Customer Reviews

Far from You

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

FAR FROM YOU
LISA SCHROEDER
Contemporary YA
Simon Pulse

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Alice's life is a mess, even years after the death of her beloved mother due to cancer. She is continually searching for a way to be close to her mom, her angel, because she can't deal with her father's remarriage. All Alice has left is her best friend Claire, her boyfriend Blaze, her faith, and her music. She seems to be just an afterthought to everyone else.

Thanksgiving break comes, and Alice is forced to spend that time with her stepmom's family. She can't even count on Claire anymore since they had a fight, her father is as distant as ever, and miles separate her from Blaze. Alice is as sullen as ever. But when she, her stepmother, and her newborn baby sister are trapped in a ferocious snowstorm, Alice has to confront all her pent up anger and frustration. It's a fight for life and for love that will change Alice's world forever.

FAR FROM YOU is a beautiful story, written in verse, about love and loss. Through each poem and song, it is easy to understand Alice and feel her pain. Readers will be able to relate to Alice's feeling of invisibility within her own family, and Schroeder creates this sympathy by writing in a style that evokes so much emotion. Each poem goes deep into Alice's heart, and I really enjoyed reading from her perspective, especially her songs. There is not much drama or action in this book despite the life threatening storm; instead, FAR FROM YOU focuses on emotion and relationships, especially with family. FAR FROM YOU is a very fast read, disappointingly so, but it is one that will give readers a sense of hope and belief in the power of love.

Lisa Schroeder has written one other novel in verse, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME. She is a member of Author2Author, an online writers' blog, and can also be visited online at her website:[...]
Rachael Stein
Enchanting Reviews
January 2009

This book is a lovely story about a girl trying to overcome the immense pain of losing her mother and her sudden gain of a new step-mom and baby sister. I think this book is beautifully written and the story is so powerful. I love this book in terms that words can't describe how much this book meant to me and how much it helped me to heal the loss of my grandmother. Lisa Schroeder is definitely an author who writes stories deep from her heart.

I am a big fan of Lisa Schroeder and she doesn't disappoint! Alice's journey is beautifully written and full of emotion. I loved her boyfriend Blaze, who is such a great example of an awesome boyfriend-I kind of had a book boy crush on him. I also liked the elements of Alice and her faith-it wasn't overt or anything, but it made Alice a more realistic. I did find myself wanting to yell at Alice for being so selfish at times, but that's what makes Lisa Schroeder such a great writer. Her characters are real, their relationships believable, and her writing flows. I still like I Heart You, You Haunt Me better, but if you liked that book or are a fan of novels in verse, give Far From You a try.

Alice's mother died of cancer years ago. However, she has yet to move on. Things worsen when her father remarries, and her half-sister, Ivy, is born. Of course, Alice has a few things in her life: her wonderful boyfriend Blaze, her best friend Claire, her music, and most importantly, her faith.

However, one day over Thanksgiving Break, Alice, Ivy, and her stepmom become trapped in a snowstorm. Now Alice must deal with issues she has long avoided and wait for her angel to save her...

I enjoyed Far From You. The greatest strength of novel is that it is written in verse. I don't normally read books in verse, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. Schroeder's writing is engaging, this novel definitely makes me believe in the phrase, "Less is more." I am now more interested in reading Lisa Schroeder's other work I Heart You, You Haunt Me.

The only real criticism of Far From You I have is the cast of characters. I felt that they were underdeveloped. After I finished reading the book, I realized that I knew very little about Blaze, Claire, or even Alice, but this is not something that should detract anyone from the novel. It is worth reading.

Gold Star Award Winner!

Alice's mother died of cancer years ago. Everyone else has moved on. Her father has remarried and is expecting a new baby, but Alice continues to mourn, finding solace in songwriting, attending services, and performing at her mother's old church with best friend/musical soul mate, Claire. And with spending time with her boyfriend, Blaze.

Nothing can shake Alice from her grief - from the birth of a baby sister, Ivy; to the progression of her relationship with Blaze; to her ups and downs with Claire.

It is only when she, Victoria, and Ivy are caught on the road during a freak snow storm that Alice begins to regain her balance and consider the possibility that her mother is closer than she ever imagined.

Author Lisa Schroeder's decision to tell this story entirely in verse is deceptively simple, but the effectiveness of this type of narration quickly becomes clear - cutting through the excess of more straightforward prose to the raw center of Alice's emotional turmoil.

Despite the story being told from a single character's perspective, Ms. Schroeder still manages to drop subtle hints (i.e., her father's pained silence, Blaze's easy interaction with the stepmother his girlfriend has written off, their efforts to remind Alice that they're a family) that let readers know Alice's perspective might be somewhat biased.

It's rare to find a book that moves me to tears, but FAR FROM YOU touched my heart, making it an emotional journey worth taking.

Reviewed by: Cat

For years, Alice hasn't been fully living. Ever since she lost her mother to cancer, she has immersed herself in her morose music, has been preoccupied with her boyfriend, and refuses to connect with her stepmother, Victoria. But this becomes harder for her to do when Victoria has a baby, Ivy, and Alice is left with overwhelming feelings of resentment and sorrow. When Victoria, Alice, and newborn Ivy and trapped in a deadly snowstorm and their situation goes from bad to deadly, Alice will discover new perspective and find that maybe her mother really isn't as far from her as she thought.

Far From You is a beautifully written and artfully arranged novel made up of free-verse poems that range from humorous to heartrending to contemplative. The plot moves quickly, and the poems are oftentimes quite short, but the beautiful thing about Far From You is that although it is not very long, it is brimming with emotion. Alice's journey to reconciliation with her mother's death and the fact that her father has found a way to move on is beautiful and touching, and the circumstances surrounding that journey are suspenseful. Lisa Schroeder has created a lyrical and uplifting tale of understanding, love and family.

Alice's mom died of cancer. Now her father's remarried and her new stepmother is having a baby. Alice feels both unloved and neglected by this news. She can't bring herself to help out around the house or even help with the baby. All the rage inside is killing her and she has no outlet except her music. But people are starting to complain that her songs have been sad for too long and it's time for a change. How can Alice change the way she feels? Now, everything's locked inside. Alice's fighting with everyone in her life and she's not sure she can take it anymore. On they way home from forced road trip to her stepmother's family, Alice and her new family become lost and trapped in a huge blizzard. They have very little food, not a lot of warm clothes, and dwindling hope. Will they survive trapped in the car together?


Lisa Schroeder (Author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me) writes in verse. The poems are excellent, leaving the reader to feel the tension, the anger, the hopelessness of Alice's situations. This book is a fabulous, emotional read.

This is my third.
I've read reviews
I've heard people talk.
Some good.
Some bad.
But honestly,
I think this is by far
her best
of the three.

She said,
this is her least known.
I don't know why.

It's not really
about the story
as much as it is
about evoking
great emotion.
The characters aren't
deep
but they do
grow.
The plot isn't
thick
but keeps you
riveted.

I sat on my couch
reading the last of it,
tears streaming down my face,
emotion overflowed.

Her books are journeys
from negative
to positive.
A common thread
in all her works
is
Death is not
the end.

Alice's mom died of cancer years ago and her father remarried. She dislikes her stepmom and doesn't feel close to her newborn half-sister. She finds solace in writing songs and being with her boyfriend. When she's stuck in a car with her stepmom and half-sister during a snowstorm, Alice reevaluates her life and her rocky relationships with others. When the snowstorm worsens and hours turn into days Alice feels the sensation of someone or something, perhaps a guardian angel, watching over her.

I was bawling by the end of this book--yes I'm a crier, but only if a book is awesome and beautiful and sad. FAR FROM YOU is a verse novel and goes by quickly, but in fewer words than a prose novel the author packed in so much emotion that I marveled at her style.

Alice's mum died of cancer. It was very sad, and ripped Alice apart. Alice's dad remarried and now they are having a new baby which Alice feels will only prove to separate her even further from her father. When The four of them go to visit the new wife's family across country Alice doesn't see why she has to go. Her dad gets called away for business so Alice is stuck driving home with the step-mom and baby. When Her step-mom takes a detour on back roads and the weather gets bad, the three of them are stuck. Alice will have to learn how to grow up and how to except the new things in her life.

I liked that Alice was named after Alice in Wonderland and that there were a lot of reference to it throughout. I also appreciated that Alice was religious, but not preachy. She had her beliefs and she was sad her boyfriend couldn't share them, but she hoped he might come around. I did have a problem with her boyfriend, Blaze, though. He came of as being very psychologically abusive. Maybe it's just me but there seemed to be something off about him. He came on kind of hard and unfeeling at times. Alice always mentioned how sweet Blaze was, but he just seemed sort of callous. Other than that this was a good story about survival and how you can come to love people that you thought you never would. It was touching how Alice cared for her really young stepsister, even though in the beginning she wanted nothing to do with her. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be trapped in a car on a back road in a terrible snowstorm, just waiting for someone to come. This was a great novel in verse and I would recommend it to fans of verse novels and realistic fiction.

First Line:
"We're alone
with only
the cold
and dark
to keep us
company."

Favorite Line:
"He is
better than warm fall colors,
better than beautiful music,
better than doughnuts and coffee."