The Escape Artist

by Diane Chamberlain

Susanna Miller may have lost legal custody of her beautiful eleven-month-old son, Tyler, but that doesn't mean she is giving him up. Even if her ex-husband, Jim, an attorney, and his new wife, Peggy, have every advantage to offer a child, Susanna knows the two of them cannot be as caring, loving, and devoted as she has been. Defying a court order to give Tyler to his father, Susanna runs away, seeking a new start for her child and herself. She changes her name, dyes her hair, and leaves Boulder, Colorado, without a word to anyone, not even the man she loved before she knew Jim. Linc Sebastian has been her best friend since childhood. Linc knows Susanna better than anyone. But she can't risk his help now. Two thousand miles from home, she seeks anonymity in the lovely eastern town of Annapolis, Maryland. Lonely, frightened, and unsure of whom to trust, she meets Adam, a troubled local artist with secrets in his own past. Although drawn by his kindness, she cannot forget Linc and the special love they will always share, even if they never see each other again. As she tries to forget her past, Susanna discovers that starting a new life is more dangerous than she thought, and that the unpredictable has an alarming way of working itself into your world.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks

464 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Diane Chamberlain is the New York Times, USA Today and (London) Sunday Times best-selling author of 28 novels. The daughter of a school principal who supplied her with a new book almost daily, Diane quickly learned the emotional power of story. Although she wrote many small “books” as a child, she didn’t seriously turn to writing fiction until her early thirties when she was waiting for a delayed doctor’s appointment with nothing more than a pad, a pen, and an idea. She was instantly hooked.

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and lived for many years in both San Diego and northern Virginia. She received her master’s degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, she was a hospital social worker in both San Diego and Washington, D.C, and a psychotherapist in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia, working primarily with adolescents.

More than two decades ago, Diane was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which changed the way she works: She wrote two novels using voice recognition software before new medication allowed her to get back to typing. She feels fortunate that her arthritis is not more severe and that she’s able to enjoy everyday activities as well as keep up with a busy travel schedule.

Diane lives in North Carolina with her significant other, photographer John Pagliuca, and their odd but lovable Shetland Sheepdog, Cole

Reviews

[Aoibhínn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3.5 stars. I'm a fan of Diane Chamberlain and I enjoyed this novel but its not one of my favourites. I found the book to be a bit too far-fetched and unrealistic at times. I don't see how the events in this book could ever happen in real life.



I couldn't believe Susanna could lose custody of her son so easily, all just because she had a bad case of the pre-baby blues?? I didn't like the character of Peggy at all. A lawyer who can't have a baby herself so decides to steal one through the courts! I had no sympathy for her at all! I didn't like the ex-husband either. The author never explained how Susanna had ended up with a creep like him, especially since she was supposed to have been in love with Linc since she was a teenager. Linc only got sentenced to 4 years in prison (probably less with good behaviour, prison overcrowding and all that). Why didn't Susanna wait for him if she loved him so much? Susanna must have gotten together with her ex-husband rather quickly after Linc got sent to prison for the timing to work out: meeting Jim, dating him, getting engaged, getting married, working to send him to law school, getting pregnant, getting divorced, all by the time Linc was in prison. That didn't make sense! And Susanna was only on the run with Cody for 6 weeks and during those weeks entered into another sexual relationship with another man? Susanna can't have really loved Linc all that much if she could have done that. I wasn't drawn into the love story between Susanna and Linc for these reasons.


I thought the whole story about the file on the computer to be too far-fetched as well. If you brought a second-hand computer and found files on it, realistically you might snoop through them a little but then delete them off without a second thought about it. You wouldn't do what Susanna did and phone the store where you brought the computer to let them know and leave your address with them for the original owner of the computer? No way! No one would bother to do that! It was extremely careless thing to do for someone who had put as much thought into changing her identity as Susanna did.


I felt like everything was just left up in the air at the end. Did Susanna manage to get Cody back at the end? Or did her ex-husband still want custody? Or did Cody end up living in foster care? I imagine it must be hard for her to get her son back after running away with him. The charges may have been dropped against her but she did do something illegal so I can't see social services giving the child back to Susanna so easily. I wished the author had written a scene at the end where Cody was returned to Susanna.

[Britany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh- this book was so cliche I can't even compose a review!! Broken woman with baby boy catches her husband cheating on her, and is rescued by her best friend, Linc. Broken woman's husband and mistress get together and sue for custody of baby boy. Broken woman flees town and attempts to begin a new life across the country. We all know how this will turn out right...?

There were a couple of parts that were thrown in for good measure and to add a couple of "surprise" plot points- but overall, I just didn't feel like this was a great read. Onwards...

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought my own copy of this paperback.
Superb. The best book by Diane Chamberlain the I have ever read. I couldn't put it down.
Susanna found out that she was pregnant and went home to tell her husband, and found her husband in their bed with another woman. Once Susanna's baby was born Jim her ex husband and Peggy fight for custody of baby Tyler. Susanna gets access to Tyler who fails to take him home back to Jim. Susanna goes on the run with Tyler.
I loved reading about the adventure that Susanna goes on with baby Tyler.
I very highly recommend reading The Escape Artist by Diane Chamberlain.
The story behind The Escape Artist. When Diane was in a restaurant she overheard a conversation between two women. A mutual friend of theirs was about to lose custody of her young son to her husband and his new wife. One of the women said ' If I were in her shoes, I'd take my son and run. This is how Diane Chamberlain had the initial idea for The Escape Artist.
Around the same time Diane bought a laptop and discovered the owner had left some files on the hard drive. With the two separate ideas the storyline for The Escape Artist was ready for Diane, all she had to do was create the perfect characters to go with it.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susanna loses custody of her eleven month old son Tyler to her ex-husband Jim and and his wife Peggy. The thought of only being able to see her son once a week is heartbreaking and more than Susanna can bare. Susanna decides to runway with her son and she tells no one of her plans not evens her life long friend Linc. And in making sure they can't be found Susanna cuts and dyes her hair and has their names changed.
They end up living in a rented apartment in Annapolis where Susanna eventually finds work doing typing from home. In time they make friends although Susanna is very careful not to give anything of their past away. She becomes friends with Adam who is an artist and his sister Jessie. Susanna really likes Adam and thinks he's a very caring, kind hearted person and is great company. But as time passes Susanna begins to think that Adam may not be the person she thought he was and starts to wonder if she might be in danger.

In the meantime Susanna's ex- husband Jim and wife Peggy are busy with the police trying to find out where Susanna and Tyler could be. Peggy is desperate for them to be found as she just wants to know that Tyler is safe. Susanna's life long friend Linc has been questioned by the police several times as they believe he knows some thing and is not saying. But just like everyone else Linc has no clues as to where Susanna might be as she never told him of her plans.

This is a fabulous read by Diane Chamberlain and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have no hesitation in highly recommending this book and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars When in need of a chick-lit + fix, I know I can always turn to Diane Chamberlain and come away satisfied and The Escape Artist was no exception. In this older (1997) DC novel, a young mother will do whatever it takes to retain custody of her baby boy no matter what until she stumbles upon an explosive secret with deadly repercussions.

While a bit far-fetched and predictable at times, still a fast, easy and enjoyable read.

As one of my favorite authors of women's fiction, 5 Star DC reads for me include: Necessary Lies The Midwife's Confession and The Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes.

Thanks to the Love of Reading Group, I did not miss this great summer pick!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine example of why I'm so pleased Diane Chamberlain's publishers decided to re release her books from the nineties onto Kindle format. As with so many of her other books, this was a very enjoyable easy read focusing on the complexities of family relationships; in this case being the struggle of custody issues and co-parenting.

Susanna is devastated when a family judge awards custody to her ex husband and his mistress turned wife based on their financial status. Although this may be hard to believe today, in mid-nineties America this is perhaps something which occurred more frequently than we know.

There are several threads to the story which could have been developed further but overall I felt satisfied by yet another good read by this author and will continue to look forward to more "new old" releases.

[Ugnė Lukošienė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ši - tikrai toli ne pati stipriausia šios autorės parašyta knyga. Pagrindinė herojė tiek erzino, kad iki šiol perskaičiusi nesuprantu daugelių vietoje jos motyvų ir elgesio... Kliuvo tai, jog buvo netikroviškų detalių... Kažkoks detektyvas, trileris sumaišytas su kažkokia drama.
Knyga įtraukė, bet pats galas buvo mažiausiai įdomus ir nuspėjamas, o kartu ir juokingai kvailas :)

[Connie Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid Chamberlain, though not my favorite. 3 stars. Review to come

Chamberlain is a writer you can depend on to tell a story that usually surround a controversial issue. In The Escape Artist she deals with child custody. Thus the story begins with Susanna losing custody of her son to the ex and his mistress/now new wife. When she decides to run away with him the story develops.

I had some issues with many of the characters....Susanna herself really was a little unstable, bad upbringing, bad marriage, bad choices. The ex husband was a jerk, the new wife obsessive, (though by the end as smart as she was suppose to be) Linc a bit hard to swallow with his background he was a national "cult" figure, the artist and his possessive sister. They were all a bit too much for me.

I knew that there would have to be a reason along the line that she would have to reveal her true identity and risk losing her son.....and that storyline was a bit unbelievable as well. All a bit too pat! There did have to be something to tie her 2 lives together but I wasn't so sure this was the way to go.

That said, I breezed through this in a day and a half and was anxious to see how everything resolved. So, was it an enjoyable read? Yes. Was it the best of Chamberlain? No, but I won't quit reading her.

[Natalija R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knyga man patiko, bet nebuvo kad yra wow- nors parasyta labai idomiai😍
Vertinu 3⭐ vien todel, kad Chamberlain yra stipresniu kuriniu nei sis, bei todel, kad buvo jau labai daug "snargliu" kuriu perdetumas mane nervino. Dar labai nervino Pege- nesuprantu kaip galima buti tokiai bukai. Jeigu negaleciau tureti savu vaiku tai tikrai is kitos gyvos moters, vyro buvusios to vaiko neplesciau visomos isgalemis, o pasiimciau is prieglaudos. Taipogi pagrindinei herojei Siuzanai-Kim prielankumo nepajutau- man Jos nebuvo gaila, tikrai jos prie vargseles nepriskirciau... Vienu metu su 2 vyrais miegoti ir kad tie durneliai ja rupintusi- kekse!!!
Tu vyru vietoj, ypac Linko- tikrai nebuciau jai atleides permiegojimu su kitu, kuris jai buvo kaip savaime suprantmas dalykas, labai Jos sazine negrauze- bele butu kas guodzia ir nemokamai padeda... Man pyktis vire!!! Kaip galima nevertinti vyro, kuris del tavo labo prisieme kalte ir atsedejo kalejme ir paaukojo tau bene puse savo gyvenimo- kaip galima buvo ji isduoti...

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a loving responsible parent loses custody because the other parent happens to have more and/or better resources, you wonder where is the justice? And you ask yourself that same thing when you hear about the slap on the wrist a drunk driver has received after an accident that decimates a family.This book explores both of these scenarios.
I enjoyed this book more than I originally thought I would.The characters were well written and the author allowed for growth through the story.While the ending was a little pie in the sky for my taste, it wasn't totally without reason or premise.I will enjoy reading more from this author.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could have given this one more stars I would have done so. Unputdownable!

[Neils Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess at this point Diane Chamberlain has become an author I plan on reading all her books! Now I am not even reading the description, I just click borrow on Libby and know I will get lost in a beautifully written book (usually set in NC, but not this time! ) that centers around a women usually in a difficult situation/ social situation. I guess if I was normal, I would probably end up in tears at some point as well (I am not a crier)

For the Escape Artist, Susan does what any mother would do when her son is going to be taken away from he by her Ex Husband and new wife. As she sets up her new life on the run, she finds herself with a list of names on it, and some of those names are people who have recently been killed. As she tries to keep her son and her new life secret, she is torn between revealing the list and fighting for her son.

Wonderful premise and even better writing. Not to say that I loved every single aspect of this book, there were some flaws. Namely some of the legal matter seemed a bit far fetched and Peggy,don't even get my started.
What I enjoyed throughout the book was the fact that this book was set in the early 90s I think, so the technology cracked me up!!! NO cell phones, she listened to the Radio (no podcast) she types on a "word processor"

If you are a DC fan, add this one to your list!

[Justina Urbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dar viena jautri ir gyvenimiška Diane Chamberlain knyga. Ko tik tos mamos nepadarytų dėl savo vaikų? Tikrai nei vienai nelinkėčiau atsidurti Suzanos situacijoje.

Suzana visiškai palūžusi, moters gyvenimas byra į šipulius. Išsiskyrusi su vyru moteris lieka apgauta, turi palikti savo namus, o dar be to teismo keliu ji praranda ir 11 mėnesių sūnelį. Teisėjas nuprendžia, kad buvęs vyras su nauja žmona berniukui suteiktų žymiai geresnes sąlygas.

Moteris ryžtasi drąsiausiam savo gyvenimo sprendimui ir sukuria pabėgimo planą. Nauja tapatybė, nauja išvaizda, nauja vieta. Vieniša, išsigandusi, bijanti pasitikėti naujais žmonėmis, Suzana pamažu kuriasi naują gyvenimą ir stengiasi pamiršti praeitį, bet ramybės neduoda širdies skausmas dėl aname gyvenime palikto mylimojo. O kur dar dilemos su kuriomis moteriai tenka susidurti.

Man labai patiko ši knyga. Ne veltui D. Chamberlain viena iš mylimiausių rašytojų. Jausminga istorija apie tikrą meilę, apie mamos meilės galią ir stiprų ryšį su vaiku, apie naujas pradžias ir drąsą.

[Kristine Davila · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very touching story of a mother who had lost custody of her son to her ungrateful ex-husband and once-mistress wife. she fled the life she always had and left the love of her life to have a life with her adorable son. a mother's love is indeed great. she will do everything and everything beyond means just to keep her child loved and protected.

one thing that i liked most was when Peggy had realized what a moron she became because of what Jim had told him about Susanna and the whole lot.

i just hope that it has an epilogue.

[Vilija Sriubiškė · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kadaise Diane Chamberlain buvo viena mano mėgstamiausių autorių - ryte rijau jos knygas. Jau kurį laiką buvau nieko neskaičiusi iš jos kūrybos, o ši jau seniai buvo nusižiūrėta, tad parsisiunčiau ją į "Milžiną" ir važinėdama į darbą suskaičiau.

Ir nepaliko ji manęs nei nustebusios, nei supykusios, nei pradžiugintos, nei sudomintos. Visiškai jokių emocijų nesukėlusi knyga - tiesiog skaičiau, kad skaityti, bet daugiau jokių jausmų neiššaukė. Kiti šios autorės kūriniai man patiko kur kas labiau.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the author's novel Necessary Lies last year, a book that shed light on the horrors of the Eugenics Program that for many years preyed upon scores of poor and lower I.Q individuals in the South, a practice that ended only in the not so distant past. A beautifully written book that I couldn't put down and have recommended to many others since. So yes, I'm a big fan of this author and have now read four more of her novels, this one being the most recent. It was a quick and easy read, and much more chick lit than any of the others I've read so far. Some of the events were a bit implausible and others just downright way too coincidental. I found myself saying "oh sure, like that's ever going to happen" more than a few times while making my way through the book. I doubt I'd recommend this book to any of my friends, but I still will keep reading this author. Not every book can be winner I guess.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Chamberlain is a must, automatic read for me and has been for a long time. So I went looking for some of her older books and came across The Escape Artist. And like her newer books, this is another 5++++ read. Loved it. Unputdownable…….I loved the characters and Susanna and her fight to be with her baby. Loosing her son in a custody battle, she takes off with him hours before having to hand him over to her ex-husband and his new wife and tries to start a new life with him on the other side of the country. I was on Susanna’s side the entire book and today have been unable to put the book down until I was finished…….Loved it….

[Lauren-Tess Anderson-Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a book by Diane Chamberlain in a while so I thought it was about time I did.

I absolutely loved The escape artist. I found myself well and truly absorbed in the story that I just couldnt put it down.

The escape artist tells the story of a single mother desperate to keep custody of her son and the lengths she takes and the consequences that follow.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, the character development was spot on, the characters came alive for me and couldn't have been more different if they'd tried.

Another truly brilliant read from the talented Diane Chamberlain. Definitely recommended.

[CDC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had received a bunch of Diane Chamberlain books for Christmas. They are all very quick easy reads - usually with some great characters and this was no exception.

The secondary 'mystery' was completely unnecessary and made way too obvious very early on.

I think it really is time for a break from this author as I read quite a few in a row and they all became a little too much.

[*TANYA* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am soooo annoyed with this book!! It had the potential to be a fantastic book, but the back and forth of her feelings was just annoying. I was really really enjoying this book up until "Kim" moves on to someone new while still in love with someone else.

[Gabrielė|Kartu su knyga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jau kuris laikas buvau neskaičiusi Chamberlain knygų,tad buvo labai malonu ir vėl prie jų sugrįžti. ♥️ Įdomi,jaudinanti istorija,kuri palies kiekvieną,o ypač mamas..
Negalėčiau sakyti,jog ši knyga buvo stipriausias rašytojos kūrinys,bet jog ir ne prasčiausia tai tikrai 😉 Knyga maloniai ir greitai skaitėsi,istorija įtraukė nuo pat pirmųjų puslapių. Vietomis knyga pasirodė šiek tiek netikroviška,jog taip paprastai galima dingti “kaip į vandenį”. Nepaisant to knyga man tikrai patiko. 😊

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to getting through this, have read many of Diane's books before and she always smashes it!! Brilliant author with brilliant stories. Though I'm not finished this yet it is clearly another great read from Diane! She always manages to get the story just right with enough detail to keep you interested yet that makes you want to know more at the same time. I think this is talent as not all authors are capable of doing this as good as her.

[Marleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diane Chamberlain has been spoiling her readers with stories about relationships and family for more than 2 decades. I’ve read about half of her books and mostly I’ve enjoyed them. The Escape Artist (first issued in 1997) has been on my to-read list for a long time, and honestly, the book-blurb sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, this story was just too naïve for my liking. I could not believe what I was reading. How can Susanna Miller, a young mother loose the custody of her child because she had a small depressive episode and had to be admitted for a short spell? Furthermore, her ex-husband’s second wife, Peggy was supposed to be a caring, socially-engaged lawyer working in a legal-aid clinic. She was just too ignorant for words that woman – how could she not have her own mind instead of believing everything her new husband said. And ripping a child away from her/his mother is OK?? No way. That Peggy needs to see a shrink. I liked her brother though – he tried to put things in perspective for her. I liked that a lot.
Then there’s this secondary plot taking place in Annapolis (where Susanna is in hiding) about more depressed people taking revenge on drunk drivers and their entourage. That wasn't much more interesting. And yes, a bit far-fetched.
What I did enjoy was when Susanna and Linc Sebastian reminisced about their youth – how they were always there for each other since childhood.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane Chamberlain is the author that made me fall in love with issue-driven women’s fiction, about ordinary women digging deep to make necessary changes in their lives. So, imagine my excitement when I discovered one that I’d missed – The Escape Artist.

When Susanna Miller loses a custody battle, she flees from Boulder, Colorado with her eleven-month-old son, Tyler and heads for the anonymity of Annapolis, Maryland. She settles quickly into her new home but can’t foresee how soon she will be drawn into a mystery that means to save others she must let Tyler go. Filled with rounded characters, I particularly liked that Chamberlain also focused on Peggy’s story. (Peggy had an affair with Susanna’s husband and is Tyler’s prospective new mum). As a reader, this gave a more balanced view, and showed how the pain of both women was real.

I believe The Escape Artist was first published during the late 90s, and it was interesting to be reminded of how our lives were then – think phone books and word processing. There was one plot line that perhaps stretched the imagination a little, but by then I was so invested in Susanna’s story that I didn’t mind. Also, by that stage I was completely charmed by Susanna’s long-term friend, Linc Sebastian, and was willing them to get together again. Did they hook up? … Read The Escape Artist to find out.

[Inga Gajauskienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Įdomi istorija. Knyga lengvai skaitoma. Ypač patiks manau mamoms. Kam gali ryžtis moteris jei nori atimti jos vaiką?

[Diana-christie Biancardi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I thought it was. I was looking for more mystery from Diane!

[Katie Kenig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was very... okay!



I feel very middle-of-the-road about this book.

I usually love Diane Chamberlain books. They - generally speaking, at least for the ones I've read - have a brilliant mix of chick lit fun, romance, and mystery - usually enough of the latter to keep it from being too sickly sweet and setting my teeth on edge. But the best part is that usually the author writes these amazing characters that come to life and feel like friends by the end of the book. I love that, as character-driven novels are totally my thing.

But I just didn't feel it here.

Yes, the main character is sympathetic - who wouldn't have sympathy for a woman who used to be married to a philandering jerk who has not taken away custody of her child? But my problem was that the characters didn't seem very "deeply" written. They were all surface, from the walking-cliche of an ex husband to his clueless, naive new wife, to the bad-boy new boyfriend, to the actual bad-guy bomber in the story.

Additionally, the mystery wasn't really one to me. I had it figured out early on. The clues were less clues, and more knocking you over the head with the obvious. I didn't think "Well, maybe this is what is going on, or maybe that..." No. I knew. It was no surprise.



I kept holding out this hope that I was wrong and there was this whole secret mystery I wasn't getting and I'd still be all surprised and it would all be awesome and worth it at the end (!!!) but that didn't happen.

So, I felt like there was no "payoff" with this book. It just felt shallow and not up to the usual standards I expect from the author. Doesn't mean I'll stop reading her books, because she's written some others that I adore, but this one... well, if I were you I'd skip this one. It's not absolutely horrible, and if it's your only decent choice from a rack of paperbacks at the airport before your flight, okay. But other than that, don't waste your time.

[Iwillread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skaityti šią knygą man buvo vienas malonumas. Būtent dėl to jai duodu 5-etą. Nors akimirką pagalvojau, kad 5 gauna ir tokios rimtos, vertingos knygos kaip “Druska jūrai“ ir tarsi kažkiek keista, jog ir lengva drama, ir toks svarbus kūrinys gauna vienodą įvertinimą, tačiau noriu pabrėžti, jog “Paskutinis pabėgimas“ aukščiausią įvertinimą gauna ne dėl paties turinio, o dėl malonumo, kurį suteikė skaitymo procesas.

Ko gero tiktų sakyti, jog tokį įvertinimą gauna pati autorė. Tai yra pirmoji mano pažintis su žymiąja D. Chamberlain. Sakyčiau, jog pažintis labai vykusi. Knyga mane tiesiog prikaustė. Skaityti norėjosi kiekvieną laisvą minutę.

Pirmiausia nustebino tai, kad veikėjai pasirodė labai tikroviški, natūralūs, su tikrais jausmais ir išgyvenimais. Vieniems jų buvo labai lengva pajusti palankumą, kitiems – priešiškumą, tretiems – ir tą, ir tą vienu metu. Suzanos jaučiuosi labai pasiilgusi, gaila, kad knyga baigėsi, norėčiau tokio serialo, kad galėčiau su veikėjais “matytis“ nuolat. 🙂

Tema, kurią autorė nagrinėja, taip pat labai svarbi. Kėlė pyktį tai, jog vaiko globą gali nulemti pinigai ir tam tikros ligos. Tailerio mama gulėjo psichiatrinėje ligoninėje. Ir nors tai buvo būtent dėl potrauminio streso, kurį patyrė po vyro išdavystės, vien pats buvusio, laikino psichikos sutrikimo faktas teismui pasirodo svarbesnis už Suzanos motinystės įgūdžius ir atsidavimą.

Buvo kelios vietos, kurios kėlė klaustukų. Man pasirodė, kad Amerikoje šitaip dingti yra labai paprasta. Pernelyg lengva buvo gauti naujus dokumentus su naujomis pavardėmis, pasisavinti mašinos numerį, dingti visiškai be pėdsakų. Tačiau šie niuansai nebuvo įkyrūs ir mėgautis skaitymu netrukdė. Labai rekomenduoju šią knygą atostogoms, ilgajam savaitgaliui, vasarai ar popietėms, kuomet norisi gero, malonaus, kokybiško laiko su knyga.

Ilgai nelaukusi tikrai imsiu ir kitą D. Chamberlain knygą.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have truly enjoyed several of Chamberlain’s other books - both in print and in audio. This one, unfortunately, is far from my favorite of her work. Though Chamberlain’s books all have a certain Lifetime-movie-quality, this one feels more like a re-run... the story feels overly familiar and even the subplots fail to add an unexpected element (despite the bombings, even!). The performer narrates the audio version has a smooth voice, and though she handles the male characters well, the timbre she uses for Lucy in particular is almost painfully brash. It certainly makes me thankful that she is such a relatively minor character!

Originally published in 1997, this book certainly feels a bit dated listening to it now. Particularly in the way that the research is handled, and how many different factors would change in today’s world were the same story to be told. The Internet really has changed daily lives! The early computer technology that is mentioned here will certainly make modern readers reminisce over their own memories.

But, ultimately, these are not Chamberlain’s best characters. Suzanne/Kim is not easily likable and the other characters, like Peggy, just don’t feel as realistic or complex as other characters in Chamberlain’s other novels. The pacing drags in the middle, and unlike other audiobooks that I have listened to by Chamberlain, I never once found myself exploiting every opportunity to listen. I am still a big fan of Chamberlain, but this one just feels more bland by comparison.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

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I've never read a Diane Chamberlain book that I haven't loved. She is such a talented author, and has a way of writing that makes you want to read more. This book was no exception. As a Mom, I felt so bad for Susanna losing custody of her son, especially when she was a good Mom, but didn't have the funds to fight like her cheating ex husband did. I really don't blame her for taking off and starting a new life somewhere else, even though it wasn't easy. There is nothing like a Mother's love for her child and sometimes you do whatever possible to keep them close. This book also has a love story. Susanna chooses to leave the love of her life, Linc when she takes off without even saying goodbye. The struggle they both go through is hard, but their love is strong and maybe someday they can be together again. This is a page turner from beginning to end and I really liked the story.