Customer Reviews

Flight to the Lonesome Place

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This book is one of my all time favorite kids books. It is still wonderful. Too bad you can't find a copy of it to save your life! It has been long out of print.

Ronnie Cleveland is an orphan. He was plucked out of the orphanage because of his amazing memory and logic skills.

Now he is an entertainer - his hair is dyed blue, he is known as the Blue Boy - and a multimillion dollar corporation is based on his popularity.

One night his world falls apart as a young lady warns him he is in grave danger. He finds she is right. He remembers some things that now cause people to want him dead. And he has to use all his mental power to excape being killed.

He joins forces with the young lady, an invisible voice named Marlowe, and a Puerto Rican native named Louis Black, all fugitives.

This book is simply amazing. I highly recommend it!

I've just re-read Alexander Key's book "Flight to the Lonesome Place." The following is from the dust jacket (slight spoilers follow):

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What happens when a boy mathematical genius with a computerlike memory finds himself the target of unknown murderers? Like anyone else, he runs!

But Ronnie Cleveland can count the people he trusts on one finger. And that one, a strange girl named Ana Maria Rosalita, has more than enough troubles of her own.

In Puerto Rico, Ronnie finds Black Luis, another fugitive, and a mot unusual ally, Marlowe. Together they rescure Ana Maria Rosalita from her half-brother's fortress.

With relentless pursuers closing in on the runaways, Black Luis suggests one lonesome place where they could be safe. Marlowe goes there often and returns with huge mangoes that are truly "out of this world."

But is it a one-way trip? Ronnie's equations leave some doubt. Such a place is possible, yes. But to go there and return?

Then suddenly, time runs out. The fugitives no longer have any choice. It must be the lonesome place---and at once!
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Hmmmmmm.... This is rather an odd story, and one with a bit of a split personality. It begins as a mystery/thriller, with the two young fugitives joining forces as they try to outrun those who would do them harm. Then, about half-way through a few supernatural elements enter the mix---including the very bizarre Marlowe character. (Who, oddly enough, is never properly explained though there is a most fleeting reference to a similar creature from the past. Though it is never spelled out, the predecessor for this character is the infamous Gef the talking mongoose from the Isle of Man.) Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the two genres (thriller/supernatural) mesh all that well in this case.

I'm sorry to say that this is second-tier Alexander Key; sorry because Key really was one of my favourite authors when I was very young and I'd much prefer to rate everything he's done as highly as I can. The premise of supernaturally-gifted children on the run from authority, searching for that elusive promised land---a sanctuary where they can finally be safe---has been used by the author as the foundation for a number of his books, and it's firmly in place here. However, he explored these themes with much greater success in other titles, most notably "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "The Forgotten Door."

The "Lonesome Place" of the title doesn't come into play until the very end, which seemed a bit odd; I would certainly thought that would have been a focal point of the story. In fact, the last few chapters were fairly unsatisfying for me, with too many elements of the plot left unexplored/unexplained. A deux ex machina comes into play in order to wrap everything up much too quickly, even though the story itself is a bit open-ended. Basically, the characters finally find themselves in a situation that I really wanted to see explored in depth, and then BOOM, two sentences later the book was over. Argh!

So... I'm afraid I can't give this the unqualified recommendation that I'd wish; I admire Key very much, but this isn't one of his best. If you've read some of his other work, by all means check this one out. But if you're unfamiliar with the author, I'd recommend starting with "The Forgotten Door," which is one of my favourites and which can still be obtained very easily and inexpensively.

I read this book when I was in sixth grade, straight through in one sitting. It is a fantastic jounrney. I have been looking for this book for 10 years now; since I have had children of my own. If you can, read it!

What happens when a boy mathematical genius with a computerlike memory finds himself a target of unknown murderers?

Like anyone else, he runs!

But Ronnie Cleveland can count the people he trusts on one finger. And that one, a strange girl named Ana Maria Rosalita, has more than enough troubles of her own.

In Puerto Rico, Ronnie finds Black Luis, another fugitive, and a most unusually ally, Marlowe. Together, they rescue Ana Maria Rosalita from her half brother's fortress. With relentless pursuers closing in one the runaways, Black Luis suggests one lonesome place where they can be safe. Marlowe goes there often and returns with huge mangoes that are truly "out of this world."

But is it a one-way trip? Ronnie's equations leave some doubt. Such a place is possible, yes. But to go there and return...?

Then suddenly -- time runs out. The fugutives no longer have any choice. It must be the lonesome place -- and at once!

I enjoy all of Alexander Key's books. Ronnie is the blue boy, who has the gift of a perfect memory. He is pursued by sinster men. Not sure where to turn, he finds aid and help with two other special children: Ana Maria Rosalita and Black Luis, both who are in danger because of greed; and Marlowe, who is--well, you have to read it to find out.

I read this book in grade school and loved it! Highly recommended to any young person to start a hunger for reading. It's about a young person with unique abilities that overcomes obstacles with the aid of unusual friends. This would be a great book to bring back to print!