The Farewell Tour is indeed a redemption tale. But its seemingly predictable arc is disrupted with plenty of smart misdirections and subtexts. Like a particularly sharp country song, it takes cliches and untangles and renews them ... Clifford gives Lil a straight-talking, scrappy voice. She’s hard-working and unsentimental ... Clifford’s emotional acuity is matched by her grasp of country history.
Full of marvelous period details... The Farewell Tour covers a huge amount of ground, with a correspondingly large number of supporting characters, a sometimes dizzying array ... Lillian herself is an appealing mix: determined and hard charging, blustery and often unable to get out of her own way. Like a country ballad, The Farewell Tour offers a bittersweet testament to the healing power of old love, long friendships and heartfelt songs.
Lillian is a memorable, believable creation, but the author’s tendency to tell more than show throttles some of the narrative’s power. Still, as the tour gets underway, Clifford conveys Lillian’s joy in crystalizing an emotion into a song and connecting with a live audience. In the end, Clifford pulls off a moving tribute to the power of country music.
