Waiting for the World to End | 
| Manufacturer: iUniverse
Category: EBooks
Buy New: $0.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 65031
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1
ASIN: B001AU59L4
Publication Date: October 7, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Winner of the Book of the Year Silver Award from ForeWord Magazine and Honorable Mention in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Raised in upper-class Boston as the only child of two economists, Thomas Olsen grows up feeling like a perpetual outsider. Athletic and poetic, he eventually settles with more kindred spirits in suburban Indiana. But no one realizes Olsen is hiding a devastating secret. As English department chairman and basketball coach at an Indiana high school, Olsen endears himself to the locals—yet despite his popularity, he can’t shake the loneliness that dogs him. After years of keeping a guilty silence around part of his past, his body and soul have learned to lead separate lives. Then Olsen develops a father-son bond with Ben Wendling, his student and player, and falls in love with Ben’s enigmatic married mother. With Mary and Ben, the missing pieces of Olsen’s life somehow feel restored—until a surreal accident changes the course of all their futures.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 131 more reviews...
 What are you waiting for? June 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As the Executive Director of the Mom's Choice Awards, many fine works of literature pass through my office on a daily basis. But, because I'm an administrator, and not a member of the jury, I rarely have an opportunity to read the books that are submitted for consideration.
I recently took a rare day-of-rejuvenation, and grabbed Waiting For The World To End from my "been meaning-to-read" pile and headed out to my deck to enjoy a perfect early-summer morning. Although I did struggle a bit with guilt-anxiety for taking the day off, by the second chapter I was completely committed to the book, and didn't think about work for the rest of the day. I finished Waiting in one seating. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read with a complex storyline and rich character development. I just kept thinking, "why isn't Nicole Hunter on the New York Times best-seller list?" Ms. Hunter is an extremely gifted writer.
When reading this book, I was reminded of when I first discovered John Grisham in 1989 with his debut novel, A Time To Kill. I couldn't understand why he wasn't better known. At the time, he was selling his debut novel out of the trunk of his car. Imagine it. Two years later, the world discovered The Firm and the rest is, of course, literary history.
Those who discover Nicole Hunter and Waiting For The World To End will have uncovered a great secret treasure for themselves. A perfect book for the classroom and reading groups, Waiting For The World To End will provoke readers of all ages to consider and clarify personal beliefs, and encourage them to keep their minds and hearts open to people who have made other choices or hold different opinions.
As I read the last page and closed the book cover, I felt a great sense of pride that our program honors such strong and important work.
Dawn Matheson
Executive Director
Mom's Choice Awards
Footnote: Nicole Hunter and Waiting For The World To End earned the prestigious gold medallion for adult fiction in the 2007 Mom's Choice Awards.
Salve for the Soul February 6, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The prose is fluid and beautiful. The characters are like people you may know. These are life stories, told across time and place, successfully drawing you in to consider various perspectives and possibilities. Like a prism, the book reveals many colors; no situation is black and white.
This is adult and young-adult fiction at its best. Finally, a book that invites discussion across the generations on real-life topics including moral dilemmas. The "open" ending is a reflection of the overarching theme: people write their own life stories.
A Mom's Choice Awards Recipient! December 9, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.
Outstanding first novel October 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Waiting for the World to End" by Nicole Hunter was a joy to read; one of those books that you can't put down once you've started it. I've never been to Ohio, but I felt like I was visiting as the story of teacher/basketball coach Tom Olsen, who is haunted by his past, unfolds. It reiterates that no matter how ideal a person's life may seem, they may be suffering from secrets they harbor. Several real-life issues bubble up that make the reader think while reading the novel, and long after the last page has been read. I think it's a home-run for a first-time novelist, and I look forward to reading more books from the talented Nicole Hunter.
An excellent read February 17, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I loved every second I got to spend with Tom and Mary, the main characters in Waiting for the World to End. Maybe it was because I could relate to both of them so much, maybe it was simply due to the writing. (It certainly didn't hurt that both Mary Oliver's poetry and Margaret Atwood's fiction showed up in the book.)
This book is for those of us with regrets, for those of us who understand the sadness of living with our own choices and the lonliness of not being connected to anything of real personal value, and for those of us who feel as though we've missed out on the important things in life.
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