Philosophy Made Simple

December 5, 2005
Riffing off his charming 1994 debut, The Sixteen Pleasures
, Hellenga shifts perspective from father to daughter, detailing the former's postmarital adventures as he plans the latter's wedding. It's been seven years since the death of Rudy Harrington's beloved wife, Helen; his three daughters have flown the coop; and the time is ripe to sell his Chicago home of 30 years and buy an avocado grove in Texas. He's also been reading the college-level text Philosophy Made Simple
by Siva Singh, his daughter Molly's fiancé's uncle, sparking a previously latent interest in life's big questions. Rudy attempts, at 60, to adjust to single life while singlehandedly planning an Indian wedding for Molly to Singh's nephew, TJ. His grove manager, Medardo, takes him on weekend trips to a Mexican gentleman's club; there, he meets Maria, an employee with a penchant for weakhearted middle-aged men. A denizen of a nearby trailer park is Norma Jean, a lovable elephant with a tremendous talent for painting. When Molly, TJ, Siva and Nandini (Siva's sister and TJ's mother) arrive, Nandini is as taken with Norma Jean, whose owner is suddenly MIA, as is Rudy. More twinkly humor, mild insight, clean prose and gentle homilies follow in this thinker's light gem.

February 1, 2006
In something that is a bit of a rarity in these days of ubiquitous chick lit, here is a novel about life and love told in the voice of a man of experience. Rudy Harrington is unhitched, unglued, at loose ends. At age 60, a widower and an empty-nester, he is attempting in his own idiosyncratic way to make some sense of his life. Rather suddenly, what makes sense to him is to leave his Chicago homestead and move to Texas to run an avocado grove. There he discovers new friends, new loves, an elephant named Norma Jean who paints, and new answers to those age-old philosophical questions. Rudy and his family make the leap from "The Sixteen Pleasures" an earlier novel by Hellenga, who here utilizes clever devices like a multicultural wedding and a pair of late-night radio evangelists to contribute counterpoints allowing Rudy to ruminate widely on the meaning of life. In his rambling struggles with Truth and Beauty as well as with his own mortality, Rudy finds his answers -and more. If you can keep up with his rapidly shifting thoughts, you might enjoy going along for the ride. Recommended for popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ "1/15/05.]" -Susanne Wells, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty."

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2006
Rudy, a Chicago avocado wholesaler, is haunted by the death of his wife. He immerses himself in a book titled " Philosophy "Made Simple, then abruptly sells his beloved family home and buys a Texas avocado grove, much to the consternation of his daughters: attorney Meg; Molly, a dancer engaged to TJ, a scientist from India; and Margot, a book conservator and the star of Hellenga's best-selling " The Sixteen Pleasures "(1994). No need to have read the earlier work to become enthralled by this psychologically suspenseful tale, but no fiction lover should miss it. Hellenga possesses an exceptionally magnetic voice, enabling him to draw readers in with charm, then hand them profundity. Alone in his new digs, Rudy feels adrift in a strange and confounding world. A Christian radio station declares the Second Coming. An elephant named Norma Jean paints beautiful, brilliantly hued abstract compositions. Rudy befriends a priest without a congregation and learns about the Hindu elephant god Ganesh as he plans Molly and TJ's wedding. He also has visions, develops heart trouble, and falls in love. Supremely wily and compelling, Hellenga turns a human tale of reason versus feeling into a cosmic playoff between order and chaos.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)