The Runaway

by Mike Walsh

Turning fifteen in 1951, Michael O’Hara ran away from his Rhode Island home for the seventy-second and last time. His harrowing six-month odyssey across the country leads him to Hollywood, leaving behind a wake of murder, revenge, torture, and kidnapping—and what was left of his innocence.

Genres: Fiction

Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Runaway

By Mike Walsh

Michael O’Hara is a 15 year old with a record of running away, 71 times so far. Well, this one will make 72; he is running again and not coming back this time. He is from Providence, Rhode Island, but he is very street wise. When he leaves, he is not sure what his destination is, just not where he is, south and west most likely. And so begins his adventure across the country.

This book is not normally one I would have picked and read for myself, but it ended up on my Kindle and so I took a chance. I was bored with everything else. I am very glad I took a chance on this story. It was very well written and carried me all night and into the next day from one chapter to the next. One adventure to the next; I ended up loving this story. It was very well crafted and put together, I found myself rooting for Michael, no matter what type of spot he got himself into. Hoping for the future he was not sure was ahead of him, but hoping it was better than the one he left behind.

I give this book a four star rating for keeping me glued the pages, and keeping me entertained in a genre I wouldn’t normally read. From the first page to the last I was entertained to the point that at the last page I went... what? No more? No, it can’t end there! Great work, Mr. Walsh, I loved your story, thank you for sharing it.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about the adventures of a 15 year old chronic run away in the 1950's. He finally makes it out of his small eastern town after countless attempts to escape his home and family. The story follows him on a cross country journey as he loses his innocence and witnesses the harsh realities of the people that he encounters along the way. His story includes a murder, a false accusation of sexual misconduct, a tryst with a loose woman and the helpful and corrupt people he meets along the way. He creativity to ensure his survival is remarkable. The story comes full circle and he finds his way back home changed and much wiser.

[Bart Vanvaerenbergh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik had het kunnen weten.
Het was geen goed idee om Zigeunerkind op de vlucht meteen na Zigeunerkind te lezen.
De eerste 50 bladzijden zijn een samenvatting van het eerste boek.
Toch lag dit boek mij beter dan Zigeunerkind.
Er ligt dan ook meer nadruk op de positieve evolutie van Mikey.
Ik gaf het eerste boek 3 sterren omdat ik twee sterren te weinig vond en er geen 2,5 ster gescoord kan worden.
Dit boek krijgt ook 3 sterren omdat 4 sterren dan weer wat overdreven zou zijn. Eigenlijk toch wel een 3,5 ster !

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm 30% into this book and nothing of interest has happened, the writing is flat, and I don't like or connect to the protagonist. In fact, I can't really think of anything good to say about it except that it doesn't appear to be a long book. That's not a good enough reason to continue. Sorry, Walsh, but this one is just not for me.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Michael O'Hara who runs away for the seventy-second time at 15 years old in 1951. The book chronicles his adventures as he travels from Rhode Island to Los Angeles, with several stops along the way. I thought Michael's story was very interesting and would have liked to see what happened after he returned to his family.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 15-year old runs away from home in the early 1950s and manages to make his way, working odd jobs here and there until he's ready (or forced) to move on. An easy read, but the blatant grammatical errors (they're/there/their and the like) made it hard to take this writer seriously.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

did not like it, did not get past the first chapter. way to much raunch for me.

[Melinda Karvonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the first chapter.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected. Found it quite boring at times. Needed more action and some of the "situations" never had explanations.

[David Donaghe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Runaway was a interesting read following a fifteen year old boys ramblings across the US in the 1950s. I found it to be an interesting read.