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A World Away
A major new novel by the award-winning author named by Granta as one of America's best young writers. Set at a remote beachfront cottage in the Hamptons one summer during the Second World War, A World Away follows the fortunes of the Langer family, whose oldest son, Rennie, is missing in action in the Pacific theater. As we are soon aware, there is another battle raging at the same time, this one on the domestic front, as Anne and James Langer's marriage begins to unravel. In part to repay her husband for his affair with a student, Anne begins a clandestine romance with a soldier stationed at a nearby base. Yet all the passion and tenderness she finds with her lover is unable to ease Anne's empty ache from having her family torn apart. Thousands of miles away, Rennie is wounded in the effort to drive the Japanese from the island of Attu in the Aleutians, as Dorothy, his young wife, gives birth alone in San Diego. When Rennie comes home, his spirit as wounded as his body, it's clear that James and Anne must repair their own broken lives if they're going to help their son heal and bring their family back together. A World Away is a rich, romantic story that has all the depth and generosity of spirit Stewart O'Nan's work is known for.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 1998
37 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Stewart O'Nan
70 books1,367 followersStewart O'Nan is the author of eighteen novels, including Emily, Alone; Last Night at the Lobster; A Prayer for the Dying; Snow Angels; and the forthcoming Ocean State, due out from Grove/Atlantic on March 8th, 2022.
With Stephen King, I’ve also co-written Faithful, a nonfiction account of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and the e-story “A Face in the Crowd.”
You can catch me at stewart-onan.com, on Twitter @stewartonan and on Facebook @stewartONanAuthor
With Stephen King, I’ve also co-written Faithful, a nonfiction account of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and the e-story “A Face in the Crowd.”
You can catch me at stewart-onan.com, on Twitter @stewartonan and on Facebook @stewartONanAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 11, 2014
Stewart O'Nan has never written a book I didn't like, every one "a world away" from all the others. He manages to write about large problems without keeping or leaving his readers in a state of anxiety, and every character lingers with me long after.
January 25, 2026
Ratings:
Writing 5
Story line 5
Characters 5
Impact/enjoyment 5
Overall rating 5
Writing 5
Story line 5
Characters 5
Impact/enjoyment 5
Overall rating 5
July 7, 2012
O'Nan can write action packed, interesting, curious and compelling stories, but not this one. Oh well, can't love 'em all.
December 22, 2013
couldnt follow it at all. Read about 60 pages and stopped
His other books were fantastic--dont know what happened here.
His other books were fantastic--dont know what happened here.
July 30, 2007
51. "A World Away reveals one of America's most versatile writers at his romantic and elegiac best. In following the fortunes of the Langer family, whose oldest son, Rennie, is missing in action in the Pacific during World War II, Stewart O'Nan brilliantly captures the mood of this lost world and the changing fate of a country aware that when the war ends, nothing will ever be the same."
This book started out very confusing, with references to characters, places and events that you know nothing about. While everything is explained as the book progresses, I felt it would have been a better read if the story were told more cohesively. When I'm reading a book, I like to get into the story and forget I'm actually reading. This book had moments like this, but the startling jumps between past and present (sometimes within the same paragraph) were disruptive to the story. I spent most of the month picking at this book, but just couldn't finish it.
This book started out very confusing, with references to characters, places and events that you know nothing about. While everything is explained as the book progresses, I felt it would have been a better read if the story were told more cohesively. When I'm reading a book, I like to get into the story and forget I'm actually reading. This book had moments like this, but the startling jumps between past and present (sometimes within the same paragraph) were disruptive to the story. I spent most of the month picking at this book, but just couldn't finish it.
April 14, 2022
I love everything I've read by this great author and this one was wonderful. It involves a family during World War II, called to the father's Long Island home to help care for his elderly father who's had a stroke. Their youngest son, a conscientious objector, is badly wounded and goes missing in Alaska. The sons young wife brings her infant daughter to stay with them for the remainder of a summer. This is a wonderful story of a family in turmoil and O'Nan is brilliant of recreating the home front during World War II. Very compelling.
July 7, 2012
I am told that there are other books by O'Nan that I might like more than I did this one, which I found a bit tedious and overly filled with everyday detail without enough redeeming action or plot complexity. The subject is the affects of war both on combatants and, more to the point, the family members not directly involved. In this case, the war is WWII. Obviously this is a skilled crafter at work, but I think this novel needed better overall conceptualization.
November 15, 2009
Stewart O’Nan. A World Away. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998.
I did like the book but it wasn’t great. I was definitely pulled through by the story line and interested in the time around WWII. After reading seven books of his, I can see how is style developed. I like his starker writing better. This novel was more wordy.
I did like the book but it wasn’t great. I was definitely pulled through by the story line and interested in the time around WWII. After reading seven books of his, I can see how is style developed. I like his starker writing better. This novel was more wordy.
January 22, 2016
I was hoping for a lot more out of this book. I understand what the author was going for, I think, but it was such a depressing book. Nobody is happy at all throughout the whole entire book, even at the end. I don't know if I can say much more than that. It's okay, but I like a little more happiness in my books and this just wasn't it.
December 3, 2025
“DEALING WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF LOSS”
‘A World Away’ is a melancholy book that takes place stateside during World War II. Based upon world events covered in the book, my guess is it was the summer of 1943. The story is devoid of humor. It revolves around the Langer family: James, Anne, Rennie, and Jay. Mr. O’Nan creates an accurate believable world reminiscent of 1940s’ cultural mores. One of the unintended consequences of World War II was that large amounts of women were needed to replace men in manufacturing, and it ignited a desire for females to reach beyond just being housewives. Once the men returned from the war, kicked the women out of the jobs, and expected them to return to being housewives who were subservient to men, the feminist movement began its unavoidable march towards The Second Wave. It is not covered in the novel but may help give you context to the story. Anne, who was a nurse before giving it up to maintain the household, returns to the profession, less out of economic necessity than escaping the drudgery of being only a housewife and her anger towards James. While James is somewhat supportive, he hoped Anne would still do all the “women’s work” at home. Dorothy pushes back on his subtle demands. ‘A World Away’ was published in 1998.
The shifts in the Langer’s family dynamics are from three major factors. The first factor is the young son Rennie joins the Army and is sent to the Pacific engagement. Rennie trained as a battlefield medic; the reader gets the perspective of battle from a new medic’s experiences. The second involves their family struggling with 50ish-year-old James’ boneheaded move of having an affair with a 16-year-old student. James was a teacher. Naturally, betrayal and community disapproval affects all the family, not just 40ish-year-old Anne and James. The third factor is their overall struggles with the loss of personal independence. For the Langer adults, it has to do with their personal choices that they have come to regret. I like the fact that Mr. O’Nan presents the sharp contrast between Rennie’s wartime experiences and the citizens who live stateside. The parents are preoccupied with their sons at war and have very little or no communication from the soldiers. It is a key ingredient of the book’s melancholy tone.
Mr. O’Nan excels at conveying the everyday hopes, confusion, and fears of the characters. Rennie’s pregnant wife, Dorothy, gives another interesting perspective in the demands of a woman who may have to raise a child alone if Rennie is killed during the war. A generational tension is also involved between the Langers and them caring for James’s father at the old man’s remote beachfront cottage in the Hamptons (Connecticut). The gruff old dude has suffered multiple strokes.
I came to dislike James early on and it never abated. James is not a bully but still manipulative and self-centered in a mild manner. The guy’s betrayal by having an affair is something he thinks he can wait out until his and Anne’s relationship goes back to what it once was before he screwed up. Part of the self-pitying old fool often fantasizes about the 16-year-old, Diane, and him reigniting the affair if he returns to the community. I was more sympathetic towards Dorothy but grew to dislike her decisions too. Anne’s mother described her as demanding and ungrateful. That was my perspective too. The novel includes a lot of silent introspection, some sexual intimacy, and mild profanity. The conclusion involves the death of the old man and based upon my own personal experience, an accurate portrayal of the death’s process and family picking up after he’s kicked the bucket.
I’ve read four of Mr. O’Nan’s novels. They were ‘Last Night at the Lobster’ (published in 2007), ‘Henry, Himself (2019), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (2002), and ‘Emily Alone’ (2011). Mercy, they are all very well done but real bummers. Geeeeeesh, my next book is going to have to be a more uplifting work, or I may step into moving traffic.
‘A World Away’ is a melancholy book that takes place stateside during World War II. Based upon world events covered in the book, my guess is it was the summer of 1943. The story is devoid of humor. It revolves around the Langer family: James, Anne, Rennie, and Jay. Mr. O’Nan creates an accurate believable world reminiscent of 1940s’ cultural mores. One of the unintended consequences of World War II was that large amounts of women were needed to replace men in manufacturing, and it ignited a desire for females to reach beyond just being housewives. Once the men returned from the war, kicked the women out of the jobs, and expected them to return to being housewives who were subservient to men, the feminist movement began its unavoidable march towards The Second Wave. It is not covered in the novel but may help give you context to the story. Anne, who was a nurse before giving it up to maintain the household, returns to the profession, less out of economic necessity than escaping the drudgery of being only a housewife and her anger towards James. While James is somewhat supportive, he hoped Anne would still do all the “women’s work” at home. Dorothy pushes back on his subtle demands. ‘A World Away’ was published in 1998.
The shifts in the Langer’s family dynamics are from three major factors. The first factor is the young son Rennie joins the Army and is sent to the Pacific engagement. Rennie trained as a battlefield medic; the reader gets the perspective of battle from a new medic’s experiences. The second involves their family struggling with 50ish-year-old James’ boneheaded move of having an affair with a 16-year-old student. James was a teacher. Naturally, betrayal and community disapproval affects all the family, not just 40ish-year-old Anne and James. The third factor is their overall struggles with the loss of personal independence. For the Langer adults, it has to do with their personal choices that they have come to regret. I like the fact that Mr. O’Nan presents the sharp contrast between Rennie’s wartime experiences and the citizens who live stateside. The parents are preoccupied with their sons at war and have very little or no communication from the soldiers. It is a key ingredient of the book’s melancholy tone.
Mr. O’Nan excels at conveying the everyday hopes, confusion, and fears of the characters. Rennie’s pregnant wife, Dorothy, gives another interesting perspective in the demands of a woman who may have to raise a child alone if Rennie is killed during the war. A generational tension is also involved between the Langers and them caring for James’s father at the old man’s remote beachfront cottage in the Hamptons (Connecticut). The gruff old dude has suffered multiple strokes.
I came to dislike James early on and it never abated. James is not a bully but still manipulative and self-centered in a mild manner. The guy’s betrayal by having an affair is something he thinks he can wait out until his and Anne’s relationship goes back to what it once was before he screwed up. Part of the self-pitying old fool often fantasizes about the 16-year-old, Diane, and him reigniting the affair if he returns to the community. I was more sympathetic towards Dorothy but grew to dislike her decisions too. Anne’s mother described her as demanding and ungrateful. That was my perspective too. The novel includes a lot of silent introspection, some sexual intimacy, and mild profanity. The conclusion involves the death of the old man and based upon my own personal experience, an accurate portrayal of the death’s process and family picking up after he’s kicked the bucket.
I’ve read four of Mr. O’Nan’s novels. They were ‘Last Night at the Lobster’ (published in 2007), ‘Henry, Himself (2019), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (2002), and ‘Emily Alone’ (2011). Mercy, they are all very well done but real bummers. Geeeeeesh, my next book is going to have to be a more uplifting work, or I may step into moving traffic.
November 21, 2021
Stewart O'Nan hat Bücher geschrieben die eine sehr spannende und dramatische Handlung haben und ganz wunderbar sind, wie „Halloween“. Auf der anderen Seite haben wir Romane die fast ausschließlich auf der Stimmung, den Charakteren und kleinen Alltagsbeobachtung beruhen und ebenfalls ganz großartig sind, wie „Abschied von Chautauqua“. „Sommer der Züge“ liegt irgendwo dazwischen, eine wirklich dramatische, sich in einem Satz zusammenfassen lassende Handlung gibt es zwar nicht, im Grunde geht es schlicht um die Erlebnisse einer durchschnittlichen Familie während eines Sommers. Aber es ist eben der Kriegssommer 1943 und einer der Söhne ist tatsächlich als Soldat im Einsatz. Außerdem liegt der Großvater im Sterben und die Ehefrau hat eine Affäre. Es passiert also schon eine Menge. Geschrieben ist das abwechselnd aus der Perspektive fast sämtlicher Familienmitglieder mit jeweils sehr starkem Fokus auf inneren Monolog und Erinnerungen an vorherige Erlebnisse. Ein sehr Plot-getriebenes Buch ist dies also nicht. Mich persönlich hat der ganze Tonfall fast mehr an John Updike als an O'Nans andere Bücher erinnert. Was ein wenig den Verdacht aufkommen lässt dass er damals, noch relativ am Anfang seiner Laufbahn, einmal nachdrücklich beweisen wollte dass er tatsächlich schreiben kann und keine Eintagsfliege ist. Nun, das ist gelungen.
„Sommer der Züge“ ist daher zwar nicht mein Lieblingsroman von ihm und möglicherweise auch nicht die beste Wahl wenn man vorher noch nie etwas gelesen hat, aber ein richtig gutes Buch!
„Sommer der Züge“ ist daher zwar nicht mein Lieblingsroman von ihm und möglicherweise auch nicht die beste Wahl wenn man vorher noch nie etwas gelesen hat, aber ein richtig gutes Buch!
August 1, 2021
I usually love Stewart O'Nan but occasionally he writes a novel I don't like. This is one of those novels. Most of the action is set in WWII on the East Coast. Dreadful plot, dull, unlikeable characters and the storytelling was less than exciting. Multiple flashbacks in the middle of a present time paragraph. I'm not a fan of time jumps within a story. I understand linear storytelling is not popular and writers seem to think the more a story zigs and zags it shows their writing prowess. I can do without it.
Why three stars instead of one or two? O'Nan has writing points in my reader bank so because it's his book, it's three stars.
Why three stars instead of one or two? O'Nan has writing points in my reader bank so because it's his book, it's three stars.
April 27, 2020
A very atmospheric book that brings you right into the scenes of mid 1940s WWII. A study in characters trying to live with upheaval and insecure frightening times as their son, a conscientious objector, is thrown into the war as a medic only to get severely hurt, while at home his young wife is pregnant and a factory worker, and his family encounters death of parents, infidelities, and a younger son who is scared and trying to cope with much upheaval.
September 19, 2019
This book took me forever to get through. I have a policy where I have to finish any book I start reading. I almost stopped reading this one. I didn't become interested until about 2/3 of the way into the book
March 10, 2019
Couldn't get into it, it was too hard to follow. Some of O'Nan's phrasing was confusing and made no sense in the context of the plot.
February 19, 2020
Not my typical read. Chose it for a history class requirement. Took quite a bit of time before the book took my unbridled interest. It was well written but rather monotonous for a while.
May 4, 2021
3.5 stars. I love Mr. O'Nan's style, but was just OK with this book. Not his best, but still was floored by numerous turns of phrase throughout this book.
Read
September 1, 2024Hated the writing style. DNF
November 17, 2008
I feel with this Stewart O'Nan book his writing has finally matured. This is not to say that his writing was not already very polished, but it is to say that A World Away has more depth and more levels than his previous books. He covers a wide expanse of the US in WWII, from the Langers (James, Anne, Grampa Langer and young Jay) in the Hamptons to their older son, Rennie, at the Pacific front as a medic to Rennie's young bride, Dorothy, who begins in San Diego, pregnant and working in a factory, before having to travel across the country to live with the Langers when Rennie disappears. James is a teacher, hitting middle-age, who falls in love with a student. His wife, Anne, retaliates by having her own affair while taking care of James's father who has had a series of mini-strokes over the years. Jay tries to do what kids in WWII do, searching for scrap metal and participating in paper drives and glorifying yet being horrified by the war.
All of the characters are stricken at one point or another by their loneliness, often created by their own motivations initially. It is a confusing time for all of them, and O'Nan creates here a sense of tension that I have not encountered by him until now. It kept me up 2 1/2 hours past my bedtime, just so I could finish it, and it finished just how I hoped it would.
All of the characters are stricken at one point or another by their loneliness, often created by their own motivations initially. It is a confusing time for all of them, and O'Nan creates here a sense of tension that I have not encountered by him until now. It kept me up 2 1/2 hours past my bedtime, just so I could finish it, and it finished just how I hoped it would.
April 14, 2012
This historical novel gives the reader a wonderful view into life, Stateside, during World War Two. It is a story of a dysfunctional family that manages to cope-- cope with one another and cope with the fear of a son, brother, husband who is missing in action.
The tale spans a summer on Long Island in an old beach house where estranged family members find themselves in a state of perpetual worry over Rennie, the Army medic who enlisted shorty after being arrested for resisting as a Conscientious Objector. His initial resistance to the war was met with tolerance from his father, vitriol from the community and confusion from this reader because the political/religious stance of Rennie never quite made sense. It was never sufficiently explained.
Family dysfunction is pretty much the crux of the book. It's generational. The grandparents cheated and the parents cheated. The kids and grandkids ain't stupid. They know the score. So there's a lot of hate. Mom hates Dad, Grand-dad hates daughter (his wife is no longer around to hate)and Dad's hatred of Grand-dad is in abeyance because the old goat is dying. Hate. But they love each other as family.
It's an authentic historical read with great character development that often moves at the pace of a drunken snail.
The tale spans a summer on Long Island in an old beach house where estranged family members find themselves in a state of perpetual worry over Rennie, the Army medic who enlisted shorty after being arrested for resisting as a Conscientious Objector. His initial resistance to the war was met with tolerance from his father, vitriol from the community and confusion from this reader because the political/religious stance of Rennie never quite made sense. It was never sufficiently explained.
Family dysfunction is pretty much the crux of the book. It's generational. The grandparents cheated and the parents cheated. The kids and grandkids ain't stupid. They know the score. So there's a lot of hate. Mom hates Dad, Grand-dad hates daughter (his wife is no longer around to hate)and Dad's hatred of Grand-dad is in abeyance because the old goat is dying. Hate. But they love each other as family.
It's an authentic historical read with great character development that often moves at the pace of a drunken snail.
November 12, 2007
wiederum: ein gutes buch - allerdings: spröde. wiederum gediegene arbeit, was die stilistische herangehensweise angeht. prinzipiell wohl das, was mich an stewart o'nan am meisten fasziniert - seine arbeit am stilistischen, um dem inhalt gerecht zu werden. und da es sich bei dieser story, um eine mit recht wenig dynamik handelt, sondern eben nur um einen sommer, den eine familie beim sterbenden großvater verbringt, prägt o'nan auch eine statische schreibweise aus, die sich im moment festhakt und den assoziationen nachspürt... diesem buch muss seine zeit gegeben werden, dann entwickelt es seine stärke!
January 3, 2014
This novel deals with World War II from the home front—fear mixed into the day-to-day routine that O’Nan captures so well. Yet this book was disappointing after reading Emily, Alone. The first chapter was a disorganized mess. Luckily I plowed on based on my love for the other book. After a while, I was able to understand where and when I was in the action and became attached to some of the characters.
May 9, 2011
A story of a family and community facing WWI. Very moving details of the main character's experience as a objector who joins the Medics and is injuring in a fighting unit. It tracks how his family cope or try to cope when he returns damaged. The author has the ability to get into the minds of characters young and old.
October 9, 2011
Loved this story set during WWII in the Hamptons. Very nostalgic feeling to it. Oldest son a medic who gets wounded. Mother who gets wounded by her husband's infidelity. Her own infidelity to get back at him. A dying father. A teenage son trying to figure things out. A summer of sand and ocean, regrets and hopes. It's a slow read, but worth it. A-
August 27, 2010
This didn't have the focus that some of his others have. As always, the characters have layers and layers of depth, which we discover as we read along in his detailed portrait - but it didn't feel as well resolved as others.
May 23, 2011
I really like O'Nan's books, but this one just didn't do it for me. The characters were mostly unlikeable, and even though I am a history nut, the only storyline that grabbed me was Dorothy's stint in the factory during WWII.
September 1, 2011
This seemed to encompass O'Nan at his worst - he tends to drop names and things in a way that can draw in the reader but also confuse her - this was just confusing. It wasn't a very pleasant read; more of a dark and sad story that lacked clarity.
March 6, 2014
Truthfully, I had to struggle to finish this book. Very hard to follow and the characters were unlikable. I never usually have negative reviews, but I wouldn't recommend this book. Maybe it just wasn't my thing.
June 14, 2014
"....recreation of an American family's summer during World War II."
A terrific story.
I recommend an of Stewart O'Nan's books - I'm reading through them.
Thoroughly enjoyed on a rainy afternoon.
A terrific story.
I recommend an of Stewart O'Nan's books - I'm reading through them.
Thoroughly enjoyed on a rainy afternoon.
August 8, 2015
When I started this book, I thought I would never get through it. It is super slow/confusing to start, but once the story starts to finally unfold, gets interesting. I'm glad I made myself finish it, but it's definitely not a favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews