What do you think?
Rate this book
The Exception
When Boy Freeling wins the Boston Marathon, a remarkable woman comes into his life and profoundly alters it, forcing him to reexamine the way he lives and loves
221 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 24, 2017
No spoilers:
Fun note: I read every Susan Trott book I can find, and Sightings was my first novel of hers I discovered (probably two decades ago)! I mention this detail because early on in The Exception, names start to sound very familiar. Of course -- she revisits a few of the characters from Sightings -- and this novel is truly about history repeating itself, death, and sacrifices we make to keep people in our lives.
The Exception is one of Trott's darkest and saddest. We meet Boy and Sister Freeling , orphaned and searching for their places in the world. Sister, depressed and tied to her childhood home, who soon takes on her birth name Amy, meets and falls in love with M. In Trott's style though, loving M. is nothing but complicated and unpredictable. He is a nomad, who does not live up to other's expectations of him, much to his high powered father's dismay. Then, there is Laurie, M's true love, who bullies her way into Amy's life, but at the same time, protects Amy and M whenever she must.
We also get to know Boy, Amy's beloved brother. Determined to become the fastest runner (surprise there?), every decision and sacrifice he makes in his life leads him to the podium wear he wears crowns of laurel and his sister cheers him on. After winning the Boston Marathon, he falls in love with Cecile, but of course, their love story is complicated,too. A single mother -- Cecile moves into Amy's and Boy's parents' house, and chaos, deception, and manipulation follow her.
By now, Shakespeare is probably applauding Trott for taking on his genre -- the tragedy and doing it right! As in other Trott novels: Someone has to die (or go) to make everything right, or as close to right, as possible. References to death are littered though out the novel -- even at its onset when Boy is reading the morning paper. So we should be prepared for the climax.
No spoilers: Toward the end of the novel, we begin to see how driven Boy is to be the best runner in the world. Our hearts break when Amy and Laurie both sacrifices what and who they love to hold on to M and to let go of him, too. Then we have the two male protagonists: M, the "irresponsible one", who must sacrifice more than his lifestyle to protect the one person he loves most in the world. Then there is Boy -- who is nothing but a boy focused on running, eschewing his own responsibility to others, especially his sister, is left standing alone with his laurel wreaths.
I love Trott's books -- absurd and quirky and unrealistic at times -- she is like a modern day Shakespeare.
Fun note: I read every Susan Trott book I can find, and Sightings was my first novel of hers I discovered (probably two decades ago)! I mention this detail because early on in The Exception, names start to sound very familiar. Of course -- she revisits a few of the characters from Sightings -- and this novel is truly about history repeating itself, death, and sacrifices we make to keep people in our lives.
The Exception is one of Trott's darkest and saddest. We meet Boy and Sister Freeling , orphaned and searching for their places in the world. Sister, depressed and tied to her childhood home, who soon takes on her birth name Amy, meets and falls in love with M. In Trott's style though, loving M. is nothing but complicated and unpredictable. He is a nomad, who does not live up to other's expectations of him, much to his high powered father's dismay. Then, there is Laurie, M's true love, who bullies her way into Amy's life, but at the same time, protects Amy and M whenever she must.
We also get to know Boy, Amy's beloved brother. Determined to become the fastest runner (surprise there?), every decision and sacrifice he makes in his life leads him to the podium wear he wears crowns of laurel and his sister cheers him on. After winning the Boston Marathon, he falls in love with Cecile, but of course, their love story is complicated,too. A single mother -- Cecile moves into Amy's and Boy's parents' house, and chaos, deception, and manipulation follow her.
By now, Shakespeare is probably applauding Trott for taking on his genre -- the tragedy and doing it right! As in other Trott novels: Someone has to die (or go) to make everything right, or as close to right, as possible. References to death are littered though out the novel -- even at its onset when Boy is reading the morning paper. So we should be prepared for the climax.
No spoilers: Toward the end of the novel, we begin to see how driven Boy is to be the best runner in the world. Our hearts break when Amy and Laurie both sacrifices what and who they love to hold on to M and to let go of him, too. Then we have the two male protagonists: M, the "irresponsible one", who must sacrifice more than his lifestyle to protect the one person he loves most in the world. Then there is Boy -- who is nothing but a boy focused on running, eschewing his own responsibility to others, especially his sister, is left standing alone with his laurel wreaths.
I love Trott's books -- absurd and quirky and unrealistic at times -- she is like a modern day Shakespeare.
June 14, 2013
I have not read Ms Trott in a while so I had forgotten how quirky her books and the characters who inhabits them are. I forgot how they speak, how whatever thoughts they may have are verbalized, though Trott is not given to flowery orations.
So our story involves a brother (Boy) and his sister (Sister, who eventually is called Amy) and their lives as grownup orphans. As is usually the case in Trott's books, the most ordinary events produce the out-of-the-ordinary characters who bring along their emotional baggage which the willingly share with any and all of the other characters.
As I re-read my review, I realized that perhaps, one must be a certain type of weird to enjoy this author.
So our story involves a brother (Boy) and his sister (Sister, who eventually is called Amy) and their lives as grownup orphans. As is usually the case in Trott's books, the most ordinary events produce the out-of-the-ordinary characters who bring along their emotional baggage which the willingly share with any and all of the other characters.
As I re-read my review, I realized that perhaps, one must be a certain type of weird to enjoy this author.
Read
November 30, 2014Damn !!! I've had this book in my library for a couple months. I cannot believe I read other mediocre series,...and this awesome book was in my Library for two months! One of the best books about love,sisterhood,and so very hot! He is cockey in the beginning but man is he great. I don't want to give too much away but this is a phenomenal read. First time reading anything from this author highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews