmy C. Newman. Great reading. I also like Ronnie Milsap's tale of the past.

Throughout the years, I have not read such an honest piece of literary work. Born and raised in Fort Kent, Maine, I have had the opportunity to view the world that Cathie Pelletier writes about. This book sheds light on the trials and tribulations of what small town life is like, and how people can sometimes distance themselves from more highly populated areas. The author's use of words allows the reader to get a clear picture of the setting that she is depicting, and is an excellent read for anyone wanting to experience what life is like in a different kind of society. Cathie Pelletier is successful in transforming you, and offers a creative edge to it. This book is definitely worth your time.

This book will play with all possible emotions. It
is very funny and sad at the same time. The caracters
are everyday people trying to cope with the ups and
downs of life. The author Cathy Pelletier is new to me
but I will surely read every book she puts out. Get this
book and enjoy. A refreshing read.

How in the world have I missed reading this author's work? Many thanks to the Amazon reviewers for introducing me to Cathie Pelletier. This novel is excellent, the woman knows how to write a story. The trials and tribulations of the McKinnon family makes for some poignant and hilarious reading. As one of the reviewers on the book jacket states it really is like a "Northern Southern" novel, only it's far better than most of the "Southern" genre I have read. The quality of the writing is top-notch, I will absolutly be reading other work by this author. Five stars without hesitation!

"Beaming Sonny Home" is the first novel I have read by Cathie Pelletier, and I intend to read her entire body of work.
What a storyteller! She is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. This is some of the best writing I've read in my entire life. It is easy to follow, very descriptive about it's characters and everything that evolves around them. She knows how to make a story funny and touching at the same time. Also, this story kept me glued. It was hard to put down as I was having such a good time reading it.
It's about a family, well, mostly it's about, Mattie Gifford, the mother of "Sonny", of the title. To grab the attention of his estranged wife, Sonny kidnaps two women and a dog and holds them hostage in a trailer park. Sonny isn't your usual criminal. He seems like a happy go lucky guy, that just can't get it together. Now he has gone and lost it, really lost it. Although, you can't help but love this character.
Mattie also has three adult daughters that drive her crazy. Even though she doesn't seem to have the same close bond with her daughters as she does with her criminal son, Sonny, you see that there is love in this family unit. Extended family, and Mattie's dead husband, Lester are more characters that come bounding from the story.
This is a writer who knows how to write great characters with strength and integrity. There are so many tender momments sprinkled throughout the story that bring laughter to the lips and tears to the eyes.
The story starts when the crime happens, and follows the family throughout the next few days. It is a great story about relationships and how they evolve when tragedy strikes. Mattie is a character that I can sympathize with, and I admire for the changes she goes through in the story's outcome.
The book reminded me a bit of "Divine Sisters of the Ya Ya", in the sense of the family relationships and the humour. Although, I think that Pelletier is the better writer. She is simply divine, and so is this story.
I am highly recommending this one, it's a good one!

Reading "Beaming Sonny Home" was like hearing the high pitched whine of a siren thus causing me to become an ambulance or fire truck chaser to inspect the end result- or the blood and guts of Sonny's erroneous decisions. The plot carried me downriver towards a mad rushing waterfall. I got a sense of inevitability in Sonny's crisis despite Mattie's longing to stop her son from making mistake after mistake. She seems to be his sole supporter in his self-imposed crisis. Pelletier examines their relationship in depth. Mattie reflects on what she did wrong in raising him while the daughters do all they can to deflate her belief and hope in Sonny. This book captured my attention from beginning to end. The conclusion was different from Pelletier's other books because it had an unexpected twist of which I could not foresee. Read "Beaming Sonny Home" as an example of the wide scope of Pelletier's talent.

I taught this book and Pelletier's FUNERAL MAKERS in a university course on the Contemporary American Novel. Pelletier quickly became the favorite author of the group. She has an ability to reach out and grab the largest themes of life and death and bring them down to earth for everyone to understand. Unlike so many of the new novelists, she isn't just dealing with her own angst, but trying to figure out the BIG questions out there in simple terms. Wonderful and lasting work. Could be a wonderful, intelligent and funny movie.

I enjoyed this book. Parts of it are very funny, but it also has a serious side. The lesson learned by the main character was something all people can relate to. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about real people and real life (and also enjoy a little comedy!).

Loved this book, being of the Woodstock generation myself. I appreciated the intergenerational slant of this book and plan to read it again.
Bound to stand the test of time.

Not sure what the previous reviewer missed, but it was a lot! I read reviews of this in San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times when it came out and it sounded great. But didn't get a copy in my hands to read until a few months ago when I found it in a bookstore in D.C. I stayed up all night laughing my you-know-what off as well as feeling the pain that comes with a failed relationship and approaching middle age. I say the author nailed it for us, as one reviewer says on the paperback. "She taught us about our generation." I agree.