"There are two kinds of old folks, those like you and me, who resent the stereotype, and the rest who are the stereotype."
347272
Chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the six best mysteries of 2006, Impulse involves the reader in two mysteries, one recent, and one from twenty-five years earlier.  Frank Meredith Smith, returning to Scott Academy, his Baltimore boarding school, for his fiftieth reunion, has been under suspicion at his Arizona home for four years, ever since his wife Sandy disappeared without a trace.  The author of mystery stories and of a successful TV series, Frank has mixed feelings about this reunion.  A "Campus Kid," whose father was a well-loved English teacher at Scott, Frank loved the freedom of exploring the 900-acre campus, but he also suffered the loss of his older brother Jack as a direct result of an incident at Scott.

His return to campus is greeted enthusiastically by Brad Stark, Director of Development, who is hoping that he will persuade Frank to make a considerable donation to the school.  To keep Frank interested in the school, Stark persuades Frank to investigate and possibly write about the disappearance of four twelve-year-olds who had been part of the 25th reunion class.

The action cuts from scene to scene, sometimes without transitions, as the author presents characters in action.  The reader must often fill in the blanks regarding when, where, and who is involved in some of these short scenes, but eventually all connect to the central mysteries.  While Frank is in Baltimore, police detectives in Arizona unearth new information about his wife's death.  In a conversation with Frank, his daughter Barbara betrays her own uncertainty about her father's role in her mother's disappearance.  In the meantime, Rosemary Mitchell, an old friend and fellow "Campus Kid," becomes Frank's assistant investigating the disappearances of the four young boys--or was it five?

The novel is beautifully paced, with both mysteries unfolding simultaneously and keeping the reader constantly involved with the action.  Frank is a sympathetic main character, and his daughter Barbara's questions about her mother's death and her father's possible role in it are natural and understandable.  Rosemary Mitchell, as Frank's 66-year-old companion, is realistic, not at all Miss Marple-ish, and the complications of the 25-year-old case provide plausible twists regarding the disappearances of the four young boys.  Though the writing is not always smooth and the use of transitions between some of the scenes might make the action a bit easier to follow, the mysteries and their resolutions are top-notch.  n  Mary Whipple
3113551
The story line for this book is good but the characters are unlikeable, shallow stereotypes. The main character, Ella, comes across as a tottering old fool at the age of 73. Ella and her family look down their nose at people different than they are. They are very disrespectful to everyone including each other. The whole family treats Goldie, Ella's Cherokee helper, as though she is a child. In one scene when Goldie is telling a story about Cherokee beliefs, Tyler basically rolls his eyes and says "whatever". This from a man who has traveled the world and is highly educated? In the end I didn't feel that any of the characters learned anything or changed in any way.

One of the editorial reviews says "When you are from the South, as I am, these are the characters you wish were in your family." I am from the South and very glad these characters are not part of my family, except for maybe Goldie.

As mentioned in some reviews, the sex scenes are graphic. They could have been less graphic and still told the same story.
3414967
Great old film, points out how others view the unknown and stereotypes
4695706
I agree with the person who states they are a quadriplegic and says it is a horrible way for us to view people in this situation.  I believe it cheapens life in society's view.  "Disposable people"??
2352167
Being 78 and having lived through the heyday of stage musicals, I suppose I have a certain bias. However, this does NOT justify The DESTRUCTIVE "modern treatment" given by these performers, many of whom do not appeal to me at all. If they want to ruin some music, have them ruin some of the "modern stuff", SOME of which I consider trash. I am very sorry I listened to it, and even more sorry that I purchased it.
548222
I was taught to hang on to the old midwestern values.  Now at age 70 I find that I am not happy with my present or my past.  My children do not show the same respect to me that I was expected to show older people in my family.  This book is helping to Let Go of so much baggage and expectation of the way my family would show me love in return for all I did for them when they were growing up.
3970101
Not my favorite.  The 'old lady' had very little remorse for someone who caused so much heartache.
3348620
An unsettling read, A C Thompson takes us into the world of Assisted Living, which most of us know something about....or thought we did. An industry with its roots, during the late 60s early 70s, in dignity, self-reliance, self-identity and self-determination for older adults who couldn't quite live alone, but were not ready for the nursing home-- begun by a man who watched his own mother languish in a home that added to her trouble and robbed her of esteem and self-respect-- has bloomed hundreds of vast and vastly under-regulated companies. In order to start the assisted living movement, many of the rules applicable to nursing homes were unnecessary. But, instead of starting new regulation and planning from the ground up. this kind of senior care managed to get hitched onto the creaky rules and regulations which govern rooming houses! Unstructured and unrestricted, fueled by an ageing population with a bit of savings and no need for complete care yet-- vast, wealthy companies grew; they made communities of outer beauty and inner chaos. They provided enticing just-like-home. cozy-- even luxurious-- centers where folks might have a small apartment furnished with beloved belongings from home, be served restaurant-style in elegant dining halls. And, as the companies grew, so did their clout. As the problems of the assisted living model became apparent. The companies, often big employers in job-poor areas, pushed back at any and every attempt at regulation and over-sight. Their new corporate motto became "get the heads on the beds" and SELL. And never let anyone leave, no matter how ill a person became. And of course this aggressive selling ended up with poorer care, and the admission of people who were really too ill to be in an assisted living model that left people alone, taking in people with Alzheimer's and other illnesses they were not equipped to handle.

The story is told through one family's struggle with a particularly bad company, who took in --for an extremely hefty fee-- an older couple. The husband could easily live in the apartment style quarters, but his wife had advancing Alzheimer's and had to be put in (a more expensive) housing for residents with dementia. She had a tendency to fall, especially by trying to get herself out of bed on her own, and this, they were assured, would be completely handled here. It was supposedly safer, with special arrangement to keep these poor residents from wandering off, not taking medication, and-- perhaps most important of all-- receiving extra stimulation and human contact with other residents and most especially the specially trained staff who were at the forefront of working with dementia, easing troubles and perhaps even improving lives and health,calming fears and restoring order and serenity. The children of this couple, and their father, were impressed by the home. It's lovely layout, the homeyness and cleanliness, the beauty of the surroundings and more importantly, the seemingly upright and caring attitude, training, efficiency and kindness of its knowledgeable staff, which they were assured was large and well-vetted. Mom would have stimulation and care 24/7, her husband would visit her every day. Their children, who all lived at around one hour away from the facility, were thankful and eased by the sales-pitch, the people they met, and the surroundings. They hoped their frail parents would flourish here. Like most of us, they believed that, like a nursing home or hospital, there would be strict regulations and oversight to ensure their parent's welfare and safety.

They were dead wrong. And the realizations started slowly, then cascaded, as their trust and hearts were broken.
This is a must-read for retirees, their children, and anyone who wants to see an end to greed and absolute heartlessness and a return to rationality in healthcare and the business model in general.
4466966
This is a great book to read.  It helps you think differently about how to treat the people that you just do not like.
957525
This is a good read.  The culture of the time is shocking and the attitude toward the less fortunate is appalling.
288929
Controversial subject matter that we have to deal with but many people choose to turn a blind eye towards it.
2028150
ON THE ONE HAND HE IS COMPLAINING ABT BAD TREATMENT GIVEN TO BLACK PEOPLE AND ON THE OTHER HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT SAME PEOPLE DO NOTHING TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES.
JB
73902
It was well written,  yet heart wrenching to know that one human being could treat another human in such a derogatory way. As an African American,  I struggled reading Mudbound because of the disrespect given someone who fought for his country, only to  return to his country and treated so brutely, like a second class citizen. It was very offensive at times!
1576283
We are all entitled to our opinions, but to say Maestro Haitink "isn't ready for the old folks home," is truly mean and insulting. Haitink is one of the few remaining conductors alive that give ecstatic musical interpretations in this day and time.
4659077
"You ever consider that maybe you are not supposed to 'fit'? People who make history rarely do."
"I feel a little defeated. Knowing there are people who don't want me to succeed is depressing. Especially coming from two directions."

The novel takes the readers to the heart of a matter, racism and prejudice, and tells the story in an emotionally moving way.
4717433
I love books about people buying old houses and fixing them up, but this is not a memoir about DIY. It's a books about two people who bought a beautiful wreck of a Tudor castle in Wales and then resented anyone else who showed any interest in what they were doing.

Unlike the others who have reviewed this book, I did not like it. The reason? I didn't like the two homeowners. They were set on buying a piece of Welsh heritage -- and even got public money from the Welsh government to buy back things that had been stripped out of the house -- but made no bones about the fact that they resented having to let anyone else into the house to appreciate it. They actively avoided answering the door when paying visitors stopped by, they were very obviously resentful of their B&B customers, and they hated people stopping by to see what they were doing with the house. Frankly, these two really put me off. I would never want to stay in or visit a place where the owners were so resentful of my presence ... and their attitude does a disservice to the house.

The author herself says that she and her husband are misanthropes, and in my opinion people-hating people shouldn't be in the service industry. These two knew they would have to let in visitors to their house because they didn't have the financial means to restore the place otherwise. But rather than be gracious about it, they made it clear that it really inconvenienced them.
2497911
We're all so tired of the same old, same old. Read this and realize many of us think alike. We need to pull our country together - it's being torn apart by people who would like to keep the minorities down. Grow  smarter - read Deneen's book then pass it on, send out a few copies to our