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hugbandit7's review against another edition
4.0
I was not sure about this book when I first started reading. Anna is not a very likable character. She is OCD to the extreme and has other issues that might be hard for some to read. She is also obsessed with a therapist/counselor that she meets by chance at the laundromat and ends up his patient. In the beginning, I wasn't sure where this story was headed. But as I moved further into the book, I observed as Anna shared more of herself and we learn why she is the way she is and perhaps there is hope for her to overcome her issues. Anna moves from being a shallow self-absorbed character to one that is complex and her story is like peeling an onion, it takes many layers to get to the truth.
Anna, who never goes anywhere, decides to drive from California to Colorado for her former counselor's wedding. This is a woman that does not have a car and haven't driven in years. But she has a plan or the start of one, and with the help of her neighbor, she ventures off to Colorado. Along the way, she stumbles across a homeless mother and daughter, and for some unknown reason offers them a ride. That is where the story really takes off because Mellow, the daughter, ends up going to Colorado with her after her mother runs off. This trip is actually good for both Anna and Mellow because they both realize what they need to make their lives complete.
Anna's story is told in pieces and by the end, we have a better understanding about her character. I actually grew to like Anna especially when she realizes that maybe she has more to offer the world.
There are a few lines that spoke to me that I would like to share with you:
"Hope is the admission that things might get better. It's a risk, though, because there is no guarantee. Despair is absolute. Giving up requires no risk. Brave people hope. Cowards despair."
"...sometimes, when you can't get what you want, you get what you need instead."/b>
This is a surprisingly good book and we give it 4 paws up. Definitely worth the read.
Anna, who never goes anywhere, decides to drive from California to Colorado for her former counselor's wedding. This is a woman that does not have a car and haven't driven in years. But she has a plan or the start of one, and with the help of her neighbor, she ventures off to Colorado. Along the way, she stumbles across a homeless mother and daughter, and for some unknown reason offers them a ride. That is where the story really takes off because Mellow, the daughter, ends up going to Colorado with her after her mother runs off. This trip is actually good for both Anna and Mellow because they both realize what they need to make their lives complete.
Anna's story is told in pieces and by the end, we have a better understanding about her character. I actually grew to like Anna especially when she realizes that maybe she has more to offer the world.
There are a few lines that spoke to me that I would like to share with you:
"Hope is the admission that things might get better. It's a risk, though, because there is no guarantee. Despair is absolute. Giving up requires no risk. Brave people hope. Cowards despair."
"...sometimes, when you can't get what you want, you get what you need instead."/b>
This is a surprisingly good book and we give it 4 paws up. Definitely worth the read.
amiewilson's review
5.0
At first I wasn't too sure about Anna. I had compassion for her and her struggle with OCD, and several other issues, but found her to be brusque & really rude to the few people she allowed (grudgingly) into her life. As the story unfolds a little more the reader starts to glimpse the personal loss & grief at the root of Anna's mental health issues. My compassion for her grew as her humor and insight were slowly revealed.
Anna sets out on a trip that the reader knows will be really hard for her given her issues, but the trip becomes the catalyst for her to face her problems. Her relationship with a lonely, homeless teenager she finds on the road also really opens her up & helps the reader to relate to her. We start to see why she pushes people away. Throughout the story Anna remembers sessions with her psychiatrist as he tries to get her to face her past & her grief. It turns out the relationship between the two is very complicated- I felt really torn about it and realized that the biggest theme I took away from the novel is that nothing is how it appears on the surface. Anna's compulsions aren't black and white. She thinks they are but she learns she has to bend her own rules for comfort in order to just get by on the road. People & relationships are complicated and messy. Lines are blurred. In the end I wasn't sure how I felt about her shrink and his actions but I did like Anna & felt heartened by her journey & knew that although she wasn't suddenly going to change her behavior she was certainly on a path to healing & a life less closed off from the world.
Anna sets out on a trip that the reader knows will be really hard for her given her issues, but the trip becomes the catalyst for her to face her problems. Her relationship with a lonely, homeless teenager she finds on the road also really opens her up & helps the reader to relate to her. We start to see why she pushes people away. Throughout the story Anna remembers sessions with her psychiatrist as he tries to get her to face her past & her grief. It turns out the relationship between the two is very complicated- I felt really torn about it and realized that the biggest theme I took away from the novel is that nothing is how it appears on the surface. Anna's compulsions aren't black and white. She thinks they are but she learns she has to bend her own rules for comfort in order to just get by on the road. People & relationships are complicated and messy. Lines are blurred. In the end I wasn't sure how I felt about her shrink and his actions but I did like Anna & felt heartened by her journey & knew that although she wasn't suddenly going to change her behavior she was certainly on a path to healing & a life less closed off from the world.
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