Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus (Harriet Beamer Series)

I love the premise And the core of the plot, but three big issues keep this from being more than mediocre.First, a major flaw is that Harriet (and her friend back in Philly) simply are not believable. I’m in their age group and widowed almost 10 years. Most of my friends are in the same age group and some have husbands who take care of most things. BUT none of us are as ignorant of modern life and current language (word knowledge and usage) as Harriet. All of us have smart phones, know about various transportation, etc, etc. Not only is her being so out of touch unbelievable, so is the dialogue of most of the characters, particularly their expressions of surprise and amazement.Second, far too much irrelevant comments are tossed in. For example, after Harriet boards Amtrak in St Louis, she comments that she can’t see much difference between business class and coach. The chapter ends with “Maybe a bit more legroom.” Theses numerous off-hand comments throughout the book are irrelevant and distracting. This sentence is also one of many sentence fragments.I was reading along, thinking all the info about the various towns, depots, etc she visited were fairly accurate (due to the use of specific place names, etc). Then I got to ch 23. Numerous times reference is made to Collinsville, Illinois, and that’s exactly epwhere Collinsvilke is — in Illinois. Then, near the end of the chapter, the text says “collinsville in Missouri” before again referring to Collinsville, IL. There is no Collinsville in Missouri! This is an obvious error that should have been caught and corrected. It made me wonder how many other errors were left uncirrected.

RECAP: I heard about this book on a podcast about books with an older female protagonist. The story begins when Harriet Beamer loses a bet with her daughter-in-law. Losing meant she would agree to move from Pennsylvania to California to live with her son and his wife. She's 72 and though she agrees to go, she's going to do it her way . . . by bus. Not the Greyhound bus, but public transportation local buses. This story chronicles the interesting, quirky, memorable, and harrowing events she encounters along the way. It's a delightful story, somewhat light in nature and content, but very much a fun read.BLUSH FACTOR: You can loan it to your grandmother when you're finished - the conservative one.THE WRITING: Good, but sometimes I couldn't tell if the typos were editing errors or were created to denote the dialect of the person speaking.STAND-ALONE OR CLIFFHANGER ENDING? – Though this book is part of a series, you aren't left hanging and could stop after just one book.BOTTOM LINE: If you're looking for a fun, light read, look no further. You'll laugh and cry as you make your way across country with Harriet.

Joyce Magnin’s books are always good for a good chuckle or belly laugh. Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus is no exception. When Harriet loses a bet to her daughter-in-law and is forced to move from her home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania to Grass Valley, California, she decides that she needs to have some purpose in her life and begins with a cross country trip that involves traveling on public transportation. With the exception of a planned visit to the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, Harriet’s itinerary is based on whim and Amelia, her phone’s GPS. Along the way, Harriet meets people that help her out and many she helps out in return. A journey of discovering what God’s pleasure is all about, Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus is a thoroughly satisfying jaunt.Harriet is seventy-two years old and has never really been anywhere. Her salt and pepper shaker collection consists of finds from other people’s travels. Her idea of traveling across the country on public transportation is met with enthusiasm from her best friend and those she meets along the way, and concern from her son Henry, who spends the time awaiting his mother’s arrival with a little discovery of his own. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and not a little bit of envy at the inventive ways Harriet travels and the things she experiences. Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus is inventive, the characters fun and bit a quirky and the trip altogether enjoyable.Recommended.Audience: adults.

Being of a ‘similar’ age as Harriet, I fell in love with this book. Harriet is someone we want to be at our age ... courageous, a tiny bit afraid, not ready to roll over and simply get older, but looking for an adventure and purpose in life!!! Can’t wait to read about her next adventure. You can’t help but love Harriet Beamer. 😁😁

I expected this book to be as exciting as its title. Instead, it was a delightful story of a 72 year old woman, whose only son keeps telling her to sell her house and move in with him. She lives in Pennsylvania, he lives in Grass Valley, CA. She doesn't want to, but eventually she caves. Instead of taking the direct route, she decides she wants to see more of the country than the small town she's always lived in. And so, instead of hopping a cross-country flight or train, she takes primarily public transportation, as well as some modes of travel that are less than conventional, to cross the country. The descriptions of the places she stopped were interesting enough to make me want to wander the country myself. This book is a definite treasure.

Harriet Beamer is not ready “to be put out to pasture.“ She is ready to try out her fledgling wings and make the trip across country the l-o-n-g way— bus stop to bus stop, train to train, and even motorcycle to helicopter, oh my! She meets people, she meets herself and she meets God in action. She resolves family conflicts and internal conflicts and in the end resolves to finish her journey to its destination where lays no broken dreams.This book was a real pleasure to read. It was smooth and maintained my interest. It was also inspirational. I highly recommend it to everyone (and especially any of my gray-haired reading friends :-)

Joyce Magnin writes a fine book,I have read all in the Brights Pond series,and have enjoyed reading them all,I did think this was another one but it isn't.The story is about Harriet who is off to live with her son and daughter in law,but instead of going straight there she takes the long way,using public transport and stopping over along the way,where she meets some nice people,and not so nice,sees some lovely sights and not so nice,along the way collecting her beloved salt shakers of which she is an avid collector,go along with Harriet and see how she copes,enjoyable read,and as usual well written by the author.

THis is my first meeting with Harriet Beamer. and I have discovered that she is,a most likeable character. The down to earth humour in every situation is food for thought. I could not put this book down, it is always full of surprises. Highly recommend it