The Road Home

by Eliza Thomas

Eliza Thomas spent years telling herself that her odd jobs and makeshift living spaces were only temporary.  One day she woke up to discover that they had become her life.

Single and childless in her forties, Thomas made an enormous from a drafty apartment in Boston to a one-room Boy Scout cabin in rural Vermont.  There, with hammer and nails, the companionship of her trusted dog, Lily, and the courage to reinvent herself, Eliza set about turning the unfinished cabin into a home--and soons finds--in the beautiful baby girl she adopts from China--that she has a family to go along with it.

A story of building up and letting go, of learning to appreciate both solitude and connection, The Road Home is one woman's chronicle of triumph--and of creating a place to grow up again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 1997

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an excerpt of this book in Bark magazine. I was moved by the way Thomas wrote about her dog, Lily. So much so, that I ordered the book. It's about the author's decision to move from Boston to a small cabin in the woods of Vermont. It's a beautiful story when she's writing about Lily or the nature around her. However, most of the book turns out to be a DIY manual on how her boyfriend turned a shack into a charming little place to live. There are a few sweet stories of the daughter she adopted, but nothing more about Lily, other than the one chapter I'd already read in the magazine. Hence, only 3 stars.

[Kayrene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this first-person account of leaving her city life for the country. I have absolutely done this myself. Left city living; moved to a family farm, and raised my children there. Oh, what there is to learn! I can relate to her l00%. Took me awhile, and unfortunately, a few ducks, etc. bit the dust as I learned about coyotes, possums, etc.
Back to the book! Loved her determination to just jump right in there! They just added on, without much help! Dug into projects, and learned as they went.
A lovely story of living her life her own way. I hope that she is happy!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book years ago after reading the hype in a certain catalog about how wonderful it was. I will say, I loved the parts about her dog but other than that, it didn't thrill me. Sue from Goodreads mentioned that the main chapter about Lily was published in Bark and that was the only part of the book she liked. I feel the same way so read the part about Lily and skip the rest...
https://thebark.com/content/lily

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe I almost didn’t read this book! For a moment I thought I might not be interested in it, but then I suddenly decided to just read it anyway. I am SO glad I did! This is equal parts heartwarming, cozy, emotional, and real. The last couple of chapters are especially touching and worth the read in and of itself.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay so this was a nice book about a lady who goes on her own life changing adventure from living in Boston, MA to a small cabin in Vermont which she updated little by little and worked odd jobs to pay for it and along the way she realizes she wants a child so she finally adopts Amelia from China... now in a sense her life is complete and she is happy...read it if you like stories like this.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a delightful escape read, a memoir of a woman who leaves an unsatisfactory life in Boston for a ramshakle cabin in Vermont. She undertakes to restore the cabin and finds herself in the learning process.

[Debi Crawford-Poyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful find at my library's used book sale! A 179-page delightful read! I wish she continued writing about her life in rural Vermont for "The Road Home" was such an enjoyable memoir.

[Lmiddlecarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

the coziest lovely store of building a cabin and becoming a mother in Vermont.

[Rebecca D. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

House building, homemaking, Vermont. A dog. A friend who becomes more-than-a-friend. Eventually, a baby from China. Odd jobs and major life changes at middle age. Thomas finds herself in her early forties, owner of a small cabin in Vermont. The life she builds over the rest of the decade includes her beloved dog, her partner Julian who helps with the house additions, and eventually her adopted daughter. The chapters are short and sweet, mini essays that are sometimes moving, sometimes explanatory and descriptive, sometimes downright funny. I love Vermont, so I may be biased, but I think this is a very good book. I like it for the same reasons I so often enjoy Anne Fadiman, Noel Perrin, and Annie Dillard. I found it in the used book section of a local antique store (the "throw-away section" a friend of mine calls it). May you also be so lucky.

[Naturegirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books where people leave their old lives to go pick up somewhere else in a house that needs repair. I swear, I'm going to do this one day. Eliza Thomas leaves Boston and buys a ramshackle cabin in the heart of the Vermont woods. I love Vermont so very much and I could just imagine her little place at the end of a dirt road somewhere, with her traveling back and forth from the local hardware and country stores to get supplies for the additions she made to the cabin. She is single, in her 40s, and preparing to adopt a little girl from China. This will be my life if I am single and in my 40s, except it may be more like a beach bungalow on some random shore of Long Island. The story is endearing and inspiring.

[Lisa Romeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read for me, but having read it the first time so long ago, it felt new in the best sense, but also found myself recalling/noticing passages I'd obviously remembered fondly. This is a lovely little memoir, and one way I know how good it is, is that it's mostly about things and places I'm don't have experience with, or a huge interest myself -- living in the woods, dogs, adopting as a single mother, DIY remodeling, cold and rough New England winters. And yet, I'm glued to every page. Such a nice voice! The story is so well-focused and deceptively simple. (I don't know why I was so surprised to figure out by the end (and didn't already know), that this author is the sister of Abigail Thomas, another memoir writer I so admire. So- bonus.)

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little book. Of course I was swayed by the fact that it took place in Vermont, with the author's descriptions of adding on to her little Boy Scout camp, purchased initially as her getaway from Boston, so similar to the settings of some my relatives' homes/hunting camps. I had sympathy for her while she was grappling with unconventional well water setups, frozen pipes, and joint compound, etc. Add in two dogs and the courage to adopt a child from China. Luckily, she had the support of a close friend, Julian. It would be fun to read an update of how she's doing.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75, actually...

I was initially drawn to this book because of the inviting cover with the lovely wooded scene. This is a quick read describing a middle-aged woman finding/making a home and thus some sense out of her life. Like me, she questions her choices in life.

The book left me with a warm feeling and some closure for the main character. However, it is lacks depth and dimension, which skilled writers seem to have.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliza Thomas has reached the age where she is supposed to be settled and she is not. And she is not happy. Thomas sets out to amend her life, and gradually acquires a home, a boyfriend, and a child.

[Jodie Zollinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

An inspiring, easy read. Loved reading it, even the second time around. Nice short chapters, perfect for reading on the go. Lovely memoir about building a home in rural vermont and the trials and tribulations of adjusting to country life, mothering and adoption.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I loaned my copy of this book to a friend who never returned it. I finally decided to get another copy and just re-read it. It is a well-written charming book

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir.

QUOTE: I had always thought home was the memory of someplace you grew up in; I never considered that it might be someplace you made.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much. I've enjoyed the books of her father (Lewis Thomas) and this is a good companion to his books. Flavors of May Sarton, and all-in-all very enjoyable time spent.

[Lesley Moseley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice enough memoir, easy gentle read.