Helpful Score: 1
Scott has a beautiful way with words. The imagery she uses to describe the world around Sally invokes a clear picture of the trickling Tuskee River and the small, rural Pennsylvania towns Sally hops to and from. There are times when Sally expresses a self-doubt and detachment that I have felt many times. I can see a lot of myself in Sally, especially in the way that she regards the world as a struggling outsider looking in, always waiting for her moment to feel connected. Sally's internal dynamic is interesting as well because she is a contradicting mixture of strong and assured, but also weak and afraid. It takes a lot of guts to pick up and start over again, but Sally does this each time because she wants to escape the people around her. So, it's hard to tell what Sally is and that makes her more realistic. Sally is a bundle of one inconsistency after another as most of us are.
Sally has a hard life, but she doesn't make it any better for herself each time she runs away. The thing she is good at, singing, she purposefully stuffs away for a long time. Again, this is something that I find familiarity in. Sally is not without remorse for leaving her son behind, or for leaving some of the people who helped her early on as she was just getting on her feet. Even as she runs away, she always looks back on the people she has left behind.
I honestly enjoyed this book from page one. Since Sally's life is cut up into chunks, each stage is paced just right that I didn't feel any lag in the plot. As I said above, the descriptions are both beautiful and believable. Scott is a truly talented writer. With just a few words, she is able to evoke emotion and reality all in one breath. It takes talent to captivate, which Follow Me certain does.
Would you like to enter to win a copy of Follow me by Joanna Scott? Five lucky winners will win a copy, and one winner will get both Follow Me and another of Scott's works Liberation. To enter the contest, go here and follow the instructions.
Sally has a hard life, but she doesn't make it any better for herself each time she runs away. The thing she is good at, singing, she purposefully stuffs away for a long time. Again, this is something that I find familiarity in. Sally is not without remorse for leaving her son behind, or for leaving some of the people who helped her early on as she was just getting on her feet. Even as she runs away, she always looks back on the people she has left behind.
I honestly enjoyed this book from page one. Since Sally's life is cut up into chunks, each stage is paced just right that I didn't feel any lag in the plot. As I said above, the descriptions are both beautiful and believable. Scott is a truly talented writer. With just a few words, she is able to evoke emotion and reality all in one breath. It takes talent to captivate, which Follow Me certain does.
Would you like to enter to win a copy of Follow me by Joanna Scott? Five lucky winners will win a copy, and one winner will get both Follow Me and another of Scott's works Liberation. To enter the contest, go here and follow the instructions.
Rating: 4.7/5
Age R: 15+
Release Date: April 22, 2009
Thoughts:
The writing in this is....out of this world. Seriously. It's just so freakin' beautiful!
Follow Me is one of the most beautiful books I have EVER read! The story is just too, too wonderful and unforgettable, it's one I am definitely going to revisit.
The story starts off with a girl who (we later learn is Sally's granddaughter) is talking about how her father tried to kill himself, failed, then just packed up and left. Sally, the narrator's grandmother, blames herself for this. Why you say? Well, Sally (granddaughter) tells us why.
And so begins the story of Sally Werner, a sixteen year old girl who gets knocked up by her cousin. She decides to run away, leaving her baby behind on the kitchen table, only to later become Sally Angel, then Sally Mole, then Sally Bliss. Each time she runs away she changes her last name. And each time we read about a story that seriously pulls at your heartstrings. One in particular almost had me in tears. If my tear ducts worked properly I would have totally cried my eyes out. :(
Joanna Scott takes us through the amazing journey of a girl who's life ends up bringing her down, and down, and down. I completely admire this girl for having the strength to start over again more than once. In a way it was kind of cowardly, but then again, imagine if you went through that? What would you do? Not that you'd do the exact same thing but she was young and it is hard to think straight sometimes. Either way, I loved this book so much you have no idea. I'll admit at some points it was a bit slow, but that didn't last more then a minute.
I absolutely loved the way it was written. Some of it was written in the POV of Sally's granddaughter, most in the POV of Sally herself, and some in the POV of Sally's (granddaughter, kinda confusing huh? hehe) father.
Gosh darn I'm still thinking about this one particular part that made me soo dang sad you've no idea. :( I'm not gonna give any spoilers but I will say this, it has to do with one of Sally's loves. :(
-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com
Age R: 15+
Release Date: April 22, 2009
Thoughts:
The writing in this is....out of this world. Seriously. It's just so freakin' beautiful!
Follow Me is one of the most beautiful books I have EVER read! The story is just too, too wonderful and unforgettable, it's one I am definitely going to revisit.
The story starts off with a girl who (we later learn is Sally's granddaughter) is talking about how her father tried to kill himself, failed, then just packed up and left. Sally, the narrator's grandmother, blames herself for this. Why you say? Well, Sally (granddaughter) tells us why.
And so begins the story of Sally Werner, a sixteen year old girl who gets knocked up by her cousin. She decides to run away, leaving her baby behind on the kitchen table, only to later become Sally Angel, then Sally Mole, then Sally Bliss. Each time she runs away she changes her last name. And each time we read about a story that seriously pulls at your heartstrings. One in particular almost had me in tears. If my tear ducts worked properly I would have totally cried my eyes out. :(
Joanna Scott takes us through the amazing journey of a girl who's life ends up bringing her down, and down, and down. I completely admire this girl for having the strength to start over again more than once. In a way it was kind of cowardly, but then again, imagine if you went through that? What would you do? Not that you'd do the exact same thing but she was young and it is hard to think straight sometimes. Either way, I loved this book so much you have no idea. I'll admit at some points it was a bit slow, but that didn't last more then a minute.
I absolutely loved the way it was written. Some of it was written in the POV of Sally's granddaughter, most in the POV of Sally herself, and some in the POV of Sally's (granddaughter, kinda confusing huh? hehe) father.
Gosh darn I'm still thinking about this one particular part that made me soo dang sad you've no idea. :( I'm not gonna give any spoilers but I will say this, it has to do with one of Sally's loves. :(
-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com
