Fly Away Home

by Jennifer Weiner

Sometimes all you can do is fly away home . . .

When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician's wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.

Lizzie, the Woodruffs' younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she's trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER's exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.

After Richard's extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.

Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Adult Fiction, Book Club

401 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2010

About the author

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, most recently, That Summer. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

Reviews

[Meredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. I'm really shocked that so many Goodread's folks have given this such good reviews. This book was very disappointing. I have enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's books in the past and this one I could barely get through - I did listen to this on CD.

The characters are so unlikeable and so one dimensional. There's really no reason for us to care about them or their challenges. I'm also finding the sister theme of one sister is the smart crabby sister and the other is the flighty sister really tiresome.

Judith Light reads the book on the CD version and while some of the characters voices are great, some are nails on a chalk board brutal. Every day I considered returning this to the libraray (do not spend any money on this!) and didn't because I didn't have a backup to listen to during my commute.

On to better things!

[Apoorva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The No. 1 Bestselling Author Jennifer Weiner's 'Fly Away Home' is a book on family issues. When all goes wrong in life, we know it's our family who has got our back, but then, what if the family itself is in a lot of problems? The story has multiple POVs, the mother, and her two grown-up daughters. Jennifer has written in-depth each POV, trying to give justice as to how a family can be so messed up and still get together in the end.

Sylvie is a doting wife to a senator husband (Richard), unmindful mother to her two beautiful daughters, Diana and Elizabeth (Lizzie). She has forgotten her own self, is struggling to keep her life together after her husband cheats on her. Diana is a proficient doctor with a socially awkward son (Milo) and a lazy husband (Gary). After seven years of being married, she now feels that it's a mistake. Lizzie is an addict but pronounced clean and out of her rehab, looking after Diana's son for the summer, where she falls in love with a guy (Jeff).

The thing I really found interesting in this book is that Jennifer divulged details in such a way that the reader doesn't really get confused as the story progresses. Each part of their lives is broken up in three separate phases, which helps you understand what happens when and why. Every other chapter is from a different person's POV, assisting you to know what is happening concurrently in their lives.

I couldn't stop reading the book for most of the parts, but then somewhere down the line, the book really gets you, you just feel like giving up. It is a well-written tale but can come as saddening since nothing positive seems to be happening in their lives. The book has a good story-line, however, felt like it needed to be cut short on many details which didn't really need to be there.

This book is a one-time read if at all anyone is interested in family dramas. I found the book to be drab. I had started reading it, kept the book aside as it was giving me a reading slip, but succeeded in finishing it when I took it once again. This book is esoteric to emotional people. It also has some grammatical errors, which I hadn't expected from a best-selling author. The book is a little overrated and poorly executed.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some books I find hard to rate...I enjoyed reading them & finish them quickly, but at the end, I don't feel moved by the book, have a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the story or feel that it was special in any way. 2 stars seems kind of harsh, but 3 stars, to me, is a book that I finish and think, "wow, that was a good book".

Fly Away Home is one of those books. I read it quickly & it was enjoyable, but I didn't close have that satisfied feeling I get when I finish a good book. Maybe it was because I just finished reading American Wife,but I didn't really feel like there was anything *specail* about this book that set it apart from all the other books about women who get cheated on midlife books.

Fly Away Home is about the Woodruff family. Sylvie is married to Richard (a Senator) and they have 2 grown daughters. One daughter, Diana, is "perfect" (married, kid, ER doctor) the other, Lizzie, is the messed up one (recovery addict). Richard has an affair with an aide & everything comes crashing down for Sylvie. She has spent her whole marriage catering to her husband. Now, she has to decide whether to stay with him & how to redefine herself. The girls are also a mess, Diana in a loveless marriage (well, at least on her end)& having an affair and Lizzie still not pulling herself together.The story is divided into 3 parts and each part has several chapters told from Sylvie, Diane and Lizzie's point of view.

The book was enjoyable & a fast read, but nothing new or especially moving. As a side note, I hate how much Weiner's characters always think about their weight...lots "big" girls who are "forced" to be slim and then are happy when they can be curvy again or lots of weight related comments/descriptions/thoughts.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Jennifer Weiner and her books, but this one wasn’t one of my favorites. I had a harder time connecting to these characters and I didn’t really like them, in large part because I found them to be a little one dimensional. I especially struggled with Diana who didn’t seem to really have any redeeming qualities. I also didn’t really like Sylvie and I hated that the ending didn’t give any answers and I didn’t like the implication it gave of what would happen. Sylvie is shocked when she hears that her senator husband is all over the news for an affair he had with a younger woman that he helped to get a job as well. Sylvie had structured her life to support her husband and do everything for him and she is shocked. Their two adult daughters are both also surprised by this news. Diana is married but not in love and lonely and works long hours that keep her away from her son. Lizzie just got out of rehab and is trying to figure out what she will be doing with her life. I did like the interactions between the women. I just wanted more from this story.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel before joining Goodreads. I actually bought it again a few years ago and it has been sitting on my Kindle. After reading a few pages recently, I realized I had read it already. From what I recall it was an enjoyable read though not as memorable as some of JW's other novels.

Thank goodness for Goodreads. I don't know how many books I would have purchased or borrowed again without realizing I'd already read them.

3.5 Stars!

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been a little reluctant to read more from Weiner, because the first two books I read focused so much on the weight of the protagonist that it was a little bit of a turn-off. Thankfully, Weiner has grown as a writer and moved away from that to focus on more important issues.

Fly Away Home is about what happens to a family when a betrayal is revealed in a very public way. Sylvie, the victimized wife, decides that she needs some time away. She moves to her mother’s vacation home, hoping to figure out who she is now that she’s not being the Senator’s wife. Her oldest daughter, Diana, is a busy doctor with an inattentive husband who finds excitement in the arms of another man, despite seeing what adultery has done to her parents. Her youngest daughter, Lizzie, is a recovering drug addict who is relishing the chance to be the caretaker for a change. I’d tell you more about the men, but they are rather one-dimensional.

I rather enjoyed Sylvie and Lizzie’s parts of the story, but had major issues with Diana, for several reasons. First, she’s basically a bitch. From the beginning to the end, I had a hard time mustering up any sympathy for her. Weiner tries really hard to make her husband, Gary, as distasteful as possible, but the more distasteful she made him, the worse Diana looks. In fact, I felt bad for Gary, because he married a woman who obviously never loved him to begin with and only married him because she figured she might as well get that part of her life over with. Box checked. I also didn’t like the hot and cold relationship she had with her young son, who seemed so much better off with his recovering addict aunt. And finally, the event that forces Lizzie out of Diana’s house made no sense to me. It seemed like an incredibly huge over-reaction. I think we’re supposed to accept it because Diana is lashing out at someone else to assuage her own guilt, but it didn’t work.

I also found the ending to be a bit disappointing. It’s open-ended, and I would have preferred at least a little resolution.

I listened to this on audio and enjoyed Judith Light as narrator.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought from the title and blurb that this book would be sweet and sugary but it was much better, the story of Sylvie wife of a senator who has a very public affair and their daughters who have problems of their own. It was a bit Anne Tyler and a bit like a 70's saga. But Sylvie, what a disappointment you were at the end!

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring! I like Jennifer Weiner and have read all of her other books. This one just didn't do it for me. The plot sounded promising; however, the characterization was very flat and cliched. The older, successful, smart sister vs. the younger, slutty, messed-up sister, and the soon-to-be divorced mother vs. the largely absent father is a characterization found too often in Weiner's other books. I would have liked to have seen some other personality traits in her characters beyond these. I feel she bases her book characters on herself and her own younger sister, and on the family dynamics within her own family when she was growing up. As an author, I think she needs to stretch a little more and branch out from what is safe for her. I basically skimmed this book in 45 minutes and didn't feel I missed out on anything. My main feeling when I finished this book was...bleh!

[Callie · Rating 1 out of 5]

not going to lie... disappointing, lame and a huge let down after her first books. this is just my opinion though! i feel like she just took an us weekly story of a cheating politician or actor and tried to make it a good fiction book. it was honestly nothing better than boring. sorry jennifer weiner, i used to wait for your books with baited breath -- after the last 2 not sure ill even care.

[Love Fool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.

I had my doubts about this book because I read one of Jennifer Weiner's other books and didn't care for it that much but this was really good. The ladies are all selfish and you want to shake each one but I didn't grow up with money, fame, or responsibility like this family did so I don't know how I would handle it.

Out of all the characters, Liz was favorite. Sure, she was the biggest fuckup but she has such a kind heart and troubled mind you have to feel for her... even if you think she's a spoiled brat, which she is. But, she wants to do well and change her life so badly so you forgive her for being spoiled and root for her.

Diana was the biggest bitch but you understand the decisions she made.

[Amanda Shaked · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interestingly enough, this was one of the first novels that Jennifer Weiner wrote, when she was still working as a journalist. She tells you all this at the end of the book......well before any of the political scandals, i.e.., Elliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner, Gov. McCreavy, and their sexual improprieties ever came to light. Thus, the book was almost prophetic, in the sense of it kind of gave you a behind the scenes perspective as to what might really go on behind closed doors, between a political power couple. That being said, I found the story to be a little contrived, and wholly unrealistic. Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed reading the book, it was the perfect beach read, a good, enjoyable story, without having to really think.....but with that in mind, it was a little too fluffy to attack what would really happen to a political family in the wake of a sex scandal. A good book, but definitely not one of Jennifer Weiner's best....it is also interesting, because in reading this book, I definitely began to figure out what her formula was for book writing.....she always presents one domineering female character, one dysfunctional sister character, one straight laced female character, and one female character who is struggling with inner turmoil and the need for change. Sometimes she overlaps these personalities and creates different characters, or sometimes she keeps them true to form, but she basically just throws these types of people into the ring, presents a different environment, and then works out how they would react in different scenarios. The men in her books always play a secondary role in that they either contribute to and cause the dysfunction, or take a secondary role in being the supporter of the new and improved character. I would recommend this book if you want something light, and have nothing else on your plate to read.....

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it was one of those that came up most often as a counter-example in the whole freanzenfreude exploit. I was curious to see what made up the profile of a novel that should've been celebrated as one of the novels but wasn't, by virtue of its treatment of women's issues.

So, I'm a little at a loss. There is a somewhat relentless focus on women's issues, questions of how women identify and define their sense of self and their importance in the world, and the novel explores that for the mother and two daughters it follows in alternating chapters.

In that sense, for me, it was often a little on the nose-- there was a sense here that an effort was made to present three characters who would stand in for all the other middle class white women, and that sometimes that's what we were seeing instead of actual characters. This seemed especially true with the character of Diane, who I never quite felt like we got a handle on.

Also, and this might be a more significant thematic problem with the book, no story seems to really impact the other... In at least some sense, Sylvie's extramarital experience should have some impact on Diane's adultery, but the novel never goes there, and actually denies any connection, which seems a little weird. There are, as a result, no emotional surprises-- in fact, the book feels a little programmatic in a way that's not always flattering.

But at the end of the day, I think this is a really solid, accomplished book. The writing is consistently good. My real quibbles with the book are questions of taste-- I find realism, qua realism kind of boring, whether it's Weiner or Franzen, and in my experience, neither writer has done what it'll take to change that.

[AWBookGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Weiner's Fly Away Home is my selection for the September Chick Lit Plus Reading Challenge.

I listened to, rather than read, this book. Fly Away Home tells the story of Sylvie Woodruff and her daughters, Diana and Lizzie. Married for more than thirty years, Sylvie learns that her husband, Senator Richard Woodruff has had an affair. Sylvie retreats to her family's beach home in Connecticut to figure out what she wants to do with her marriage, and is ultimately joined by her daughters.

Affairs by politicians and celebrities are nothing new. But Jennifer Weiner explores what happens to the spouses. The betrayed women who stand, at least for a time, beside their contrite husbands. It is certainly chick-lit, but that doesn't mean it is dumb. Sylvie, Diana, and Lizzie are all complex characters. They all are dealing with their own baggage, struggling to just get it right every day.

I typically listen to audiobooks only during my commute, but with this one, I found myself looking for chances to listen. I was pulled into the story because Sylvie wasn't weak. Sure, she was blindsided, but she didn't just wither up. She also didn't hatch some crazy revenge plan. She just coped. Diana and Lizzie weren't cliched characters, either. They each bring some depth to their story, and just enough realism to be identifiable.

The thing I liked best is that Weiner could have gone with a typical melodramatic climax. Instead, it was much more subtle, and to me, all the more real. Often times, we don't recognize the significance of events while we are in them.

If you're a "smart" chick lit fan, then check out this one!

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing story about the "perfect" Senator's wife who has neglected her two adult daughters (the "good" daughter is an ER doctor and the "bad" daughter is a drug addict fresh from rehab) to devote her life to her husband and his career. Then CNN, and every other news outlet, breaks the news that the Senator has had an affair with a young legislative aide and reports that he used his political influence to find her employment in a top D.C. law firm. Predictably, chaos ensues. Talk about a plot ripped from the headlines. I will admit that I've always been fascinated by the sight of political wives standing by their husband's side during the news conference while the "bad boy" tries to explain himself and his behavior (kudos to you, Jenny Sanford) and wonder how these women, who appear to be either shell-shocked or drugged, or perhaps both, react once the cameras aren't rolling. This book is the story of what happens after the news conference. Each chapter is told from the perspective of the wife, or one of the daughters. Unfortunately, I really didn't connect with any of the characters, except for Milo, the Senator's grandson, and didn't really care what happened. I expected more.

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 Stars

I was really disappointed with this novel. After reading the Book Blurb, I thought I was going to get a literary version of The Good Wife. Sylvie Serfer Woodruff has given all that she is and has to her husband - U.S. Senator Richard Woodruff. She has put him above everyone, including her daughters. She is a glorified gopher - she fetches his breakfast, helps write his speeches, runs every detail of their daily schedule as well as the maintenance of their Manhattan apartment. That is until cable news networks announce the Breaking News - the Senator had an affair with a woman young enough to his daughter and she looks eerily like a younger Sylvie. His wife does stand beside Richard at a mea culpa Presser, but immediately leaves for her family's Conneticutt's beach home.

As the book blurb says her two daughters join her there, each with their own secret. There they will discover refuge in each other. But this reunion doesn't happen until the last 1/3 of the book. And honestly the first 2/3's of the book was boring. Why do I as a reader want to care about Sylvie, Lizzie, and Diana Woodruff? I still don't know. The two daughters are screwed up big-time. One is an ER Doc with a god complex, whose master life plan is falling apart. The youngest is a recovering addict, whom is "sensitive." Lizzie hides behind her camera - she feels unworthy. Well, a totally dysfunctional family! I did like Lizzie though.

And what's with the ending? We readers get to imagine what happens to these 3 women? I thought the whole point of Chick Lit was to make the reader smile - I am not.

[Lori W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay, but it was by far, my least favorite Jennifer Weiner book. I found the main character (wronged wife Sylvie) to be pretty boring, and Weiner didn't really cover any territory of political wifedom that hasn't been written about many times in the news, on the tv show, "The Good Wife," or in Curtis Sittenfeld's "American Wife." It didn't feel very original, at all, which surprised and disappointed me, because usually, Weiner's characters are very lively.

I found her two daughters and their dynamic (responsible, uptight Diana and irresponsible, free child Lizzie) much more interesting. I wish that the pages dedicated to Sylvie, her waffling about her husband, and her newfound independence were dedicated to Diana and Lizzie, instead.

I also found the current political and pop culture references very distracting. Instead of being immersed in the story, I had to stop, figure out who she was talking about (which didn't take all that long but was a complete screeching halt to the plot), and then wonder if this book would stand up to time, after people forget about Larry Craig's wide stance.

The book was okay, but definitely not up to snuff for a Weiner. Ah well, better luck next time.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the disaster that was Weiner's last book (Best Friends Forever), I started this book with trepidation. But it was quite soon that my fears and doubts were put to rest. Weiner hit her stride in the first few chapters and she never lost it.

The book is told alternately from the perspective of the wife and two adult daughters of a New York senator who has been caught having an affair. After the press conference in which he admits to not only having the affair, but using his influence (but not taxpayer dollars - goody for him!) to get his mistress a coveted job, his wife takes off for a Connecticut beach house.

Each of his two daughters react to the news in different ways, which is not surprising considering that the daughters are extremely different themselves. One is an ER doctor seemingly in control of everything, and the other is a recovering addict trying to straighten out her life - both in Philadelphia (Weiner's current hometown).

Throughout the course of the book, the reader sees how the senator's actions affect each woman. Weiner reveals each women's strengths and vulnerabilities in turn, but never making them weak or simpering (which was her flaw in "Best Friends Forever"). This book made me, once again, a believer in Weiner's talent.

[ScrappyMags · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an admitted Weiner fan and enjoy her very real, down-to-earth style. I loved this book and I saw Weiner grow into a more broad spectrum of "Chick Lit" with this book. The characters were believable and I was convinced that Weiner had conversations with scorned political wives. I also loved that there were 3 main characters, as different as can be and that she drew the lives of these women so accurately and in a completely believable way. It reminded me of "typical" political families - like the Reagans where you have the "black sheep" and the over achiever, etc... basically showing how these kids grow up in a spotlight and WOULD feel like "photo ops" so they have to get attention in the best way they know how. I loved that the story was ripped from headlines. Loved the writing and highly recommend.

[Shelly Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Jennifer Weiner is one of those authors that even when its "meh", its still good. She's just a talented storyteller who knows the formula of good women's fiction backward and forward and can deliver on a good tale. But that's the main problem with this story. It's formulaic. I've read other Weiner's works and I can spot the character prototypes and kinda predict what's going to happen. There is going to be a chubby Jewish woman who's witty and wholesome but snarky and finding her way. There's going to be a type-A overachiever who will gradually end up humbled and relaxed by the end of the book. There's the beautiful misunderstood one. That's not to say the characters aren't believable and she doesn't do great character development... you just know they're going to be there.

I'd still recommend her to anyone who likes good women's fic.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, told from three different viewpoints. The first one is Sylvie Serfer, the wife of a senator. He is caught having an affair with an aide and the book is about how she copes with that. It also tells the stories of her two daughters. Diana, the elder, is a doctor who is cheating on her husband of seven years. She has a three-year-old boy. She doesn't love her husband and never has. Lizzie, the younger, is a recovering drug and alcohol addict. She is clean for nine months and has low self-esteem. All of these stories are interesting. The characters alternate chapters. Deals with issues of infidelity (from BOTH sides: cheater and cheated-on), addiction, love, parental expectations, pregnancy and trust.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I see there are so many negative reviews and complaints that it was boring, but I didn't feel that way.

The story starts with a family and two grown daughters, one being the successful never-do-wrong daughter and the other limps along through life feeling dejected. The husband/father is a politician and is caught cheating on his wife. This is when the fallout begins, and the daughters come to difficult life decisions at the same time. So many issues are looked at from different perspectives -- infidelity, addiction, marriage struggles other than infidelity, motherhood, pregnancy... so much. And it wasn't chaotic to read. I liked the characters and the pace was just right for my mood.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, easy beach read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors. Her characters are living, breathing creations that I can relate to and imagine having a conversation over coffee with them. I started reading her books five or six years ago with Good in Bed and I eagerly await each new novel.

Fly Away Home is a novel that sounds like it is ripped from headlines. Sylvie Serfer Woodruff has changed herself over the years into the perfect politician’s wife. Her husband, Richard Woodruff, is a high powered senator from New York with dreams of being the president. They have two daughters, Diana and Lizzie. Diana is a doctor with a seemingly perfect life with her husband and son, if you don’t count that fact that she doesn’t love her husband. Lizzie is a troubled twenty-four year old recovering addict who is trying to find her way in the world.

All of their worlds are changed forever when it is discovered that Richard had an affair with a young staffer and helped her to get a job. Without Richard to take care of, Sylvie realizes that she has not been taking care of herself. Diana realizes that she is more like her father than she thinks . . . as she is having a torrid affair with a young intern. Lizzie finds purpose in life by taking care of Diana’s son Milo and then her father Richard, who is lost without Sylvie. The book explores what it is like to be the woman who stands behind the man confessing his extramarital affairs at the podium.

I wasn’t sure at first that I would like this book, as I have politician scandal fatigue, but I loved the focus and character development of the three women. The story wasn’t really about the scandal per say, but about how these women discovered or rediscovered themselves and were able to move on from their experiences.

I did have a hard time connecting with Diana. I understood her drive for perfection, but to marry someone you don’t love or feel attraction for just to be married is something I really don’t understand or have sympathy for. I like how she also had to hit rock bottom to start to understand herself again.

Sylvie reminded me a lot of my grandmother who was very focused on my grandfather and not on raising her child. This caused problems for poor Lizzie in the novel as well as Sylvie when Richard was suddenly out of the picture. Lizzie had a variety of problems, and I loved her growth to a mature young woman throughout the book and her ability to put the problems behind her.

I also loved reading Sylvie’s back story on how she and Richard got together in the first place and how their marriage evolved to the point it was at. I just wish the book could have continued on, I wanted to continue the journey with these characters!

While the story was serious, Weiner’s trademark humor was every apparent and you can see below in my favorite quotes:

When Sylvie’s mother Selma is talking about her sex life with her father, Sylvie thinks, “Somewhere in the world, there was surely a conversation taking place that she’d less enjoy hearing. Trouble was, she couldn’t imagine what that conversation might be.”

Later in that same conversation Selma says, “I just wanted you to know that you never know what’s going on in someone else’s marriage, behind someone else’s bedroom door. Nobody’s perfect.”

I laughed out loud at this quote, “If your grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, don’t eat it, her nutritionist had said. Well, too bad, nutritionist, because Selma’s grandma would have recognized Crisco just fine.”

Overall this was a great character study and a hard book to put down. It tackled serious issues, but was relatable and had plenty of humor. I highly recommend it.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this had been my first time reading a novel by Jennifer Weiner, I would've been satisfied. But after reading Weiner greats such as "Good in Bed," "Certain Girls," "In Her Shoes," and "Little Earthquakes," - "Fly Away Home" didn't do much for me.

The premise is certainly timely in that a senator's wife, Sylvie Woodruff, discovers (along with the rest of the country) that her husband Richard had an affair with a much-younger lobbyist. Sylvie has to figure out what she's going to do next. Stick by her husband's side and continue to color and straighten her hair while wearing tailored suits and fetching her husband's breakfast or being who she wants to be.

The novel also focuses on Sylvie's two daughters, Diana and Lizzie, along with their struggles. Diane is bored in her marriage and tired of working as a doctor. She is having a hard time berating her father's actions when she herself is entangled in an affair with one of her medical students. Lizzie, who has just gotten out of rehab, finally has a chance to live a great life when her world also comes crashing down.

It felt like I was waiting for something big to happen, and it didn't. The three women end up coming together at their Connecticut home to figure things out, but there is too much back story before this happens.

[Bookfanatic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some spoilers ahead... The plot could be taken from headline with which we're all too familiar. A Senator's wife is ashamed when a scandal erupts. Her powerful husband has cheated on her with a much younger aide. The infidelity affects not only his political ambition and the decades long marriage, but their two grown daughters as well. Each daughter has her own issues. The eldest is perfect child who ultimately became an ER doctor. The younger daughter is the troubled child in recovery from drug addiction. The wife sacrificed her own legal career to be the dutiful political wife and perfect aide to her husband. I didn't find the heroine all that sympathetic. She seemed clueless and stupid even though she is clearly well-educated. I felt sorry for the two daughters who seemed to have just been photo-ops in their father's career.Even so, the two daughters felt like caricatures. Their characters and the heroine's needed much more development as did the wayward husband's character. I didn't fully understand why he cheated and his remorse wasn't all that obvious. I would have loved to have discovered whether the heroine ultimately reconciled or not. The heroine's mother, a brash retired Judge from NYC, was one of my favorite characters in the book. I'd love to read a book where she's the focus!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fly Away Home is a beautifully written story of women who rise to the challenge of accepting and changing unpleasant truths about themselves. It’s about the difficulties both private and public of being a member of a Senator’s family as news of his affair with a much younger woman hits the news. The book is told from the perspective of the different family members, Sylvie, the Senator’s wife and each of his two daughters. They are complex and flawed characters and through them Weiner touches on some emotional but timeless topics such as drug addiction, unplanned pregnancy, infidelity and marriage. One thing I enjoyed about this story is that each of these women, although different, is very strong. It’s heartwarming to witness their inter relationships grow as each looks inward, confronts her inner conflicts and becomes a shade more true to herself. Although the plot slowed in spots, my main complaint is that although I got to know the characters, neither they nor the story stayed with me for any length of time. In short, fans of Jennifer Weiner and those looking for a light airport or beach read will enjoy this book.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is definitely my favorite book that I've read so far by Jennifer Weiner. As much as there were sad things happening, it was uplifting at the same time.

I really liked all of the characters. They completely seemed real to me. I kept thinking of Sylvie, the mom, and relating her to my mom. And how my mom is always there backing up my dad and how if my dad was unfaithful I could see the next series of events unfolding the same way they did in the book. I could also relate to a little bit of something in each of the sisters. They were both so different and started off so far apart emotionally but grew towards each other.

I thought the plot seemed very realistic. And I loved the little pop culture/current events tidbits that were in the story. Some are so recent that I think its incredible that they're in the book. And I think that some women might not like the ending with Sylvie, but I did. Without giving away what happens, I think I would have made the same choice that she did. A great summer read!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I really liked this book: each woman, the heroine, and her two daughters, had issues with "life" and control ... messy, messy life and the choices we make. Life is tricky and has a way of spinning out of control no matter what. So faced with the ultimate indignity, a political wife withdrew to a sad old comfortable CT beach house (and as much as I like Martha Stewart tales of reclamation, the only decorating was "interior" and internal Lol) ... and took stock, and made stock and roasts and stews and took walks and took back her life and her memories and her choices. Same w/her daughters. I especially felt for the perfect daughter. A safe marriage to ease the potential pain of rejection ended up being arid and lonely and her solution was almost a killer. The addicted daughter came closest to being a cliche because you see her only in recovery and neither the before or after really conveyed her interior struggles. Her actions rang true though and you could understand her through the choices she made.

Highly recommended.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to as an audiobook, narrated by Judith Light.
This was a heartbreaking story of how wrong things can go within a family - First, Sylvie finds out that her senator husband had an affair with a young aide - she discovers this at a rest stop while en route to yet another political event in support of her husband. Next, Sylvie's work- and run-aholic oldest daughter Diana is having her own affair to escape her boring husband. Finally, Sylvie's youngest daughter Lizzie, newly released from a drug and alcohol rehab facility, is trying to stay sober in the face of some very stressful events. They all come together at Sylvie's family beach house in Connecticut to try to put their lives back together.
Weiner provides an intimate look into this family - from the outside it looked like everything was great, except for Lizzie's addictions - but everything fell apart so quickly.
The one qualm I had with this version was the narrator - some of her voices were great (Sylvie's mother Selma for example) but at other times I could only picture Angela from that old TV show Who's the Boss.

[Wanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure that I really want to waste much time doing a synopsis of this thing. It is one of those "taken from the headlines" stories in which a woman, who has devoted her entire life, to a politician finds that he has been having an affair with one of his aides. With asides to such shell shocked wives as Dana McGreevey and others, Weiner goes on and on and on about the affair and its aftermath. It gets quite tiresome really, in that not much happens in this book. No one really learns anything profound; no one has any epiphanies and the cast of characters, none of whom are particularly likeable do not grow much at all. For those who enjoy that kind of thing, there are lots of scenes that include vivid details of gratuitous sex. All in all a complete waste of time. I kept reading and hoping that something interesting would happen. But nothing does.