Take the Long Way Home

by Rochelle Alers

In an arrestingly vivid novel spanning seven decades and two continents – from a cloistered 1950s Mississippi town founded by freed slaves to the striking diversity of Paris and Rome in the 1960s and 70s, through the glamor of 1980s Wall Street, to present day New York – bestselling author Rochelle Alers chronicles one woman’s remarkable journey through some of history’s most turbulent eras—and the four men who impact her life along the way. Perfect for fans of Angela Flournoy, Zora Neale Hurston, Sue Monk Kidd and Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

Freedom fighter, brilliant businessperson, devoted wife, master of languages, and ultimately, savior of a European dynasty. Claudia Patterson would become all of these—spurred on by the fiercely powerful loves and losses along the way…

Denny Clark. An abused thirteen-year-old white boy whose life twelve-year-old Claudia saves—complicating her own life for years to come.

Robert Moore. A young Black lawyer who becomes Claudia’s beloved husband and partner on the explosive front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. Amid the violence of the Ku Klux Klan, Claudia has a shocking personal encounter—with unimaginable consequences.

Ashley Booth. A Wall Street executive who brings the glamour of New York alive for the now-widowed Claudia, introducing her to an elite circle of Black peers. But their long yet uncommitted romance leads Claudia to move on—to an overseas assignment at an Italian bank.

Giancarlo Pasquale Fortenza. An Italian automobile industrialist, once enamored of a young Claudia—handsome, worldly, and twelve years her senior. A man with whom Claudia reconnects, bringing her life full circle in the boldest, bravest, and most unexpected ways…

Rich with history and timeless emotion, here is an epic tale of rising through poverty, racism, and heartbreak—and the awesome role of our most significant relationships throughout our lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, African American, Poverty, Audiobook, Marriage

578 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Rochelle Alers was born in Manhattan, New York, USA, where she raised. She obtained degrees in Sociology and Psychology, before started to work. She is a member of the Iota Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and her interests include gourmet cooking and traveling. She has traveled to countries in North, Central and South America, and Europe. She is also in accomplished in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint.

Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.

Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claudia Patterson was born in 1940 in the coloured town of Freedom, Mississippi, it was founded by freed slaves and it’s still dangerous to live there and because the Ku Klux Klan are very active in the area. Claudia parents both run their own businesses, her father Earl is a barber and her mother Sarah a hair dresser and Claudia is an only child.

Claudia and her grandmother Earline save the life of a severely beaten teenage boy called Denny Clark, it becomes unsafe for Claudia to stay in Freedom, as her name has been linked to the white boy and he later goes on to be a leader of the Klan. Claudia leaves and goes to stay with her aunt Mavis, who’s the assistant principal at a private coloured girl’s school in Biloxi and family visit her on the weekends.

Claudia graduates high school and she goes to Hampton College and studies business. Claudia marries Robert Moore, and they move back to Mississippi, he works for the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee, Robert becomes involved with the civil rights movement and Claudia believes he hid what he was really doing from her and this leads to his death.

Claudia leaves the South, she has had enough and her best friend from college Yvonne lives in New York City and she invites her to visit. Claudia still encounters prejudice here, she’s not sure if it’s because of the colour of her skin or due to being an educated woman? Here she meets Ashley booth, a Wall Street executive and a successful one, he’s afraid to commit and when Claudia is given the chance to work for an international bank in Italy she seizes the opportunity.

Giancarlo Fortenza owns Fortenza Motors, he met a teenage Claudia years ago when she was visiting her aunt Virgie in France and now the twelve year age difference isn’t such an issue and is Claudia ready to put her heart on the line again?

I received a digital copy of Take the Long Way Home by Rochelle Alers from Kensington publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The narrative focuses on the life of a coloured woman, spanning over seventy years and it’s told from her point of view, she faces racism, discrimination, sexism and hatred.

Education and being fluent in three languages are pivotal in Claudia being able to leave America, live in another country and like many coloured people she was tired of waiting. Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist in America at the time and through nonviolence and using civil disobedience and he tried to bring about change. My favourite characters were, Claudia's grandmother Earline and her two aunts Mavis and Virgie and all three are strong and influential women and I gave the book three and a half stars.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read he brief description of "Take the Long Way Home" by Rochelle Alers, I thought it sounded like it would be right up my alley. I love historical fiction and the story of an independent and educated Black woman coming of age during the Civil Rights Era seemed like it would be a perfect read. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. I enjoyed the story, but was very distracted by the writing style. This very long book could use a good editing. The writing was superficial and simplistic and so the characters never came alive for me. The dialogue was often unrealistic and there were paragraphs inserted detailing historical facts that did not blend very well with the actual story. The writing was so superficial and simplistic I would have though I was reading a young adult novel but for the copious amounts of sexual content. The descriptions of Claudia's sexual encounters and thoughts bordered on ridiculous and the language used was often very clinical. I am not a prude, but I expected more history and less sex. And if there must be sex, I expect it to be well-written and actually add to the plot.

I read an advanced copy of this book and there were several chapters missing at the end. However, after slogging through the several hundred pages I did have of the book, I wasn't disappointed to discover that the ending wasn't included in the ARC because, honestly, I really don't care what happens. There were also an abundance of spelling and grammatical errors that were extremely distracting; I know this was an advanced edition, but I've read 100s of advanced editions of books and never encountered as many mistakes as I did with this one. I'm grateful to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book, but it definitely was not the book for me.

[Lea Columbus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to thank Kensington Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I want to start out with a concern. I requested this from Net Galley thinking that it was a complete book. No where did it state that it was unfinished or a "sample". Indeed,it was not until I finished chapter 42 that I saw the words to be continued, and the note that the last 5-8 chapters would not be done until April. I wrote to Net Galley, but they could not be of much assistance. They did say they would try to get the completed book, but I am not holding out much hope. I am , however, questioning the reasoning behind releasing 42 chapters , and not the rest. Are we ARC readers meant to be guinea pigs to determine the ending of the book?- the prologue pretty much gives hints as to the ending, so I think not. I am really stymied by this .
Ok, on to the review. The book is about Claudia Patterson a Black woman who we first meet as 12 year old in Mississippi in 1952. She has parents who dote on her and a loving grandmother. A chance encounter with a white teenage boy changes her life forever. We see her later in France , where she lives with her aunt and meets another man who will change her life- Giancarlo. We see her at college where she meets her first husband ( no spoilers, this is all in the prologue), Robert Moore, and in New York in the late 60's where she meets Ashley Booth. All 4 men have a profound influence on her . She is also heavily influenced by her mother and aunts- her mothers sisters. Her aunts do not marry, but live life as independent women, one in Mississippi and one in Paris, France. She is also deeply influenced by the changes in America in the 50's, and 60's. She is a Black woman, and is deeply affected by segregation, and the subsequent Civil Rights Movement.
It is a well written book. It is part romance, part historical fiction and partly a history lesson. It is a bit ponderous at times, but over all a good book. I just wish I was able to read the rest!

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a prolific and talented romance and women’s fiction author, I was excited to see Rochelle Alers had written a historical fiction about a fascinating and well-traveled woman. A long saga of Claudia’s life as told in the fateful encounters she has with certain men that lead her on a lifelong journey of the heart and mind.

I’ve read a few of Rochelle Alers small town romances over the years and enjoyed the warmth and heartwarming quality she gives to a story through the main characters’ romance and the always present surround of family, found-family, and friends. This had me very curious to see what she could do with an expansive decades-long story of one woman. I was a bit wary knowing how I shrink from books that really hit me hard in the heart because I suspected Claudia’s story was not going to be an easy one and that became apparent in the opening chapters. The young guy she helped save turned around to become a Ku Klux Klan member later making it imperative that Claudia get away from her home in Mississippi. I was drawn into that small town of Freedom Mississippi and the south of the turbulent sixties. Claudia’s family especially her grandmother captured me early on.

Each man who comes into her life is a section of the book and, I’m a sucker for when author’s do this, there are pertinent quotes that head each chapter related to what is to come next in Claudia’s story. Though the men of these men makes it seem like the impetus of the story is on the men shaping Claudia. That is a partial truth. Claudia is a strong woman who learns from life and lives it on her own turns. She marries a man she loves and they share a yearning to be part of righting the wrongs of racial inequality, but he dies too soon. She has already lived in France, learns about loving from a Frenchman and also met an older man who knows she’s too young so he moved out of her life. In New York she meets another fascinating wealthy man and learns about business and finances. Her life journey brings her to Italy and she encounters that older man once again, but this time she not an inexperienced young girl so life gives them a second chance.

Rochelle Alers painted the historical backdrop including society and culture of each time period so vividly that history came to life through Claudia’s life and experiences. I loved that there was plenty of page time so she could expand and touch on so much of life’s ups, downs, lessons, and love. I did feel the page count a few times when I was antsy to see what was to come next for her while hoping it would turn out well.

My review copy ended just shy of the story’s finish at ch 43 so I’ll have to get ahold of the finished copy after the release to feel fully satisfied. However, a goodly portion of Claudia’s life was told so I feel comfortable rating it knowing how much I already appreciated and felt satisfaction for the author’s dive into historical fiction. Definitely one I can recommend who want a fascinating woman’s life story at the center of their historical fiction.

I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer Oct 25.

[Keyona · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

[RoxAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous book! It took me awhile to read this after winning it because it was hard copy and I mostly read ebooks now. I am so glad I finally picked it up because even though it is over 550 pages long, I devoured it. The life of Claudia is so very interesting and complex. Surviving racism in southern US, and having to leave her family in her teens (because of threats due to her skin color) opened up a totally new world that changed her future for the rest of her life. The author has truly woven a beautiful story of Claudia’s life. Highly recommend!

[Rae-Lynne Byerley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the advance read.

This book was a book showed so many emotions, love, fear, hate, understanding. It was a neat love story that showed so much history. If the book had no sex scenes I would recommend for high school reading. I would put this as my current favourite literary fiction for this year.

[Ashlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this book was NOT for me. I knew I should have DNFed it about 20% in and I really should have listened to myself. But it was an ARC, and I don’t like DNFing books in case they get better for me. This one did not. Claudia is the FMC in this one, and the story starts out from when she is 12 and goes through her life at random intervals. I’m not completely sure where the book stops because apparently my copy says it’s incomplete and 5-6 chapters are missing. Why the publisher would send out an incomplete copy is beyond me. But also I don’t care enough about the book to even try to read those missing chapters. Sure, the book was educational. However, it was done in a way that I felt like I was reading a history textbook at times. I didn’t need big history info dumps randomly throughout the story. Okay, I’m done talking about this one. Just know it wasn’t for me.

[Brittany Shields · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Fifty-eight years. That’s how long it had taken Claudia to find her way back home... But then she had to ask herself: where was home?”


Take the Long Way Home is a historical fiction/romance/coming-of-age story.

I read this book because I was intrigued by the title and the idea of a book spanning so much history through the eyes of one black woman.

Unfortunately, the book was highly sexual— not always in an erotic way— and after getting 25% of the way through I decided to just skim the rest. Because of that, I think my relationship with the history of racism hit different than it probably would have had I not been so frustrated with the sexual content.

I don’t care to read the biography of Claudia’s sex life. If Alers had written a book that focused on four impactful events over the course of Claudia’s life that corresponded to historical events instead of four impactful men, I probably would have been more interested.


[Several reviewers who received an advanced reader’s copy gave a bad review of the book because it didn’t include the last several chapters. My version was missing those as well, but I contacted someone who gave me the updated copy. My review is based on knowledge of the completed book. It was nice to have the last bits and epilogue to know how it ended up, but it also contained a few more sex scenes so it didn’t really redeem itself in the end.]


The Long Way Home

Although the book was not my cup of tea, I can appreciate a good title. That’s what brought me to this book in the first place.

The long way home at the beginning of the book was the literal path Claudia took after school where she encountered a boy who would essentially change the course of her life drastically and put her on the trajectory to become the successful and cultured woman she became, to meet the people she met, etc.

The long way home in the more abstract sense was her return to the US and a discussion on what her home really is. After losing most of her family, what was her home? She takes a hiatus from the US, a place of so much racism and heartache for Claudia, and her grandchildren is what ultimately brings her back.


Plot Summary

The book begins with our main character, Claudia Patterson, as an 83-year-old woman visiting her daughter in the U.S. and remembering how she had vowed never to return because “she’d believed the country of her birth had continually betrayed her race.”

But after Obama became president she had hope that her country had turned a corner.

As she arrives to the U.S. she reunites with Ashley Booth, a previous lover, and then begins reminiscing about the four men in her life that had a huge impact on her. Thus begins the flashback parts of the book divided according to man:

Denny Clark- 1952, Freedom, Mississippi

When Claudia is just 12 she comes across a white boy barely alive after being beaten and whipped. Her grandma and she secretly nurse him back to health. But Denny falls in love with Claudia (more like lust) and causes some problems for Claudia emotionally and physically.

“She’d just learned a hard lesson at an early age. She couldn’t trust White people.”


Robert Moore- 1958, Hampton University, Virginia and Freedom, Mississippi

After the events with Denny, Claudia is schooled by her aunt in another town, becomes fluent in several languages, and attends Hampton where she meets Robert and they get married. He is black and schools to be a lawyer fighting for civil rights through legislation. Claudia becomes an activist, but her role in signing up black voters puts a target on them and Robert pays the price.

“I know that violence begets violence, and, Claudia, I don’t want to be filled with so much hatred that I become like them.”


Ashley Booth- 1968, New York City

Still grieving the death of her husband, she meets Ashley, nicknamed the ‘Black Prince of Wall Street.’ With both parents being doctors, he has been part of the black elite in New York and introduces Claudia to that world and corporate connections. But Ashley has vowed never to marry and his lack of commitment to Claudia in their relationship pushes her to accept an international banking job based in Rome.

“Ashley Booth was the epitome of sartorial splendor from his barbered hair to the shine on his shoes.”

“Ashley couldn’t love me, Yvonne, because he is in love with himself.”


Giancarlo Fortenza- 1969, Paris and Rome

Claudia originally met Giancarlo when she was 18 and on a summer trip to Paris with her aunts as a graduation gift. They run into each other again in Rome when she moves there for work. Ashley was given an ultimatum and now Claudia is moving on to Giancarlo. She marries Giancarlo and is able to start a family and grow old together.

“She’d never been attracted to White men, but Claudia realized she would make an exception when it came to Giancarlo.”


Sexual Content

I usually just put this in a content advisory at the end of my reviews but because it was a major factor in my opinion of the book I’m giving it more space.

This book is either talking about racism and discrimination against black people or it’s talking about Claudia’s sex life. Those are pretty much the only two things.

As I mentioned, it’s not really written erotically most of the time. It’s not meant to be a spicy flowery romance book (except maybe a little bit?… I don’t know.) But in a lot of spots it’s more written matter-of-factly or clinically.

Her first period is described in detail. Her first sexual feelings are described. Private body parts are named anatomically a dozen times. The word ‘erection’ is used a dozen times. (I have a digital copy so I can search, I’m not sitting there tallying while I’m reading.)

It just felt like every character is concerned with sex: when they lost their virginity, being a mistress, wondering whether they should sleep together, actually sleeping together, taking the pill, etc.


I know my beliefs about sex being between a man and woman within the commitment of marriage are probably not the majority. I know many of you will disagree with me here, but there is more to life than sex. (And plenty more books to read than ones about sex).

This book, as it’s trying to portray sexual freedom, actually exposes a lot of the burdens, griefs, and consequences of ‘sexual freedom’

We are told: “Getting a girl pregnant before graduating had become Robert’s greatest fear—” Simple, Robert, don’t have sex until you’re married. It’s 100% in your control. Your greatest fear is now overcome. Live in fear no longer.

Claudia says: “I do think of myself as a modern woman, because I’m willing to engage in premarital sex, but I draw the line when it comes to shacking up with a man.” Willing to engage. That wording already shows a problem. Women feel like they must have sex early because they need to be as sexually free as men. How else will they find a man to stick around? And having sex with no strings attached? Not a thing. There’s always strings. Most of them probably emotional. We’re told that sex is meaningless, just a form of pleasure. That’s a lie. Sex always means something. Not ‘shacking up’ solves some problems but creates others.

When her intentionally unmarried, ‘sexually free’, aunt arrives in one of the scenes and is helped with her luggage by a married man whom she rode on the train with, we are reminded about her aunt’s “ethereal beauty” and: “no doubt the long-time married grandfather enjoyed every minute of sitting across from her during the long train ride from Paris to Rome.” Because even if people ARE happily married, even for years, they’re definitely having sexual thoughts of every attractive woman they are around and wish they had the sexual freedom to do something about it. Can’t married men be happily married and committed men without wandering eyes and wistful ponderings? Can’t they just ride a train and be helpful?!

Alers does write Claudia’s character to be a woman who desires to be married and have children so there’s not a completely anti-marriage thread in this book.

I just got so tired of all the talk and thoughts of sex or sexualized things. It didn’t feel like a nice historical fiction love story. It read like a tawdry feminist flyer.

I know when I read a book with romance that it’s most likely not going to fully align with my convictions (which is why I tend to avoid the romance genre altogether) and I can handle some of that, but it was just too overwhelming in this book to get past. And honestly, I think men will feel uncomfortable reading a lot of it.


Historical Context and Racism

I think following a black woman from the 50s to the present was an effective way to show the compounding effect that racism can have for many people.

She grows up with the Jim Crow laws. She lives through the death of Emmett Till. She lives through the Civil Rights movement headed by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and all the protests. She lives through the assassinations of JFK and King. It gave me a little different way of looking at racism for folks who have lived through all of that— one thing after another.

In some instances, it was hard to read this book as a white person. I felt myself getting defensive about some remarks and I had to check myself and see if it was legitimate or if I was taking a feeling had during a specific historical context and internalizing it as a widespread feeling today.

For example, in the chapters that take place in the 50s during the Jim Crow laws, the dialogue she has with her family and other black people is very anti-white. Saying they don’t trust white people, they don’t want to interact with white people, etc. These thoughts make more sense in the historical context of what they were experiencing between white people and black people generally speaking. But I can’t then say of today- see, black people hate white people.

Alers includes this interaction which was good, although I’m not sure if Claudia said no because she was only thinking of white people in Paris or if she thought there were good white people in the US too.

“Do you hate White people?” His question gave Claudia pause when she recalled those she’d met in Paris. “No. Not all White people are bad just like not all Black folks are bad.”

There were some things I wasn’t sure how to feel about. Here are a couple:

“she was ashamed of her White blood.”

“There was so much more she wanted and needed to know about the events that were deliberately excluded from textbooks— events that were certain to make the white race not only uncomfortable but also guilty that they had been complicit in the atrocities perpetrated by their brethren.”

This last part is what gives me the most pause. This is exemplary of Critical Race Theory. It says that all white people are guilty and should apologize for things other white people have done. But that is a problem. White people who are actually committing the crimes and saying the racist things is one thing. Those who stand by and do nothing in the presence of violence also have something they need to wrestle with, but years later and location removed, you can’t assign guilt to people who were not involved. I hate the way black people were treated and the racism that was and sometimes still is prevalent in our country. I’m more than sorry that any of it happened, but I am not at fault for it and an entire race or gender should not have to stand up and admit guilt for actions taken by other people.


Then there is this problematic, very feminist, statement Claudia makes:

“I’ve lived long enough to know that men regardless of their color or race will stick together to keep a woman regardless of her race in a subordinate position.”

That’s just not true, obviously. Even though Claudia wants to get married, the general vibe of this book is pretty negative towards males. And they’re basically all womanizers.

The only oppression happening to women in the United States today is sexual and goes hand-in-hand with the ‘sexual freedom’ everyone thinks they want.

All that to say, Claudia’s character went through a lot in her life. She says this about what has driven her to leave the US and become an activist:

“What I am is a fierce Black sister willing to cross an ocean to get what she has been denied in the country of her birth. And I’m tired, Ashley. Tired of watching the news and holding my breath because I’m waiting to hear about another assassination.”

“I have a right to be cynical, Giancarlo. I was exiled from my hometown at twelve, denied a position with a white bank because of my color; my life was threatened by a White man belonging to a terrorist group because of my voter registration activity, and warned by my Black boss to stop signing up people to vote because he feared his bank would be bombed.”

And you can’t really blame her.


Other Randos

Full disclosure: the version I was reading was an early copy of the book so things may have changed before it was actually published but there were also some writing things that distracted and frustrated me.

There were a lot of spelling and grammar errors. I believe these will be fixed. But there were also weird section breaks. There would be a character asking a question and then there’s space and a section break and then the text just continues right where it left off. I’m not sure the point of those.


There are a lot of deaths in this book, which is fine, but the way Alers writes them is so abrupt. Just out of nowhere in two sentences someone is dead and we kind of move on. There is no warning or lead up. And some of these are really important relationships to Claudia. Even her own husband’s death is like a paragraph.


There is some swearing but not as much as it could have been, but also there were a lot of n-words. They’re used in the context of the 50s when that’s how people would talk, but as a reader, I didn’t like having to read them.

It must have been difficult for Alers to write those sections. I wonder if we could still understand the emotion and gravity of the situations if she had opted to leave the n-words out? I don’t know. But familiarity takes the punch out of words and I wonder if it would have been better to write that someone used a slur instead of actually writing it out every time?


I liked the addition of a discussion guide at the end of the book with questions that can be used if you were to choose this for a book club.


Recommendation

This book had potential, but I don’t think I would recommend it to many people. The biography of Claudia’s sex life is not a good enough plot line.

There’s probably some historical value to reading it, but not enough for me to put up with the other stuff.


**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

[Content Advisory: 12 f-words, 26 s-words, 22 n-words; forms of the word sex is used 40 times- see also sexual content section above; rape]

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[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a book to savor, not devour. I’m some ways Claudia reminded me of Anne Moody and in others of Maya Angelou. Her life has not been an easy life. It has been filled with pain and has been surrounded by hate. But, she has also been loved fiercely and she possesses a confidence and strength many only dream of having. The sections are titled after the men who helped define her life and the periods of her life. But Claudia is a woman who learns to live life on her own terms. She is a character that will live in the hearts of readers for decades. The only downside is the ARC I received from NetGalley is not complete. The last 5-6 chapters are not included, and now I have to wait until the book is published to find out more about Claudia’s life. Rest assured, I will buy the book to finish it once released!!

[Karna Bosman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author, Rochelle Alers, for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review of "Take the Long Way Home.” I was interested in this novel for it’s historical fiction value. “Take the Long Way Home” is a mix between historical fiction and romance. While Rochelle Alers is a prolific and well loved author this is my first exposure to her work. I appreciate the opportunity.

“Take the Long Way Home” is a valuable piece of historical fiction. The story begins with the main protagonist, Claudia Patterson, traveling home to visit after living the largest portion of her life in Italy as an Italian citizen, and takes us through several phases of her life. The sections of the book are titled after the four men who helped define Claudia's life.

Claudia was born in 1940 in the all-Negro town of Freedom, Mississippi, during a time when to be Black was to be unsafe due to racial tension and the violence forced on the Black community by Whites in general and and especially the KKK. Her family was unique in that her parents were the successful owners of a barber shop and beauty salon, and her maternal aunts have chosen unconventional lives, choosing not to marry. We are quickly brought back to the beginning of the story where Claudia and her grandmother save the life of a White teenager who grows up to be a leader in the KKK organization. Denny Clark has been beaten and left for dead by his father and Claudia’s grandmother nurses him back to health. Even though her life has been somewhat sheltered living an an all-negro town Claudia becomes unsafe because of the complexities brought on by her connection to a White boy.

Claudia leaves her rural community and goes to live with one of her aunts who is a teacher who teaches her multiple languages and takes her to visit the other aunt in France. Claudia goes to college, marries, and brings her husband home to Mississippi where he is killed due to his work as a civil rights attorney. Claudia then leaves the south and we follow her through her life as she makes her way to New York and then Italy. Opportunity presents itself due to the multiple languages taught her by her aunt.

At times the story is unrealistic but Claudia is a lovable character and Rochelle Alers does a good job of telling the story of her life while weaving in a variety of racial US history.

[Stormi Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take the Long Way Home
By: Rochelle Alers

4 stars

First off, I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. I wanted this book because of the history, and I am so glad I found it because I got that and so much more.

This was such an enthralling story. Claudia is an African American female living in the deep south during some of the most turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement. This is about her journey from Deep South Mississippi as a young girl to the Rome Countryside as a young woman. This book is as much about her as it is the 4 men who helped shape her. Denny. Robert. Ashley. Giancarlo. Each played their own special role in who she was and who she would become.

This was such a good story. It was written well. The characters were realistic and easy to love. From the historical side, you see deep into the south and the Civil Rights Movement. The powerful images that are portrayed were a jarring reminder of a very turbulent time in our history. Some things I knew, some things I did not. So if I learned something new and I enjoyed the story, well, I call that a win.

Aside from the historical side, which can be seen in a more realistic view, we had the romance side. This story was such an amazing tale of romance in a time when women were growing by leaps and bounds. Gaining the vote, being able to get contraceptives. It made Claudia, a modern "historical" character, to me, and it made me love her even more. She never faulted in her own thoughts. She always stood her ground. A woman who was powerful and amazing in her own right. The men bring her pain and love. Heartbreak and security. Each one is different.

This was all around a good story. It was written well. It kept me engrossed. If you love a good mix of historical, drama, and romance. This is the book for you.

STORMI

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take the Long Way Home by Rochelle Alers is a compelling story about Claudia, a woman of mixed race who lives an extraordinary life in Europe and America. She is from Mississippi but for various reasons leaves for Paris and Rome where she lives several decades. This bit resonated with me as an expat myself. She marries, works, travels, finds her true love, grows older and meets dear friends from her past. I did enjoy parts of her life as an older and wiser woman. Other parts tugged at my heart including the rescue of a severely beaten white boy by a black woman in a time in America when black people were ostracized...and worse.

The premise is fascinating but in reality the writing, editing issues and especially lots of gratuitous sex left me disappointed. Reviewers are informed this is an incomplete ARC which is less than ideal but the synopsis drew me in. Sadly, in general the book did not measure up in my view.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley.

[Toni Foust · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly remarkable, well written, page turning story! I am in awe of Claudia's strength and perseverance throughout the book. It really took you back to an extremely challenging lifetime for women of color. I found myself at times shocked, laughing, crying, yelling, and speechless at times working through emotions as I followed Claudia's journey. The story had me intrigued throughout the whole book, and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter were a wonderful touch. #thelongwayhome

[Tammy Chaffins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads contest and I'm so glad I did. This book is about one woman's coming of age story. Her strength and that of her family is admirable. Her story spans 40 years and and her finally realising what and where home is.

[Brenda Larnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure. Rochelle Alers has proven to be a creative and brilliant storyteller. Claudia Patterson, Robert Moore, Ashley Moire, Giancarlo Pasquale Fortenza, and Denny Clark are memorable characters who stand out in this outstanding story that is rich with history. It is also a sweeping tale of relationships.
TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME is a winner!

[Shelli France · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me longer than I would’ve liked - in the end I wanted it to go on a little longer. Very interesting read - I cried, I got mad, I was sad, I cheered for the good in Claudia’s life and even though I will never know what is was like being affected by racism, as she was- you have a clearer picture. (From her perspective). Great characters.. well some of them.
That’s what made it feel real.

[Mary Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley for this free advance copy of Take the Long Way Home.by Rochelle Alers exchange for a honest review .This is a wonderful book full of history that centers around a beautiful Black woman called Claudia Peterson and the 4 men that are part of her part of her life.They are Denny Clark- a white boy whose life Claudia saves who pays her back in a most unjust way.Robert- who she marries and loses tragically.Ashley- a wealthy Black man who is afraid tontell Claudia he loves her and Giancarlo- an Italian man who emerges from Claudia’s past at just the right time.Each chapter has a famous quote that is pertinent to the events of the chapter.Great character development.Highly recommend.#NetGalley, #Takethelongwayhome

[Faith Mundia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book! This was a fun and easy read. Rochelle made all the love interests so lovable I had a hard time letting go of the attraction from the first to the next plus the detail of the experiences in each of the timelines had me fully immersed in Claudia's life. What a beautiful rollercoaster.
Summary of my review from my blog;
"This is a love story from a life well lived. Claudia has experienced love with 4 different men, from a white man in the south, a classy black man in New York, a sensual French man who opens her up to her needs 😜 to the dashing Italian man who becomes her husband of 50 years and shows her a world that only a few women ever get to experience.

I got this book as an ARC book for review and planned to complete it within 2 weeks but I completed it in a day!😅. The book will be out in October 2023 so prepare yourself to get this sure-to-be bestseller coz from what I’ve read, I wish I could experience even half of what Claudia has lived through 🥰.

The best part about this book is the fantastic world-building. Rochelle’s description of Mississippi in the first few chapters of the book had me cancel my weekend plans to go out.

This book makes me sincerely wish it was already out so I can tell you where to get it and get to experience it but… well😊. Keep this review in mind and ensure you get the book when it is out🤩.

Please follow my blog and read the review here https://geekyaboutbooks.wordpress.com...

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and educational read! At a time when books containing black history are being banned in so many areas of our country, it is imperative that works historical fiction such as this be lifted up. Rochelle Alerts has presented the life of one woman and in doing so, shares the social changes that have occurred over time. Thanks #NetGalley

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claudia Patterson is the much-adored only child of two small business owners in an all-Black town in Mississippi. When heading to her grandmother's house after school one day, she and a friend take the long way home. This begins a sequence of events leading to a life that she could never have imagined, beginning when she and her friend find a white boy badly beaten and likely to die without immediate assistance.

The novel begins with a prologue where Claudia is an older woman, but then the novel returns to her childhood and the tale of the first of four men who had a significant impact on the course of her life. Because of some of Claudia's internal dialogue and her conversations with two old friends, we already know that she was married twice and that the second and fourth men will be her two husbands. We actually encounter the first and third men within the prologue.

I really liked the concept behind this book - a woman looking back on her life and four instrumental people within it - so that is why I requested an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. The novel spans approximately 60 years, so we are taken through a number of turbulent periods within recent American history in quick succession. We watch everything through Claudia's eyes and see how she is shaped into the woman we met in the prologue. I think my favorite character was Claudia's grandmother and I liked that Claudia refers back to her in various places in the novel.

There were a couple of issues with the book for me. First, it seemed like some of the parts were rushed, particularly the part with Ashley. I had anticipated them having a much longer relationship from the way she spoke about him and how they used to throw elaborate parties and were a power couple. I had thought they had any number of dinner parties, but we only learn about one and it seems like only one occurred. I do not know if that was a continuity error or not.

Second, this was an incomplete early version of the novel, and it cuts off abruptly in the middle of a conversation. So, it is impossible to tell if the author really brought the story back around like the title and premise lead the reader to expect. And although the notes at the beginning advise the reader to ignore typographical errors as they will be fixed prior to publishing, the large amount of such errors made it difficult to ignore. There were any number of sentences with extra words or missing words or repeated words. There is one place where you read a paragraph, read the next paragraph, and then encounter that first paragraph again. Still, the novel was appealing enough that I kept reading. I really hope that a strong copy editor went through the novel before publishing so that it does not have the same issues upon release.

[Jenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many emotions are going through me at this moment: love, hate, fear, anger, hope. I only wish t had the complete ARC so that I know what happens next, how it will end for Claudia, and if it’s Giancarlo that she ends up with. Besides Robert, Giancarlo was my favorite of all the guys that Claudia ended up encountering and getting involved with. The last chapter that I read, the way that it ended, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next, especially since it said that there were few more chapters in the full version of the novel. Would Giancarlo be the one? Would the two of them have children? You can’t help but be curious about what is to come for Claudia. If I wasn’t busy packing for the move in July, I would spend all my day reading the book.

I loved that each part started at a different time and told a story about a particular guy she encountered that year. I loved that the story began when she was young. From the moment Denny Clark spoke to Claudia, I knew he was bad news, and I had a feeling that things would not end well for him. I wasn’t even surprised to find out what he had become. Denny Clark is not the character I liked, and I knew he wasn’t one that I would like even if I tried to. Ashley Booth was one of the characters I had mixed feelings about; there were times that I liked him, but then there were times that his actions made me wonder if he loved Claudia. The relationship between Ashley and Claudia, there was no connection there, not like she had with Robert and Giancarlo. Even if she didn’t end up taking an overseas assignment, I don’t think that their relationship would last for much longer.

I felt as if I walked through history as I went along the journey with Claudia. I enjoyed how many different places she ended up in through the years. I loved how the descriptions were portrayed throughout the book, transporting me there. I read late into the night multiple times, one more chapter turning into five more. There were a few parts that felt that were dragging on a bit, but they usually didn’t last for long. I can’t wait to read the full version, which means I will be re-reading the book in the future.

I recommend this book to any historical fans; a must-read.

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted historical novel spanning 70 years and multiple continents as we follow Claudia, a smart, strong driven African American woman along her journey. From 1940’s-1950’s Mississippi where the town she lived in was in theory safe, but wasn’t as the KKK was never far and always dangerous and regularly lethal to Biloxi, where she gets a wonderful education, but wants more. Then off to NYC, where she is more than surprised that she still encounters a lot of prejudice and isn’t sure if its because of her skin color or that she’s a smart educated woman or a combo of both. She’s met some wonderful people, but is again disappointed by love so when an opportunity to use her business education, expand her horizons she heads overseas to Italy and there is so much more. Her life’s journey is amazing. She experiences prejudice, hatred, sexism, discrimination, love, loss and many other ‘ism’s along the way. I enjoyed each and every moment of this book, even the really hard ones as so much of what happened “then” is still what is relevant and happening today. Another wonderful book from this author that should not be missed.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[D Zieris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GENUINE LEADER IS NOT A SEARHER FOR CONSENSUS BUT A MOLDER OF CONSENSUS
-MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

Claudia Patterson was born in Freedom, Mississippi 1940. This story begins in 1952 when Claudia is 12 yrs old. With both parents running their businesses, Claudia spends most of her time with her loving grandmother, Earline. Learning to cook and make home remedies passed down in the Patterson family.
Living in the south, Claudia experienced racism, loss, and witnessed poverty and violence.
In 1968, her husband, a civil rights attorney, passed in what she felt was more than she was told. Claudia leaves the south for New York City for a job. She meets Ashley, a confident, successful man. With words not spoken, she leaves New York for Rome. Claudia marries her second husband, Giancarlo. A man who opens up her world and gives her a beautiful family.

I truly loved this book. It hit on so many topics. History, family, love, loss, and the awful side of how ugly life can be. I felt so many feelings reading this, a book I would highly recommend!

I would like to thank Kensington books and Goodreads for this book.
I would like to add that I have read, and I am reviewing this book on my own. Thank you!

[DeNise Malanchuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway winner and I'm super glad I did not spend money on it! From the title and overview I was excited to enter and win the giveaway. However, within the first several chapters, I was bombarded with disappointment. The author clearly has a political agenda that radiates to the characters. The main character is in a fight for freedom of black oppression and racism, but comes across as bitter and racist herself...only adding fuel to an already on fire political atmosphere. The story line on the subject could have been more unifying but the author chose to make the main character racist against whites ...just seemed a little too hypocritical for me. In addition, the prolific sex scenes are revolting and unnecessary. I have never stopped reading a book I don't like because I hold out to see if there's a surprising twist. Wish I had never started this book as it was an overall excruciatingly painful experience!

[Camilla Liberatore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take the long way home By Rochelle Alers.
Is such an interesting historical fiction novel that as the title suggests is about when life leads you back to where you are meant to be. Call it your destiny or fate.
The story starts with the main character Claudia Patterson born in 1940 in Freedom Mississippi (in the heart of the South). Where cornbread and grits are the foods loved by all, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was prevalent causing trouble between between the whites and blacks, it was the time of Martin Luther King, Vietnam war and John F Kennedy (JFK).
Claudia lived with her Father and Mother Earl and Sarah who owned a barber shop and beauty salon working while Claudia would stay with her Grandma Earline. She also had two Aunts Mavis who lived in Paris and Aunt Virge from Biloxi.
Claudia loved going to school and one day was walking home from school with her best friend when in 1952 they found a injured white boy named Denny Clarke. Claudia and her Grandmother helped him heal from his inflicted wounds from abused received. Only for Denny to later return the favour in a strange way.
At the age of 12 Claudia was sent to Paris where her Aunt taught her about art, culture and 3 languages italian, French and Spanish. This is where her life begins to change. At the age of 18, She meets a man much older than her who would later be her second husband. He was banned from seeing her because of her innocence.
Claudia returns to the states in 1958 to go to college to study business meets Robert Moore a college law student. They date, fall in love, and marry on her graduation day in 1962. Robert become a civil rights lawyer and activist. Claudia began working in the local bank. Unaware where her career would lead. They loved building a future together in a world that gave cruel treatment to black men and women of the South. They both tried to change this through their work. Unfortunately, Robert's life is shortened too soon. Claudia was devastated by this as well as a hatred of living in the South.
Claudia moves to New York, was again treated unfairly but persisted with her work. She then meets Ashley Booth in 1968, rekindling feelings in Claudia that were different to the relationship she had with Robert. Again Ashley changed her future.
In 1969 Claudia was offered a role in international banking. Leading her to Rome. Where after 10 years reunites with Giancarlo Fortenza. He was the man she met n Paris at the age of 18. He owned Fortenza Motors a family owned car designer and manufacturer. It was love at first sight for Giancarlo, for Claudia she needed to fall in love first before she could marry again.
This story spanned a lifetime full of surprises and changes that bought Claudia towards her long way home. I was given a copy to read by NetGalley for an honest review. I rate this book 5 out of 5. Absolutely loved the mix of culturesand historical events.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this e-ARC.

Take the Long Way Home tells the story of a Claudia, a black woman, from her youth in a segregated Mississippi to her adult years in New York City and Italy, and the four men that have influenced the path in her life. This book very heavily focused on specific historic events during tumultuous times in US history in the 50s and 60s. The civil rights movement is not just the backdrop, but it is heavily interwoven within the plot and dialogue. Also of secondary importance to Claudia was womens' rights during this time, and the importance for Claudia to feel she had every right as a man to live the life she wanted, that she wasn't the possession of any man but his equal, and she was the creator of her own destiny.

In premise, I thought I would really love this book, given the strong elements of important US historic events and the focus on Europe in this coming-of-age book. I did enjoy the book, but there are certain aspects that lead me to my 3 star rating.

The type of language used in the book: the occasional profanity did not bother me, but the awkward intimate scenes did, and sometimes there were things characters said or slang they used that I really don't think was used at that time; it felt out of place.

The very detailed writing: the author includes a lot of details in the thought processes/internal dialogue of the main characters, as well as in their conversations. I wondered more than once if some things were even necessary to the story. Often there were things repeated/restated, such as decisions a character made, and the reason showed up again in the next few pages or chapter. Details about food, details about hair and clothes...it could have helped this book shave off several pages, because it is a loooong book.

The book is unfinished: I didn't realize this when I started reading, but there are chapters missing, so I don't know how the story even ends! I invested many hours reading the 550+ pages and then I don't even know how it ends. That was disappointing. There were also many spelling errors or words missing in this pre-release version. But I am 100% sure those errors will be fixed in the final published version.

I understand the title, in that Claudia had a long journey to find her peace in life and love in an unfair, uncertain, and unequal world. But I also found the title to be maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek/ironic, because the story is very long, longer than it needed to be to still tell the same story. (And I don't even know the ending yet!).

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
I’ve read a couple of Rochelle Alers’ romances, and while I’ve been very mixed on them, due to her tendency to solve them with a third-act pregnancy (this happened in two books now!), I was intrigued to see that she, like some other Black romance authors, was branching out into historical fiction with Take the Long Way Home. While I did find some of the marketing choices for the review copy a tad misleading, and I did balk a tad when I realized it was almost 600 pages, and somewhat non-linear, I decided to give it a chance for my Black History Month reading. And to my surprise, I ended up really enjoying it.
While Claudia and all the major characters are fictional, they are based on real historical figures instrumental to Black history and the civil rights movement. While the movement isn’t the central theme of the book, it plays a part in Cladia’s narrative throughout the book.
The premise of how these different men shape a woman, whether romantically or otherwise, is an intriguing premise, but I love that ultimately, while the story is about that, Claudia and her growth are always centered. She truly learns a lot from a young age, and doesn’t have an easy road, but she ends up accomplishing a lot throughout her life, even with all the challenges, loves, and losses. Through each of these experiences, she shows her strength to keep moving forward.
And while the marketing emphasizes the various men who come in and out of her life, and they are important, I love the role the various women in her family play too, like her grandmother, mother, and aunt. And rather late in the narrative, she also is accepted by her second husband Giancarlo’s mother as well.
While I feared the challenges the length and breadth might present, these were largely unfounded. The story was easy to get into, and while there were some intense moments, due to the nature of the subject matter, I quickly became engrossed. The pacing also wasn’t an issue, and the timeline wasn’t as scattered as I’d feared, although I did feel like the main part of the book prior to the epilogue ended rather abruptly, before jumping ahead in time.
I really enjoyed this book, and would be interested in reading more books in a similar vein from Rochelle Alers in the future. If you’re interested in romantic historical fiction about a Black woman during the civil rights movement, I’d recommend checking this out!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this epic look at the decades long struggle of a Black woman in the US and Europe. Claudia was born in an all Black town in Mississippi in 1940 and lives a pretty idyllic life with her parents who own businesses in town and her grandmother who lives nearby. Her life turns upside down when she comes across a beaten white boy while walking home from school at the age of twelve. She has had very little contact with Whites and when this boy decides he likes Claudia she rebuffs him. In order to save her she is sent off to live with her aunt in Biloxi where she goes to the all girl school where her aunt teaches.

Claudia learns French, Italian, and Spanish from her aunt which goes a long way to making her seem sophisticated when they take a graduation trip to Paris to stay with her other aunt for six weeks. There she meets and Italian man who she becomes good friends with but since he is twelve years older than her it doesn't go past one kiss. But even at eighteen she is aware that the racism she encounters in the US is not as pervasive in France.

Next Claudia goes to an Historically Black College where she meets her roommate's cousin from another college who she becomes involved with. I won't go through each step of Claudia's life but suffice to say that the book is clear about the racism in Mississippi and how it affected her life and her family's. I appreciated the look at how life was in an all Black town and the differences in locations in the US and also the change of times through the years. We follow Claudia into her 80's. She spent time in her early life in Paris but also a lot of time in Italy later on with stops back in Mississippi and in New York City. The struggles she had made for a great story.

On the downside, I really don't understand why the author went all romance novel on us a few times. To me this was a great Historical Fiction story which included the men in Claudia's life. But every time she was in a new relationship we would get a few pages of erotica. It just seemed so out of place with the story and definitely unnecessary to the storyline. I'm not a prude, it just didn't seem to fit and it certainly can't go in our HS library now. Too bad because the historical significance would be beneficial to many.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, actually both.....the first one I got did not include the last 5-8 chapters; luckily I was able to go back and get the final ARC that had all the chapters.

[KM · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this novel stretches across nearly seven decades, most of the story occurs from the late 1950s to the 1970s, with Claudia coming of age during a very tumultuous time in Mississippi. After helping save the life of a white boy who was nearly beaten to death, Cynthia is forced to leave the all black town of Freedom, MS to live with her aunt in Biloxi. After high school, she attends college in Hampton, VA where she meets her first husband, who is a cousin of her roommate. Once he graduates from Howard University Law School in Washington, DC and she graduates from college, they move back to Freedom, Mississippi. Both are actively engaged in advocating for social reform and voting rights for disenfranchised black Americans. After multiple tragedies, Claudia seeks a change and heads to New York where her roommate now lives. She starts a new life there, working in banking as she had in the South. But when an opportunity arises to transition to a job in Italy for an international bank, she heads overseas. She had visited Paris for six weeks after high school graduation, traveling with her aunt Mavis (with whom she had lived in Biloxi) to stay with her aunt Vergie (a wealthy ex-pat living in Paris). Both of her aunts are single, well-educated and somewhat worldly, and they have a big influence on Claudia ... arguably as much as the men in her life, who make up different chapters in her story.

Interestingly, I found myself "liking" many of the secondary characters (her grandmother, roommate, aunts, etc.) better than I did Claudia herself. Also, while I really appreciated the storyline and the interesting historical setting, I think the book could have used a lot more editing to trim out so many superfluous details and descriptions that didn't actually add anything. The book is quite long, which might have been necessary if there were more depth in other storylines that interconnected ... for instance, if we had chapters dedicated to Yvonne's life or the life of her friend who married an African prince. But for Claudia's story alone (especially because so much of the book was focused on the early years of her life and skipped a lot of the later years), it seemed overly long. So many times, I'd thinking to myself, "I did not need to know _________." (E.g., what color the purse was that she picked up when she left the house ... and so many other random details.) I was distracted by the writing style.

3.5 stars