Away

Book Club Member

Disappointing. I wanted to not finish the book but eventually did simply to find out how far her travels would take her. Will not recommend it to my book club.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

NOT WORTH IT

I thought this book had so much potential. I got through about half way & was very confused. I couldn't wait to finish this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Take This Book Away!

Talk about confusing! Was it the too-long sentences giving unnecessary character information? Or was it the lack of quotations marks 'from a professor of creative writing yet!' Or perhaps the ending that leaves you still questioning things? I was hoping the story would get better, but it just never did. I can't get back the time I wasted reading this book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Take This Book 'Away'

The story line of this book is usually the type I enjoy but not this time. I ususally will stick with a book even if I'm not really enjoying it but I ready about 50 pages and put it down. I just couldn't get into it and I found the writing style jarring.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

As an avid reader, who loves books, I found this a piece of trash. A waste of time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't waste your time.

The recommendations were high, but I couldn't force myself to finish reading this book. The story seemed so far-fetched and there was so much lacking in the story line. I didn't find any of the characters likeable wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Throw 'Away' Away !!!

I just wanted to comment on 'Away.' It's absolutely trash. Comparisons to 'Ragtime' and 'Cold Mountain' are undeserved. 'Away' is a bad Hallmark movie as directed by the Playboy Channel. If 'Away' is what America thinks is good literature, then we have lost our literary soul.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What a disappointment!

I had to push myself to finish this book. The first part taking place on NYC's lower east side was delightful, but Lillian's 'journey' in the second half was totally implausible. Made me think of a cliche, if it wasn't for back luck, Lillian would have none at all. I didn't believe any of this would happen for a minute. I also didn't like how it moved from fantasy to reality and how the author does not use quotes many times for dialogue. And to have suffered through her journey, I would have liked a less abrupt ending.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not the Best

Away was a very moving story of a Mother's Love for her lost child. Lillian's unselfish love and the journey she took was at times moving but the ending was very disappointing. It wasn't the type of story I thought it would be. Just an Ok read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It Puts the Dog in the Bucket

The storyline was fine... What I didn't like was the sentence structure. The writer would often write a question as a statement. She also would write in 'future' tense - but no, wait it wasn't future tense, it was happening right now. Lots of re-reading of sentences and paragraphs to understand what was going on. Also, some of the editorial reviews said the book was funny. I never laughed once!! The storyline was good & creative though - if you can be patient enough to get through the 'way' it was written.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

I rushed out to get this book because of the great reviews. It was well written and had interesting characters- the author goes into great detail into the lives of the many sorry characters Lillian encounters in her travels...but I would have prefferred more plot and fewer characters. Lillian became so close to so many people in such short spurts- all of them were broken and sad in some way. It was like a study in loneliness and it left me feeling lonely myself as Lillian just drifted off like one of the minor characters. It wasn't horrible, but just not a favorite.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Stay AWAY from Away!

With all the hype and reviews, I thought I was purchasing a winner. I had to force myself to get through this book. The almost soft porn parts became tedious. The end left you flat. I plodded though thinking it would get better, but it didn't. A huge disappointment! I normally pass on books to my friends, but not this one!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Heartbreaking but Uplifting

Amy Bloom is such a skilled writer, and the story of a female Russian Jew emigre from the early 20th century offers unique perspective of that time. Prostitution, murder, adventure, heartbreak, and love abound in what is a very unique 'road' story. It seems that strong female protagonists are hard to find unless one turns to young adult vampire fiction. This book was very moving, and I look forward to her future novels.

I thoght the book was going to be about a mother searching for her child, and of course I was hoping for a happy ending. The book was far from that, it was more about a woman searching for herself and the happy ending I got was bittersweet.

I thought Lillian was an ingenue who was going to wilt away in the big city. The way she sees things are not the way she does things. She manages to get herself in the most compromising situations, and yet manages to still further her own cause in spite of the dangers. My favorite part of the book is when she is trekking alone. Her trevails are a testament to the strenght of the human spirit, the human body, and emotional reslience.

I would definitely recommend this for teen readers for its explicit scenes. The sex scenes I thought were gratuitous, but the violence was quite necessary for the book's plot.

I really enjoyed the way the author summarized the stories of the ancillary characters. So often we are left guessing "where are they now" when a side character steps out of the life of the main character. This author managed to tell us in a few words, and she managed to ease our minds as it were, to the fate of all of those people who we grew to care for.

As I said, I thought the book was going to be similar to "The Year of The Fog", but it was nothing like it. The search was not so much for a child, but for a life.

Away

This book was a must read. At times, I had trouble following which character she was talking about at what time, and that left little to be desired. However, the story was very enthralling after it picks up the pace, about 1/4 thru the book. Then, you can't put it dowm. You really hope for the best for Lillian in finding her daughter, and in the many places she visits, it's both contemplative yet adventurous.
Have fun reading this, but please, don't burn out on the writing style. The story is worth it to get thru.

Good read

Well written, story flows well. Will make one a fan of Amy Bloom!

Go AWAY

I started this book several times before actually getting into the depth of reading it. It was interesting at first, but the fact that the author speeds up things and tries to inform the reader of what happens to a character and then moves on to another chapter leaves us feeling a bit disconnected. I felt a bit distracted at times and had to re-read certain things in order not to be confused. The descriptions and the words the author uses to make the book come alive are great but its not worth the read.

An OK read, nothing special...

The writing is very raw and I felt the character development was rather superficial. It is a short book and reads fast. The story was chopped up with "fast forwards" on the characters in the middle of the main plot. I was disappointed in the ending.

I would not recommend this book.

I have been a member of book clubs and lead them most of my adult life. When I purchase a book I try to commit myself to reading it. This was the first book in many years that I could not finish. I did not relate to the characters, like the characters or see anything in their lives worth learning. The lead - actually the name is forgotten already - did not seem to have any strength of character at all. I finally decided that there are too many wonderful stories out there to waste my time on this one. Harsh, maybe, but nothing drew me in or enticed me to care.

Amazing read. Rich with characters, detail, and landscape.

Lillian Leyb impressed me with her strength and ability to survive in unusual circumstances. Lillian is a woman who will do 'anything' to be reunited with her daughter, even if her daughter's existance is highly unlikely. Lillian takes readers from devestation in Russia to Ellis Island, to Seattle, and finally on hew way to Siberia in hopes of a reunion with her young daughter. Throughout Lillian's journeys she meets the most unusaul people and endures many hardships but she is strong and always seems to find a way to settle into her surroundings and unite the people around her.
Amy Bloom leaves nothing to the imagination and is a writter who knows how to end a book. She leaves nothing to the imagination and leaves the reader fully satisfied. This book is an amazing read.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.