Sunday, March 28, 2010

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder


Alice finds her escape in writing songs and her love for her boyfriend and then distancing herself from her father and pregnant stepmother. If only her mother hadn’t died, maybe she would be happier, but who knows, she just wishes she was still with her. As time passes Alice becomes more and more distant from her family she becomes more and more unhappy.

After a family Christmas trip though, things in Alice’s life change dramatically. On the way home Alice and her step-mother Victoria along with her new baby sister get stuck in the worst snow storm of the century. The three girls are forced to survive through brutal weather, with little food and little warmth. Along their adventure of survival though Alice has to confront many issues she hasn’t faced for years and discovers more about herself then she ever thought possible.

Alice isn’t sure if she will make it out of the storm alive, but she has discovered one thing: it sucks being alone, but she’s not sure if she really is after all.

Lisa Schroeder is definitely a talented author. She caputres my attention right away with her lyrical prose and transports me into her story. What is really special about her is that she tackles really difficult subjects, such as cancer and death, and takes them to a personal level that everyone can relate to, even if they haven’t experienced it before.

The plot itself wasn’t all that exceptional. It was predictable and didn’t really spark my attention. It was emotional and heartfelt though. The characters were really special though. Alice was very well developed and I felt like I really got into her mind and felt the same emotions she was feeling. Alice also made the mother come alive in her own way to. The few images we got of her were fantastic and even though she wasn’t present all that much, she felt so important. The other characters though were more flat, although as the end approached the step-mother became much more real.

Overall I liked this book. The writing was lyrical and the emotion was deep. It was a fast read and it wasn’t as great as her debut, but it was still solid. I look forward to reading more from Mrs. Schroeder! 

3 comments:

Faye( Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm) said...

Love Lisa's books! Chasing Brooklyn is even better!

So Many Books, So Little Time said...

Great review! I really enjoyed I Heart You, You Haunt Me so I think I should get the rest of her books too. I'm still not entirely sold on verse novels though!

Anonymous said...

I haven't read this one yet but I have it on my wishlist. So far I've read I Heart You, You Haunt Me and Chasing Brooklyn, CB being my favorite. I really like Lisa's unique verse writing technique.

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