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So Far Away
Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to from her parents' ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of her former best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way in a world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation arrives in an unlikely Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages of a dusty old 1920s diary Natalie unearthed in her mother's basement. But the life she describes is as troubling -- and mysterious -- as the one Natalie is trying to navigate herself, almost a century later. I am writing this down because this is my story. There were only ever two people who knew my secret, and both are gone before me. Who was Bridget, and what became of her? Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful she's estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk. What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow . . . and might even change their lives forever.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2012
92 people are currently reading
3193 people want to read
About the author
Meg Mitchell Moore
12 books1,901 followersMeg Mitchell Moore is the author of eight novels. Her ninth, MANSION BEACH, will be published in May 2025. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and whichever of her three high school- and college-aged daughters is home, as well two golden retrievers who shed a lot and don't read at all.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews
July 7, 2012
The main and most central theme of this book is bullying and its ramifications. Anyone who is considering reading this should know this right up front.
For some reason or another, I thought this book was going to be about this neato mysterious old diary, and watching the characters as they discover the history and story behind the diary. While this did happen, to some extent, it was definitely more of a side note. The main theme is bullying.
Why do I say bullying is the central theme?
The lady who wrote the diary; Bridget, an Irish immigrant, was bullied as a teen by her female employer, who at one point resorts to physical violence.
Kathleen’s daughter was subjected to bulling from friends and eventually gave in to peer pressure and became a drug addict.
Natalie, the person this story revolves around is being bullied constantly, you will find out what happens to her if you read it.
There are dual narrators in this book, some chapters are told from Kathleen’s voice, and some are told from Natalie’s.
Kathleen is an older lady who works at the State Archives. She is a little bit psychotic because she lost her daughter to drug abuse caused by peer pressure. She is constantly trying to fill the void. She sees a bit of her daughter in Natalie and so has latched on to Natalie like human crazy glue. (I am punny) Despite of (or maybe because of?) Kathleen’s neurosis, I found her endearing. If not for Kathleen I don’t know that I would have liked this book much.
Natalie, our other main character, is being bullied via text message and online by her former best friend and another girl. While I understand the real threat that faces teens with cyber bullying, I was just plain angry and Natalie for 90% of this book. When I wasn’t mad at her I was mad at her parents. Yes, Natalie is young and therefore should get a little bit more leeway with doing unintelligent things than your average character. But, I found her to be weak and stupid.
The plot is steady, and I can see how a certain audience would be captivated enough to read it all in one sitting, but at times the plot was a bit too disjointed for my taste. The whole reading of the diary thing felt kind of odd to me. I don’t really know how to explain what I mean. The characters were reading the diary with each other or sometimes by themselves, so it would jump from modern day story to the next part of the diary story. But it was like there was too much preamble leading up to the diary story between the readings. I liked the diary story, and I liked the fact that the characters were reading it, I just didn’t like the way it was actualized.
All in all it was a decent book and I don’t regret reading it. It is always fun to check out a new author that has a style of writing that is different than what I am used to. If you want to read a rather depressing book that drives home the fact that girls can be cruel and bullying can lead to drug abuse, violence, and poor self image then this is the book for you. If you are already pretty clear on these facts, you could probably skip it. I would also like to say that if you are a teacher or otherwise work with teenage girls, you may gain some insight from this book, however, I personally found the majority of the bulling to be too extreme and unrealistic.
"liked it"
I am giving this book 3 stars because of the character development. As well as the historical aspect of the diary.
Thank you to goodreads and Hachette Book Group for the free copy of this book and the opportunity to read it. I received this book for free from goodreads first reads program, but that in no way influenced this review.
For some reason or another, I thought this book was going to be about this neato mysterious old diary, and watching the characters as they discover the history and story behind the diary. While this did happen, to some extent, it was definitely more of a side note. The main theme is bullying.
Why do I say bullying is the central theme?
The lady who wrote the diary; Bridget, an Irish immigrant, was bullied as a teen by her female employer, who at one point resorts to physical violence. Kathleen’s daughter was subjected to bulling from friends and eventually gave in to peer pressure and became a drug addict. Natalie, the person this story revolves around is being bullied constantly, you will find out what happens to her if you read it.There are dual narrators in this book, some chapters are told from Kathleen’s voice, and some are told from Natalie’s.
Kathleen is an older lady who works at the State Archives. She is a little bit psychotic because she lost her daughter to drug abuse caused by peer pressure. She is constantly trying to fill the void. She sees a bit of her daughter in Natalie and so has latched on to Natalie like human crazy glue. (I am punny) Despite of (or maybe because of?) Kathleen’s neurosis, I found her endearing. If not for Kathleen I don’t know that I would have liked this book much.
Natalie, our other main character, is being bullied via text message and online by her former best friend and another girl. While I understand the real threat that faces teens with cyber bullying, I was just plain angry and Natalie for 90% of this book. When I wasn’t mad at her I was mad at her parents. Yes, Natalie is young and therefore should get a little bit more leeway with doing unintelligent things than your average character. But, I found her to be weak and stupid.
The plot is steady, and I can see how a certain audience would be captivated enough to read it all in one sitting, but at times the plot was a bit too disjointed for my taste. The whole reading of the diary thing felt kind of odd to me. I don’t really know how to explain what I mean. The characters were reading the diary with each other or sometimes by themselves, so it would jump from modern day story to the next part of the diary story. But it was like there was too much preamble leading up to the diary story between the readings. I liked the diary story, and I liked the fact that the characters were reading it, I just didn’t like the way it was actualized.
All in all it was a decent book and I don’t regret reading it. It is always fun to check out a new author that has a style of writing that is different than what I am used to. If you want to read a rather depressing book that drives home the fact that girls can be cruel and bullying can lead to drug abuse, violence, and poor self image then this is the book for you. If you are already pretty clear on these facts, you could probably skip it. I would also like to say that if you are a teacher or otherwise work with teenage girls, you may gain some insight from this book, however, I personally found the majority of the bulling to be too extreme and unrealistic.
"liked it"I am giving this book 3 stars because of the character development. As well as the historical aspect of the diary.
Thank you to goodreads and Hachette Book Group for the free copy of this book and the opportunity to read it. I received this book for free from goodreads first reads program, but that in no way influenced this review.
October 18, 2022
So Far Away had 3 different storylines and while I enjoyed all three, Natalie Gallagher’s story was the one I felt most interested in. She is a 13-year-old girl who has been abandoned by her best friend. For reasons she doesn’t understand, she has become the target of bullies. Her parents are going through a divorce and her mother stays in bed, too depressed to get up and get dressed, much less worry what her teenage daughter is doing. Natalie’s dad has started a relationship with another woman and is too busy to be interested in Natalie’s problems. The second storyline is about Kathleen Lynch, a lonely archivist whose 17-year-old daughter ran away from home 11 years earlier. After her departure, Kathleen found out about her drug use. She hired a private investigator, but her daughter was never found. She feels instant empathy for Natalie, recognizing that Natalie has problems and needs her help. Natalie brought an old diary she found to the archives, hoping she could use it for a school project. This diary was the third storyline and told the story of a young Irish immigrant working as a maid in an abusive family situation.
I felt a lot of irritation with the character of Kathleen. Not only did she ignore all the warning signs of her daughter’s drug use, but she was also ignoring all the signs that her beloved dog was gravely ill. She mentions how her elderly dog had a bad cough, didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to go for walks and I kept thinking “Get that dog to a vet! Something is wrong with a dog that doesn’t want to eat or go for a walk.”
The book ends with a lot of the plot lines unresolved. I would like to have known how things ended up with Natalie and her friends and her school project. Kathleen ends up as a catalyst for change for Natalie and her family and I can only hope that there was a happy ending for everyone.
I felt a lot of irritation with the character of Kathleen. Not only did she ignore all the warning signs of her daughter’s drug use, but she was also ignoring all the signs that her beloved dog was gravely ill. She mentions how her elderly dog had a bad cough, didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to go for walks and I kept thinking “Get that dog to a vet! Something is wrong with a dog that doesn’t want to eat or go for a walk.”
The book ends with a lot of the plot lines unresolved. I would like to have known how things ended up with Natalie and her friends and her school project. Kathleen ends up as a catalyst for change for Natalie and her family and I can only hope that there was a happy ending for everyone.
June 24, 2012
When I first started reading this book I thought that though it was well written that nothing very much was happening, but this is one of those books that slowly but surely draws you in and keeps you there. The characters were wonderful, they became the people who live down the street from you, they were so very human in their failing, their problems and their lives. They tackle real crises, the same ones we all have to face every day, the challenges we try so hard to overcome and it was these characters that make this book so special. A young girl being cyber bullied by her ex best friend, a young gay man waiting to adopt a child and an archivist whose own daughter ran away when she was seventeen and has not been heard of again. These people find answers from friendship and caring and from a journal found of a young woman's troubles in the 1800's. A quiet novel but for me a brilliant one.
September 30, 2013
I impulsively snagged this from the library this Saturday morning. Despite laundry, housekeeping and beginning the colossal job of packing to move into our new house, I finished it this afternoon.
Moore is an author I was not familiar with but she's definitely on my radar now. This story just kept moving. It wasn't thrilling, or action packed, yet so compelling.
Kathleen works in a archives library in Boston. Years ago, her daughter Susannah ran away after Kathleen confronted her about suspected drug use. She never returned.
Natalie is a young teenager struggling with her parents recent separation and her mothers inability to function since. To make matters worse, Hannah who's been her best friend since kindergarten, has suddenly ditched her and along with her new best friend, popular Taylor Grant, is cyber bullying her through vicious texts.
When they are brought together through a genealogy school project Natalie needs Kathleen's help on, it changes the trajectory of both their lives in ways neither could have guessed.
The writing was tight and highly readable. It garnered emotions, empathy and interest. Deftly making me care about each character, their lives and its problems, and had me cheering for a happy ending for all of them.
An engrossing and lovely story about family, friendship and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Moore is an author I was not familiar with but she's definitely on my radar now. This story just kept moving. It wasn't thrilling, or action packed, yet so compelling.
Kathleen works in a archives library in Boston. Years ago, her daughter Susannah ran away after Kathleen confronted her about suspected drug use. She never returned.
Natalie is a young teenager struggling with her parents recent separation and her mothers inability to function since. To make matters worse, Hannah who's been her best friend since kindergarten, has suddenly ditched her and along with her new best friend, popular Taylor Grant, is cyber bullying her through vicious texts.
When they are brought together through a genealogy school project Natalie needs Kathleen's help on, it changes the trajectory of both their lives in ways neither could have guessed.
The writing was tight and highly readable. It garnered emotions, empathy and interest. Deftly making me care about each character, their lives and its problems, and had me cheering for a happy ending for all of them.
An engrossing and lovely story about family, friendship and perseverance in the face of adversity.
November 11, 2012
Mini-Summary: A lonely archivist, Kathleen Lynch, emotionally scarred by the loss of her own husband and daughter, befriends a teenage girl, Natalie Gallagher, who is struggling with the divorce of her parents and cyberbullying from girls at school. This unlikely pair comes together through mutual interest in a mysterious diary written in the 1920s by an Irish nanny, Bridget Callaghan, who has secret struggles of her own.
Some Thoughts (Spoiler-ish, fair warning):
I won this ARC in a First Reads giveaway by GoodReads, and I thought, having won it, that it wasn’t going to be… well… good. I never actively read anything that isn’t a classic, popular, or mainstream. I read books that are pretty much guaranteed to be at least well-written. So, I thought I was going to have to fake some nice things to say about this one, and that it would be a total disappointment because I acquired it so freely and easily. Despite all of my doubts, I am happy to say that this novel is actually pretty good, even if it isn’t entirely for me.
The real potency of this novel comes from the Natalie Gallagher storyline. Moore very aptly captures the plight of the teenage girl. Natalie struggles with the suddenness of her parents’ divorce and all of the change it brings into her life. Her disappointment in her father’s new romance and mother’s crippling depression is palpable. She is surly and impatient with them. Natalie looks to her parents as sources of strength, and she is deeply angry at them for being fallible and coming up short in their responsibilities to her. Natalie desires someone solid and aware in her life, and she learns the hard lesson that all children must eventually face: parents are humans too, and the childhood memories we have of them being superhereos are figments of our imagination.
The cyberbullying thread of the story is incredibly true to life. Natalie gets bullied by her ex-best friend and another girl, jealous of the attention Natalie receives from one of the boys in their grade. Moore expertly depicts the cruelty and calculating nature of insecure teenage girls through the constant bombardment of texts, voicemails, pictures, and website posts that Natalie suffers through. Natalie feels betrayed, helpless, and lost. She loses all self-confidence and becomes very angry at the world. This book practically screams at the reader, sending a strong message about the harsh realities of cyberbullying.
There are some flaws within this book, however. For one thing, Moore does a poor job with Bridget’s voice. I just could not hear the Irish immigrant nanny. I could not hear the Roaring Twenties. Sure, the characters had bobbed hair and Bridget called the lady of the house “ma’am” every now and then, but that’s where any believability stops. I think maybe if Bridget didn’t use speech patterns that are so obviously present day, or if she had an Irish lilt to her voice, I might have been able to buy her character. I commend Moore for trying, and it’s an interesting concept to tie the characters together through these dated diary entries, but Moore should stick to what she is good at, and it isn’t historical fiction.
The character of Kathleen Lynch is another really off-putting component of this book for me. I simply could not stand her. She is a sniveling, pathetic wimp of a character. The constant repetition within her inner monologue of “Girls in trouble. Girls needing help. Trouble everywhere! We need to help ALL TEh GIRLZ!” is so incredibly annoying. There were some points in time where I wanted to throw the book at the wall. Kathleen is so self-absorbed for most of the book that she couldn’t see that her dog is dying and that her friends needed her. Her fixation on her lost daughter, Susannah, drove me crazy. I do concede that that may have been the point; Kathleen was drowning in her own losses. However, I think I would have still been able to see Kathleen’s redemption in the end without all the psychotic echoing of “Girls in trouble!”and the endless pity-parties she quite literally threw for herself (so many pointless pages of her hanging out in her apartment alone, thinking of the lost Susannah, who cares?!).
But I digress. Overall, this book passed the time pleasantly. There are some issues that I couldn’t ignore while reading it, but it packs a strong punch about adolescent bullying. I suppose I could recommend this book to teen girls (though I’m not sure they will have the patience for the middle-aged bouts of regret and loneliness Kathleen goes through), but I think I would really recommend this book to mothers of teen daughters. It’s mostly a cautionary tale with a little bit of secret love affair and gratuitous gay best friend thrown into the mix.
See an extended review at my literary blog here: http://rkgutmann.blogspot.com/2012/05...
August 29, 2012
This story had such great potential, with 3 separate stories being woven together. One of those stories comes from a tall, skinny yet beautiful 13 year old girl whose mother is nearly non-existent, her father is busy finding someone else to love and her best friend has become one of her cyber bullies. Another part of the story is an older lady who has 'lost' her only child, and then the third comes from a very old book found in a basement. I was intrigued, because I love that concept of finding old diaries. I did like the story, but I feel a little let down. I don't need to have every aspect resolved in the end---I like a good story that makes you wonder a bit--but it felt like the author decided, 'i don't know how i want this to end, so i will just leave it at that'. The characters seemed to get thinner and thinner as the ending approached and then the story line just dissolved into nothing. I was left wondering 'why didn't this character do this' and 'whatever happened to so and so?' It was frustrating and a bit disappointing. I appreciated Ms. Moore's writing style and feel she has talent, but I think she could have done better with the ending.
June 11, 2012
Oh, how the blurb for this book deceived me. I thought it would be flip flopping back and forth in time telling 2 different stories. And, while you do have a subplot involving the diary of a woman from the 1800's, it is only the impetus to move the present day story along.
I found this book highly depressing. And the storyline involving cyberbullying was incredibly anxiety provoking, in my opinion. It felt to me like so many other contemporary women's fiction where the characters are floating through life in a fog-like state, unable to deal with the hand life has dealt them.
While the main characters' storylines resolve, to a degree, I found the ending to be unsatisfactory and left many loose ends. I read novels to escape not to play out exactly as real life would and, for that reason, I am unable to recommend this book. However, if realism is what you're looking for, it is definitely a well-written (if unsatisfying to this reader) novel.
I found this book highly depressing. And the storyline involving cyberbullying was incredibly anxiety provoking, in my opinion. It felt to me like so many other contemporary women's fiction where the characters are floating through life in a fog-like state, unable to deal with the hand life has dealt them.
While the main characters' storylines resolve, to a degree, I found the ending to be unsatisfactory and left many loose ends. I read novels to escape not to play out exactly as real life would and, for that reason, I am unable to recommend this book. However, if realism is what you're looking for, it is definitely a well-written (if unsatisfying to this reader) novel.
July 10, 2012
Ehhh, this one just didn't do it for me. I had a difficult time getting over many of my pet peeves such as the recurrence of a word throughout a sentence or paragraph, poorly-formed sentence structure that made me halt and re-listen to figure out what was really being said, and character cluelessness. These things often get in the way of my ability to enjoy a story and this time was no exception.
I found Kathleen to be a loathsome character, though I'm not sure that was the intent. I was shocked over and over again at how self-involved she was but how busybody-ish she seemed to be. So controlling yet so unaware of what was really happening in her environment. I felt jaw-clenchy every time her character started speaking. I was particularly bothered by her lack of awareness. She would mention her dog, Lucy, and how Lucy was normally one way but was acting another way. After a few chapters of these notifications, the reader knows the dog is ill and needs to go to the vet. How come Kathleen takes so long to figure that out? If she's so into her dog, as she says, she probably should have noticed her dog's ailment much sooner. I also didn't like how Kathleen had to be so involved in everyone's lives but never to their benefit; it was like she was always trying to redeem herself, to prove that she could make everything right for everyone else without ever knowing what was wrong. Ugh. I couldn't stand her.
I didn't like Bridget, either, though she was more believable; I've known plenty of girls like her...the ones who have that sense of entitlement and feel something is owed them. However, it was nice to see Bridget at least grew up eventually and took responsibility for her youthful actions, realizing that she'd been a nasty little creature once upon a time.
Natalie was the only character for whom I had any sympathy. While she didn't really feel like a 14-year-old, I could still understand why she did what she did, why she felt what she felt, and why she was the way she was. She wasn't a strong character, by any means. There are a lot of gaps for the reader to fill in and maybe I used that to Natalie's advantage; maybe that's why I could have sympathy for her, I gave her attributes that weren't really there because I could.
Here's the part that really bothered me, though: bullying. I know bullying is a hot topic both in the media and in real life right now. I'm torn on the issue, probably because I've been both the bully and the bullied. I felt my personal issue with bullying was showcased in this very story - why aren't kids able to cope with the teasing and malice that leads up to full-on bullying? Where are their tools? How come no one has shown them how to battle bullying, especially cyber-bullying? Where are the parents and teachers and concerned citizens? And just what is bullying, anyway? I didn't feel text messages claiming to know the truth about Natalie's mom should qualify as bullying.
I think there's a line between teasing, malicious or otherwise, and full-on bullying. I thought Natalie was definitely being picked-on at the beginning but it seemed the type of girlish nastiness that could have easily been squelched, the type of crap we all have to endure at some point in school and then again in real life, over and over. It shouldn't have escalated to bullying but it did. Once it was recognized, no one did anything to stop it except for our good friend and heroine, the archivist Kathleen. And she's pretty much inept so it did no good. Is this how it really works? It starts with petty little jabs, nasty comments, rude behavior and then escalates into hate speech and death threats because no one knows what to do to make it stop?
I was left thinking that if this story is supposed to highlight the evils of bullying, it's doing a poor job. If it's supposed to be showing the importance of belonging, it's still doing a poor job. I was left unimpressed.
I found Kathleen to be a loathsome character, though I'm not sure that was the intent. I was shocked over and over again at how self-involved she was but how busybody-ish she seemed to be. So controlling yet so unaware of what was really happening in her environment. I felt jaw-clenchy every time her character started speaking. I was particularly bothered by her lack of awareness. She would mention her dog, Lucy, and how Lucy was normally one way but was acting another way. After a few chapters of these notifications, the reader knows the dog is ill and needs to go to the vet. How come Kathleen takes so long to figure that out? If she's so into her dog, as she says, she probably should have noticed her dog's ailment much sooner. I also didn't like how Kathleen had to be so involved in everyone's lives but never to their benefit; it was like she was always trying to redeem herself, to prove that she could make everything right for everyone else without ever knowing what was wrong. Ugh. I couldn't stand her.
I didn't like Bridget, either, though she was more believable; I've known plenty of girls like her...the ones who have that sense of entitlement and feel something is owed them. However, it was nice to see Bridget at least grew up eventually and took responsibility for her youthful actions, realizing that she'd been a nasty little creature once upon a time.
Natalie was the only character for whom I had any sympathy. While she didn't really feel like a 14-year-old, I could still understand why she did what she did, why she felt what she felt, and why she was the way she was. She wasn't a strong character, by any means. There are a lot of gaps for the reader to fill in and maybe I used that to Natalie's advantage; maybe that's why I could have sympathy for her, I gave her attributes that weren't really there because I could.
Here's the part that really bothered me, though: bullying. I know bullying is a hot topic both in the media and in real life right now. I'm torn on the issue, probably because I've been both the bully and the bullied. I felt my personal issue with bullying was showcased in this very story - why aren't kids able to cope with the teasing and malice that leads up to full-on bullying? Where are their tools? How come no one has shown them how to battle bullying, especially cyber-bullying? Where are the parents and teachers and concerned citizens? And just what is bullying, anyway? I didn't feel text messages claiming to know the truth about Natalie's mom should qualify as bullying.
I think there's a line between teasing, malicious or otherwise, and full-on bullying. I thought Natalie was definitely being picked-on at the beginning but it seemed the type of girlish nastiness that could have easily been squelched, the type of crap we all have to endure at some point in school and then again in real life, over and over. It shouldn't have escalated to bullying but it did. Once it was recognized, no one did anything to stop it except for our good friend and heroine, the archivist Kathleen. And she's pretty much inept so it did no good. Is this how it really works? It starts with petty little jabs, nasty comments, rude behavior and then escalates into hate speech and death threats because no one knows what to do to make it stop?
I was left thinking that if this story is supposed to highlight the evils of bullying, it's doing a poor job. If it's supposed to be showing the importance of belonging, it's still doing a poor job. I was left unimpressed.
July 16, 2012
The premise set forth on the cover led me to believe that this was a book about exploring the life of woman from before our narrators' time. This was pretty much misleading. The whole novel played out like a "ripped from the headlines" made-for-TV Lifetime movie.
First, our narrators:
Natalie - She is the only character in the book worth rooting for. Her struggle against the cyber-bullying felt real and was heartbreaking. Natalie, like some many other kids of the post-90s era, has access to all kinds of communication but no real friends. Through her cell phone and the internet she is harassed and tormented by former friends, putting a strain on her already challenging life.
Kathleen - She is, by far, the most annoying character that I have encountered in a long time. She is so hung up on making Natalie a surrogate for the daughter that ran away that she pays little attention to the health of her aging dog. Kathleen drones on and on about "girls in danger" and her runaway daughter so often that there is almost no character development for her; she is a static mother hen with little depth.
Bridget - She is this kind of secondary narrator contained within a notebook found in Natalie's attic. Bridget is supposed to be the bridge that links Kathleen and Natalie together through a mutual bond of suffering, but she feels overwrought and too much like a whole other story forced into the main cyber-bullying narrative.
The plot doesn't take any surprising turns, nor does it really resolve fully. The non-ending is not really that much of a problem for me as I like snap-shot style narratives rather than stories whose characters have no future outside of the book. There are, however, many dangling plot points left hanging in the wind and unresolved to any degree.
The use of Bridget's notebook felt almost unnecessary in that the story contained within it added no real value to the primary plot; the notebook was merely a way to force Natalie and Kathleen into crossing paths for the sake of the narrative. If the whole story had been focused more on what Natalie gets from Bridget's notebook with Kathleen as a side story, the whole narrative could have been significantly better, but with Kathleen in possession of the notebook for nearly the entire novel, Natalie gains no real insight or comfort in the struggles shared by her and Bridget.
As bad as I hate to classify it as such, this book really is "chick-lit," and would perhaps find the emotional responses that it needs from it's readers of that genre.
First, our narrators:
Natalie - She is the only character in the book worth rooting for. Her struggle against the cyber-bullying felt real and was heartbreaking. Natalie, like some many other kids of the post-90s era, has access to all kinds of communication but no real friends. Through her cell phone and the internet she is harassed and tormented by former friends, putting a strain on her already challenging life.
Kathleen - She is, by far, the most annoying character that I have encountered in a long time. She is so hung up on making Natalie a surrogate for the daughter that ran away that she pays little attention to the health of her aging dog. Kathleen drones on and on about "girls in danger" and her runaway daughter so often that there is almost no character development for her; she is a static mother hen with little depth.
Bridget - She is this kind of secondary narrator contained within a notebook found in Natalie's attic. Bridget is supposed to be the bridge that links Kathleen and Natalie together through a mutual bond of suffering, but she feels overwrought and too much like a whole other story forced into the main cyber-bullying narrative.
The plot doesn't take any surprising turns, nor does it really resolve fully. The non-ending is not really that much of a problem for me as I like snap-shot style narratives rather than stories whose characters have no future outside of the book. There are, however, many dangling plot points left hanging in the wind and unresolved to any degree.
The use of Bridget's notebook felt almost unnecessary in that the story contained within it added no real value to the primary plot; the notebook was merely a way to force Natalie and Kathleen into crossing paths for the sake of the narrative. If the whole story had been focused more on what Natalie gets from Bridget's notebook with Kathleen as a side story, the whole narrative could have been significantly better, but with Kathleen in possession of the notebook for nearly the entire novel, Natalie gains no real insight or comfort in the struggles shared by her and Bridget.
As bad as I hate to classify it as such, this book really is "chick-lit," and would perhaps find the emotional responses that it needs from it's readers of that genre.
February 23, 2012
The lives of three women; a teen deeply affected by modern-day cyber-bullying, an early twentieth century Irish immigrant servant girl, and a middle aged archivist, are spun together in a story that transcends time. Moore’s ability to craft a meaningful and poignant story, while developing characters that seem to speak directly to the reader on so many levels, is astounding. I have not been so transfixed by a book in a long, long time. Upon finishing So Far Away I immediately special ordered a copy of her previous novel, The Arrivals!
Set in both modern day and early twentieth century Newburyport, Massachusetts, as well as modern day Boston, the three characters’ lives intersect and interweave in ways that are both exciting and emotionally moving. These are three women I actually LIKED and could relate to, which is rare. Even the teenaged character, Natalie, is able to speak to the reader in ways that make her both believable as a teen; with emotions, thoughts, and responses that actually seem to emanate from a young woman. This is such an amazing talent for a writer to have. It is striking how she is able to speak in all three voices authentically and give honor to each.
But enough talk of what a great writer Meg Mitchell Moore is…this is a just a great novel! Natalie, 13, uncovers a dusty notebook in her basement and undertakes the task of attempting to discover who the mysterious writer of the crumbling journal was and why it was in her cellar! She must do this while coping with her parents’ divorce, her mom’s debilitating depression, and constant cyber-bullying from her peers. Natalie seeks out the help of a stranger, Kathleen Lynch, a fifty-something year old historian, working in the Massachusetts’Archives, to help her turn the journal into a meaningful school project. The third character, Bridget, plays out through the journal itself. Written almost a century before, the notebook details her life as a new immigrant from Ireland who has come to Massachuestts to be in service to a wealthy North Shore family.
Great writing and a well thought out story----read it!!!
Set in both modern day and early twentieth century Newburyport, Massachusetts, as well as modern day Boston, the three characters’ lives intersect and interweave in ways that are both exciting and emotionally moving. These are three women I actually LIKED and could relate to, which is rare. Even the teenaged character, Natalie, is able to speak to the reader in ways that make her both believable as a teen; with emotions, thoughts, and responses that actually seem to emanate from a young woman. This is such an amazing talent for a writer to have. It is striking how she is able to speak in all three voices authentically and give honor to each.
But enough talk of what a great writer Meg Mitchell Moore is…this is a just a great novel! Natalie, 13, uncovers a dusty notebook in her basement and undertakes the task of attempting to discover who the mysterious writer of the crumbling journal was and why it was in her cellar! She must do this while coping with her parents’ divorce, her mom’s debilitating depression, and constant cyber-bullying from her peers. Natalie seeks out the help of a stranger, Kathleen Lynch, a fifty-something year old historian, working in the Massachusetts’Archives, to help her turn the journal into a meaningful school project. The third character, Bridget, plays out through the journal itself. Written almost a century before, the notebook details her life as a new immigrant from Ireland who has come to Massachuestts to be in service to a wealthy North Shore family.
Great writing and a well thought out story----read it!!!
October 14, 2012
I was not impressed with this novel. I found it interesting enough to keep reading, but I can't say much more for it than that. The main character (a 50-something woman) is unlikable and difficult to relate to, and the other major character (a teenage girl), while being more sympathetic, is not much more engaging. The story-within-the-story is difficult to believe, and the connections the author tries to draw between the characters are unlikely at best and downright implausible at worst. Perhaps the most irritating element of this novel was the fact that the main character is an archivist, which had me excited (I'm an archivist, too) before I started reading; as I read, I realized that this was only done in order to facilitate other plot elements, and it comes across as a poorly implemented plot development tool. Finally, the author's geographical name dropping about Boston and its surrounds was pretentious and distracting. Ultimately, I recommend skipping it.
Read
June 1, 2018Listened to fifty percent before setting aside. Story didn’t grab me. Was bothered by the bullying. Felt no connection to the characters. Best to part ways with this one as I was dreading listening to it.
August 22, 2012
So I really wanted to like this book based on the description. And most of the book, it was good. Well written, plot seemed promising, empathy for the characters. But somehow the tempo of the book threw me. Maybe there was too much going on? Too many competing story lines, too many foundering characters, so much pain. But I will say this ... I stayed up past my bed time to finish it last night. So there is something about this story that you want to see to the end. For me, I needed to make sure that Natalie, the 13-year-old who is being cyberbullied, was OK.
June 1, 2012
Originally posted here.
I make no secret of my affinity for books about libraries and librarians. If I see that it's about a librarian, I will add a book to my to-read list, except maybe the romance novels, and, should I spot one of those at Goodwill, I would probably by it, later forcing my friends to listen to a dramatic reading, because that's just the kind of person I am. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I requested this because of the word 'archivist' in the description, because I think otherwise I would have let this pass me by. I'm glad I didn't.
The archives scenes were a very small part of the novel, but they were right at the front, so Moore got me nice and hooked. Natalie enters the archives and asks for help with a project for school. She wants to research her family's genealogy. Kathleen gives a little spiel about how hard that can be, and I immediately recommended the book to my mom, because she has been crazy obsessed with doing genealogy for the past couple years.
The book doesn't necessarily focus on that, but it's sort of the frame story. More specifically, So Far Away is about the diary that Natalie found, and is going to use to figure out who her family really is. The diary was written by an ancestor during the 1920s. While I have a huge love of history, and am very interested in that time period, I was really bored by the diary. The rest of the book, while somewhat slow moving, maintained my interest, but I really just did not have any stake in the fate of the bridget named Bridget.
In addition to comments on genealogical and archival work, the other thing I loved was the parts about bullying. Natalie is being bullied by her former best friend, who has found a new, more popular, meaner best friend. They send threatening all caps texts (YOU KNOW THIS IS THREATENING) and even create a website about how much they hate her. Kathleen senses this and tries to help, while Natalie's parents and the school are ignorant and/or unwilling to step in. The story puts forward the idea that modern bullying is a whole different thing than it used to be. I thought this was timely and well done.
The one thing I definitely did not approve of was Lucy, Kathleen's dog. Don't get me wrong; I loved the god. However, Lucy was pretty much Kathleen's only family (since Kathleen's daughter ran away years before). Yet, I am supposed to believe that Kathleen would not notice that her dog was getting perpetually sicker throughout the novel. I just don't buy it. She would have had Lucy to the vet on the second or third day of her not eating. If the dog is basically your replacement child, you're going to be worried, even in the midst of your research and concerns about Natalie. End of story.
So Far Away is a touching story about two troubled souls forming an unlikely bond, and trying to learn how to face the future. The pace is slow and contemplative, and I recommend to those who like a thought-provoking read.
I make no secret of my affinity for books about libraries and librarians. If I see that it's about a librarian, I will add a book to my to-read list, except maybe the romance novels, and, should I spot one of those at Goodwill, I would probably by it, later forcing my friends to listen to a dramatic reading, because that's just the kind of person I am. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I requested this because of the word 'archivist' in the description, because I think otherwise I would have let this pass me by. I'm glad I didn't.
The archives scenes were a very small part of the novel, but they were right at the front, so Moore got me nice and hooked. Natalie enters the archives and asks for help with a project for school. She wants to research her family's genealogy. Kathleen gives a little spiel about how hard that can be, and I immediately recommended the book to my mom, because she has been crazy obsessed with doing genealogy for the past couple years.
The book doesn't necessarily focus on that, but it's sort of the frame story. More specifically, So Far Away is about the diary that Natalie found, and is going to use to figure out who her family really is. The diary was written by an ancestor during the 1920s. While I have a huge love of history, and am very interested in that time period, I was really bored by the diary. The rest of the book, while somewhat slow moving, maintained my interest, but I really just did not have any stake in the fate of the bridget named Bridget.
In addition to comments on genealogical and archival work, the other thing I loved was the parts about bullying. Natalie is being bullied by her former best friend, who has found a new, more popular, meaner best friend. They send threatening all caps texts (YOU KNOW THIS IS THREATENING) and even create a website about how much they hate her. Kathleen senses this and tries to help, while Natalie's parents and the school are ignorant and/or unwilling to step in. The story puts forward the idea that modern bullying is a whole different thing than it used to be. I thought this was timely and well done.
The one thing I definitely did not approve of was Lucy, Kathleen's dog. Don't get me wrong; I loved the god. However, Lucy was pretty much Kathleen's only family (since Kathleen's daughter ran away years before). Yet, I am supposed to believe that Kathleen would not notice that her dog was getting perpetually sicker throughout the novel. I just don't buy it. She would have had Lucy to the vet on the second or third day of her not eating. If the dog is basically your replacement child, you're going to be worried, even in the midst of your research and concerns about Natalie. End of story.
So Far Away is a touching story about two troubled souls forming an unlikely bond, and trying to learn how to face the future. The pace is slow and contemplative, and I recommend to those who like a thought-provoking read.
May 20, 2012
So Far Away is the story of three women (well, technically, two women and a teenage girl). Kathleen works at the Archives and is missing her only child, Susannah, who ran away years ago. Natalie is dealing with cyberbullying (victim, not perpetrator) and is looking into her ancestry. The third, Bridget, was a servant in the 1920s. Natalie finds her journal and brings it to Kathleen. So...what connects these three people?
I wanted to read this book because now anything that contains a journal will always make me think of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. That is a double-edged sword because it will make me want to read the book and it will ensure that I will be disappointed.
Still, although this book is not Revolution, it is still incredibly interesting. I loved Natalie and also liked Kathleen instantly. (Generally if there are multiple points of view, I tend to prefer one immediately, even though I usually grow to like the other one, too. In this case, I loved Natalie and Kathleen immediately. The diary entries by Bridget are also incredibly interesting.)
I tend to love stories about women (and/or teen girls) and I think that's because (as this novel shows) our problems are timeless. While yes, cyberbullying is a new phenomenon, we all struggle with where to fit in and peer pressure and similar concerns. It doesn't matter what "class" you are or when you're living, the problems your grandparents, parents and siblings had are likely the same problems you have and probably the same problems your kids will have.
That's depressing but it's also kind of comforting because you'll get past it just as they did and just as your kids will.
This was such a fun book (even though the review took a bit of a serious turn) and I think it'd be a great book club book. There are a lot of possible discussions.
I wanted to read this book because now anything that contains a journal will always make me think of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. That is a double-edged sword because it will make me want to read the book and it will ensure that I will be disappointed.
Still, although this book is not Revolution, it is still incredibly interesting. I loved Natalie and also liked Kathleen instantly. (Generally if there are multiple points of view, I tend to prefer one immediately, even though I usually grow to like the other one, too. In this case, I loved Natalie and Kathleen immediately. The diary entries by Bridget are also incredibly interesting.)
I tend to love stories about women (and/or teen girls) and I think that's because (as this novel shows) our problems are timeless. While yes, cyberbullying is a new phenomenon, we all struggle with where to fit in and peer pressure and similar concerns. It doesn't matter what "class" you are or when you're living, the problems your grandparents, parents and siblings had are likely the same problems you have and probably the same problems your kids will have.
That's depressing but it's also kind of comforting because you'll get past it just as they did and just as your kids will.
This was such a fun book (even though the review took a bit of a serious turn) and I think it'd be a great book club book. There are a lot of possible discussions.
May 25, 2012
I received this book as a GoodReads First Read - and I LOVED it. I enjoyed so many aspects of this book. The length was perfect - long enough for character development, but not so long that I got bored. The characters themselves were diverse and the situations realistic: a mother "losing" her daughter to drugs and the wrong crowd, a gay couple going through the international adoption process, a high school freshman being bullied and losing a best friend, a mother dealing with depression after a failed marriage, and to top it all off the scandalous story of a distant relative who no one even knew existed until finding a very old notebook buried in a basement.
I thought the resolutions and outcomes were realistic and nothing was over-done or corny. In fact, another reason I enjoyed this read (and think it will be on my mind for a while - the sign of a great book!!) is that not all of the conflicts were blatantly resolved. Sure, there is an epilogue where a little bit more clarity and information was given, but several points were not resolved and were left fairly open to the readers to consider for themselves.
While I received a pre-print copy and several typo's were to be expected, I thought the author's writing style was believable, flowing, cohesive and just the right tempo for my taste. I like my books to move quickly, but I want realistic details so that I can actually visualize places and enough character development so that they become real people in my head. This book delivered all of those things.
I enjoyed this book so much, I am going to purchase more from this author. Highly recommended!
I thought the resolutions and outcomes were realistic and nothing was over-done or corny. In fact, another reason I enjoyed this read (and think it will be on my mind for a while - the sign of a great book!!) is that not all of the conflicts were blatantly resolved. Sure, there is an epilogue where a little bit more clarity and information was given, but several points were not resolved and were left fairly open to the readers to consider for themselves.
While I received a pre-print copy and several typo's were to be expected, I thought the author's writing style was believable, flowing, cohesive and just the right tempo for my taste. I like my books to move quickly, but I want realistic details so that I can actually visualize places and enough character development so that they become real people in my head. This book delivered all of those things.
I enjoyed this book so much, I am going to purchase more from this author. Highly recommended!
April 2, 2013
I picked this book hastily from my local library's "staff picks" section, and am rather glad I did. The story drew me in instantly and I finished the book in a day. There were times where the characters were rather annoying and parts where I just wanted to slap Kathleen across the face for being so... naive despite her age and life experience. There were other times when the relationship between Natalie and Kathleen seemed rather creepy, but others where it made perfect sense that Kathleen cared for this young girl who desperately needed help in the same way Kathleen did- someone to be there for them.
I was expecting more of a historical fiction story because of Bridgette's diary and was disappointed that it played a relatively small roll in the story's plot. However, as soon as I let go of that expectation I found it easier to get pulled in to the "current" events of the book. My heart broke for Natalie as her former best friend tortured her, her family life dissolved around her, and her cries for help went unanswered. Kathleen's loneliness was palpable- as I was sitting next to my SO reading last night, I began to feel her misery.
Meg Mitchell Moore did a wonderful job shedding light on the very real risks of cyber-bullying and lack of parental involvement in their children's web lives as well as the risks and dangers of alienation and depression.
I was expecting more of a historical fiction story because of Bridgette's diary and was disappointed that it played a relatively small roll in the story's plot. However, as soon as I let go of that expectation I found it easier to get pulled in to the "current" events of the book. My heart broke for Natalie as her former best friend tortured her, her family life dissolved around her, and her cries for help went unanswered. Kathleen's loneliness was palpable- as I was sitting next to my SO reading last night, I began to feel her misery.
Meg Mitchell Moore did a wonderful job shedding light on the very real risks of cyber-bullying and lack of parental involvement in their children's web lives as well as the risks and dangers of alienation and depression.
May 13, 2012
An interesting and new way to approach cyber bullying. The hot topic was a part of this novel, but not the sole center, which I appreciated. Natalie - a high school freshmen and Kathleen - a career woman who has lost both a daughter and a husband are an unlikely pair, but their relationship in this book was perfectly scripted.
Without any chapters, this book was interesting as it switched focus between the characters with strategic spacing. Because the book switched between characters, the reader was able to get to know each character on their own turf, which made me fall in love with them in their own space. I loved that Kathleen was given the opportunity to help raise another teenager, it was so fitting that she have a second chance. At the same moment, I loved how Natalie was given another maternal figure to lean on until her mother was able to pull it together and re-enter her child's life.
This book showed me once again that it definitely takes a village to raise a child - sometimes parents are inadequate or just not the answer to the problem that a child has, they may just need someone outside of the family to lean on through a difficult time. A great book that both showed the destruction of family, but the reconstruction of a different kind of family.
Without any chapters, this book was interesting as it switched focus between the characters with strategic spacing. Because the book switched between characters, the reader was able to get to know each character on their own turf, which made me fall in love with them in their own space. I loved that Kathleen was given the opportunity to help raise another teenager, it was so fitting that she have a second chance. At the same moment, I loved how Natalie was given another maternal figure to lean on until her mother was able to pull it together and re-enter her child's life.
This book showed me once again that it definitely takes a village to raise a child - sometimes parents are inadequate or just not the answer to the problem that a child has, they may just need someone outside of the family to lean on through a difficult time. A great book that both showed the destruction of family, but the reconstruction of a different kind of family.
June 23, 2012
I couldn’t put this book down. I read for three straight days, something I haven't managed to do in a very, VERY long time. Meg Mitchell Moore's Far From Home has three main characters, a lonely older woman working in a library archive, a teenager who goes to the archive with hopes of figuring out her family tree, and the narrator of a 1925 journal that the teenager finds in her basement. Moore weaves together three seemingly disparate stories: cyber bullying, a mother whose daughter went missing almost twenty years ago, and the haunting regrets of a young Irish immigrant, and creates a layered novel full of tension and insight and beauty. A stellar second novel (Moore’s first novel is moving family drama The Arrivals) by an incredibly talented author. I can’t wait for her third!
January 18, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the main character of Kathleen, an older lady with no family, an interesting career at the Massachusetts Archives, and struggling to accept that her teenaged daughter ran away. I empathized with the secondary character of Natalie, a (different) teenaged girl who is the victim of increasingly escalating cyberbullying. I admire that Kathleen interjected herself into Natalie's life and made her actions count. I aspire to make such a difference. This book rang true to me, as my own daughter approaches her tween years (sigh) and I educate myself so that I may guide and strengthen her.
June 2, 2013
The slow pace and effortless flow drew me into the story and unfolded the characters lives and personalities bit by bit while also entwining them all together. Overall enjoyable read, nothing outstanding one way or another but definitely a story you can relax with.
January 18, 2016
I'm sure it's a good book; many seemed to like it. Not my cuppa tea.
June 1, 2022
Review originally published July 2013
Bullying. I am horrified just by the word. The April 2013 issue of School Library Journal featured a list of fiction and nonfiction for middle and high school readers. Some statistics the author shared are staggering.
In 2009, 39 percent of sixth graders reported being bullied at school. In a 2007 survey, 43 percent of middle and high school students polled indicated that they had experienced cyberbullying. Bullying can be a shove in the school hallway, a verbal taunt, being cruelly ignored, or an offensive text message. This continues to be a serious issue for families.
When I chose So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore, I didn’t know how moved I’d be. This is a story of three very different women whose lives intertwine. Natalie is a teenage cyberbullying victim. Kathleen is a library archivist who longs for her lost daughter, and Bridget is a 1920s Irish domestic with a secret.
Natalie and Hannah had been friends, but now Taylor was calling the shots and kept sending offensive texts to Natalie. Natalie’s parents are divorced, all are struggling, and Natalie is alone and vulnerable. Kathleen meets Natalie at the library with a family history project and soon feels compelled to help her due to her own family experiences. She can’t stop thinking about this girl who seems to be all alone.
Kathleen focuses on the younger people (a co-worker also) in her life that are struggling. This book is so interesting because you want to see how Natalie and Kathleen cope, plus Bridget’s story from the 1920s is revealed a bit at a time. This added twist of family history makes for a great read. The three stories and the timely subject of bullying bring this issue to the forefront in adult fiction. Increased awareness on bullying and its devastating effects are needed to bring about change.
Be sure to stop in a La Crosse County Library location in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem to find other great fiction.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Bullying. I am horrified just by the word. The April 2013 issue of School Library Journal featured a list of fiction and nonfiction for middle and high school readers. Some statistics the author shared are staggering.
In 2009, 39 percent of sixth graders reported being bullied at school. In a 2007 survey, 43 percent of middle and high school students polled indicated that they had experienced cyberbullying. Bullying can be a shove in the school hallway, a verbal taunt, being cruelly ignored, or an offensive text message. This continues to be a serious issue for families.
When I chose So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore, I didn’t know how moved I’d be. This is a story of three very different women whose lives intertwine. Natalie is a teenage cyberbullying victim. Kathleen is a library archivist who longs for her lost daughter, and Bridget is a 1920s Irish domestic with a secret.
Natalie and Hannah had been friends, but now Taylor was calling the shots and kept sending offensive texts to Natalie. Natalie’s parents are divorced, all are struggling, and Natalie is alone and vulnerable. Kathleen meets Natalie at the library with a family history project and soon feels compelled to help her due to her own family experiences. She can’t stop thinking about this girl who seems to be all alone.
Kathleen focuses on the younger people (a co-worker also) in her life that are struggling. This book is so interesting because you want to see how Natalie and Kathleen cope, plus Bridget’s story from the 1920s is revealed a bit at a time. This added twist of family history makes for a great read. The three stories and the timely subject of bullying bring this issue to the forefront in adult fiction. Increased awareness on bullying and its devastating effects are needed to bring about change.
Be sure to stop in a La Crosse County Library location in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem to find other great fiction.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Read
April 18, 2020When a young girl comes into the Massachusetts Archives at 11 a.m. on a school day, it's the kind of visit that would attract your attention. Kathleen welcomes the girl, whose name is Natalie, and asks questions about "what brings you here today?" As Natalie tells about her "school project to research your family tree," Kathleen listens carefully but only partly believes that there is a teacher institute day and so no school today.
Natalie shows Kathleen the sketchy start to a family tree that her father left before the divorce left Natalie alone with a depressed and withdrawn mother. Kathleen takes the paper to make a photocopy.
Read p. 8: "When she returned to the room ... Just like that; it was quick. She was involved."
Natalie continues getting text messages from a bully at school, messages that hint the bully knows something bad about Natalie's mother, who now spends most days sleeping in a dark room, unable to function in the dark fog of her depression. Poking through her mother's things in the basement, Natalie finds the 100-year-old diary of Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family.
The historical significance - and compelling story - found in Bridget's diary is yet another reason that Kathleen wants to help Natalie. First, the girl obviously needs help. Next, she has possession of an important artifact. And lastly, Kathleen sees in Natalie the chance to help a young girl in trouble, the way she wasn't able to help her own daughter, now missing for the past 21 years.
Natalie shows Kathleen the sketchy start to a family tree that her father left before the divorce left Natalie alone with a depressed and withdrawn mother. Kathleen takes the paper to make a photocopy.
Read p. 8: "When she returned to the room ... Just like that; it was quick. She was involved."
Natalie continues getting text messages from a bully at school, messages that hint the bully knows something bad about Natalie's mother, who now spends most days sleeping in a dark room, unable to function in the dark fog of her depression. Poking through her mother's things in the basement, Natalie finds the 100-year-old diary of Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family.
The historical significance - and compelling story - found in Bridget's diary is yet another reason that Kathleen wants to help Natalie. First, the girl obviously needs help. Next, she has possession of an important artifact. And lastly, Kathleen sees in Natalie the chance to help a young girl in trouble, the way she wasn't able to help her own daughter, now missing for the past 21 years.
November 9, 2019
Meh...
Chose because it showed up on a list of horror books during the list of October.
Not particularly interested in the characters. The "phone" technology was very dated despite this book only being a few years old. That was distracting.
I do not agree with others who state Bridget was bullied by Anna, her employer. It was 1910 (or whenever) and she was a domestic worker from Ireland working in an upper-middle class American home. That's how she would have been treated. Also, she was impregnated by the husband of the family. Seriously, not that novel or shocking.
Didn't really care about the Kathleen story. The author beat us over the head with Lucy's symptoms through the entire book and yet they went right over Kathleen's head. She was either oblivious when it came to the care of her companion animal or she was callous.
The bullying the girls inflicted upon Natalie didn't seem that bad to me, honestly.
I just wasn't really very interested in the subject matter. The cover was beautiful and very enticing. But it was misleading and in no way represents what happens in the book.
Chose because it showed up on a list of horror books during the list of October.
Not particularly interested in the characters. The "phone" technology was very dated despite this book only being a few years old. That was distracting.
I do not agree with others who state Bridget was bullied by Anna, her employer. It was 1910 (or whenever) and she was a domestic worker from Ireland working in an upper-middle class American home. That's how she would have been treated. Also, she was impregnated by the husband of the family. Seriously, not that novel or shocking.
Didn't really care about the Kathleen story. The author beat us over the head with Lucy's symptoms through the entire book and yet they went right over Kathleen's head. She was either oblivious when it came to the care of her companion animal or she was callous.
The bullying the girls inflicted upon Natalie didn't seem that bad to me, honestly.
I just wasn't really very interested in the subject matter. The cover was beautiful and very enticing. But it was misleading and in no way represents what happens in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2018
I have to say I liked this book more than I thought I would. I'm a confirmed Anglophile when it comes to fiction books, so I have a tendency to avoid American fiction. (I have decided my life took a serious wrong turn somewhere, and I'm supposed to be living in England). Anyway, this was a very intriguing book. The two main characters (the story is told from both of their POVs) are a true literary odd couple. A teenager dealing with her parent's separation and the changing social landscape at school, and a widowed librarian who's best friend is her dog. The only weak part of the story, I think, was the story from the teenager's family history that brought them together. It almost played too big and too small a part in the novel at the same time. I don't know how else to describe it. The teenager's research project included the story, and although it led to the main characters meeting, it didn't really impact the story from there on out. However, it was a good book, and I enjoyed reading it. I may check out the author's other novel as well.
June 5, 2020
This is a book about a fragile 13 year old girl whose parents are getting a divorce. Her father is having a new baby with his girlfriend, her mom is going through a major depressive episode and like that isn't enough - she is being bullied at school by 2 popular girls - one who used to be her best friend.
Its a sad, sad story.
There is no real resolution at the end, and the reader doesn't get the stereotypical happy ending - but its more about how you get to the place you are and how you have to reach down inside of yourself and take baby steps to get past the things in life that are difficult. Never really knowing where you will end up - or what you will have to deal with next.
Its a good book - but I'm not sure that I would recommend it to readers - unless they are looking for something dark and sad.
Its a sad, sad story.
There is no real resolution at the end, and the reader doesn't get the stereotypical happy ending - but its more about how you get to the place you are and how you have to reach down inside of yourself and take baby steps to get past the things in life that are difficult. Never really knowing where you will end up - or what you will have to deal with next.
Its a good book - but I'm not sure that I would recommend it to readers - unless they are looking for something dark and sad.
December 3, 2017
It tried. Like others went into thinking it mainly be about a hidden, historic diary and it's effect on the modern main characters who found it, however it turned out to be mostly about bullying. The main reason for a three rather than four star rating is not that however. It's that the author simply failed to fully deliver on any of the storylines - I felt no real resolution to Neil's adoption journey, Kate's search for her daughter, or Nat's lack of friends, disruptive home life and problems with bullies. Only Bridgett's story (which turned out to be not nearly as dramatic as foreshadowing indicated) was actually resolved. Lot of potential here, but not a lot of honest satisfaction at the end. Not a bad read, but not a great one either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2018
This book started out a bit like a chick-lit, easy to read novel that I thought would be good for mindlessly listening to while doing laundry, housework, etc. It's much more than that, and I'm not quite sure why all the blase reviews except maybe people expected the story to wrap up in a pretty bow at the end? It's a very good story, with some very good writing that you could still pick up for a beach read. At times it does dance a bit on being a YA novel, not that is a bad thing. The weaving in of the character of Bridget was well-done, if not a bit predictable, but I thought the parallels between that time and the focus of cyberbullying were excellent. I look forward to picking up more of Meg Mitchell Moore's books.
December 29, 2018
This was the first book I've read by this author. I read the back cover and that's what made me pursue the book. It was an average read. Although I did like the book I found it to be dry. When reading the back cover I expected the journal parts to be gripping and to have some form of familial and historical aspects. I was expecting it to be a page that I and was let down. It was very hard reading Natalie's part because I, too, was bullied badly as a child and many times thought about doing the same thing she did. Her parents were ridiculous, basically they abandoned her after separating. For me it didn't get interesting until 2/3 of the way through.
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