• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

January 6, 2011 by Dawn

What could be better than starting the year’s reading off with a book that will remain in your heart for a long time? Having just finished Walter Mosley’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, I can confidently say that I have started my reading off right, and I’m happy to have my first new book recommendation of the year.

With Ptolemy Grey as a protagonist, this book immediately pulled me in right from the first pages. At ninety-one, Ptolemy’s mind is failing him, having become crowded and difficult to navigate, no different than his neglected apartment and its overflowing mess. When a teenaged friend of a relative enters his life, he is touched by the respect and attention she gives him, and its enough to nudge him to seek a doctor’s care in hopes that some treatment could be rendered. The treatment is available, he discovers, but it is uncertain and any possible positive effects would come at a likely significant price. Weighing the potential clarity of mind that would be followed by a hastened death against the certain continued decline of his mental capacity, Ptolemy takes a leap, fueled by the feeling that he has significant unfinished business in his life to which he must attend.

What follows is a story that combines the power of Ptolemy’s memories with the sudden ability to see the present more clearly than ever before, and it is an incredibly powerful one at that. Even when the Ptolemy was deep in the throes of dementia, he still managed to be more compelling and interesting than most fictional characters, and his character comes to life for readers through snippets of memories from throughout his life, especially those involving his childhood mentor, Coy. As a result, the blurriness of his character sharpens for us as he continues to tell his story, coinciding with his own path of clarity.

Immediately, I was taken by this story, and I longed to help Ptolemy put the pieces of his mind back together to fulfill my curiosity. This novel exemplifies impeccable writing- not one word was out of place or unnecessary, there wasn’t one bit of fluff. The dog-earred pages of my copy mark numerous passages that just blew me away, like this one:

“The older you get the more you live in the past,” Coy intoned like a minsiter introducing his sermon. “Old man like me don’t have no first blue sky or thunderstorm or kiss. Old man like me don’t laugh at the taste of a strawberry or smell his own stink and smile. You right there in the beginnin’ when everything was new and true. My world is made outta ash and memories, broken bones and pain.”

The characters’ voices immediately jumped off the page in their authenticity, and this entire novel was tinged by a palpable tenderness that comes at the end of a long lived life. There’s no doubt that The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is my first entry on this year’s 5 Star Reads compilation, and I’m recommending it highly as a novel that simply needs to be read.

Dawn has always been lured by a good story, and she’s happily passing the love for books on to her children. Their (mis)adventures and other various tidbits from life are chronicled on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

Filed Under: 5 Star Reads, Dawn, Fiction

« Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden
Goodnight Tweetheart »

Comments

  1. Jen B. says

    January 6, 2011 at 7:01 am

    I have read many of the 5 star reads and enjoyed them all. I’m finishing up Her Fearful Symmetry and then I will read this one. Sounds great. It’s always nice to have a good book to look forward to-thanks!

    • Dawn says

      January 6, 2011 at 7:45 am

      I’m so happy to hear that our strongest recommendations are resonating with you, Jen!! This one is truly, truly incredible. I’m realizing that I didn’t mention that there is some strong language at times in this novel that is certainly realistic for the setting and characters’ lives. If that’s something that may concern you, just be prepared.

      Thanks for your kind comment! And I would love to hear what you thought of HFS– such a unique story, and definitely one that had me entranced.

  2. Melissa says

    January 6, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Ohhh…you should follow this up with ‘The Sentamentalists. Canadian Giller Prize Winner. It is sort of a similar read and AMAZING!

    • Dawn says

      January 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm

      Thanks for the recommendation, Melissa- I’ll have to check it out!

  3. Amy says

    January 6, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    This sounds good. Thanks for the review!

  4. Lauren says

    January 11, 2011 at 9:13 am

    This sounds like a wonderful book, Dawn. Thanks for the recommendation!

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • Devil’s Delight
  • The Color Line
  • Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
  • The Greenleaf Murders
  • Chaos at Carnegie Hall

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316