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Freedom Road
2020 Edgar Award NomineeOliver Cross is fresh out of jail. His plans for the future are to live out his days in regret, back pain, and a bottle of Lone Star. But when he finds out his granddaughter, a wild child who reminds him of his late wife, has vanished--bless her hell-raising heart--Oliver jumps parole. With a sketchy teen and an abandoned dog, he hits the blacktop to find her.On the road and on the run from a vengeful Russian drug dealer, Oliver finds himself on a trip across America and into his own past, fueled by fumes from a Ford F-250 and a reason to live. But from an exclusive club in Chicago to a seedy commune in the Rockies, a series of disastrous choices sends Oliver spiraling further from his goal and deeper into danger. It's a journey that could all end in redemption or a hail of bullets. And either's okay by him.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2019
2061 people are currently reading
1685 people want to read
About the author
William Lashner
49 books303 followersWilliam Lashner is a former criminal prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His novels have been published world-wide and have been nominated for two Shamus Awards, a Gumshoe Award, an Edgar Award, and been selected as an Editor’s Choice in the New York Times Book Review. When he was a kid his favorite books were The Count of Monte Cristo and any comic with the Batman on the cover.
Under the pseudonym Tyler Knox he wrote the noir novel, Kockroach.
Series:
* Victor Carl Mystery
Under the pseudonym Tyler Knox he wrote the noir novel, Kockroach.
Series:
* Victor Carl Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
January 21, 2019
Freedom Road is, by all intents and purposes, a coming-of-(old-)age story, and the plot was nothing like I had imagined. That said, I still found it compelling, and it made a refreshing change to read a different type of crime novel. It was a delight to join grumpy, cantankerous old boy Oliver on his cross-country road trip across the States as he desperately searches for his missing granddaughter Erica. On the way, we meet a variety of characters - some good, some bad. We encounter drug dealers, musicians, Russian mafioso, hippies and even a dog named Hunter. All of these people teach Oliver vital lessons and help him to self-reflect, which, in turn, initiates a mellowing in Oliver whereby he ponders life's most important philosophical questions.
This is a well-written story that pretty much defies categorisation, but I think that's exactly why I liked it as much as I did. The characters, whether bad or good, are superbly drawn, interesting and they each play their part in the plot. I also really enjoyed the humour used throughout, as it fits snugly into the plot and never comes across as forced or inappropriate. This is essentially a novel that focuses on universal themes of love, loss, family and relationships. This is my first time reading William Lashner, but I have absolutely no qualms about trying more in the future, as it was a very entertaining experience.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.
This is a well-written story that pretty much defies categorisation, but I think that's exactly why I liked it as much as I did. The characters, whether bad or good, are superbly drawn, interesting and they each play their part in the plot. I also really enjoyed the humour used throughout, as it fits snugly into the plot and never comes across as forced or inappropriate. This is essentially a novel that focuses on universal themes of love, loss, family and relationships. This is my first time reading William Lashner, but I have absolutely no qualms about trying more in the future, as it was a very entertaining experience.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.
January 14, 2019
In “Freedom Road,” Lashner offers us a well-told, although hard to categorize story. It’s a story about a foolish kid —let’s call him Frank—on the run from mobbed-up tough guys, a kid who can’t stay out of trouble no matter what he does.
But, Frank decided to take Oliver’s pain-pill-addicted granddaughter Erica with him and that’s a problem. It’s a real problem because Oliver is a mean spirited cantankerous old codger, almost a shut-in, on parole after killing his wife and doing his time. And, Oliver isn’t putting up with nothing, nohow. Even if his family no longer speaks with him. Even if the terms of his parole have him tied in knots. Do, it’s a crime fiction on the run caper with crotchety old granddad and his depends to the rescue with a 🐶 dog and not much more.
But, the story isn’t exactly or only a crime caper as it is also about families and independence and estrangement going back to Oliver’s college years in 1968 in Chicago and the hippie commune farm he planted himself in.
It sounds like a mess in concept but the storytelling works and it’s a hard to put down tale.
But, Frank decided to take Oliver’s pain-pill-addicted granddaughter Erica with him and that’s a problem. It’s a real problem because Oliver is a mean spirited cantankerous old codger, almost a shut-in, on parole after killing his wife and doing his time. And, Oliver isn’t putting up with nothing, nohow. Even if his family no longer speaks with him. Even if the terms of his parole have him tied in knots. Do, it’s a crime fiction on the run caper with crotchety old granddad and his depends to the rescue with a 🐶 dog and not much more.
But, the story isn’t exactly or only a crime caper as it is also about families and independence and estrangement going back to Oliver’s college years in 1968 in Chicago and the hippie commune farm he planted himself in.
It sounds like a mess in concept but the storytelling works and it’s a hard to put down tale.
January 24, 2019
GNab It's late in the summer of 1968 in Chicago, and Oliver Cross is ready to start his second year of law school, on track to follow in the footsteps of his legal eagle father into the upper class. Until he meets a red headed, freckled faced girl and follows her into the revolution across the bridge on Courtland Street and headed for Lincoln Park. Politics in Chicago are never boring. In 1968 they were mostly dangerous.
When he came to with a permanent nightstick crease across his skull Oliver dropped out of his life and followed this girl he loved until he finally caught her. Across the years, he often regretted their circumstances, but never their decision to make a simple, uncomplicated life. Oliver and Helen traveled then, across the wide United states from hither, to yon, until, heavy with their son Fletcher, named for Oliver's Vietnam war casualty brother, they found the place they could call home, a commune in Colorado called Seven Suns. And it fit the three of them to a T - until it didn't.
But moving on wasn't the radical foregoing of freedom they had anticipated. A house in town, a steady job wasn't the joy of working the farm, but they still had one another. And when push comes to shove that is all that really matters.
This life story, told in the first person of an ancient and alone Oliver, is one to keep you up nights. Chapter headings are songs from those long ago 1960/1970's and keep you in the spirit of the tale. It was fun to relive those days if only in the heart. William Lashner is an author I will follow.
I received a free electronic copy of this excellent novel from Netgalley, William Lashner, and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
Pub date Jan 22, 2019
Thomas & Mercer
When he came to with a permanent nightstick crease across his skull Oliver dropped out of his life and followed this girl he loved until he finally caught her. Across the years, he often regretted their circumstances, but never their decision to make a simple, uncomplicated life. Oliver and Helen traveled then, across the wide United states from hither, to yon, until, heavy with their son Fletcher, named for Oliver's Vietnam war casualty brother, they found the place they could call home, a commune in Colorado called Seven Suns. And it fit the three of them to a T - until it didn't.
But moving on wasn't the radical foregoing of freedom they had anticipated. A house in town, a steady job wasn't the joy of working the farm, but they still had one another. And when push comes to shove that is all that really matters.
This life story, told in the first person of an ancient and alone Oliver, is one to keep you up nights. Chapter headings are songs from those long ago 1960/1970's and keep you in the spirit of the tale. It was fun to relive those days if only in the heart. William Lashner is an author I will follow.
I received a free electronic copy of this excellent novel from Netgalley, William Lashner, and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
Pub date Jan 22, 2019
Thomas & Mercer
March 10, 2019
There is a lot I loved about "Freedom Road".
I did receive a free copy in a Goodreads giveaway, but that's not what I'm talking about.
First, the main character is a curmudgeon done well. I love me a good curmudgeon. Oliver has depth. There's a lot to admire about him, and a bit to disdain.
Second, each chapter is the title of a classic rock song, and is referenced directly or obliquely in the chapter.
Which feeds well into the way the book is written. It's the life story of Oliver, who was transformed from a preppy to a hippie by the love of a good woman during the Vietnam war protests, disappointing his wealthy father. It's about holding grudges and mending fences. It's about regrets and choices. And, it's a current day action adventure about a young man in over his head with vicious drug lords. It's funny and it's violent and it's sweet. I loved it.
4.88 stars
I did receive a free copy in a Goodreads giveaway, but that's not what I'm talking about.
First, the main character is a curmudgeon done well. I love me a good curmudgeon. Oliver has depth. There's a lot to admire about him, and a bit to disdain.
Second, each chapter is the title of a classic rock song, and is referenced directly or obliquely in the chapter.
Which feeds well into the way the book is written. It's the life story of Oliver, who was transformed from a preppy to a hippie by the love of a good woman during the Vietnam war protests, disappointing his wealthy father. It's about holding grudges and mending fences. It's about regrets and choices. And, it's a current day action adventure about a young man in over his head with vicious drug lords. It's funny and it's violent and it's sweet. I loved it.
4.88 stars
January 21, 2019
William Lashner’s latest book Freedom Road may be my favorite of his and one of the best books I’ve read in the last year or so. Oliver Cross is not a well-liked neighbor as the kids avoid him and like to egg his Philadelphia-area house. Cross doesn’t care and efforts by his patrol officer don’t make the miserable 72-year old wife-murderer change his ornery ways. That all changes though when his daughter-in-law convinces him to look for his missing granddaughter Erica.
When Oliver Cross was young, he went to Law School in Illinois to be just like his very successful and rich father. While at a protest in 1968 with a friend, he meets Helen, a Bryn Mawr College student in town for the protest and falls in love with her. He quits law school to be with Helen and eventually they move to a commune in Colorado where they raise their son Fletcher, named for Oliver’s brother who died in Viet Nam. Their son somehow ends up being more like his grandfather, a lawyer in Philadelphia. His daughter, however, decides to be more like her grandparents and, leaves town with her part-time folksinger, part-time small-time drug dealer boyfriend Frank Cormack. Oliver Cross follows the steps Erica and Frank Cormack make as they head west, eventually back to the same Colorado commune. Cross (and the reader) learns more about himself along the way. Great story, great characters. I guess this would be characterized as Noir but I’m not sure. Certainly not a typical crime novel though.
Lashner is always very good at creating interesting and realistic characters, especially using dialogue and he certainly continues that in this book. Not all are likeable characters and that’s true if real life too. Some are characters you initially do not like until you learn more about them.. That’s certainly true of Oliver Cross, even though he’s a murderer. Lashner gives clues along the way about how and why Cross murdered his wife, but it’s not fully revealed until the end.
Another characteristic of a Lashner novel is humor which, although subtler than most of his books, is still present. He also usually includes some local Philadelphia color, and that is also used less in this book as most of the book takes place in other areas -- Illinois, Ohio and Colorado. As a Philadelphia-area native, that was always something I enjoyed about his books, but I didn’t mind the small part it played in this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for a complimentary copy of this book for this honest review.
When Oliver Cross was young, he went to Law School in Illinois to be just like his very successful and rich father. While at a protest in 1968 with a friend, he meets Helen, a Bryn Mawr College student in town for the protest and falls in love with her. He quits law school to be with Helen and eventually they move to a commune in Colorado where they raise their son Fletcher, named for Oliver’s brother who died in Viet Nam. Their son somehow ends up being more like his grandfather, a lawyer in Philadelphia. His daughter, however, decides to be more like her grandparents and, leaves town with her part-time folksinger, part-time small-time drug dealer boyfriend Frank Cormack. Oliver Cross follows the steps Erica and Frank Cormack make as they head west, eventually back to the same Colorado commune. Cross (and the reader) learns more about himself along the way. Great story, great characters. I guess this would be characterized as Noir but I’m not sure. Certainly not a typical crime novel though.
Lashner is always very good at creating interesting and realistic characters, especially using dialogue and he certainly continues that in this book. Not all are likeable characters and that’s true if real life too. Some are characters you initially do not like until you learn more about them.. That’s certainly true of Oliver Cross, even though he’s a murderer. Lashner gives clues along the way about how and why Cross murdered his wife, but it’s not fully revealed until the end.
Another characteristic of a Lashner novel is humor which, although subtler than most of his books, is still present. He also usually includes some local Philadelphia color, and that is also used less in this book as most of the book takes place in other areas -- Illinois, Ohio and Colorado. As a Philadelphia-area native, that was always something I enjoyed about his books, but I didn’t mind the small part it played in this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for a complimentary copy of this book for this honest review.
January 22, 2019
Oliver is a survivor of the '68 Chicago Viet Nam anti-war demonstrations. He is the product of a wealthy family, first-year law student, destined to follow in his father's footsteps. But two things happen that will totally change the course of his life: He meets Helen, who will become the love of his life, and his brother, a soldier in 'Nam dies a hero.
Now fifty years later he gets a call that his granddaughter, so alike his Helen, has tried the same route of tuning in, turning on, and dropping out with a young and failing fledgling would-be musician, Frank Cormack. But unlike the trip out west that he and Helen took, his granddaughter, Erica, has unknowingly joined up with a loser, and no one is happy with him.
This thriller envelopes the reader almost immediately in the crusty, bitter old man, estranged from his family. His wife is gone (with the help of his own hand), now forever free of cancer. He loves his granddaughter and agrees he'll find her and confirm she is safe. Recovering Hunter, the dog Frank abandoned, takes him along with Ayana, a tip line to their whereabouts.
The POV begins to flip between Oliver and Frank. Getting into the head of Frank is disturbing. And the dialogue from Oliver between characters is always curt, profane, short-tempered, and ill-mannered. It is on the road west with Ayana and Hunter that he begins to reflect on his life in flashbacks. His tortured character reveals a sense of bittersweet humor, the losses suffered, choices made and regretted--or not. Support characters are well-developed and many empathetic.
The prose is poignant, in your face soul-stirring, emotional. The plot is well paced. Not really a crime novel, more of a family noir thriller? Definitely awesome literary fiction that will resonate long after you've finished that somewhat disturbing, mostly satisfying, but surprising conclusion. Yes, there is some crude language--but again--this story is so well laid out, so compelling, the reader is fully invested, engaged from page 1 through "the end." I received an ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Heartily recommended. 5 stars
See my full review at https://rosepointpublishing.com/2019/...
Now fifty years later he gets a call that his granddaughter, so alike his Helen, has tried the same route of tuning in, turning on, and dropping out with a young and failing fledgling would-be musician, Frank Cormack. But unlike the trip out west that he and Helen took, his granddaughter, Erica, has unknowingly joined up with a loser, and no one is happy with him.
This thriller envelopes the reader almost immediately in the crusty, bitter old man, estranged from his family. His wife is gone (with the help of his own hand), now forever free of cancer. He loves his granddaughter and agrees he'll find her and confirm she is safe. Recovering Hunter, the dog Frank abandoned, takes him along with Ayana, a tip line to their whereabouts.
The POV begins to flip between Oliver and Frank. Getting into the head of Frank is disturbing. And the dialogue from Oliver between characters is always curt, profane, short-tempered, and ill-mannered. It is on the road west with Ayana and Hunter that he begins to reflect on his life in flashbacks. His tortured character reveals a sense of bittersweet humor, the losses suffered, choices made and regretted--or not. Support characters are well-developed and many empathetic.
The prose is poignant, in your face soul-stirring, emotional. The plot is well paced. Not really a crime novel, more of a family noir thriller? Definitely awesome literary fiction that will resonate long after you've finished that somewhat disturbing, mostly satisfying, but surprising conclusion. Yes, there is some crude language--but again--this story is so well laid out, so compelling, the reader is fully invested, engaged from page 1 through "the end." I received an ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Heartily recommended. 5 stars
See my full review at https://rosepointpublishing.com/2019/...
February 24, 2019
I love a book that I can't put down; unfortunately, this was a book I could barely pick up. Oliver Cross heads out on a journey to find his missing granddaughter and finds himself struggling with his own past along the way. I expected to be cheering for Oliver, expected to be hoping he would find his granddaughter and reconcile with his son. Sadly, I found myself not really caring whether he found her or not. I found myself struggling to continue reading, and I almost abandoned the book several times. I felt no connection to- or emotions for- any of the characters in the book, which made for a really long story about which I was not invested in any particular ending. Does he find her? Is she safe? Is he endangered along the way? Does it end with them reconciling as a happy family, or do they all crash and burn in the end? I didn't really care.
This was the first book I've read by William Lashner, so maybe his writing style just isn't a match for my reading preferences. I feel like the story line was well thought out; it just wasn't compelling to me. I did receive a complimentary copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway; and I'm always interested in reading new/different authors that I've never experienced before. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work out for me.
This was the first book I've read by William Lashner, so maybe his writing style just isn't a match for my reading preferences. I feel like the story line was well thought out; it just wasn't compelling to me. I did receive a complimentary copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway; and I'm always interested in reading new/different authors that I've never experienced before. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work out for me.
February 24, 2019
I read the first two chapters and was getting ready to discard this book as junk. DON'T!
This book is a literary happening! This book should be voted as #1 that I have read in a very long time. Folks who have read my reviews know I am kinda picky with my ideas of what is literature and words on the page. This author has told a story, to coin a phrase from I think it was Kris Kristofferson, about an old Hippie who don't know what to do, should he hang on to the old or grab on to the new. My life is akin to Oliver Cross in the book. Where did it go? What happened? He has to spend time in prison (I haven't) for assisting the love of his life in ending her misery. He did it without a second thought. Just like he assist everyone else in realizing that life is to be lived and love is wonderful. Read the book. I think you will enjoy but don't skip chapters one and two.
This book is a literary happening! This book should be voted as #1 that I have read in a very long time. Folks who have read my reviews know I am kinda picky with my ideas of what is literature and words on the page. This author has told a story, to coin a phrase from I think it was Kris Kristofferson, about an old Hippie who don't know what to do, should he hang on to the old or grab on to the new. My life is akin to Oliver Cross in the book. Where did it go? What happened? He has to spend time in prison (I haven't) for assisting the love of his life in ending her misery. He did it without a second thought. Just like he assist everyone else in realizing that life is to be lived and love is wonderful. Read the book. I think you will enjoy but don't skip chapters one and two.
January 30, 2019
Freedom Road is the story of Oliver, a grumpy old man. His wife is dead but he still talks to her. One day, his teenage granddaughter goes missing. Oliver decides to get up and do something about it. On a cross country trip, Oliver finds more than he was looking for. Full of shenanigans and heart, this is a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 16, 2019
I couldn't put this down. It's well written with great characters, setting, and story. There's just the right touch of humor to lighten up what might otherwise be a heavy and even somewhat depressing story. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
May 8, 2020
Didn't win the Edgar this year, but definitely deserved the nom. It took the old man/young girl friendship that I love to a darker, broodier place and I loved it!
January 22, 2019
You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere. - Ursula K. LeGuin
Oliver Cross was in his first year of law school when, in 1968 in Chicago, he attends a peace demonstration with a friend and his life changes forever. After his brother is killed in Vietnam, he leaves the life planned for him by his father, searches out the woman he loves, and heads to the hills.
Fifty years later he has become an embittered old man, alienated from his family for choices he made, when he learns his oldest granddaughter is missing.
And this is the story of his search for her and his journey back in time (figuratively).
I loved Oliver's character. The author shows him as a complex man with a storied past. All the characters are well-drawn, not necessarily likeable, but we'll-drawn.
The story takes us from the East coast towards the West coast, from dreary drug houses to a commune in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies.
This is a story of the good and bad in people, the weak and strong, and it's well worth reading.
I received this book from Amazon Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Oliver Cross was in his first year of law school when, in 1968 in Chicago, he attends a peace demonstration with a friend and his life changes forever. After his brother is killed in Vietnam, he leaves the life planned for him by his father, searches out the woman he loves, and heads to the hills.
Fifty years later he has become an embittered old man, alienated from his family for choices he made, when he learns his oldest granddaughter is missing.
And this is the story of his search for her and his journey back in time (figuratively).
I loved Oliver's character. The author shows him as a complex man with a storied past. All the characters are well-drawn, not necessarily likeable, but we'll-drawn.
The story takes us from the East coast towards the West coast, from dreary drug houses to a commune in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies.
This is a story of the good and bad in people, the weak and strong, and it's well worth reading.
I received this book from Amazon Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
February 15, 2019
great story, read or listen option on Amazon ... well written, very cool characters. couldn't put it down. I enjoy this kind of genre ... and i will read more from William in the future ... always enjoy adding Audible listens to my daily life ... such a great addition ... and i get to see or hear authors i might not have ... just by doing it in this format. well written!
June 11, 2020
Always a good read from this author.
March 12, 2022
In a story about old hippies, Oliver Cross goes looking for his granddaughter, Erica, who finds trouble on the same road to freedom Oliver chose many years ago. Oliver travels in an old Ford pickup with an abandoned dog. Hunter, who belongs to Erica's troublesome boyfriend, Frank. Frank and Erica are fleeing from a cast of bad guys whom Frank has wronged. They want their stolen drug money back along with some revenge. The trail leads back to an old hippie commune in Colorado where Oliver spent his younger years. Many of the old hippies are still there, eager to lend a hand as a big confrontation looms. Missing is Oliver's dead wife, Helen, lost to cancer years ago, but that doesn't stop him from talking to her daily in imaginary conversations. Their son, Fletcher, who left the life of freedom for the working world and the responsibility of being a lawyer, returns to assist his father and the band of old hippies when they need him the most. This book is a study of choices, freedom, sacrifices and family loyalty. Each chapter bears the name of an old song and you can almost hear the music of bygone days as the story unfolds. Amid all the lying and killing and cheating and conniving the book makes a statement about the big picture called life. It does so with rich well-developed characters and an interesting plotline, thus five stars.
January 26, 2019
William Lashner’s Freedom Road is the complex, riveting story of Oliver Cross, who at 72 embarks on a road trip that careens through time, the country, and his psyche. Oliver is tough, bitter, cantankerous, and beset by the losses and ailments of old age. He also is on parole and determined to save his young granddaughter who found herself a loser, who has failed at everything except getting into trouble with the law and the lawless.
The story covers fifty years, from the 1968 Chicago anti-war demonstrations, at which point Oliver experiences an abrupt change of direction, to the present decision to find his granddaughter. What happened to the protestors, the communes, and the anti-establishment youth of the 60’s are subjects rarely explored in fiction. Defying classification, this novel has all of the elements of thriller, crime, family dynamics. Ultimately, however, this is a book about the universal values that drive any person’s life. Lashner’s writing is rich, the dialogue spot-on, and the characters nuanced and unforgettable. I very rarely expect to read a book more than once, but Freedom Road is one to which I hope to return.
Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story covers fifty years, from the 1968 Chicago anti-war demonstrations, at which point Oliver experiences an abrupt change of direction, to the present decision to find his granddaughter. What happened to the protestors, the communes, and the anti-establishment youth of the 60’s are subjects rarely explored in fiction. Defying classification, this novel has all of the elements of thriller, crime, family dynamics. Ultimately, however, this is a book about the universal values that drive any person’s life. Lashner’s writing is rich, the dialogue spot-on, and the characters nuanced and unforgettable. I very rarely expect to read a book more than once, but Freedom Road is one to which I hope to return.
Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2020
I LOVE William Lashner but I did NOT like this book; I could not wait to get to the end! Usually, I devour his books, especially the vocabulary he uses but I found myself skipping paragraphs & sometimes pages to get back on track with the story. The storyline was pretty good & I liked the main curmudgeon character, he was entertaining, but then the author would lapse into page after page of useless, even boring sentences. I read the Barkeep & it was GREAT so I’ll stick with that or Victor Carl series.
March 16, 2019
I hated it! Okay, that's patently false. I really WAS moved by it, but any book that makes tears leak for 63% of the tapping is a hardship. Sigh. I wanna hug Oliver.
The last 2 lines weren't as clear to me as I wished, purposefully,...like the ambiguity of happily ever after.
Such fools we humans can be. Aaaaaagh.
The last 2 lines weren't as clear to me as I wished, purposefully,...like the ambiguity of happily ever after.
Such fools we humans can be. Aaaaaagh.
January 28, 2019
You won’t need a bookmark to read FREEDOM ROAD. That’s because you’ll want to tackle it in one straight sitting from first paragraph to last. Author William Lashner makes that quite easy. While most novels may seem to run out of gas, however momentarily, Lashner demonstrates that he has a few auxiliary tanks strapped onto his brilliant, addictive narrative and never comes close to running low. This is quite an accomplishment, particularly when it is almost crystal clear after the first couple of chapters that things are going to end badly.
Oliver Cross, the craggy septuagenarian protagonist, bears emotional and physical scars and injuries incurred recently and remotely, the greatest of those being the death of his wife, Helen. Oliver is alone in every sense of the word. He was transformed in the fires of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago into a man who rebelled against his father and whose son rebelled against him in a most ironic fashion.
Fifty years later, Oliver is a newly minted ex-convict whose closest relationship is with his (almost) unrelentingly patient and cheerful parole officer. He spends his days sitting and drinking, full of bitterness and anger while occasionally stroking the lump on his neck. What gets him up and moving is the sudden disappearance of his teenage granddaughter Erica, last seen in the company of Frank Cormack, a sometime folk singer and failed drug dealer. Erica and Frank are making their slow way towards the West Coast, with vague plans of traveling to and living in Europe. Erica’s motivations are idealistic, while Frank’s are out of necessity, given that he has stolen money, a drug stash and a computer from a very dangerous Russian criminal. This is not the first time that Frank has embarked on a foolish course, but this time he is dragging an unsuspecting Erica into terrible danger.
Oliver --- accompanied by Ayana, a streetwise teenage friend of Erica, and Hunter, an all-but-abandoned dog --- follows Frank and Erica’s trail to Frank’s old stomping grounds in Chicago, hoping that he can get there and retrieve Erica before the Russian does. It was in the Windy City where Oliver’s physical and emotional slow slide from grace began, and the circle of his life becomes all the more apparent when he ultimately finds Frank and Erica at the remnants of the organic farm where he and Helen made their tentative steps toward crafting the Utopia they sought. This leads to a last stand full of twists, turns and redemption before the enigmatic ending is played out and the final secret of the book is revealed.
FREEDOM ROAD is beautifully written and wonderfully told, with neither element sacrificing or distracting from the other. As I stated earlier, you won’t need a bookmark, but there are passages throughout that you will want to mark, underline or write down. One is a paragraph about high school seniors on the cusp of their own futures. Another discusses a classic rock band and contains so much truth in a few sentences that it is a wonder it does not burst the binding of the book. An extended passage at the midway point describes an impromptu gathering of friends where old wounds are ripped open rather than being healed. It’s been done before, but never so well.
Throughout the course of his career, Lashner has proven himself incapable of writing badly. However, FREEDOM ROAD is a cut above. It’s a keeper, a story that neither age nor the fleetness of memory will erase from you. Oh, and let the chapter titles --- each taken from popular songs of the last century --- be your background music as you read. Set all else aside for this bittersweet tale.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Oliver Cross, the craggy septuagenarian protagonist, bears emotional and physical scars and injuries incurred recently and remotely, the greatest of those being the death of his wife, Helen. Oliver is alone in every sense of the word. He was transformed in the fires of the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago into a man who rebelled against his father and whose son rebelled against him in a most ironic fashion.
Fifty years later, Oliver is a newly minted ex-convict whose closest relationship is with his (almost) unrelentingly patient and cheerful parole officer. He spends his days sitting and drinking, full of bitterness and anger while occasionally stroking the lump on his neck. What gets him up and moving is the sudden disappearance of his teenage granddaughter Erica, last seen in the company of Frank Cormack, a sometime folk singer and failed drug dealer. Erica and Frank are making their slow way towards the West Coast, with vague plans of traveling to and living in Europe. Erica’s motivations are idealistic, while Frank’s are out of necessity, given that he has stolen money, a drug stash and a computer from a very dangerous Russian criminal. This is not the first time that Frank has embarked on a foolish course, but this time he is dragging an unsuspecting Erica into terrible danger.
Oliver --- accompanied by Ayana, a streetwise teenage friend of Erica, and Hunter, an all-but-abandoned dog --- follows Frank and Erica’s trail to Frank’s old stomping grounds in Chicago, hoping that he can get there and retrieve Erica before the Russian does. It was in the Windy City where Oliver’s physical and emotional slow slide from grace began, and the circle of his life becomes all the more apparent when he ultimately finds Frank and Erica at the remnants of the organic farm where he and Helen made their tentative steps toward crafting the Utopia they sought. This leads to a last stand full of twists, turns and redemption before the enigmatic ending is played out and the final secret of the book is revealed.
FREEDOM ROAD is beautifully written and wonderfully told, with neither element sacrificing or distracting from the other. As I stated earlier, you won’t need a bookmark, but there are passages throughout that you will want to mark, underline or write down. One is a paragraph about high school seniors on the cusp of their own futures. Another discusses a classic rock band and contains so much truth in a few sentences that it is a wonder it does not burst the binding of the book. An extended passage at the midway point describes an impromptu gathering of friends where old wounds are ripped open rather than being healed. It’s been done before, but never so well.
Throughout the course of his career, Lashner has proven himself incapable of writing badly. However, FREEDOM ROAD is a cut above. It’s a keeper, a story that neither age nor the fleetness of memory will erase from you. Oh, and let the chapter titles --- each taken from popular songs of the last century --- be your background music as you read. Set all else aside for this bittersweet tale.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
March 3, 2019
"Genius or garbage"
At some point in your life someone will ask whether you've read one of the so-called 'great' books of our time. Research suggests that a significant percentage of people will say 'yes', even though either they never picked it up or they abandoned it early on because they couldn't understand it.
This book strikes me as falling into that category. The author has a stellar reputation. At times, this story contains bitingly accurate descriptions of experiences and emotions of those of us who have reached old age. Some of the writing is so good you have to re-read passages and enjoy the perception and the rhythm of the words on the page.
For large parts of the book I was like those readers who have considered it of little merit. It personifies the 'curate's egg'.
That's why I have sat on the fence and given it three stars. I won't be around to see it, but in fifty years time it could be heralded as 'genius' and be read by every student of literature. It could be one of those books people lie about when they say they've read it that I mentioned at the outset. Or it could be garbage. I really can't decide.
At some point in your life someone will ask whether you've read one of the so-called 'great' books of our time. Research suggests that a significant percentage of people will say 'yes', even though either they never picked it up or they abandoned it early on because they couldn't understand it.
This book strikes me as falling into that category. The author has a stellar reputation. At times, this story contains bitingly accurate descriptions of experiences and emotions of those of us who have reached old age. Some of the writing is so good you have to re-read passages and enjoy the perception and the rhythm of the words on the page.
For large parts of the book I was like those readers who have considered it of little merit. It personifies the 'curate's egg'.
That's why I have sat on the fence and given it three stars. I won't be around to see it, but in fifty years time it could be heralded as 'genius' and be read by every student of literature. It could be one of those books people lie about when they say they've read it that I mentioned at the outset. Or it could be garbage. I really can't decide.
January 29, 2019
I hadn't read anything by Lashner before stumbling upon this book. It was a very pleasant surprise, and I truly enjoyed it. It was a kind of "old man's coming of age" story, about an aged hippie, rendered cynical and standoffish over the years, and of a life looked upon through his eyes as a failure. It involves four generations (his father, himself, his son, and his granddaughter), and the story takes us through parts of each of their lives.
The tale has twists and turns, and just enough action and excitement to keep it flowing and to hold our interest. It bogs down in detail sometimes, but in this case I wasn't as put off as I might have been, because Lashner is an articulate and thoughtful writer who lays his scenes out well, describes the action in a straightforward way, and develops his characters fully, so that you know who's talking at any given moment.
I'll probably pick up another of Lashner's works. This one was a keeper.
The tale has twists and turns, and just enough action and excitement to keep it flowing and to hold our interest. It bogs down in detail sometimes, but in this case I wasn't as put off as I might have been, because Lashner is an articulate and thoughtful writer who lays his scenes out well, describes the action in a straightforward way, and develops his characters fully, so that you know who's talking at any given moment.
I'll probably pick up another of Lashner's works. This one was a keeper.
March 30, 2023
Freedom Road by William Lashner
It's late in the summer of 1968 in Chicago, and Oliver Cross is ready to start his second year of law school, on track to follow in the footsteps of his legal eagle father into the upper class. Until he meets a red headed, freckled faced girl and follows her into the revolution across the bridge on Courtland Street and headed for Lincoln Park. Politics in Chicago are never boring. In 1968 they were mostly dangerous.
Oliver Cross is not a well-liked neighbor as the kids avoid him and like to egg his Philadelphia-area house. Cross doesn’t care and efforts by his patrol officer don’t make the miserable 72-year-old wife-murderer change his ornery ways. That all changes though when his daughter-in-law convinces him to look for his missing granddaughter Erica.
William Lashner writes some interesting characters in this book and it was easy to follow along with the story.
It's late in the summer of 1968 in Chicago, and Oliver Cross is ready to start his second year of law school, on track to follow in the footsteps of his legal eagle father into the upper class. Until he meets a red headed, freckled faced girl and follows her into the revolution across the bridge on Courtland Street and headed for Lincoln Park. Politics in Chicago are never boring. In 1968 they were mostly dangerous.
Oliver Cross is not a well-liked neighbor as the kids avoid him and like to egg his Philadelphia-area house. Cross doesn’t care and efforts by his patrol officer don’t make the miserable 72-year-old wife-murderer change his ornery ways. That all changes though when his daughter-in-law convinces him to look for his missing granddaughter Erica.
William Lashner writes some interesting characters in this book and it was easy to follow along with the story.
March 10, 2019
Cantankerous old man Oliver Cross, his dead wife that still talks to him daily, a granddaughter that wants to be butterfly free, a dumb dumb Frank that is sooo stupid he steals from people with ties to the Russian mob. Oliver's son , raised as a free wild child by Oliver and his wife and then becomes one of the "establishment" drones . What a cast of characters. Ayana is a lot soul and latches on to Oliver, partly due to the Russian telling her to, and then realizing that they actually like each other despite age, race or anything else. Being of a certain age , this book brings back a lot of memories for me... But no matter what era you are from , FAMILY is the most important thing, Be it blood family or the family you have chosen to exist with.
This is the 1si t of Lashner's books I have read, it will NOT be the last
This is the 1si t of Lashner's books I have read, it will NOT be the last
February 25, 2019
I picked this up as a Amazon Prime free book because I'd read other Lashner books enjoyed them. Not knowing anything about this, I was surprised. The main character is this cantankerous, rude, lonely old guy, but without the quirkiness of Man Called Ove. In spite of his nastiness (it must have been a fun character to write), I totally enjoyed him. The other characters weren't developed very fully, but I didn't really notice it until I finished the book.
Not a mystery, not a literary masterpiece, no humor.....a story about an old man trying to do the right thing at the end of his life. A quick read.
Not a mystery, not a literary masterpiece, no humor.....a story about an old man trying to do the right thing at the end of his life. A quick read.
January 28, 2019
Lashner is onto his perennial theme of father and son this time expanded to larger family relations. Oliver Cross looks back on his life of adventure and “freedom” with love and regret as he grapples in the present with a granddaughter kidnapped by Russian gangsters. This was a fabulous road trip novel, and I wonder why Lashner isn’t the most loved novelist in America today. He is most loved by me at least, and he has written the perfect novel for an old lady who was in Grant Park, Chicago, in the summer of 1968. PS: the action was in Grant Park, not Lincoln Park.
February 9, 2019
What happened?
I really liked this book, the skittering around time notwithstanding. Bouncing from character to character, time frame to time frame, took some concentration, but to do it in the last pages was just wrong. There was no ending, just a middle remembered. Too much left up in the air. If I want a cliff hanger, I'll watch the last episode of the season of some tv show. This ending just made me mad that the journey begun is ended in a character's memories that I am not allowed to see.
I really liked this book, the skittering around time notwithstanding. Bouncing from character to character, time frame to time frame, took some concentration, but to do it in the last pages was just wrong. There was no ending, just a middle remembered. Too much left up in the air. If I want a cliff hanger, I'll watch the last episode of the season of some tv show. This ending just made me mad that the journey begun is ended in a character's memories that I am not allowed to see.
March 23, 2019
Hmmm... this book started well however I was left with wonderings that stayed with me. Maybe this is what William Lashner hoped to achieve in the telling of this tale...
This is a story of existentialism, why are we here, what is our point and to what depths are we willing to go to achieve our life purpose. Can we go peacefully through the veil to death or will we hesitate to ponder the insignificance of our purpose.
What steps are we willing to go to stay true to our values and beliefs and what does it matter anyway?
It is good for the soul to be left with these wonderings.
Corien.
This is a story of existentialism, why are we here, what is our point and to what depths are we willing to go to achieve our life purpose. Can we go peacefully through the veil to death or will we hesitate to ponder the insignificance of our purpose.
What steps are we willing to go to stay true to our values and beliefs and what does it matter anyway?
It is good for the soul to be left with these wonderings.
Corien.
April 25, 2019
I listened to this book as an audiobook with expectations of it being a good story but never expected to be enthralled in the story to the point that I was listening every chance I got. This is the first time I've read Lashner and loved his prose and storytelling methodology. Oliver Cross is a severely flawed, crass, and feral human being with a lot of hidden love in his heart. This tale was entertaining and a great fit for audio. The descriptions and attention to detail made the story pop throughout.
January 31, 2020
I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
Oliver Cross is a 70–year–old leftist jerk who’s been left behind by life and lives as a failure. But boy is he funny.
Story involves estranged granddaughter who runs away. Estranged son (notice a pattern) asks Oliver to look for her. He’s like Milo in 'Dancing Bear', if Milo lived to an old age. Has a dog – Hunter – and losers and granola people.
I laughed out loud more than once listening to the audiobook, which got me some stares in the gym.
Oliver Cross is a 70–year–old leftist jerk who’s been left behind by life and lives as a failure. But boy is he funny.
Story involves estranged granddaughter who runs away. Estranged son (notice a pattern) asks Oliver to look for her. He’s like Milo in 'Dancing Bear', if Milo lived to an old age. Has a dog – Hunter – and losers and granola people.
I laughed out loud more than once listening to the audiobook, which got me some stares in the gym.
February 6, 2019
Personal political views
I couldn't finish the book after the second political reference to our president, I'm so disgusted by this nations and this authors persistent disrespect of the president, no matter my personal opinion, I read daily and love a good book, your personal political views don't sit well when I'm reading to escape all the negativity of today's society, I will not support or read anything by William Lashner again
I couldn't finish the book after the second political reference to our president, I'm so disgusted by this nations and this authors persistent disrespect of the president, no matter my personal opinion, I read daily and love a good book, your personal political views don't sit well when I'm reading to escape all the negativity of today's society, I will not support or read anything by William Lashner again
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