Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2012
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
On the last day of the millennium, sassy Faith Bass Darling decides to have a garage sale. Why is the richest lady in Bass, Texas, a recluse for twenty years, suddenly selling off her worldly possessions?
As the townspeople grab up the heirlooms, and the antiques reveal their own secret stories,a cast of characters appears to witness the sale or try to stop it. Before the day is over, they’ll all examine their roles in the Bass family saga, as well as some of life’s most imponderable questions: Do our possessions possess us?
What are we without our memories? Is there life after death or second chances here on earth? And is Faith really selling that Tiffany lamp for $1?
"Rutledge, a fifth-generation Texan, paints a colorful portrait of a larger than life Texas matron, but her debut offers nothing new on the story’s well-trod themes of Southern racism, old money, and materialism." - Publishers Weekly
"This solid debut is a fascinating character-driven story of misconceptions, family, and tragedy. Fortunately, Rutledge also alleviates the somber tone with moments of humor." - Library Journal
"This potentially poignant story of misplaced emotional attachments and misremembered pasts falters under its wispy tone." - Kirkus
"With a big Texas heart, Lynda Rutledge writes of second chances, redemption, what we truly own, and what we must release in this spectacular novel. Faith Bass Darling hears voices, but you will see the most original of all is her own. Put a sticker on this one, it's a keeper." - Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and the Valentine series
"A small-town novel that asks the big questions of life, Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale is a heartfelt story about last chances, second chances, and chance itself. When Faith Bass Darling is called to sell all her belongings on what she believes to be her last day on earth, she changes the lives of the townspeople around her . . . and she'll change yours, as well. A most thought-provoking read." - Tiffany Baker, author of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County and The Gilly Salt Sisters
"The town of Bass, Texas, will never be the same after Faith Bass Darling's last garage sale, and neither will the novel's readers. Lynda Rutledge brings to life the residents of this town as they go about their business on New Year's Eve 1999, and in doing so she reveals the tangled histories of an eccentric, loveable, exasperating cast of characters. This book is a tremendous achievement. You won't want it to end." - Elizabeth Stuckey-French, author of The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady
This information about Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lynda Rutledge, a lifelong animal lover, has had the joy of petting baby rhinos, snorkeling with endangered turtles, and strolling with a tower of giraffes in her eclectic freelance career writing nonfiction for well-known publications and organizations while winning awards and residencies for her fiction. Her debut novel, Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale, was the winner of the 2013 Writers' League of Texas Book Award. It was adapted into the 2018 French film La dernière folie de Claire Darling starring Catherine Deneuve. Lynda, her husband, and their resident dog live outside Austin, Texas.
Pieces of Blue
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
A hilarious and heartfelt novel for fans of Maria Semple and Emma Straub.
30 Copies to Give Away!
A funny and poignant debut novel that skewers billionaire-funded space travel in a love story of interplanetary proportions.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
