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A Time for Dancing #2
The Farther You Run
This past May, Samantha lost her best friend, Juliana, to cancer. Now there is no one to share secrets, gossip, and dreams; no reason to go to dance class by herself. The way she sees it, there's only one thing to do: close that door, and try to move on. Then, in summer school, Samantha meets Mona, who has her own set of challenges. The two girls click right away. By summer's end they've found jobs, boyfriends, and an apartment in San Francisco. But doors don't always stay closed. Just before the anniversary of Jules's death, things begin to fall apart. Can Samantha and Mona come to terms with their separate pasts and make their friendship strong again?
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2003
14 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Davida Wills Hurwin
7 books38 followersDavida Wills Hurwin is the author of A Time for Dancing (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults) and The Farther You Run. She teaches theater at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences and lives in Southern California with her husband, Gene, and their daughter, Frazier Malone.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
August 7, 2023
This is a sequel to Hurwin's brilliant "A Time For Dancing," which is my favorite book. When I finished reading "A Time For Dancing" when I was nine, I read the author blurb in the back of the book. It stated she was working on a sequel to "A Time For Dancing." This broke my heart since a sequel would surely be sad. I got my hands on the sequel when I was eleven. I remember being so impressed by it. All these years later, I bought "A Time For Dancing" again and it became my favorite book. I toyed with reading the sequel again. The first chapter was always so off-putting and the synopsis so annoying that I never read it. Finally I decided, if I can find it, I will read it and then I will know what I think. Thankfully, I was able to find it at Open Library. If you have an archive .org account, you can login to Open Library using that. So I did.
Mona increasingly horrified me. I was alternately appalled and just wanted her to shut up. I'm not saying people with parents of poorly-treated bipolar don't go through those things or develop senses of humor like that. I'm saying I disliked her as a character. She and Sam didn't seem like people who would be friends, either. Sam changed a lot as a person, which is to be expected. But she doesn't dance anymore. She doesn't hang out with people she used to. She's practically not the same at all. And for some reason, there's a subplot with a homeless lady. The boyfriends didn't make sense really. None of the original characters from the first novel are in here in a meaningful way. I hate to say it, but it's a poor spinoff with "blink and you miss it" references to the first book, with several original passages oddly rewritten. As in, they contain new information. "Blink and you miss it" references include but are not limited to: 1. the mugs Jules made in pottery class in seventh grade and how Sandra drinks out of them still, and so does Sammie 2.Sam reiterating that she feels closer to Sandra and William than her own parents 3. Bruce and Sam's mom are in love and ignoring Sam 4. A reference is made to castrating one of the girls' boyfriends 5. Jules being a water sign astrologically and talking to the ocean and
6. Jules dancing by the ocean. This was a beautiful passage in the first book. Here? Oh here, it turns out Sam was there too! For some reason, that annoyed me so, so much.
Davida Wills Hurwin retcons a lot of little stuff and it ticked me off. The magic of dance is not here at all. Instead, Sam now works in a restaurant. All new and boring characters are introduced. The sequel would have been far, far stronger if it had been all the same characters as the former! Only them talking about Julie and working through their grief! Thea is mentioned. Brooke is mentioned. Have them in the book! Have them -talk- about dance. But no, Sam blows them off because Mona calls them anorexic.
One of the final passages in the original book discussed seagulls. Here, it's briefly mentioned, but it's like Sam forgot what the seagulls originally symbolized. I lost respect for the book at that, I admit. Her grief is kind of skated over until eight months after the funeral, when she suddenly cannot stop crying. I can't speak to the reality of that. As a -written story-, though, it felt weird, especially since this occurred in the third quarter of the book. Before that, Sam was just dry-eyed and a waitress. She mentions avoiding places but I never really -got- the sense.
Mona should not have existed as a character in this book. She adds nothing. Her voice sounded exactly like Jules when she's irritated and it really creeped me out. If Davida Wills Hurwin was going for "so she is definitely replacing Jules and the audience should be sad," she failed because that's not the reaction it got out of me. Several characters mention that Mona looks like Jules. When I first read this as a tween, I thought that was so sad and touching. As an adult, something about this felt off..
7. Sam calls herself and Mona the Shithead and Asshole duo, which is again another reference to the first book twice over: towards the end of the first book, Jules and Sam call Dr Connor a shithead and an asshole. Halfway through the book when Jules won't come out of her room because she lost her hair and needs space, Sammie calls her a shithead and bangs on the door. Jules retorts by calling her an asshole and telling her to go away. In the sequel, the context is wildly different and DOES NOT WORK. I was annoyed!
This could have easily been a single-perspective POV on Sammie dealing with her grief in new ways, and others talking to her about it. She could have reached out to Linda, Brooke, Thea, definitely Sandra...they were not included because for whatever reason, the author wanted to introduce a grating, bitter teenager whose mother had a disease that's difficult to treat, especially back then. It was pointless. Sam could...idk, watch dance recitals on television and think of Jules and her past. Her emotions could have been explored more. The author chose not to do that.
Why the references to "Into the Woods"? Those came absolutely out of nowhere. Sam and Jules were not mentioned as liking stage theatre. They were dancers. I'm not saying it's impossible. There's tons of crossover between the two industries. It just wasn't addressed. Sam does sing a little bit of "A Chorus Line" in the first book when she's in the car with Jules and they're talking about dance that night at the beach, but that's it. The author could have worked that into the second book. The flashbacks of Jules working with a different dance instructor--fine, shove in a new character. Whatevs. And sure, have Sammie work with him at the end too. Or that could have been the halfway point of the book as an emotional arc! Coming back to dance!
Discovering who she is, and rediscovering parts as well! She could have worked at the studio as a receptionist and still talked to Linda, and seen little kids and remembered herself and Jules. But sure, waitressing is an option as well.
At least I read the sequel. Grumble.
Mona increasingly horrified me. I was alternately appalled and just wanted her to shut up. I'm not saying people with parents of poorly-treated bipolar don't go through those things or develop senses of humor like that. I'm saying I disliked her as a character. She and Sam didn't seem like people who would be friends, either. Sam changed a lot as a person, which is to be expected. But she doesn't dance anymore. She doesn't hang out with people she used to. She's practically not the same at all. And for some reason, there's a subplot with a homeless lady. The boyfriends didn't make sense really. None of the original characters from the first novel are in here in a meaningful way. I hate to say it, but it's a poor spinoff with "blink and you miss it" references to the first book, with several original passages oddly rewritten. As in, they contain new information. "Blink and you miss it" references include but are not limited to: 1. the mugs Jules made in pottery class in seventh grade and how Sandra drinks out of them still, and so does Sammie 2.Sam reiterating that she feels closer to Sandra and William than her own parents 3. Bruce and Sam's mom are in love and ignoring Sam 4. A reference is made to castrating one of the girls' boyfriends 5. Jules being a water sign astrologically and talking to the ocean and
6. Jules dancing by the ocean. This was a beautiful passage in the first book. Here? Oh here, it turns out Sam was there too! For some reason, that annoyed me so, so much.
Davida Wills Hurwin retcons a lot of little stuff and it ticked me off. The magic of dance is not here at all. Instead, Sam now works in a restaurant. All new and boring characters are introduced. The sequel would have been far, far stronger if it had been all the same characters as the former! Only them talking about Julie and working through their grief! Thea is mentioned. Brooke is mentioned. Have them in the book! Have them -talk- about dance. But no, Sam blows them off because Mona calls them anorexic.
One of the final passages in the original book discussed seagulls. Here, it's briefly mentioned, but it's like Sam forgot what the seagulls originally symbolized. I lost respect for the book at that, I admit. Her grief is kind of skated over until eight months after the funeral, when she suddenly cannot stop crying. I can't speak to the reality of that. As a -written story-, though, it felt weird, especially since this occurred in the third quarter of the book. Before that, Sam was just dry-eyed and a waitress. She mentions avoiding places but I never really -got- the sense.
Mona should not have existed as a character in this book. She adds nothing. Her voice sounded exactly like Jules when she's irritated and it really creeped me out. If Davida Wills Hurwin was going for "so she is definitely replacing Jules and the audience should be sad," she failed because that's not the reaction it got out of me. Several characters mention that Mona looks like Jules. When I first read this as a tween, I thought that was so sad and touching. As an adult, something about this felt off..
7. Sam calls herself and Mona the Shithead and Asshole duo, which is again another reference to the first book twice over: towards the end of the first book, Jules and Sam call Dr Connor a shithead and an asshole. Halfway through the book when Jules won't come out of her room because she lost her hair and needs space, Sammie calls her a shithead and bangs on the door. Jules retorts by calling her an asshole and telling her to go away. In the sequel, the context is wildly different and DOES NOT WORK. I was annoyed!
This could have easily been a single-perspective POV on Sammie dealing with her grief in new ways, and others talking to her about it. She could have reached out to Linda, Brooke, Thea, definitely Sandra...they were not included because for whatever reason, the author wanted to introduce a grating, bitter teenager whose mother had a disease that's difficult to treat, especially back then. It was pointless. Sam could...idk, watch dance recitals on television and think of Jules and her past. Her emotions could have been explored more. The author chose not to do that.
Why the references to "Into the Woods"? Those came absolutely out of nowhere. Sam and Jules were not mentioned as liking stage theatre. They were dancers. I'm not saying it's impossible. There's tons of crossover between the two industries. It just wasn't addressed. Sam does sing a little bit of "A Chorus Line" in the first book when she's in the car with Jules and they're talking about dance that night at the beach, but that's it. The author could have worked that into the second book. The flashbacks of Jules working with a different dance instructor--fine, shove in a new character. Whatevs. And sure, have Sammie work with him at the end too. Or that could have been the halfway point of the book as an emotional arc! Coming back to dance!
Discovering who she is, and rediscovering parts as well! She could have worked at the studio as a receptionist and still talked to Linda, and seen little kids and remembered herself and Jules. But sure, waitressing is an option as well.
At least I read the sequel. Grumble.
Read
July 20, 2023This was an emotional book. at first, the way the chapters were arranged confused me because the point of view kept changing, but i got used to it and got into the book. I've never read a book with chapters like this, but i think i'd like to read one like it again. this is about samamtha, who lost her best friend jules and her journey to "normal" again, and about mona and her friendship with samantha and the ups and downs of teenage/adulthood.
January 1, 2023
Reminded me of a Lurlene McDaniel book.
Was good but could have done without the cuss words.
Was good but could have done without the cuss words.
January 24, 2026
read this when i was a teen and again 15-20 years later and it still pulls on my heart strings!
November 15, 2022
I liked how in this story they show both characters(Samantha, and Mona) point of view. This made the story really good because you can see both of their emotions, and how they feel about each other. Samantha lost her best friend to cancer, and she ended up quitting dancing ever since she past away. Mona and Samantha became friends, and they both got along really well when they met. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2010
The book The Farther You Run by Davida Wills Hurwin has a very catching title and in fact it is the title that draws my attention to the book. The past May, Samantha Russell lost her best friend who die of cancer, Juliana. There will be no one there for her to share dreams and everything else and she sees no reason for her to keep taking the dance class with Juliana who she shares every passion together. Late Sammie meets a girl who look alot like Jules in summer school, her name is Mona and immediately they have paired up to be good friends. The two ended up renting a same apartment in San Fransisco. However, Sammi graduately starts to notice that although Mona might look a lot liek Jules, but she is still not her. Mona have a bipolar mother and have a relationship that is so heart broken to her that Jules can never have.
The book is very deeply describing a heart broken friendship between two girls and how each of them are struggling to live their own life when they still want to have an eye for others to make sure they have done fine in their life.
This is a very good book that I wanted to recommended to everyone because if you are looking for a book that is all about friendships, then this is the right one for all of you.
The book is very deeply describing a heart broken friendship between two girls and how each of them are struggling to live their own life when they still want to have an eye for others to make sure they have done fine in their life.
This is a very good book that I wanted to recommended to everyone because if you are looking for a book that is all about friendships, then this is the right one for all of you.
November 13, 2012
Mona and Samantha are both troubled teenage girls with each problems of their own. A summer English class brings them to meet when they sit together. They immediately connect and do everything together. Although they both keep their secret problems to themselves, events force them to expose each other and look to the other for comfort. From then on they are closer than ever. They move in together in the city and get jobs. Does the stress of living together and having jobs break them apart? They meet friends in the city and decisions they each make effects the other. Will Samantha ever get over Jules? Will Mona ever mend things with her mother?Teenage girls would mostly be interested in this book. The main characters are two girls fresh out of high school. They are easier to relate to and they have common issues that normal girls deal with at this age. Any girl interested in drama, humor, and adventure, will enjoy this book.
I gave this book 4 stars, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book was suspenseful and kept me intrigued with questions on what would happen next. The journey of the two girls and what they encounter held my attention the whole time. There was never a dull moment in this book. Being able to relate to the book also helped make the read leisure to read.
I gave this book 4 stars, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book was suspenseful and kept me intrigued with questions on what would happen next. The journey of the two girls and what they encounter held my attention the whole time. There was never a dull moment in this book. Being able to relate to the book also helped make the read leisure to read.
May 7, 2012
I loved the book The Farther You Run. It's definitely one of my favorite books I've ever read. This is the kind of book that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Although, at times its really funny and happy I think that it's more of a sad serious book. This book is extremely well written and it show you different ways of looking at things. This book is about how the main character's best friend died and going through the greif in her own special way. Nothing like this has ever happened to me so I can only imagine how it would feel, and this book helped me understand what people go through. This book taught me all the different stages of grief and sadness and how eventually you will have to except that the person will never be with you again. I loved the aspects of friendship and laughter in this book, but I aslo loved the sad parts because it made me really look at things from another perspective. I'm absolutely in love with this book and I would suggest it to everyone.
Read
November 17, 2009The name of this book is called the farther you run by Davida Wills Hurwin . This book was truly compelling because it challenges the relationship between 2 best friends. Samantha had just recently lost her best friend to cancer and she took it really hard on herself because now there was no one to be so close with to, laugh with, or cry with, to share secrets with. Samantha was all alone until she met Mona and they became great friends. Mona was able to make Samantha forget about Juliana for a long time until one day it just hits her. The friendship is falling apart and now what is going to happen?
I enjoyed reading this book because it showed a real life experience that can happen to anyone and how hard it may hit someone thats close to them. Cancers honestly a very touchy subject and it really affects people. By reading this book I can get a sense of that kind of feeling.
I enjoyed reading this book because it showed a real life experience that can happen to anyone and how hard it may hit someone thats close to them. Cancers honestly a very touchy subject and it really affects people. By reading this book I can get a sense of that kind of feeling.
June 16, 2010
I'm gonna start off by saying I'm kind of disappointed in Sam. She got a new best friend and almost, ALMOST forgot about Julie at some parts in the story. So, after losing her best friend Julie to cancer the year before, Sam is horribly depressed and has vowed never to dance again. Then, she meets Mona and starts fresh. Shes still not dancing, but has a friend the share her grief with. Now, Mona bugged me. She thought she knew what Sam was going through and she didn't. At parts she acted like she knew Jules. Follow Sam as she stuggles to start a life without Julie. I really loved A Time For Dancing, and I immediately looked for a sequel. I was a little dissapointed in this book, but loved in nonetheless.
September 7, 2009
I really enjoyed reading this book because its something i can be easily related to especially with my old best friend Claudia. This book was sad for me to read, because death, and sepreation.
What happens when your best friend left you in the world when you have no one to turn to? Samanthan lost her best friend who she had used to do everything with. Until one day when cancer took her best friend Juliana away. Samanthan try her best and move on, but still has a spot for Juliana in her heart. Until one day she met Mona who became her bestfriends. but when summer ends, they are going on their sepreat way. what's bothering Samantha is will they still be friends? or the friendship is over .
What happens when your best friend left you in the world when you have no one to turn to? Samanthan lost her best friend who she had used to do everything with. Until one day when cancer took her best friend Juliana away. Samanthan try her best and move on, but still has a spot for Juliana in her heart. Until one day she met Mona who became her bestfriends. but when summer ends, they are going on their sepreat way. what's bothering Samantha is will they still be friends? or the friendship is over .
June 8, 2010
In this book, it shows the friendship of two best friends, Samantha and Juliana. The death of Juliana lead to the lonliness of Samantha who she always share laughter, cry, and secrets with. Then Mona slowly became friends with Samantha that brings her happiness alive again. It made her forget the memories of Juliana and accept the new environments around her. I really enjoyed reading this book because I can strongly connect myself to Samantha. While I read, I imagined things I would if i lose my best friends. As I read, I also think more about my friends and how I should appreciate them every second. This is a very touching book and I would recommand to anyone that has a friend.
January 28, 2008
This book is about two bestfriends, one of which: Mona has a bipolar mother and never would be able to recongnize her father & Samantha who already had a bestfriend who died of cancer and cant seem to let it go no matter how much she wants and tries, this effects her everyday life and gets in the way of mona (her bestfriend) and Noah (her "Boyfriend").
This books tells the story of how Sammie grieves about her lost firend and how she builds a relationship with her new one. Both characteres experience and surive eachothers friendship and living on their own togahter.
This books tells the story of how Sammie grieves about her lost firend and how she builds a relationship with her new one. Both characteres experience and surive eachothers friendship and living on their own togahter.
June 6, 2010
This book reveals the compelling friendship between two best friends, Samantha and Juliana. However, death has came to separate the two best friends. Thus, the protagonist, Samantha loses her best friend – the person who she will laugh with, cry with, and share secrets with. Samantha now suffered loneliness since then there is no longer a person who she can be so close with. Samantha remains lonely until she meets, who later becomes friends with her. As time goes, Mona begins to play a major role in Samantha’s life for attempting to make her forgetting all the sad memories in the past…
November 18, 2014
I lasted less than five days between reading the first book and devouring this one. I didn't quite love all of the main character's choices in the wake of losing her best friend, but it was still a very strong novel. The sense of loss permeated her life, but I liked seeing her try to connect to someone new. I was still smarting from the loss and it was almost like testing myself to see if I could accept Mona, even though she's nowhere near the same. Hollowed me out before I was done and left a strong, lasting emotional impact.
October 7, 2013
Sequel to "A Time for Dancing." Sam has trouble adjusting after Jules's death. She avoids Jules' family and refuses to visit her grave. Her mother and friends can't understand why she doesn't return to dancing. She drops out of school and moves to San Francisco with a girl she meets named Mona. Mona has her own issues, getting away from her bipolar mother. They get along well at first, but boyfriend issues plus Sam's inability to move on causes friction between them. As the first anniversary of Jules' death approaches Sam is more adrift than ever.
July 23, 2012
*This contains spoilers for "A Time For Dancing" Don't read this book or review before reading it* A beautiful sequel to A Time for Dancing. It hit the feeling of losing someone and the grieving proscess right on the head. The characters really came alive and were very relatable. I loved again hte symbolism and how Sammie finds Jules. I feel like I truly know Jules and Sammie after reading these two books. I loved it.
Did Not Finish
May 13, 2015I have not read this book. But I would like to say that I am highly disappointed. Although the ending of the 1st book is sad, I feel a second book is less than necessary. Sam had just lost her One And Only, BFF for 9 years, AKA her best friend Juliana. But by reading reviews of this book, I cant believe Sam. Your friend had just died but you are moving on and making a new bestie. Its like she is replacing Julie with this Mona chick. I am not going to read this book.
August 20, 2008
A fairly disappointing sequel to Hurwin's heartbreaking, gut-wrenching first novel A Time For Dancing. The last third of this one was actually really well done, so Hurwin can clearly still write and rip hearts out, but the first two thirds plodded along without much point -- or much of anything to induce sympathy in either Sam or Mona for me.
April 23, 2009
This book left me with mixed feelings, and I'm not really sure why. I liked it at times, but mostly I felt indifferent. It might be because I didn't read the prequel, but I honestly don't know why I feel so ambivalent towards this book. I wouldn't discourage people from reading it though.
The only part that really bothered me was the language.
The only part that really bothered me was the language.
April 25, 2011
Five billion stars. This book is as amazing as A Time For Dancing: it made me cry nonstop, from the first page to the last. Read it. Now. (But first go read A Time For Dancing.) Sadder than Heidi Kling's Sea, more haunting than Roald Dahl's The Witches (though in a different way), and my copy is more more battered than Pride and Prejudice.
November 17, 2011
Great book! Made me sad at some parts and laugh at others. The subject is a killer one, and the way he writes is great. Sam is a great character, I think Mona could have been deceived more but oh well! I'm really hoping there will be a third book, I want to see how their relationship expands and to see if Sam ever gets over the death of julie!(:
May 11, 2012
"The Further You Run" is a really good book. Samantha and Mona's friendship bothered me. Samantha needs Juliana, and Juliana isn't there. The first book, "A Time for Dancing" was really great, but this one disappointed me. I couldn't connect at all. I can't really recommend this book, but the first book was so amazing that you need to continue to the sequel. I felt like the book just dragged on.
January 21, 2016
I accidentally read this book without realizing that there was one before it. It's a great story, very easy to connect with Sam. I feel like it's an honest look in to how much the loss of a friendship can affect us to our very core and how much our relationships with other people have an impact on our own identity and how we see ourselves.
February 13, 2010
I always enjoy YA novels that focus on people after high school. Mona's storyline seemed kind of pushed toward the back burner toward the end, and their unavoidable rift felt really predictable. But otherwise, a really good read.
February 9, 2011
I read the first book and lead me to want to read this. it was a sweet story about the loss of a good friend, she's able to recover from the trama and is in the process of making a new one that reminds her a lot of Jules. The story is touching and I would read it again.
June 28, 2011
This book is the sequel to A Time for Dancing, and although no one actually dies in it, I still cried. The author is just so good at invoking sympathy for the characters, that I couldn't help but myself. It's an incredible book.
May 11, 2012
This book is not as well-written as A Time for Dancing. As well, it seemed to be too mature for many high schoolers although the characters were young. I did not enjoy the descriptions of sex and I did not like the language. Sam did not seem like the same character as she did in the preceding book.
January 13, 2009
Not as good as A Time for Dancing,.
February 9, 2009
This was an unexpected find that I quite enjoyed. It was well written, and definitely one I'll read again and again. It breaks your heart and gives you hope!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews