May 22, 2012

The Mother Road, by Jennifer Allee

The Mother Road tells the story of Natalie, who has just discovered her husband is leaving her for another woman with whom he's fathered a child. At the same time, Natalie's father is pressuring her to visit her ailing mother, who is battling Alzheimer's.

Natalie escapes the problems in her marriage by dragging her sister Lindsay on a road trip across Route 66 to visit home. Lindsay has her own set of personal issues that cloud the trip as both sisters prepare to encounter a past they've avoided for years.

Plot: I've been interested in taking a Route 66 road trip for some time, so that initially hooked me. The scenery was a good choice by the author as it makes a nice backdrop for the sisterly reunion that is the focus of the book. I enjoyed the interplay of the sisters during their trip, and the plot moved quickly, allowing me to get to know the sisters as well as their back stories. I felt the end of the book was pretty predictable, though the author did throw one curve ball that I wasn't expecting.

Characters: I actually found my favorite character was Lindsay. Of the two sisters, she was the most real, and I also felt her evolution throughout the book was the most visible. I found Natalie to be a frustrating narrator at times when her judgmental nature got the better of her. Sure, she underwent her own changes as she came to terms with her divorce, but I didn't feel this evolution was as well described by the author to warrant her overly righteous attitude through 90 percent of the book.

Overall, the book had a nice message and interesting characters with a bit of depth. 3.5 stars.


** I received a free copy of the book for the purposes of this review, but my opinions are my own.**
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1 comment:

  1. This is my first time i visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! Keep up the good work.

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