Cacciatori di tempeste

by Jenna Blum, Massimo Ortelio (Translator)

Karena Hallingdahl, trentotto anni appena compiuti e un matrimonio alle spalle, lavora nella redazione del Minneapolis Ledger. Un lavoro di routine, fatto di articoli sulla vita locale e sulla gastronomia norvegese, in omaggio alle origini di una buona fetta della popolazione del Minnesota, terra di pionieri scandinavi fin dalla fine del XIX secolo. Nei momenti liberi, Karena va sul sito dello Storm Prediction Center a scrutare le nuvole verdi generate dal computer, sperando di scorgere là sotto Charles, il fratello gemello sparito da anni dalla sua vita. Charles è biondo e ha la pelle chiara come Karena ma, diversamente da lei, è un tipo geniale e folle che alterna stati di depressione ed euforia in un baleno, e che, soprattutto, coltiva un’unica, irrefrenabile passione: dare la caccia alle tempeste, arrivare lì dove il tornado si annuncia con il tramonto più spettacolare che vi sia, per inseguirne poi la cavalcata distruttiva. Una passione che ha segnato la sua vita e quella di Karena, legandole per sempre col sigillo di un segreto inconfessabile. Un giorno di quasi vent’anni prima, infatti, Charles si è inoltrato con sua sorella in un bosco dell’Iowa inseguendo una tempesta a bordo di una jeep. In preda a uno dei suoi stati euforici, guidava veloce sotto la grandine, così veloce che non si è nemmeno accorto di aver urtato e ucciso un motociclista. Karena l’ha visto l’uomo, immobile sotto la sua moto piena di cromature, i capelli lunghi sparsi nel fango. Ma ha taciuto, non ha proferito parola con lo sceriffo, ha scelto il silenzio, come le suggeriva Charles, un silenzio che le è gravato per anni sul cuore e che ora la opprime ancora di più. Una telefonata inattesa dal Kansas la raggiunge, infatti, nella sua casa a Edina: Charles ha appena lasciato la clinica psichiatrica di Wichita e disperso le proprie tracce. Per Karena è l’inizio di un viaggio impervio alla volta del fratello geniale e folle. Un viaggio in cui prenderà parte a uno dei più avventurosi Whirlwind tours, i più rinomati nella caccia alle tempeste, conoscerà Kevin, l’affascinante guida dai capelli castani e un odore familiare, e, soprattutto, si imbatterà nell’amato, odiato fratello.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club, Drama, Adult, Adventure, Mental Illness

382 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

JENNA BLUM is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of novels THOSE WHO SAVE US (Harcourt, 2004), THE STORMCHASERS (Dutton, 2010), and THE LOST FAMILY (Harper Collins, 2018); the novella "The Lucky One" in GRAND CENTRAL (Berkeley/Penguin, July 2014); the audio course “The Author At Work: The Art of Writing Fiction” (Recorded Books, 2015); memoir WOODROW ON THE BENCH, about her last seven months with her beloved 15-year-old black Lab and what they taught her (Harper Collins, 2021); and WWII audiodrama THE KEY OF LOVE (Emerald Audio Network, 2023), available on any major podcast streaming platform.

Jenna's latest novel and first psychological thriller, MURDER YOUR DARLINGS, will be published by Harper Collins 01/13/26.

Jenna is the CoFounder/ CEO of online author platform A Mighty Blaze, and she's one of Oprah's Top 30 Women Writers. Jenna’s first novel, Those Who Save Us, was awarded the Ribalow Prize by Hadassah Magazine, adjudged by Elie Wiesel; it was a Borders pick and the #1 bestselling book in Holland. The Stormchasers, Jenna’s bestselling second novel, was a Target Emerging Authors pick, a Borders pick, and featured in French Elle. Her third bestseller, The Lost Family, was an Indiebound pick and garnered starred reviews from all four trades: Publishers’ Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, LIbrary Journal. The bestselling memoir Woodrow on the Bench was a Midwestern Booksellers’ pick and is now available in paperback.

Jenna is based in Boston, where she taught at Boston University and at Grub Street Writers for over 20 years. Jenna currently teaches fiction, novel, and social media marketing for writers via Blaze Writers Project, based in Boston and online. She speaks nationally, internationally, and online about her work and writing life. Please visit Jenna on her website, www.jennablum.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Substack, BookBub, and TikTok.

Reviews

[Jenna Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best new novel I've ever written.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenna Blum writes very well, but this book wasn't in the same league as her debut novel, "Those Who Save Us," which was brilliant. This was simply an ok, easy read, 3 stars-- while there were some beautifully written passages, at the end of the day, I'm not sure how much I cared about these people and their issues.

The book was divided into three sections-- present day Karena searching for her brother, past when Kerena and Charles were children, and present after the big reunion. The middle section was definitely the best written. You did feel how devasting his illness was to the family. However, in this section was also the "BIG EVENT", which simply didn't resonate with me as a BIG EVENT." It felt like the author needed a BIG EVENT to make the story work (while in reality, having a sibling with a mental illness should have been enough of a BIG EVENT on its own), but I didn't find the BIG EVENT believable.

Much more believable would have been finding out as adults that they didn't hit Motorcycle Man at all-- that he had fallen off his bike during a tornedo all on his own and they had nothing to do with it. I mean, what kind of idiot rides a motorcycle during a tornedo anyway? There is no way that two teenagers would have been charged with vehicular homicide for hitting someone stupid enough to ride a motorcycle during a tornedo, a fact that the adult Karena should have know. On the other hand, if they believed that they had killed him, and spent the next 20 years carrying their secret, only to find out that they hadn't, THAT would have been a compelling story.

I was also troubled by the idea of having to keep Charles' illness a "secret". The story began in 1988, not 1958, yet the characters acted like it was, well, 1958, worrying about people gossiping and having to keep things "in the family." I lived in a small town and even in 1978, people weren't really that interested in other families' business, so that rang false for me.

[Pam Jenoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Saturday, I am throwing it back to an amazing book about Karena, a woman who goes searching for her estranged brother Charles. Charles is obsessed with chasing storms and his obsession turned deadly years ago. Now, racing against time and a dark secret, Karena must find him by chasing the storms once more. Excellent!

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately unsatisfying..., August 13, 2010

This review is from: The Stormchasers (Hardcover)
This book was not on the same level as Blum's previous work, Those Who Save Us. Although I enjoyed this narrative well enough at the beginning, the middle really dragged, and the ups and downs of reading about Karena dealing with obstinate Charles (the twin with severe bipolar illness) wore me out and ultimately bored me.

Although the metaphor of stormchasing and bipolar "storms" was apt, the relentless reminder to the reader of how Charles' illness affected his sister, was overdone. I think most readers will be able to predict the outcome of the story once the "secret" is revealed. I did, however, enjoy the technical information about the development and science of storms, particularly tornadoes, since I live in the Midwest where this type of weather is common and often destructive.

Another reviewer has remarked about the fact that the two men in the book rarely use Karena's name. Her brother (and twin) calls her either "K" or "sistah", and her boyfriend refers to her as "Laredo" or some other term. I also found that annoying. I really never felt that I got involved with the characters in this novel -- they were very one dimensional and I found myself becoming irritated at times rather than empathizing with their plight. I was basically just glad to get to the wholly anticlimactic end.

I will wait patiently for Blum's next novel, and see if she can revert to the quality storytelling that made me a fan when I read her first book. Overall, just found The Stormchasers only mildly interesting, a bit disappointing, and would tell those who ask, "It's OK."

[Louise Behrendt Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read Ms. Blum's "Those Who Save Us," and loved it; thus I was looking foward to reading this story of Karena and her twin, Charles, a bi-polar "stormchaser." While Karena was somewhat likeable as a protaganist, I found it hard to believe that, after twenty years without any contact with Charles, she could easily find him by joining a one week tour group of people who pay to follow tornados. Did not care how it ended; could not wait to be done with this book. A true disappointment.

[Melissa Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you imagine the strange incompleteness one must experience when carrying-on life in the absence of her twin sibling? Factor in that Karena’s twin, Charles, suffers unmedicated bipolar disorder and that she hasn’t seen him for twenty years. And, oh yeah, he left her after a catastrophic event tore them apart—a secret they keep sheltered from the rest of the world.

One day, Karena receives a call from an unknown hospital three states away. Her brother is being treated there. Karena rushes to the hospital, feeling a rush of excitement, fear, and longing—only to find that Charles has been discharged. This close brush stirs up feelings that she had long attempted to suppress.

Settling back into her normal routine would now be impossible. She has to find Charles. But where is he?

Karena reasons that the best way to find Charles is to figure out where he will be going, not where he currently is. When manic, Charles chases storms; Karena joins up with a chasing tour, hoping that this dangerous path will reunite the long-separated twins.

During this journey, Karena must confront her own fears associated with the adventure and her lingering guilt about the secret they share. She must also figure out what finding Charles will mean for her both practically and emotionally. Despite the risks to body and heart, Karena must find Charles; the gaping emptiness has been leading her life for far too long.

“The Storm Chasers” by Jenna Blum is a fantastic read. At times, readers will be tempted to pause and reflect upon the poetically woven passages. At others, they will soar along with the rhythmic, breathing storyline. The most compelling aspect of the novel lies in the juxtaposition of character development and metaphor.

As Charles so aptly points out, he likes the storms, because he can relate to them. The parallel between manic-depressiveness and tornadoes is marked. Both can crop up from seemingly nowhere and leave destruction in their wake. Both are at the same time deadly yet beautiful to behold. They are enigmatic, energetic, and exciting. And so is this novel.

Besides having the opportunity to read this fabulous book, I also had the pleasure of twitterviewing its author, Ms. Jenna Blum (@jenna_blum). Read on to learn more about Jenna’s writing credits, process, and success.

Link to the twitterview here: http://www.emlynchand.com/2011/04/aut...

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written well enough to read quickly and was engaging enough that I wanted to keep reading. I loved "Those Who Save Us" and was expecting something great from Jenna Blum, but this is nothing like "Those Who Save Us" - not in writing style, type of story, nothing similar at all. I was really thrown off by that.

I felt very distracted throughout this book. I don't know if it was Blum's writing style so much as her inability to convince me that she knew about bipolar disorder. I felt like it was being shoved down my throat that Charles had BPD. Karena seemed pathetic to me, too hard to either like or dislike -- I can deal with both in a character, but not ambiguity. The middle section was clearly the best. The Kevin character distracted me because he didn't seem genuine or real, and I never could get a picture in my mind what any of the characters looked like-it seemed to change based on different descriptions in the book.

This book was scattered to me, but a good story anyway.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of Those Who Save Us so I was really psyched to see that Jenna Blum had a new book out. The Stormchasers was a very quick read, but nowhere near as fulfilling as Those Who Save Us was. The story centers on Karena and Charles, fraternal twins who have been estranged since Charles' bipolar disorder landed him in the hospital 20 years earlier. Charles is a storm chaser, following tornados and equating them to the storm of emotions in his own head that his disorder brings him. Karena sets out to find her brother by going into the storms herself.

All the makings of a good novel were there, but somehow it just didn't gel together as well as I had hoped. The dialogue between the characters was a little too colloquial (sort of read more like a script than a novel), and I didn't feel as invested in the characters as I should have.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

La paura è l'istinto di sopravvivenza che fa sentire la sua voce. È il corpo che dice: non ho abbastanza informazioni su ciò che sta succedendo. Devo saperne di più, per scoprire come mettermi in salvo.
La paura è un bene. O dovrebbe esserlo.

4,5 - Lo tenevo fermo da anni, ritenendo, a torto, che fosse il romanzo da cui era stato tratto Twisters (il film). Assolutamente no, questo romanzo viene dopo e, anzi, lo cita, perchè alcuni dei turisti che scelgono di vivere l'esperienza di chi insegue i tornado in giro per gli immensi States centrali si è appassionato dopo aver visto il film.
Il libro della Blum è anche questo: vi trasporterà nel pieno di quell'atmosfera elettrica, inseguendo celle temporalesche in sviluppo e mostri di vento e grandine su e giù per colline e campagne, tra canyon e motel dispersi in mezzo al nulla.

Ma è anche la storia di una ricerca e di un fratello (gemello) sparito (per scelta) da vent'anni.
Ed è in realtà la storia degli effetti della malattia mentale su una famiglia, di quanto possa influire la presenza di un membro malato; perché è facile dire che la malattia mentale si può curare (non sempre) e che il malato non deve essere rinchiuso in una casa di cura (a volte la libertà è il male peggiore).
La realtà è che le famiglie vengono lasciate sole, inesorabilmente sole, e tra noi vagano individui a un millimetro dal precipitare nella pazzia pericolosa, e che neppure di distruggere se stessi o gli altri. Tanto, poi, arriva la seminfermità, l'incoscienza di ferire, la non imputabilità.

La colpa ricade su chi (sano) doveva invece rinunziare alla propria esistenza e dedicarsi a sorvegliare, prevenire e impedire, in un corto circuito di responsabilità e accuse che annienta proprio chi è sano.

Forse ho divagato un po' dalla trama in sé, ma questo romanzo mi ha fatto pensare moltissimo, perché si interroga proprio su chi resta e chi deve ogni giorno raccogliere i cocci di distruzioni altrui.
Come un uragano, Charles avanza, sconvolge e prosegue, scomparendo. Karena è la pioniera che non si arrende, che crede ancora nel sogno di costruire e recuperare, a ogni costo. Kevin è il buon samaritano, che passa, vede e si ferma ad aiutare. Personaggi imperfetti, gravati da bugie e debolezze. Ma anche così vivi, così reali.
Che peccato averlo letto solo ora.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off I really like the cover. Usually I don't think too much about them unless they are terrible, but I really liked that the sister is on the front and then if you turn it around the brother is on the back (and no faces). I appreciated that the book was set in the mid-west (tornado alley to be specific); an often neglected part of the US.

The moment you start reading the book you know this woman has problems. Though she is successful in her job and money, her personal life is another story. Karena has been looking for her twin brother for twenty years. After a call from a from a Wichita Kansas hospital, on her/their birthday of all days, she is determined to find him. How? By chasing the storms -tornados that is- because of course her bipolar twin chases storms.

Despite what that may sound like the book doesn't have as much tornado scenes as you'd expect and they weren't as exciting as I had hoped. It is mostly focused on the Karena’s relationship with her brother, Charles, which is of course messed up. There is this huge secret that they both keep and something that Karena did to Charles that she has regretted for 20 years.

The book is set up in 3 sections: 1st- looking for Charles; 2nd- Karena's and Charles's past; 3rd- the aftermath of finding Charles. The first part wasn’t very entertaining though you’d think it would be with storm chasing and a romance going on. The romance was pretty fast and I didn’t like it. Karena is all for keeping the fact that her brother is bipolar a secret from the people she chases with. “This is family business” she remembers her dad saying and I thought yeah this makes sense; it’s nobody’s business what your personal life is. She keeps from telling anyone—for three days—and then she caves in and tells Kevin. By the end of the week everyone in the crew knows about her brother, way to keep it a secret Karena. Also she and Kevin hook up by the end of the week after two meaningful conversations. My only complaint is, why so much build up? They waited sooooo long before they got together. I know she tried to build up the relationship thoroughly before doing anything unwise like sleeping with someone you just met but seriously she waited six whole days! If you couldn't tell I'm being sarcastic.

Now the other secret that is major she keeps under wraps much longer, maybe too long. The middle section of the story I enjoyed the most, which is when the reader finds out what the major secret is. The relationship between Karena and Charles is as realistic as I can imagine with a bipolar disorder in the mix. It’s darker than I had imagined but I learned more about the bipolar disorder. There are parts I could feel for both siblings and their mother. There is some cheesy dialect but overall the writing was great.

And last but not least the ending, I may be spoiling but I don’t think so. I wasn’t not satisfied, but I’m big on endings. Meaning, I like happy endings. And you would think on how it turned out she would be happy but she’s not, not completely. It was like things are all right, but they will never be any better than that. Karena can never truly let Charles go it seems; she has to be near him all the time (within driving distance that is). I thought I was close to my siblings but they are really close. I could appreiciate their relationship.

[Erika Robuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

When The Stormchasers begins, Karena Jorge is turning 38, but in spite of her newspaper job and close friends, her life feels empty. She feels the vacancy of her separation from her bipolar, storm-chasing twin, Charles. Before the day is over, she gets the call she’s been anticipating for years–a psychiatric ward in Kansas contacts her looking for the family of a man who has just checked in. Once Karena is able to get to the hospital, her brother is gone, but she is determined to find him. Karena convinces her newspaper to send her on assignment with a group of storm chasers for a story, while she searches for Charles.

From the danger and thrill of chasing tornadoes, to the beginnings of a love affair, Karena gets more than she bargained for at every stop. When her past collides with her present, she finds that the only way around the storm is straight through it.

I read The Stormchasers in four nights. Blum’s descriptions of turbulent weather are riveting, frightening, and invigorating, and her family narrative is every bit as rich. The setting and plot are unique and unpredictable, and the ending is very satisfying. Blum does a brilliant job of giving characters redemption without letting anyone off the hook, which to me, makes the best kind of ending.

While Blum’s earlier novel, Those Who Save Us, was very different from The Stormchasers, both utilize a split time period narrative structure, memorable characters, and descriptions so clear I envisioned them as movies while I read. Blum is fearless and unflinching in her writing, and it’s no wonder she’s an internationally bestselling novelist. She penetrates the heart of what it is to be human, to make choices, and to face the consequences of those choices head-on.

Fans of Jodi Piccoult and Caroline Leavitt will love The Stormchasers. I can’t wait to see where Blum’s next novel will take me.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book, especially after reading the synopsis. I immediately thought of the movie Twister, a movie that I love, and I had hoped this book would be similar in plot and action, unfortunately my hopes had been dashed. I was disappointed in the delivery of the action sequences. I felt Jenna Blum was a little lackadaisical in the description of the tornado/storm chases. I felt a little let down in some parts, because I wanted more. The feeling of being thrilled or something like that.

However, what Blum did do right was present a really compelling look into the mind and life of someone who suffers from a bipolar disorder. When Blum narrated Charles manic episodes, that's when I got that feeling I was looking for, but missed when reading the storm chasing parts. I wanted to feel like I didn't know what was to come, but couldn't wait to get there, well that's how I ended up feeling. Charles was an intriguing, but sympathetic character. He was my favorite overall... He may be crazy, but I loved that about him.

As I already said, I thought some parts were slow in the beginning when they shouldn't have been. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprise at how much I ended up liking and enjoying this book, especially the relationship between Charles and his twin sister Karena. Starting in the middle to the end is when I really got sucked into the story. I cried a few times and felt frustrated and anger at others. I have always felt an author succeed when a reader feels emotionally connected.

Don't be put off by my not liking that the actions parts weren't there, because the story is rich with other kinds of action and it had a vividly descriptive and haunting narration that will captivate you...

[David Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's my review that I posted on Amazon:

Storms are such an apt metaphor for this well-written novel that moves along as if caught in a tornado's cycling winds. There are the actual storms, brought to life with descriptive prose, full of color, fury and passion. Then there are the storms between characters, brother and sister, children and parents, boyfriend and girlfriend. And finally, there is the storm that rages in Charles' head, electric synapses firing in unpredictable sequences, connecting thoughts that do not appear logical and leading him to destructive behavior, both to himself and to others. I found this unifying metaphor to be very satisfying as a reader, it helped me to make connections among nature, human behavior and relationships, none of which are ever completely under our feeble mortal control. The lesson of this book is, in one word, humility, in the face of that which is much bigger than any of us. The sooner we accept that, the more at peace our life will be.

Brava, Jenna Blum!

[Laura Busch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the wonderful author I was able to obtain an advance copy of The Stormchasers. I can highly recommend this book which will be on sales May 27th. new and very different subject matter, very refreshing.

[Veronique · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunarely this book wasn't for me. I just couldn't get into it.
I did not connect with the characters and found the side characters too two dimensional. Also the romance felt a bit rushed.
I did like the stormchasing in this book and this definitely made me read on.
I can't tell you if the bipolar disorder was a good representation because I have never got into contact with someone with bipolar.

[Joshua Jonah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book from a good friend

This book offered a fairly simple but engaging story about a woman who has a sick brother and an obsession with storm chasing. While it is a good story with heart and minimal romance, it does feel slow after she’s met with the fellow storm chaser. After that it resumes and it finished decently well. I feel comfortable giving it a 4. Feels familiar but not riddled with cliches like others in this genre.

[Rianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sja wat zal ik ervan zeggen.. leest lekker weg in de vakantie

[Andrea at Reading Lark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Posted on Reading Lark 4/17/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

When I was approached about reading this novel I hesitated. I have never been particularly interested in the weather or bi-polar disorder. Furthermore, these topics seemed like a massive undertaking to merge into one cohesive novel. However, I am really trying this year to read things outside of my normal reading comfort zone and broaden my horizons with new genres and authors. Because Goldberg McDuffie has never lead me astray before in the books they have asked me to read - I decided to take a leap of faith with this one. I couldn't have been more pleased with the result.


The Stormchasers follows the difficult history of twins, Charles and Karena. As children, the two were close and often Karena was the only one who could reason with Charles as his dark moods descended. As the twins get older, Charles moods become more erratic and dangerous. He often resorts to using hateful words - slinging them like venom at those he loves the most - and physical strength to get his way. The one thing that soothes Charles more than anything else are the massive storms that roll through southern Minnesota and its neighboring states. Throughout the book, the behavior and structure of the storms becomes a symbol for Charles. At times, he is calm and relaxed, but within moments things can take a very nasty turn.

This book also has so many complex layers; it is about far more than just storms and bi-polar disorder. The book also takes a hard look at buried secrets and the issue of trust in relationships. Also, many times in literature, being a twin is painted as this beautiful picture where you're other half is your best friend and support system. It was interesting for me to see a different picture painted in this book. As much as Karena loves her brother, he drains her and complicates her life at every turn. She has to learn to balance her love for him with the need to be able to live her life without constantly worrying that one of his episodes will result in her losing everything.

I also enjoyed the way the book was structured. The beginning is set in the present day as Karena is frantically looking for Charles after not being able to locate him for twenty years. She wants to take care of him and make sure he is safe. After receiving a call from a hospital in Kansas, Karena takes off on a storm chasing adventure in the hopes that she will find someone who can show her the way to her twin. The trip proves to be more enlightening than she could ever imagine as Karena finds herself enamored with the storms and her attentive guide, Kevin.

The second section of the book takes the reader back to 1988 on the day of Charles and Karena's 18th birthday. It is on this day that their lives will be altered forever and part of why the two go their separate ways for so long. This section of the book was my favorite. Life is full of choices and often these choices lead us to do things and keep secrets when we know that we are in the wrong. I have always felt that in certain situations I would always do the "right" thing, but this portion of the novel made me think about how others might be lead down a different path.

The last section of the book brought the past into the present as Karena and Charles are still dealing with the incident from the evening of their 18th birthday. The storms in their lives have reached the point of the most destruction, but can they calm the winds and rain to salvage something good for themselves? Can they save their relationship after all the hurt and betrayals?

Jenna Blum is an amazing writer who truly took me into worlds I have never been to before and made me care about them. She also brought forward two characters that will stick with me for quite some time, but they weren't perfect. I appreciated that. The beauty of Karena and Charles is in their flaws - the messy parts they hide from view. Beauty comes from chaos. This novel is written like a storm - it grasps you and refuses to let go until all the energy has been seeped into the very last period. I look forward to reading other works by Jenna Blum in the future.

One Last Gripe: I wanted to know more about the Motorcycle Guy. Who was he? Why was he out in that storm?

My Favorite Thing About This Book: Karena's redemption

First Sentence: Karena Jorge's birthday starts as a quiet affair, but she doesn't mind.

Favorite Character: Kevin

Least Favorite Character: At times it was Charles and at times it was Karena - I did like both characters so these were only fleeting moments

[Mookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love prairie storms. It's hard to articulate to someone not from the prairies what's so beautiful about miles of flat land, and overwhelming sky, and the dark clouds that encroach from the horizon. Jenna Blum writes in ways that is so tangent and real and she articulates perfectly the feel of summer road-trips and solo flights and sitting in empty parking of highway motels. You can taste the scenery. I will read this book over and over again for the descriptors alone.

A lot of reviewers have mentioned they dislike Charles, and that the book would have benefited without him. I disagree, I think the storm-chasing was a secondary plot-point for a very good reason. Having a sibling with bi-polar issues, I thought the descriptions of Charles manic episodes was written bang on. Loving brother one day, malevolent force the next. Rarely laid back, you get the sense that he's always spring-loaded. There's an intense current that exists inside many people with 'mood' disorders, again like a summer storm crackling on the horizon, and I thought this tornado theme was an absolutely perfect metaphor. Blum might have hyped his mood swings a bit more than necessary. I think that a lot of readers who don't have loved ones with mental disorders might not relate to how absolutely hard it is for Karena. They might ask, why isn't she tougher? Can't she see that's he playing her? Can't she see that he needs meds? Why doesn't she lose him, he's a jerk. It's not as black and white as that. It's not that easy to cut out your only remaining family. I understand how your life can become irrevocably intertwined with that of a sibling. And medication comes at a great cost, and with my sibling medication completely shifted his personality and cognitive functionality. It really does play with how you view the fundamentals of your brain, and whether or not you should dim the lights down. So it was very realistic to see this intense guy integrating holistic remedies into his life, and native philosophies of mental mania, because a lot of people with these disorders do the exact same things to avoid turning to drugs. Really struck a cord with me. I think Karena did overreact to his rambling journal entries and pinned-up articles on the wall. I know a lot of artists that do the same thing.

The person that bothered me the most was the romantic interest, Kevin. On one hand, I liked him immensely. There was just something endearing about this 'loafy' stormchaser always tugging down his shirt like a schoolboy. On the other hand, he was so irritating. As another review mentioned, there was no reason to call her 'Laredo' every other sentence. How many times do you call somebody by their name during a conversation? The dialogue could have gone a lot smoother without the nicknames. And I found it annoying how he lectured her all the time. It felt like in every conversation he would hold up a hand and say "whoa, Laredo. Hold up. A, we can't do that, B, etc etc". I get that he's a high school teacher but she's not a student. It was patronizing. He was way too overprotective of her in terms of her relationship with her brother, and at that point I wanted him to butt out. I also understand how he has 'trust' issues, but they've known each other for two weeks, she's not obligated to unload every deep dark secret right away. Aaand they started discussing kids names a wee bit early for my liking. Karena was so great away from Kevin, but when she was with him I felt she became a bit meek and pathetic. I think Kevin was written more as a bulletin brief of stormchasing facts, and Blum struggled with integrating him into a natural character. I like the idea of Kevin, but he wasn't well-written, and I couldn't get a good grasp of his character. Also, for the life of me, I can't envision what a "pancake face" looks like. I mean I can, but it's fairly comical.

I think the relationships between Karena and both men felt a little forced, which was a shame because an easy solution to that would have been to get rid of them constantly addressing each other (Laredo, K, sistah), having them stop clapping each other on the back, cool it with the lectures, and the interactions would have been much more natural.

I make it sound like this book was an awful read. Not at all! Very compelling, engaging story, with realistic people (although unrealistic dynamics), with an incredibly evocative landscape, of which I will read over and over again.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a huge fan of Jenna Blum's first book Those Who Save Us, I was disappointed that this book didn't deliver the same impact as her first. And very surprised that the writing style is one of the major drawbacks. The plot is certainly compelling enough - Karena is searching for her estranged bipolar twin among the storm chasers of the mid west. Karena and Charles carry a dark secret that binds them as much as their twin-ness. A romance, a tornado, and a reunion all add to the fairly fast paced storyline. Some of it works (storm chasing is on my bucket list so I was happy to read about their adventures with nature) and some of it doesn't (I'm not one for everything to get tied up with a bow at the end - this was a little too easy, wasn't it?). But more distracting is Blum's incessant use of character names in the dialogue. When I talk to someone directly I rarely state their name - they know who they are! But Karena's storm chaser boyfriend Kevin uses his nickname for her, "Laredo", in almost every line of dialogue. I just opened to a random page and found three examples. This sounds like nitpicking but it was very noticeable and really detracted from the naturalness of the dialogue. And now that I've pointed it out you will be hard pressed to ignore it. Sorry. This book has a lot going for it as a fun summer read but if you are a fan of Blum's first book, go into this with reasonable expectations for a fun soap opera plot and a made-for-tv ending.

[Tami Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW!!! Double WOW!
This book was AMAZING! I just got it in the mail (free courtesy of Goodreads, and the Author/Publisher..Thank you very much by the way), yesterday, and 24 hours later I have finished it. I love this book so much, it was impossible to pit this book down. I love the way Jenna describes the whole twin dynamic, of Charles and Karena.
This book is about a divorced woman (Karena), who in her search for her bipolar twin brother (Charles) finds a love that she never thought she was good enough to have because of a secret that her and her family have hidden for a number of years. I laughed, (the flying cow reference as well as the interaction between Kevin and Karena) and I cried, (The story of 1988. Thank you Thank you Thank you so much for this book and I sincerely look forward to passing this book along as well as reading it again.

[Andrew Fendrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book. It was a disappointment.

I'd call it a YA-written Lifetime-TV novel for adults.

The language was unbearable. Every single character's penchant for the "f-bomb" would make Gillian Flynn blush. I can handle this type of language in a Stephen King thriller, but in a story about a middle-aged divorced woman trying to find her wayward bi-polar twin brother? It's superfluous and distracting.

The present-tense narrative reads like 50 Shades of Grey. (Which I haven't read, let me clarify.) If you want present-tense done well, read All the Light We Cannot See.

Sorry, Jenna Blum, I wanted to like this story. I thoroughly enjoyed the storm chasing scenes -- or should I say "scene," because there was ONE. One big storm.

Oh well, I guess not everything you read can be a Pulitzer!

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am wavering between one and two stars. It wasn't completely unreadable, but it was an exercise in self-indulgence clothed in the trite trappings of a modern pop novel. Blum wants to let us know that she is the one person in the world who understands (and can convey) what bipolar is all about. The resulting book is nearly empty of story, although there are a few entertaining passages here and there. The analogy to tornadoes is unimaginative, and the rest of it falls rather flat.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book since her first novel is among my favorites. But this one was a total letdown. It had glimpses of page-turning momentum but not nearly enough. The tornado plot was too technical, the character development fell short, and the bulk of the story was dull and unengaging. It had potential but no follow through.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I adored Jenna Blum's first book, and looked forward to this. What a disappointment! I have not read such a terrible book since I was 14 and my recently widowed uncle brought me a big box of Harlequin romances that had belonged to his wife. There is not one thing I liked about this book. Not one. Cheesy, cheesy romance. Annoying prose. Pull-your-hair-out-repetitive. Just ugh.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Jeanna and even got this book from a meet and greet I want to with her but this book was not up to her level of writing. The characters were annoying, way too much backstory with little purpose and the ending wrapped up too quickly in a nice bow for a story of this nature.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for this to come out on May 27!!

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love books set in the Midwest, I love books about siblings, and I love anything related to severe weather. This book checked a lot of boxes for me.

This book caught my attention from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. The twin bond between Karena and Charles was compelling and I wanted to learn more about their relationship.

I absolutely loved the stormchasing aspect and all the descriptions of storms. It's fantastic to read a book about a character who appreciates the skies of the Midwest. My dad and I used to go look for storms when I was little (when all sane people were in their basements--yes, I get it from him) and though we never saw anything more exciting than hail or funnel clouds, those rides gave me a life-long appreciation for severe weather (and also an absence of fear). This probably greatly increased my enjoyment of this book.

This was almost a five-star read for me, but I had a few nitpicks that kept it from being a perfect book:

--The structure was clumsy. It's essentially three parts: the first and last are set in 2008 and the one in the middle is 1988. I've read books where this works, but here it felt contrived and a cheap ploy for tension. It worked, as the tension is high throughout the book, but it could have been handled in a more sophisticated way.

--The ending was a little too perfect. There are essentially no lasting negative side-effects for the events of 1988. I wish the ending had been a little more bittersweet, but as it is Karena ended up with everything: Kevin, Charles, a happy life. I'm happy that things turned out but I'm also skeptical that it would end so happily. I would have loved an ending that was a little more realistic.

Overall, I loved this book and I am excited to read the rest of Jenna Blum's books! This was a great read.

We had thunderstorms and a tornado watch (but no tornadoes) the night I started reading this. I went outside to stand in the rain and eat some hail and that complemented this book perfectly.

[Tamara Van dishoeck]

Karena krijgt na 20 jaar weer wat te horen over haar broer Charles. ze reist hem achterna en gaat met een groep mee op zoek naar haar broer. toen ze achttien waren is er iets gebeurd waardoor ze het contact zijn verloren en ze is sindsdien al op zoek naar hem. je begint eerst met het nu waar ze op zoek is naar hem maar halverwege het boek ga je terug in de tijd en lees je ook wat er toen gebeurd is. er zit romantiek in het boek maar het draait ook om de liefde tussen broer en zus en de band van een tweeling. maar er zit ook actie in en spanning omdat ze op tornado's jagen omdat dat altijd al de passie van Charles was. dit was weer een goed boek en heb er erg van genoten.

[Tamara Straetemans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stormchasers is een boek dat erg vlot leest. Zelf nam ik het elk moment op om verder te lezen. De context van het tornadojagen past erg goed bij de bipolaire stoornis van de tweelingbroer. Het verhaal nam me mee in het leven van tornadojagers, tweelingen, mensen met een bipolaire stoornis en hun naaste familie. Ik had het gevoel meer te weten te komen over deze leefwerelden zonder dat het informatief of belerend overkwam. Het hele verhaal door was ik benieuwd naar het vervolg en ik werd daarin af en toe verrast. Enkel het einde was voor mij iets te veel "en ze leefden nog lang en gelukkig" en daardoor een beetje teleurstellend.