Hank & Chloe

by Jo-Ann Mapson

Book Overview

Chloe Morgan is a thirty-three-year-old part-time waitress, small-time horse trainer, and full-time thoroughly toughened Western woman living in a corner of the dwindling canyonlands of Southern California. Calloused and wary, Chloe allows herself to love with total abandon and complete faith only her horse and her dog. That is, until a quirk in the weather and a sunrise funeral service cause her to cross the path of Henry Oliver, a sedate professor...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060924640
• ISBN13: 9780060924645
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

This Story Will Get Under Your Skin and Into Your Heart

What a wonderful discovery - Jo-An Mapson's writing reminds me of Richard Russo - strong, earthy and sharp dialogue, the intermeshing of otherwise ordinary lives and a story that is hard to put out of your mind once you start down the pathway of life with Hank and Chloe.My wife read this book first and as she and I often do with our respective reading pieces, she said as she closed the cover, "I think you might like this." That earned it a place on my "to read" table and while waiting for some newly ordered books to arrive, I picked it up and started it. Two days later, as I finished the last page I was waiting for my car to be serviced. As I closed the book, I said to myself, "I've got to get the sequel and quickly." Luckily for me, a Borders store was just a short drive away and I quickly purchased the sequel, Loving Chloe and will be starting it as soon as I post this.Some have termed Matson a writer of Cowgirl Romances. That does not do her writing justice. As does Russo, her writing gets way under your skin and eventually into your heart. Others have outlined the coming together of Hank & Chloe. My repeating it will not persuade you one way or the other. I will say this, however, if you do not get this book you will be the poorer for having not read it. It is THAT good.

Hold your horses for a great read!

"Hank and Chloe" is a novel that brings together, on the surface, two unlikely characters to fall in love. Hank is a single community college professor in his forties who leads a quiet, dull life, always attempting at pleasing his upstanding parents but never taking chances. Chloe, on the other hand, grew up in foster care and orphanages, lives day to day, waitressing and working with horses, and is basically penniless. On one star-crossed day Hank accidentally happens upon Chloe helping to deliver a foal, and is fascinated by her utter lack of pretense as she strips down, wet and bloody from the delivery and borrows Hank's shirt literally off his back. When Hank decides to retrieve his shirt at Chloe's house (literally a converted shed) the sparks fly as he finally lets down his guard. Chloe is attracted to Hank, but she is a wild thing, like an untamed horse and does not want to be broken. I won't give the plot away, but in essence this love story feels as real as the Southern California and Arizona settings that take place. The novel is quickly paced, and the supporting characters are wonderful. This is the story of small town people trying to find happiness in a world that is not always kind or fair. Hank and Chloe take some hard knocks and it is not an easy journey for either of them to take a chance on true intimacy. Hank must learn how to love Chloe without changing and binding her to him, despite parental objections and the fact that she simply doesn't fit into his "world". As Hank grows to realize he doesn't have to be the son his parents always wanted, Chloe grows to realize she can begin to trust a man after a lifetime of broken promises and dreams. It is enthralling to see Hank and Chloe begin to feel not just a sexual passion, but the knowledge that each has the ability to bring forth what the other has lacked for so many years. The ending had me in tears. As a lover of Mapson's books, this is one of her best and not to be missed. The sequel, "Loving Chloe", takes a different turn but if you can't wait to see what happens to Hank and Chloe after the end of this novel, I recommend it.

you won't want it to end.

Hank and Chloe is one of my all-time favorite novels. The story keeps you up late turning pages, the characters become friends you won't want to say goodbye to, and the writing is a pleasure to read. This is JoAnn Mapson's best book, though her others are well worth reading. I've got Loving Chloe -- just haven't had a chance to pick it up yet. And anyway, I think I want to read Hank and Chloe just one more time . . .This is one of the few novels I've recommended and shared (along with Talk Before Sleep, Elizabeth Berg; Map of the World, Jane Hamilton; Moon Passage, Jane LeCompte)-- it is such a rich and satisfying read.

Real people/Real-life romance

Jo-Ann Mapson writes so real it hurts! Hank and Chloe are flawed human beings; they belong together, but their problems seem unsurmountable. Mapson provides no glib solutions, no easy fixes; love is hard, and it doesn't always work out. She is a terrific writer, one who deserves to be more popular and appreciated. This is mainstream women's---and men's!---fiction at its best. What a lovely story.

Unlikely couple find each other.

Hank and Chloe are not the kind of couple who end up together, yet their attraction to each other is red hot. Hank teaches English at a small college and is very cerebral. Chloe waits tables and lives in a shack and is not too far from being considered a homeless person. Yet they meet and end up loving each other intensely. The author describes the range of human feelings and emotions using a deliciously flowing prose. This is fun in the love scenes but also painful when Chloe is harassed by police. This is a good book to read and then recommend to friends.