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White Widow
White Widow
Author: Jim Lehrer
Some bus drivers never meet a "white widow" -- a wild card, a woman traveling alone who can change the course of a driver's life, and not always for the best. In this subtle, poignant novel, based on the true experiences of the anchor of PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Jack T. Oliver, who drives the Houston to Corpus Christi run for the Great W...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781891620416
ISBN-10: 189162041X
Publication Date: 5/2000
Pages: 211
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 9

3.7 stars, based on 9 ratings
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed White Widow on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book is about a man who is content with his life and moving in a upward direction. One day,however, he starts to let his imagination get the better of him.This story tells about what can happen to your life when you step to far into your imaginary world.Very good easy to read.
emeraldfire avatar reviewed White Widow on
Helpful Score: 1
Some bus drivers can go their whole careers and never cross paths with the type of woman known as a 'White Widow'. A White Widow is a wild card; a woman traveling alone who can change the course of a driver's life, and not always for the best.

Jack T. Oliver has a solid marriage, a cozy home in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a job he loves - driving the Houston to Corpus Christi route - for the Great Western Trailways bus line. In a few weeks, Jack will be promoted to Master Operator in recognition of his many years of perfect service and punctual driving record. It may not be everyone's idea of the most exciting life - but it's comfortable, it's good, and it's Jack's.

That is until a White Widow boards his bus, on a one-way ticket from Victoria to Corpus Christi. Suddenly, Jack Oliver's otherwise orderly life is turned completely upside down. Within weeks, without ever even learning her name, the White Widow's passage through Jack's life has been as unforgettable as it has been irrevocable. His unstoppable, ruinous passion for a complete stranger will ultimately cost him dearly: in ways that Jack T. Oliver could never have predicted - not even in his wildest dreams.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure if I would have chosen this book to read for myself. It's not that I would have dismissed it, it's just that I never actually saw it until Mareena brought it to my attention. It was an unusual premise to begin with, so I was drawn into the story for that reason. The story was also extremely well-written and poignant, and it held my attention right up until the end.

Now, Jim Lehrer is a very successful journalist as well as an author; although in the past, both his father and himself worked as bus drivers. This novel is loosely based on the author's true experiences during his brief time spent as a bus driver. While the story was certainly interesting overall, the author's appreciable and, at times, intricate knowledge of bus transportation was sometimes lost on me. However, I would give this book a B+!
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reviewed White Widow on + 3389 more book reviews
White Widow is Jim Lehrer's succinct, unadorned yet poignant account of the life of a simple man Jack T. Oliver. Oliver residing in Corpus Christi, Texas, the son of a local ophthamologist is a proud and professional bus driver for the Great Western Trailways line. He is soon to be promoted to the exalted rank of Master Operator, a result of years of exemplary service. Never one with lofty aspirations, he is happily married to an equally simple wife who was his first and only love. His sole hobby, which he shares with his wife is the decoration of his humble abode for Christmas.
Oliver who possesses a fertile, Walter Mitty-like imagination is smitten with emotion when a gorgeous raven haired passenger boards his bus. Imagining her to be the beautiful Ava Gardner he pictures himself as her paramour. She evolves into a regular passenger on Fridays causing Oliver to lose focus on those things that were truly important to him, his job and his wife. His lack of concentration results in some disastrous repercussions to his existence.
reviewed White Widow on + 8 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book. Written in a very sparse style....very measured character development...some crazy stuff happens but it is very believable.
grannyslm avatar reviewed White Widow on + 4 more book reviews
Anyone who ever wondered what being addicted to something felt like, should read this book. It is amazingly close to the feeling.


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