New Book Alert: The Adventures of George and Mabel: Based On More Almost (Kind of? Sort of? Could Be!) True Stories by Stefanie Hutcheson; More Warmth To Overcome the Darkness from the Darling Duo

 

New Book Alert: The Adventures of George and Mabel: Based On More Almost (Kind of? Sort of? Could Be!) True Stories by Stefanie Hutcheson; More Warmth To Overcome the Darkness from the Darling Duo

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: That legendary adorable darling duo, George and Mabel Harrison are back and in a troubled year, particularly for this Reviewer, not a moment too soon.

In The Adventures of George and Mabel: Based On More Almost (Kind of? Sort of? Could Be!) True Stories, Stefanie Hutcheson gives us more of the same: more charming escapist stories about the heartwarming optimistic husband and wife. That's not bad in this case. In fact, it's nice to see the two and their wide circle of friends and family again.

This time Hutcheson widens the scope to focus not just on the eponymous team, but on their friends and family and members. The first chapter begins at George and Mabel's anniversary party when George's sister in law, Melissa goes into labor. She and her husband, Mark, are inspired by George and Melissa's tale of meeting when they were kids and George's fascination with the Little Red Haired Girl from Peanuts and pleasure of meeting a real life Little Red Haired Girl in Mabel. So inspired that Melissa and Mark name their newborn daughter, Charlie Brown Harrison. (A boy's name, yes, but my sister's nickname has been Charlie since she was a baby and as Mabel pointed out there is a famous song about a boy named Sue.) This chapter and two later ones when George and Mabel talk to their young nieces and nephews give us some insights into the younger generation of this family and how close they bond with the older ones.

We also experience family gatherings and through them we begin to recognize a sense of loss through the humor and memories. One incident occurs while visiting Mabel's mother, Lululemon, when one of her relatives has a Vietnam flashback during dinner.

 We also get a look at a conversation between Mabel and her sister, Valerie, as they discuss the childhood of Kate. Kate is a distant relative who grew up in Germany in the 1930's and who greatly resembles Sophia from the Golden Girls.

 The characters treat these incidents lightly as some of those things, but their humor appears to be defense mechanisms to disguise their concern when a family member has gone or is going through something terrible. All you can do is be there for them for moral support and provide what understanding that you can.

Another moment occurs when George drives his aging mother, Daisy, around and he thinks how much she misses his late father. Daisy also seems lost in her memories of dancing with her husband to the '60's Girl Groups music. 

We also peer into Grady's last days as he is surrounded by friends and family. A particularly touching moment occurs when Grady tells Mabel that he knew from the moment that he saw her that she was perfect for his son. It is sweet and sad recalling a long happy marriage, the aching loss when one pair dies, and the loneliness of the surviving partner.

Lest we forget our leads, George and Mabel are the direct focus of two chapters. One features the two going through a scary road trip when they get lost with half a tank of gas and coyotes in the distance. Their bickering is tense but has some moments of hilarity such as when Mabel whines that she has to go to the bathroom and argues with the truck "Elmer" about getting them lost. Since this is not a Pixar movie, Elmer is not responsive.

Another chapter occurs when George falls off the roof of his pastor's house and is hospitalized. While it is a scary situation and Mabel is clearly worried about her beloved husband, Hutcheson keeps the situation light by reminding us from the beginning that things could be worse. She also allows George and the family to retain their sense of humor in the situation. When George calls his wife, Rachel, everybody worries that George has memory loss except "Rachel" who is well practiced in George Jokes and knows her husband is teasing. Another moment occurs when George's nephew dramatically tells his still alive and fully awake uncle not to "go into the white light." While these moments might seem insensitive to some Readers, others may recognize the impulse family members have to laugh with each other in times of great stress as a sign that everything is okay.

While the second volume of George and Mabel's adventures is darker than the first, it retains the hope, optimism, and humor of its predecessor. Would that we could all be like George and Mabel and look back on our troubles with a smile on our face, a corny dad joke, and a humorous anecdote to tell later after the stress is gone.