The plot builds relentlessly and so well that by the end one does not know whether to laugh or cry
The Man Who Loved Funerals is the story of Charlie, a homeless man who reads the obituaries each day and chooses a funeral. He makes friends with the dead because he finds them dependable. He visits them at their graves and shres his most intimate thoughts with them. Then one day, he meets Lisa, an exciting woman who is dying of cancer. They fall in love and Charlie teaches her to accept death while she teaches him to live. Lisa dies. And just as a Zen master chops wood and carries water until he reaches enlightenment and then enlightened chaps wood and carries water, Charlie returns to his daily funeral, now celebrating life.
Excerpt
"One of the things I love most about you, Charlie, is your wonderful listening ear," Lisa said one day as she sat on the back porch swing.
"I think I learned to listen at funerals. They have taught me so much about life and death."
"I can see that, Charlie. Death isn't a stranger to you. He's an old friend."
"I wouldn't call him an old friend. He's more like a relative who keeps showing up on your door step, always causing trouble, but because he is family you got to take him in."x
I didn't read the book but I think I would like to. I have seen you on TV many times in regards to your visits with Mother Teresa. I have this book given to me from a friend. Keep on Keeping on. 'lil flower
Reviewed by Joyce Grubbe
3/11/2003
The Man Who loved Funerals is a different kind of love story. The main characters are unique and yet believable. Their brief time together is the highlight of each of their lives. I couldn't put the book down.
It kept me turning pages,eager to see what fix Charlie would find himself in and whether he would get back to his beloved Lisa.
I laughed and I cried. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a story to remember.
Reviewed by Bob Gover
9/9/2001
Charlie, the man who loved funerals is quite a character. He's both comic and pathetic or vulnerable, a nice mix. The author has a solid sense of what's relevent. Charlie's relationship with Lisa is touching. The events come at a brisk pace with plot turns that are both surprising and within the story's context, believable, the best kind of plot turn. Any reader will know he's in the hands of an intelligent, witty author early within this novel and she's added to that confidence builder with fine insights, humor and romance. THE MAN WHO LOVED FUNERALS is something I'll never forget. It has that indefinable something that will stay embedded in my mind forever or until I have no mind as I now know it.
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