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Walk Me Home
From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes a story of two young sisters who embark on a journey across the American Southwest to uncover what it really means to be a family.
Since their mother’s sudden death, sixteen-year-old Carly and her eleven-year-old sister, Jen, have been walking and hitchhiking across the Southwest trying to find Teddy, the closest thing they have to a family. Carly desperately hopes Teddy will take them in and save them from going into foster care—and forgive them for the lies told by their mother.
But when the starving girls get caught stealing food on a Native American reservation, their journey gets put on hold. While the girls work off their debt, Carly becomes determined to travel onward—until Jen confesses a terrible secret that leaves both sisters wondering if they can ever trust again.
Set against the backdrop of the American Southwest, Walk Me Home and its resilient heroines will inspire readers and renew their faith in recovery and redemption.
Since their mother’s sudden death, sixteen-year-old Carly and her eleven-year-old sister, Jen, have been walking and hitchhiking across the Southwest trying to find Teddy, the closest thing they have to a family. Carly desperately hopes Teddy will take them in and save them from going into foster care—and forgive them for the lies told by their mother.
But when the starving girls get caught stealing food on a Native American reservation, their journey gets put on hold. While the girls work off their debt, Carly becomes determined to travel onward—until Jen confesses a terrible secret that leaves both sisters wondering if they can ever trust again.
Set against the backdrop of the American Southwest, Walk Me Home and its resilient heroines will inspire readers and renew their faith in recovery and redemption.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2013
2213 people are currently reading
3913 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Ryan Hyde
72 books6,159 followersCatherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than 50 published and forthcoming books.
She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.
Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.
Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.
You can learn much more about Catherine at www.catherineryanhyde.com
She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.
Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.
Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.
You can learn much more about Catherine at www.catherineryanhyde.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 769 reviews
June 16, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A remarkable story of two young sisters traveling across parts of America and taking on the challenge of learning family values.
A remarkable story of two young sisters traveling across parts of America and taking on the challenge of learning family values.
February 9, 2020
Sisters, Carly and Jen have been through a lot together. Their mother is inconsistent and moves her girls based on the man that she's living with at the moment. The story begins with the two girls fleeing the latest home after the death of their mother and heading towards the man, Carly hopes will take them back. But as the girls hitchhike across Arizona, Carly begins to feel that Jen may not share the same enthusiastic dreams as she does.
This is my third Catherine Ryan Hyde read and I find myself completely immersed in the narrative tales that she places on the page. It's her rich characterization that I adore and this one has a whole cast of characters that I just couldn't get enough of. In Carly, Hyde has created the tough exterior of a young teenage girl that endured herself to me as a reader no matter her stubbornness. Just a fantastic read!
Goodreads review published 02/02/20
This is my third Catherine Ryan Hyde read and I find myself completely immersed in the narrative tales that she places on the page. It's her rich characterization that I adore and this one has a whole cast of characters that I just couldn't get enough of. In Carly, Hyde has created the tough exterior of a young teenage girl that endured herself to me as a reader no matter her stubbornness. Just a fantastic read!
Goodreads review published 02/02/20
May 28, 2015
Four and a half stars.
This book shows both the good and bad sides of people. All Carly and Jen have is each other? Or is it? It just may be some of the people they meet on their walk will change their minds.
Right from the beginning I was absorbed into this story. I walked every step with Carly and her younger sister Jen. The characters are well drawn. Carly and Jen are both lovable but so different in their outlook. Carly is enterprising and determined to stick to what she believes is best, even when maybe it isn’t. Her stubbornness is somehow endearing because her heart and motives are on the right track. When Carly realises she has some facts wrong, one of the characters sums it up when he says.’ Way I see it, you’re one of those people with set opinions on how you want the world to behave. Always trying to bend the world to fit your liking instead of the other way around. So then, once you make up your mind how you want something to be, you start losing the eyes to see what really is.’ Some allowances must be made. Carly is only 16 after all, and she has not had the easiest upbringing. Strikes me though, that Carly is not alone in that attitude. In this world there are more than a few of us who see only want we want to see and shape our views, opinions and actions accordingly.
This is the second novel I have read by this author and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for others. She writes, with heart, compassion and honesty and realistic characters. A book that will tug at your emotions.
This book shows both the good and bad sides of people. All Carly and Jen have is each other? Or is it? It just may be some of the people they meet on their walk will change their minds.
Right from the beginning I was absorbed into this story. I walked every step with Carly and her younger sister Jen. The characters are well drawn. Carly and Jen are both lovable but so different in their outlook. Carly is enterprising and determined to stick to what she believes is best, even when maybe it isn’t. Her stubbornness is somehow endearing because her heart and motives are on the right track. When Carly realises she has some facts wrong, one of the characters sums it up when he says.’ Way I see it, you’re one of those people with set opinions on how you want the world to behave. Always trying to bend the world to fit your liking instead of the other way around. So then, once you make up your mind how you want something to be, you start losing the eyes to see what really is.’ Some allowances must be made. Carly is only 16 after all, and she has not had the easiest upbringing. Strikes me though, that Carly is not alone in that attitude. In this world there are more than a few of us who see only want we want to see and shape our views, opinions and actions accordingly.
This is the second novel I have read by this author and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for others. She writes, with heart, compassion and honesty and realistic characters. A book that will tug at your emotions.
May 24, 2017
4.5 stars!!
I loved this book.
A real coming of age story with two very special sisters who warmed my heart. It's extremely well written and handles difficult subject matter tactfully.
Catherine Ryan Hyde will remain a favorite of mine. Highly recommend this book.
I loved this book.
A real coming of age story with two very special sisters who warmed my heart. It's extremely well written and handles difficult subject matter tactfully.
Catherine Ryan Hyde will remain a favorite of mine. Highly recommend this book.
December 1, 2016
Although a typical Catherine Ryan Hyde novel, this one is a little less captivating than some of her others. Perhaps a bit less believable. Still, a quick read and not a bad story. Just not one I think I will be thinking about afterward or perhaps even remember this time next month.
April 1, 2021
Carly and Jen are teen and adolescent sisters, respectively, whose mother works as a server in a bar and constantly uproots their lives to move in with a series of different men. Mom's choices range from bad to horrific, and she's not very motherly herself, so the girls have struggled to this point. When the story starts, however, the boyfriend is Teddy, a perpetual adolescent who is nevertheless kind to the girls, more like a dad than they've had in a long time (their father died years ago.) When Mom dumps Teddy and takes the girls to move in with Wade, things go downhill. Wade's cruelty surfaces early and seriously, resulting in their mother's death. Carly sets off with Jen to walk across the southwest, determined to find Teddy who she's sure will care for them. As they trudge along, evading the law and struggling to survive, that prospect dims. When they enter reservation land, the girls find a family they never expected to have again.
This is a story of incredible determination. The characters are well-drawn. Hyde puts you right in the middle of homelessness and the fight for survival, and the whole time, you're wondering how the girls are ever going to make it. The ending is satisfying. Recommended.
This is a story of incredible determination. The characters are well-drawn. Hyde puts you right in the middle of homelessness and the fight for survival, and the whole time, you're wondering how the girls are ever going to make it. The ending is satisfying. Recommended.
November 17, 2015
What makes this book remarkable (and a novel I highly recommend) is that nothing is over-the-top—the language is simple, but evocative, and the bad guys aren’t totally bad and the good folks are also flawed (except maybe the character of Alvin, whom I adore). I immediately remembered what if felt like to be sixteen years old—being both excited by boys yet wary. Right away you want to find out why 16-year-old Carly and her 12-year-old sister, Jen, are on the run. What exactly happened? Hyde doesn’t reveal all until the end, but she tantalizes you with more details about their backstory along the way. You root for them and the ending is totally satisfying and, in my case, tear-inducing (I love it when an ending makes me cry).
June 26, 2013
This moving story had me intrigued and asking questions straight away; who are Carly and Jen, why are they walking such a long way, just the two of them, so young? What has happened? Who is Teddy and why is Carly so determined that he is the one to help them?
Sisters Carly, 16, and Jen, 12, have set off from New Mexico and are trying to get to Teddy in California. They soon become hungry and tired, and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to continue and to stay safe and not risk it being discovered that they are on the run alone together; the threat of being taken in by the authorities and potentially separated keeps them walking and reluctant to reveal the reality of their situation to anyone.
Then the novel takes a step back further in time, a few months earlier, and we meet Teddy, their mother's ex-boyfriend, and we meet the girls' mother, and their recent past slowly reveals itself. The sisters have had a difficult, unsettled childhood and experienced much disappointment; and now their world has been turned upside down. They travel so many miles, struggling along together, desperate and starving at times, and as I read, I feared for them, but I was also heartened by the kindnesses that they encountered from people too.
It is primarily Carly whose thoughts we follow, and it's a very emotional as well as physical endurance test that she goes through on her journey. It is very clear that she has lost her trust in others and lost her belief in her self, and her self worth; she has convinced herself that she doesn't matter and that 'everyone likes Jen better'. As I read, I willed things to change for the better for Carly because she had been so strong, I didn't blame her for having lost trust in people because of her past treatment, but she needed to take the risk of trusting again; the story illustrates how sometimes we have a new, unexpected chance for happiness in life and it is the ability to let go of fear and accept this chance, to take the risk of trusting again, that we need. This was such an important theme running through this story; who can the girls trust and believe in, who has their real interests and welfare at heart, who isn't all that they seem to be, and who cares more than they realise.
I've really enjoyed novels by Catherine Ryan Hyde in the past and I found in this new book the same warm-hearted and honest portrayal of people who find themselves facing the challenge of coping with huge difficulties and setbacks in their lives that I have admired before. She creates rounded characters, and the relationships they share feel very real; I cared about the sisters. The author has sensitively and thoughtfully incorporated a little of Native American culture into this story, and created two special characters in particular that I would love to meet. The sense of place was well conveyed, and this setting was important too, the intense heat of the desert landscape adding to the struggle as the girls were walking.
I liked the author’s note at the end of the book that clarified an aspect of the story that I had wondered about whilst reading. I think this novel would be really enjoyed by young adult and adult readers.
I felt this was an engrossing, well-paced story about being honest with yourself and having to admit to the truth, and learning to accept kindness from unexpected places. It is about loss, loyalty, truth, courage, and the hard decisions people have to make, the strength we have to find sometimes even when we are only a young age.
4.5 stars
Sisters Carly, 16, and Jen, 12, have set off from New Mexico and are trying to get to Teddy in California. They soon become hungry and tired, and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to continue and to stay safe and not risk it being discovered that they are on the run alone together; the threat of being taken in by the authorities and potentially separated keeps them walking and reluctant to reveal the reality of their situation to anyone.
Then the novel takes a step back further in time, a few months earlier, and we meet Teddy, their mother's ex-boyfriend, and we meet the girls' mother, and their recent past slowly reveals itself. The sisters have had a difficult, unsettled childhood and experienced much disappointment; and now their world has been turned upside down. They travel so many miles, struggling along together, desperate and starving at times, and as I read, I feared for them, but I was also heartened by the kindnesses that they encountered from people too.
It is primarily Carly whose thoughts we follow, and it's a very emotional as well as physical endurance test that she goes through on her journey. It is very clear that she has lost her trust in others and lost her belief in her self, and her self worth; she has convinced herself that she doesn't matter and that 'everyone likes Jen better'. As I read, I willed things to change for the better for Carly because she had been so strong, I didn't blame her for having lost trust in people because of her past treatment, but she needed to take the risk of trusting again; the story illustrates how sometimes we have a new, unexpected chance for happiness in life and it is the ability to let go of fear and accept this chance, to take the risk of trusting again, that we need. This was such an important theme running through this story; who can the girls trust and believe in, who has their real interests and welfare at heart, who isn't all that they seem to be, and who cares more than they realise.
I've really enjoyed novels by Catherine Ryan Hyde in the past and I found in this new book the same warm-hearted and honest portrayal of people who find themselves facing the challenge of coping with huge difficulties and setbacks in their lives that I have admired before. She creates rounded characters, and the relationships they share feel very real; I cared about the sisters. The author has sensitively and thoughtfully incorporated a little of Native American culture into this story, and created two special characters in particular that I would love to meet. The sense of place was well conveyed, and this setting was important too, the intense heat of the desert landscape adding to the struggle as the girls were walking.
I liked the author’s note at the end of the book that clarified an aspect of the story that I had wondered about whilst reading. I think this novel would be really enjoyed by young adult and adult readers.
I felt this was an engrossing, well-paced story about being honest with yourself and having to admit to the truth, and learning to accept kindness from unexpected places. It is about loss, loyalty, truth, courage, and the hard decisions people have to make, the strength we have to find sometimes even when we are only a young age.
4.5 stars
July 8, 2013
I wasn't crazy about this book. It's about two sisters...a teen and preteen, Carly & Jen, who set out on their bikes to escape being turned over to authorities after their mother has been killed when her boyfriend drives them both over a cliff in his truck. The bicycles don't last long and they begin a long journey on foot to try and find their mother's previous boyfriend, Teddie who is in California. Their mother had left Teddie because he tried to molest Jen, but Carly never believe it and thinks Teddie will save the day for them. Their journey is incredibly hard to the point that it become a bit unbelievable. Eventually they arrive on Wakapi Indian (fictional) lands; and; as they break into someones hen house try to steal a few eggs, the owner, a blind 92 year old Wakapi woman named Dolores, catches them. While pointing a rifle at them, she says they have to stay for a week and work off the damage to her hen house. She will provide shelter and food. Jen warms right up to the old lady, buy Carly seeks a way to escape. The local tribal cop, Alvin, stops by every day to check on Dolores and he tries to help Carly find Teddie and offer any other advice he can. He makes Carly promise she will not take off, but that very night she tells Jen to pack up her stuff so they can get out - she's afraid Alvin will turn them over to children's services. Jen refuses and Carly finally goes on to find Teddie in Northern California where she has learned he's now located. She walks, she hops a train, she meets up with an old woman and her senile husband and they give her a ride to Fresno. The old women buys her a bus ticket and gives her money for the last leg of her journey. Another almost unbelievable trip which brings her to Trinidad, CA in one piece, but just about (she is bruise, scratched, exhausted and filthy dirty. She finds Teddie pretty easily and that is a story I wont tell because if I do reading the book is really a waste of time. The characters are lightly drawn and one note. You like them, but you wish you knew them better and you also wish the story had more depth. Their mother died horribly after telling her boyfriend that she was leaving him because of his abusive ways, but if the girls are in mourning we don't get a clear sense of it. The story just rushes forward in a muted way. Wouldn't recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2014
A mesmerizing tale of an almost impossible trek undertaken by two young sisters running away from tragedy to what they perceive to be safety. That safe haven suddenly has danger written everywhere and choices and discoveries will be required. The characters met along the way are genuine and thoroughly down to earth. Terrific read. Didn't know the author had written "Pay It Forward" until I finished the book......then I understood why there was so much "heart" here.
May 19, 2023
Nice story about two girls on a journey after their mother died. They hope to stay out of foster care and are trying to find Teddy, a previous lover of their mother. Interesting when they have to stay on an Indian reservation to work off what they stole.
August 17, 2013
Once again author Catherine Ryan Hyde has lived up to my expectations and some. Despite the often uncomfortable situations in the books, I always seem to feel comfortable reading her books, and I often find myself reading most of the book in a day. Walk Me Home was no different. I was hooked right from the start and just had to see it through to the end to find out what happened to the girls.
We follow the pair as they make their long journey across country from New Mexico to California to find their stepfather. It’s a dangerous journey for two young girls, especially two on the run who want nothing to do with the police or the authorities.The story builds as it goes along, with the reader’s questions answered along the way.
While the story is about the two girls and is in the third person, it mainly follows Carly’s perspective and her thoughts and feelings on things. At 16, she doesn’t always make the right decisions. In fact, this stubborn 16 year old makes all kinds of wrong decisions, but how can you learn from your mistakes if you never make any? And, as a typical older sibling, in her mind she’s always right and her younger sibling is wrong. (Can you tell I’m a younger sibling?!).
We don’t tend to hear Jen’s thoughts and feelings, but her words and actions are enough to know something isn’t quite right and that she doesn’t always agree with her sister.
This story is one about truth and trust, but what is the truth and who can they trust?
Carly knows who she can trust and that’s her end goal, though Jen has different ideas.
Considering their situation, I did expect more tears from the girls. Having gone through what they have at their age, I’d have been a total wreck, where as they seemed to hold it together well. But different people deal with things differently and I suspect the girls wanted to get to safety first.
Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books tend to deal with a number of sensitive issues and Walk Me Home is no different. The girls have already been through a lot before they embark on their long trip, but they have no idea what is ahead of them. Things aren’t going to be easy and they’re about to get a whole lot tougher.
While the story does highlight some of the bad things about life, it also highlights the good too. Along their journey, the two girls come across some wonderful people, and it just goes to show there people out there who will help a stranger in need, making a big difference in someone’s life.
Another thought-provoking, yet heart-warming read from Catherine Ryan Hyde.
We follow the pair as they make their long journey across country from New Mexico to California to find their stepfather. It’s a dangerous journey for two young girls, especially two on the run who want nothing to do with the police or the authorities.The story builds as it goes along, with the reader’s questions answered along the way.
While the story is about the two girls and is in the third person, it mainly follows Carly’s perspective and her thoughts and feelings on things. At 16, she doesn’t always make the right decisions. In fact, this stubborn 16 year old makes all kinds of wrong decisions, but how can you learn from your mistakes if you never make any? And, as a typical older sibling, in her mind she’s always right and her younger sibling is wrong. (Can you tell I’m a younger sibling?!).
We don’t tend to hear Jen’s thoughts and feelings, but her words and actions are enough to know something isn’t quite right and that she doesn’t always agree with her sister.
This story is one about truth and trust, but what is the truth and who can they trust?
Carly knows who she can trust and that’s her end goal, though Jen has different ideas.
Considering their situation, I did expect more tears from the girls. Having gone through what they have at their age, I’d have been a total wreck, where as they seemed to hold it together well. But different people deal with things differently and I suspect the girls wanted to get to safety first.
Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books tend to deal with a number of sensitive issues and Walk Me Home is no different. The girls have already been through a lot before they embark on their long trip, but they have no idea what is ahead of them. Things aren’t going to be easy and they’re about to get a whole lot tougher.
While the story does highlight some of the bad things about life, it also highlights the good too. Along their journey, the two girls come across some wonderful people, and it just goes to show there people out there who will help a stranger in need, making a big difference in someone’s life.
Another thought-provoking, yet heart-warming read from Catherine Ryan Hyde.
August 18, 2014
Catherine Ryan Hyde’s WALK ME HOME, is a mesmerizing tale of two sisters, on a journey to escape the system of foster care, and along the way—learn the meaning of home, kindness, love, and redemption.
Carly (16 yrs old) and Jen (11 yrs old), have never had a stable home life. They pack up and move with their mom from one town to another, different jobs, and one man to another. When they are about to leave once again, their mom takes off with her boyfriend, and receive the news their mom has died suddenly in a car accident.
Desperate to stay together, Carly knows she and her sister cannot go into foster care, so they decide to take off on their own to try and survive in a scary world.
There is only one person in their life (an old boyfriend of their moms)--begin walking and hitchhiking across the Southwest in search of Teddy. Carly hopes he will take them in, even if their mom broke up with him over a secret which Carly chooses not to believe.
Along the way, the girls find themselves in trouble while seeking a place to sleep, food to stay alive, clothes and shoes, all while escaping danger. When they get caught stealing food on a Native American reservation, they find more than food.
A moving and inspiring story only Catherine Ryan Hyde can tell. If you have not read any of her books, you are missing out! She writes from the heart, and has a unique way of taking tragedies and turning them into beautiful life lessons learned, for each of her flawed characters.
I am currently in the process of reading some of her older books I missed along the way. I highly recommend WALK ME HOME and her latest book, SAFE WITH ME, (7/22/14) a 5 Star read, and be sure and look for her upcoming THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS (12/22/14). An author you will want to follow!
Carly (16 yrs old) and Jen (11 yrs old), have never had a stable home life. They pack up and move with their mom from one town to another, different jobs, and one man to another. When they are about to leave once again, their mom takes off with her boyfriend, and receive the news their mom has died suddenly in a car accident.
Desperate to stay together, Carly knows she and her sister cannot go into foster care, so they decide to take off on their own to try and survive in a scary world.
There is only one person in their life (an old boyfriend of their moms)--begin walking and hitchhiking across the Southwest in search of Teddy. Carly hopes he will take them in, even if their mom broke up with him over a secret which Carly chooses not to believe.
Along the way, the girls find themselves in trouble while seeking a place to sleep, food to stay alive, clothes and shoes, all while escaping danger. When they get caught stealing food on a Native American reservation, they find more than food.
A moving and inspiring story only Catherine Ryan Hyde can tell. If you have not read any of her books, you are missing out! She writes from the heart, and has a unique way of taking tragedies and turning them into beautiful life lessons learned, for each of her flawed characters.
I am currently in the process of reading some of her older books I missed along the way. I highly recommend WALK ME HOME and her latest book, SAFE WITH ME, (7/22/14) a 5 Star read, and be sure and look for her upcoming THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS (12/22/14). An author you will want to follow!
May 5, 2013
Catherine's books are always a pleasure to read and this one is no exception. She puts so much soul into her characters, so much reality. This book was a fast but intelligent read including one of my favorite subjects, Native Americans. Carly and Jen, sisters, have a difficult home life and decide to run away from New Mexico heading for California and a man they believe will be their salvation, a man Carly has loved as a father.
This story of their journey, both physical and emotional, is full of the growth of two teen girls in surprising ways. Discoveries about their relationship to each other, their values, their family, and their assumptions about people and life are challenged. I particularly enjoyed the Native American characters in this story. I can't think of any author who writes such life into her characters as Catherine does. I feel as though I know them by the end of the book and could walk next door and have a chat with them. I wanted to drive to Wakapi land to meet Dolores and Alvin!
Catherine's note at the end of the book reflects who I imagine her to be so well. I highly recommend this book.
This story of their journey, both physical and emotional, is full of the growth of two teen girls in surprising ways. Discoveries about their relationship to each other, their values, their family, and their assumptions about people and life are challenged. I particularly enjoyed the Native American characters in this story. I can't think of any author who writes such life into her characters as Catherine does. I feel as though I know them by the end of the book and could walk next door and have a chat with them. I wanted to drive to Wakapi land to meet Dolores and Alvin!
Catherine's note at the end of the book reflects who I imagine her to be so well. I highly recommend this book.
June 11, 2018
When I picked this up, I didn't remember that this is the author who wrote Pay It Forward years ago. That book won multiple awards, was on the best-seller lists, was made into a movie, and put the phrase "pay it forward" into every day speech. Well, this story is a winner too, in my humble opinion. I read it in a day simply because I had to see what came next, and next, and next. No murders, no hard-boiled detectives, no mysteries...just two young girls, ages 12 and 16, in a life altering, at times even life or death situation. What will the teenager do? What will the pre-teen do? What will happen next? It drew me in and caused me to care a lot about these kids. It is very well plotted and has extremely readable flash-back sections so the reader can see how they got where they are. And the ending is totally believable and beautiful - made me cry. If you never read Pay it Forward, read it right now. And then read Walk Me Home. You'll be glad you did.
January 28, 2020
Beautiful and believable story with depth and feeling
I loved the sadness the truth, kindness of the characters and the ugly truth in the world we live in.
A Highly recommended read for any age!
I loved the sadness the truth, kindness of the characters and the ugly truth in the world we live in.
A Highly recommended read for any age!
July 8, 2024
Another great story.
May 23, 2025
journey of 2 sisters after their mom dies.
October 12, 2014
Athough this is well written and the characters are well drawn, the plot has a hole in it -- a big hole which is never filled. Carly and Jen quickly leave their home in New Mexico. It is clear that they have just discovered that their mother has died and Carly fears that Social Services will put them in a home -- probably separate homes -- so they are running away in the hopes that their step-father, Teddy, will take them in. Clearly they have no connection to their father, but there must has once been one. Carly in passing says there is no father but gives absolutely no explanation. There mother is described as flitting from man to man over and over again over the life of the girls. That begged the question of whether they were even the children of the same father. Explanation is never given. Did the father just walk away or is he dead? We're never told. Bigger than that is that none, absolutely none, of the adults who come in contact with these two girls ever ask about a father. They are told about the step-father, Teddy, but never, ever ask about the blood father. I waited the entire book for that shoe to fall and it never did. Having lived in Arizona, I liked the Native American aspects and the descriptions of the landscape. I also liked Alvin and Delores and the many people who come in contact with Carly and her sister; they were diverse and interesting.
November 9, 2014
This book tells the story of two sisters, Carly age 16, and Jen age 11. The two have lived a chaotic life with a mostly neglectful mother, and her series of boyfriends. Most adults they have encountered up until now have not been reliable or trustworthy. On the run to escape losing each other in the foster care system, they try to walk from New Mexico to California. Along the way they meet many interesting characters, and meet challenges that would have ended the whole venture for most of us.
Although many aspects of this story lack plausibility, with some of the resolution being a little fantastical, it is still an engaging read. The characters are well developed, distinctive, and mostly very likeable. I found myself rooting for these two resilient children, hoping for someplace for them to land, and someone to care. I also loved the desert southwest setting, with good description of the tough challenges this landscape presented.
Although many aspects of this story lack plausibility, with some of the resolution being a little fantastical, it is still an engaging read. The characters are well developed, distinctive, and mostly very likeable. I found myself rooting for these two resilient children, hoping for someplace for them to land, and someone to care. I also loved the desert southwest setting, with good description of the tough challenges this landscape presented.
August 31, 2021
The story told here is truly incedible. The main character, a stubborn teen, is one I initially fell in love with, then hated her - or at least, some of her choices - and then by the end loved her again. And I imagine this is precisely what it must feel like to raise a teenager. But here, Carly has to face the world and it's caprices head on, and she barely manages because she was never equipped to do so. But in a poignantly realistic depiction of her character development she finds herself at the end and the reader gets her. Loved this book. Possible one of CRH's best ones.
March 15, 2017
The summary of the book was interesting and it started out keeping my interest but I have to say this was not one of the most enjoyable books to read. I didn't like or have any sympathy for the older sister and that usually impacts my enjoyment of the book. I can't really put my finger on what I didn't like about the book overall but it was really just an okay read.
I received this book from NetGalley.com
I received this book from NetGalley.com
March 1, 2015
Good book
This is.a good story. It is awfully sad at times and sort of unrealistic, but hey, it is fiction. I enjoyed reading the story and loved the ending . I liked.the surprise toward the end.
This is.a good story. It is awfully sad at times and sort of unrealistic, but hey, it is fiction. I enjoyed reading the story and loved the ending . I liked.the surprise toward the end.
June 10, 2015
I really enjoyed this book.the characters are full and rich. I know that walk and life experience is somethin I could not do.
December 8, 2019
Love everything by this author. Starting a new one now.
May 31, 2023
4.5 stars rounded down.
This is my first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and I really like her writing style, it was a real exercise in character study and I liked how her characters were very realistically crafted. Only dropped a star because firstly I thought it was 50-100 pages longer than it needed to be, there was a point in the story which felt like it was going nowhere, and secondly because I was disappointed that . Still, there are things about this one that will stay with me, and that's always a sign of a good book.
I did like the way in which the girls’ backstory was slowly built up over the course of their walk, and I thought flashbacks was used very effectively in this story. This book won’t be for everyone – there are some obvious questions that one might ask when presented with this premise (and indeed, did a member of my book club when I was telling them about this book) – and it isn’t outrageously fiction in that matter. What I did like though, was the way in which Ryan Hyde showed in a subtle way that she had thought through these questions, as the answers were gradually revealed during the course of the book. For instance, .
What set this one apart for me was the inclusion of Dolores and the Wakapi tribe (), the way in which Dolores was flawed as a character – yet flawed in a perfect way that brought out the best in Carly and Jen. My favourite character by a mile was Aaron () and again I liked the subtle way that all Wakapi seemed to have about helping people in general.
As mentioned earlier, I was a bit disappointed by the ending, as I felt that . I really was expecting something a bit more than what I felt had already been revealed much earlier, so this part was an anticlimax. Still, for the large part I did enjoy walking together with the girls, getting to know their stories and how they found a place for themselves in the world through rather unconventional means. There was something about the writing style that resonated with me, and this isn’t one I’ll be forgetting in a hurry (and, having written this review, I've actually gone and bumped my score up by 0.5).
This is my first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and I really like her writing style, it was a real exercise in character study and I liked how her characters were very realistically crafted. Only dropped a star because firstly I thought it was 50-100 pages longer than it needed to be, there was a point in the story which felt like it was going nowhere, and secondly because I was disappointed that . Still, there are things about this one that will stay with me, and that's always a sign of a good book.
I did like the way in which the girls’ backstory was slowly built up over the course of their walk, and I thought flashbacks was used very effectively in this story. This book won’t be for everyone – there are some obvious questions that one might ask when presented with this premise (and indeed, did a member of my book club when I was telling them about this book) – and it isn’t outrageously fiction in that matter. What I did like though, was the way in which Ryan Hyde showed in a subtle way that she had thought through these questions, as the answers were gradually revealed during the course of the book. For instance, .
What set this one apart for me was the inclusion of Dolores and the Wakapi tribe (), the way in which Dolores was flawed as a character – yet flawed in a perfect way that brought out the best in Carly and Jen. My favourite character by a mile was Aaron () and again I liked the subtle way that all Wakapi seemed to have about helping people in general.
As mentioned earlier, I was a bit disappointed by the ending, as I felt that . I really was expecting something a bit more than what I felt had already been revealed much earlier, so this part was an anticlimax. Still, for the large part I did enjoy walking together with the girls, getting to know their stories and how they found a place for themselves in the world through rather unconventional means. There was something about the writing style that resonated with me, and this isn’t one I’ll be forgetting in a hurry (and, having written this review, I've actually gone and bumped my score up by 0.5).
February 1, 2020
Mit viel Herz erzählt. 3,5 Sterne
Carly und Jen haben einen langen Weg vor sich. Sie haben es nicht einfach, schlagen sich alleine durch und geraten in gefährliche Situationen. Die beiden haben nur noch einander. Um nicht getrennt zu werden, müssen sie ihre wahre Situation verheimlichen.
Immer wieder versuchen sie Teddy zu erreichen. Obwohl er sich nicht meldet ist Carly fest davon überzeugt, dass er ihnen helfen wird. Er ist die einzige Person, der sie vertraut. Aber Jen vertraut ihm nicht.
Und als sie bei den indigenen Wakapi festgehalten werden und Jen sich der alten Dolores anvertraut, scheinen die Wege der beiden Schwestern scheinen sich doch zu trennen...
Da das nicht mein erstes Buch von der Autorin ist, wusste ich so ungefähr was ich zu erwarten hatte. Und wie erwartet verfolgt man hier nicht nur die bewegende Reise der beiden Mädchen auf der Suche nach dem Ex-Freund ihrer Mutter, sondern auch die Vorgeschichte. Ganz langsam erschließen sich die Verhältnisse aus den Flashbacks.
Nichts ist wie es scheint. Eine Mutter, die ihre Töchter von einer Stadt in die nächste schleppt, sich aber auf ihre eigene Art kümmert, ein Stiefvater zu dem sie ein tolles Verhältnis hatten bevor ihre Welt zusammengebrochen ist. Menschen denen sie fälschlicherweise vertrauen und Fremde, die wirklich helfen wollen und mittendrin zwei Mädchen, die alles versuchen um nicht getrennt zu werden.
Teile dieser Reise waren erschrecken glaubhaft, trotz der Extremsituation realistisch dargestellt. Andere Teile der Geschichte sind aber unglaubwürdig. Das Ehrlichkeits-System hat mich wirklich beeindruckt.
Mit den Mädchen habe ich mitgefühlt obwohl ich nicht so richtig verstanden habe warum sie nicht über ihre Gefühle, Ängste und Vermutungen sprechen. Carly wirkt sehr oft sehr trotzig, ist kein einfacher Charakter aber ich konnte ihren kleinen Komplex gegenüber ihrer so unbekümmerten kleinen Schwester verstehen. Tragisch, wie sie Jen nicht glauben konnte, weil das hieße, dass auch Teddy Jen bevorzugt.
Aber das liegt daran, dass sie erst 16 ist und aus einem so unstabilen Umfeld kommt. Die Komplexität der Gefühle wurde leider nicht so ganz transportiert. Man weiß, da müssen unterdrückte Gefühle sein, aufgestaute und verworrene. Aber in der Art, wie es erzählt ist, kommt das nicht rüber.
Insgesamt sind die Figuren toll gezeichnet, alle denen Carly und Jen auf dieser Reise begegnen. Dolores so eigen, Alvin so hilfsbereit, der Junge im Zug so positiv, die Frau und ihr etwas seniler Mann so großzügig. Und Teddy, was eine tragische, erbärmliche Person.
Ich habe das Ganze gespannt verfolgt und gerne gelesen, mein Herz ist gebrochen, als Carly enttäuscht wird und am Ende die Wahrheit erfährt.
Carly und Jen haben einen langen Weg vor sich. Sie haben es nicht einfach, schlagen sich alleine durch und geraten in gefährliche Situationen. Die beiden haben nur noch einander. Um nicht getrennt zu werden, müssen sie ihre wahre Situation verheimlichen.
Immer wieder versuchen sie Teddy zu erreichen. Obwohl er sich nicht meldet ist Carly fest davon überzeugt, dass er ihnen helfen wird. Er ist die einzige Person, der sie vertraut. Aber Jen vertraut ihm nicht.
Und als sie bei den indigenen Wakapi festgehalten werden und Jen sich der alten Dolores anvertraut, scheinen die Wege der beiden Schwestern scheinen sich doch zu trennen...
Da das nicht mein erstes Buch von der Autorin ist, wusste ich so ungefähr was ich zu erwarten hatte. Und wie erwartet verfolgt man hier nicht nur die bewegende Reise der beiden Mädchen auf der Suche nach dem Ex-Freund ihrer Mutter, sondern auch die Vorgeschichte. Ganz langsam erschließen sich die Verhältnisse aus den Flashbacks.
Nichts ist wie es scheint. Eine Mutter, die ihre Töchter von einer Stadt in die nächste schleppt, sich aber auf ihre eigene Art kümmert, ein Stiefvater zu dem sie ein tolles Verhältnis hatten bevor ihre Welt zusammengebrochen ist. Menschen denen sie fälschlicherweise vertrauen und Fremde, die wirklich helfen wollen und mittendrin zwei Mädchen, die alles versuchen um nicht getrennt zu werden.
Teile dieser Reise waren erschrecken glaubhaft, trotz der Extremsituation realistisch dargestellt. Andere Teile der Geschichte sind aber unglaubwürdig. Das Ehrlichkeits-System hat mich wirklich beeindruckt.
Mit den Mädchen habe ich mitgefühlt obwohl ich nicht so richtig verstanden habe warum sie nicht über ihre Gefühle, Ängste und Vermutungen sprechen. Carly wirkt sehr oft sehr trotzig, ist kein einfacher Charakter aber ich konnte ihren kleinen Komplex gegenüber ihrer so unbekümmerten kleinen Schwester verstehen. Tragisch, wie sie Jen nicht glauben konnte, weil das hieße, dass auch Teddy Jen bevorzugt.
Aber das liegt daran, dass sie erst 16 ist und aus einem so unstabilen Umfeld kommt. Die Komplexität der Gefühle wurde leider nicht so ganz transportiert. Man weiß, da müssen unterdrückte Gefühle sein, aufgestaute und verworrene. Aber in der Art, wie es erzählt ist, kommt das nicht rüber.
Insgesamt sind die Figuren toll gezeichnet, alle denen Carly und Jen auf dieser Reise begegnen. Dolores so eigen, Alvin so hilfsbereit, der Junge im Zug so positiv, die Frau und ihr etwas seniler Mann so großzügig. Und Teddy, was eine tragische, erbärmliche Person.
Ich habe das Ganze gespannt verfolgt und gerne gelesen, mein Herz ist gebrochen, als Carly enttäuscht wird und am Ende die Wahrheit erfährt.
September 18, 2017
3.5 stars. Walk Me Home was not a fast paced thrill ride, but it kept me turning the pages. The author created characters that felt very real and in doing so made me care about the outcome of their dire situation. Jen and Carly are sisters who deal with their losses differently. One lives her life open to possibilities and love while the other holds on to the one thing that was dependable in the past. They each choose a different path on their journey. Which sister chose wisely?
I had hesitation about reading another "hitch hiking" book, but I'm very glad I took a chance on this one.
I had hesitation about reading another "hitch hiking" book, but I'm very glad I took a chance on this one.
November 6, 2022
Truly a memorable tale told by one of the Best!
Jen and Carpet have a rough childhood, and are bonded together as sisters against everyone. Because of a number of truly bad decisions made by their mom, they have no choice but to leave. Their journey will take them on a path that will teach them many things. Things they were not taught by their mom. What is friendship, what is love, and what is family? At the dead end, Jen and Carley discover Delores, and a new journey begins. You do not want to miss this read, trust me you will not want to out it down!
Jen and Carpet have a rough childhood, and are bonded together as sisters against everyone. Because of a number of truly bad decisions made by their mom, they have no choice but to leave. Their journey will take them on a path that will teach them many things. Things they were not taught by their mom. What is friendship, what is love, and what is family? At the dead end, Jen and Carley discover Delores, and a new journey begins. You do not want to miss this read, trust me you will not want to out it down!
July 29, 2017
I just could not get much momentum on this book. I thought the storyline was just ok and somewhat shallow and unbelievable. There were some elements of the book which were irrelevant and I found it frustrating because I like to connect all the dots when reading. The dots just didn't all connect on this one. I still love KRH and will still read through all of her books.
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