Letters for Emily

Though he knows he is dying that does not disturb Harry Whitney. However, Alzheimer's bothers him because he realizes how much the disease has changed him from Grandpa Harry to an old cranky geezer complaining about everything. Harry has several grandchildren, but his favorite is Emily, who visits him every week.
When Harry dies, his daughter-in-law Laura, finds three homemade books filled with his poems and stories. Together with her daughter Emily, who mourns the most over the loss of her best friend, they read Harry's poetry and stories, realizing that each contain a coded password that opens a related computer file. Inside the files are special notes to Harry's beloved Emily to help her in life. Other family members soon read Emily's treasure that reminds them how remarkable Harry had been as a person, father, husband, and grandfather before Alzheimer's destroyed his mind and body.
This inspirational family drama will leave the audience crying for joy and out of sadness. Harry in life and death is quite a protagonist as his wisdom passes down to Emily and others. When the tale focuses on Harry directly or indirectly (the sandwich generation struggling on what is the right thing to do with their father) or on Emily's child-like but mature understanding of him, the book is incredible. When the tale centers on the breakup of marriages amidst Harry's children, it adds depth yet too much angst that weighs down the reader a bit. Still LETTERS FOR EMILY is a powerful and insightful look at the individual members of a family.
Harriet Klausner

Letters for Emily by Camron Wright is sweet story, a bit old fashioned, but one that contains beautiful life lessons and morals. Poems and riddles that unlock heartfelt letters bring a family together and provide insight into a granddaughter's beloved sickly grandfather. 3 1/2 stars.

What an amazing book!!!! Recommended to me by a member of my Church, I was a bit skeptical about cracking the cover. To my delight, I fell in love with the book and the characters. Your heart begins to ache for poor Harry. You begin to well up with tears for Laura. You start getting angry at Bob. And you are excited for little Emily.
It starts out as a book about Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and its cruelty to those who are inflicted with it. AD is one of the worst because you watch your loved one wither away before you. AD steals the most important part of life...your memories -- then your body. It is, however, a book just about AD because as you are engrossed with the characters and the story, another problem begins to surface. What is it? Read the book and find out.
I highly recommended this book to all readers! As a Pastor, it will certainly have a place of prominence on my bookshelf. Truly a delight to read as well as a challenge to our lives. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

An absolutely charming puzzle of poetry and story, reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. This is a glimpse into the loving legacy of a grandfather who reaches out beyond Alzheimers, beyond depression, to comfort and counsel and to guide not only his granddaughter Emily, but to heal old wounds too. The wisdom of life experiences - absent the wounds, the shared history and the vanity devices we put in place. The presentation of the book of poetry and clues for Harry's story is a pure delight. Originally self published, a good editor might have insisted on a little more characterization and better dialogue, but the premise was artfully done. I heartily recommend it.

Author Camron Wright has tapped into the differences that divide generations...as well as those that unite them. The link between Emily and Harry--to the relative exclusion of her warring parents--rings so true because the young and the old see life with simple eyes. It's the generation in between that loses sight of the really important things in life. The story develops into one of mystery and intrigue as the letter-writing life of Harry Whitney, which comes to light only after his death, reveals a still-lucid mind in a man who was assumed to be deep in the throes of dementia. The impact of this unexpected legacy will forever redirect the paths of his progeny. Letters for Emily is an excellent read--warm, insightful, thought-provoking.

This starts out as a story about an estranged son and his father who is diagnosed with Alzheimers...the most encouraging part of the story is how the diagnosis may have been inappropriately given...what ends up being the truth in the end might help others to deal with a real life situation and encourge others to take neccessary steps to deal with mental illness.

I agree with all the other reviews. This is a terrific book although it is a first shot out of the gate, it is very readable and enjoyable. I got it at the airport to make a trip shorter, and it did jus that! ENJOY

I loved "The Rent Collector" and so went looking for other books he'd written and found "Letters for Emily!" What a beautiful, poignant, riveting familial story! I read it in one day and now feel compelled to write some of my own letters to some very special people in my life! Thanks, Harry and Camron!

An amazing work! I listened to the audio tape while on a trip. I laughed out loud as I listened to Harry, now a grandfather, describe his first "encounter" with his wife Katherine as a college student. I was angry at the men at the beginning of the book and wondered how it could have been written by a man. The puzzles were fun, but passed too quickly when someone is reading them to you on a tape. Yes, I did make the journey safely, but not unchanged.

I enjoyed the book and it seemed like the Alzheimer's was just a side light of the story. In many ways I wish there was more explanation of that. The letters were wonderful but they do get a little tiresome because there are so many. The side story was interesting and the love story was wonderful. My wish would be that every little girl should have a grandfather that loved them that much!

Emily's grandfather has Alzheimer's, but he writes letters to leave for his granddaughter and best buddy. After his death, the whole family gets involved in reading the letters left in a book and guessing passwords for finding more letters on his computer. A beautiful book about lessons learned in life and about grief, guilt, and forgiveness.

After my sister insisted that I read this book. I wrote this note about my sisters gift to my friends with a copy of this book.... "My sister gave a gift to me, It is simple as you will see. She's given me many things, as I've grown under her wings. I can't say there is any special one, all wonderful when they're done. Some I enjoy everyday, some only when needed today. She gives me gifts; some big, some small. I truly love them all. Thank you for the book you see, The name is "Letters For Emily" To all my friends; I will share this book, Please spend some time to take a look." I bought 40 copies of this book to send to my friends with my poem about my sister's gift. IT'S WONDERFUL...

This book is a domestic mystery; it explains a man's behavior and gives his granddaughter advice. It drew me in to see what I would learn in each chapter. It painted a more logical picture of a father who made mistakes with his family that wounded his family members. The end of the book gives those family members a bandage for at least some of those wounds.

Excellent story. Highly recommend it. i wasn't sure about reading it as my mother passed away with Altzheimers; but decided to go ahead & read it anyway. A few teary places; but overall a worthwhile read for me.

I made the mistake of starting this book one evening before bed and I couldn't put it down. The way the story is told via the flashbacks from the letters is wonderful. And the poems woven into the plot are amazingly witty. Have a box of tissue nearby, but be ready for a chuckle as well. Highly recommended. I can't wait until more books from this author come out.

This book is a wonderful tale that makes you sad, makes you laugh, and it also gives you that warm feeling that makes you smile. I would extrememly recommend this book to anyone that would like a short but sweet book.

This book is inspirational. There are so many lessons in this book that to just name one would be unjust. A book of loving, learning, and growing, gave me so much joy and pleasure. I will refer to this book many times when the road gets too hard to travel alone. Thank you Harry.

Letters for Emily - magical. I couldn't stop turning the pages. Thought provoking, emotional and deeply impacting. It says all the things that you need to hear. I'll be first in line for the next one by Camron Wright.