Customer Reviews

Follow Me: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a writer, I read a lot, always looking for new styles and interesting turns of phrase. Joanna Scott has become my new favorite author. I quickly ran through her book, Follow Me, in a week. I couldn't put it down and wanted to enjoy every word of this consuming, at once bitter and sweet, story that spans several generations of women. Mistaken identities, family complications, love, and a sense of place dominate the books intertwining themes. At points I loved and hated all of the main characters, a sign that Joanna Scott is capable of creating personalities that are so true to life that I have found myself thinking about them as if they are my neighbors and friends.

Even more lovely and intriguing than the plot twists and turns, Joanna Scott uses language that made me realize that English can be just as beautiful as any romance language. Her poignant sentiments are dramatic without being saccharin. For example, early on in the book one of the characters runs away from her life and family after a traumatic event. "But still she runs. Running, running, running. How many lives start over this way, by putting one foot in front of the other?"

I considered how many of us today must start over because our investments have decreased so dramatically in value or because we, or someone in our family, lost a job. Starting over is frightening and painful. And yet, Joanna Scott is right: starting over is simply putting one foot in front of the other in a different direction. What I find so inspiring about Follow Me is that its characters are not afraid to start over. Indeed, they find it almost impossible to not immediately start over when life doesn't go their way. A lesson that at least bears consideration, if not emulation, by all of us.

Joanna Scott's book gives us a story told mainly by Sally Bliss, a granddaughter of Sally Werner aka Mole aka Bliss. It is essentially a recounting of Sally Werner's life, gathered from what she told her granddaughter and what Sally Bliss was also told by her father via recorded cassettes. In 1946 rural Pennsylvania, 16-year-old Sally Werner lets herself be taken for a ride on her cousin Daniel Werner's motorcycle. The enthralling ride, followed by what Sally thought was innocent but exhilarating flirting and kissing, ends in Daniel raping (in my opinion) Sally. She then is left carrying his baby and with guilt imposed upon her by her family that she was the one who tricked Daniel and made him commit that sinful act. Sally proceeds to deliver a baby boy, to abandon him on the kitchen table in her parent's house and to run away in pursuit of a new life. The fruits of that pursuit don't always turn out what Sally might have wanted but her optimism for life and belief in destiny help her along the way to live an amazing, sometimes tragic, sometimes happy, but never mundane, life.

Admittedly, Follow Me is a little slow at the beginning and somewhat difficult to get into, but I implore you to keep reading because it gets better and better with each page. The style of Ms. Scott's writing is very distinct and present from the first page. Her use of verbs creating stand-alone sentences makes it seem that it is a dream we're reading about, an urgent dream, sometimes a nightmare, from which Sally Werner wants to run away. It's also like Tuskee River flowing north and outlining Sally's journey through life. This writing is very intriguing and it kept me wanting to read more until I became absorbed by the book and couldn't stop even if I wanted to, which I didn't. The story of Sally's life, her actions driven by the need to run away from town to town, her belief that she would always be haunted by leaving her son behind, are intoxicating. Without knowing when or how, I was pulled into the whirl of that river Sally had become and even when I wasn't reading the book, it was constantly in my thoughts. Follow Me is so many things that one could really write a whole essay on it. Not only is it a saga spanning three generations, but also a tragic love story, a depiction of how much our lives are run by chances we're not aware of and a tribute to the finest American storytelling of which I had been so unappreciative before Scott's book landed in my hands. I do not like the term "modern classic", but Follow Me might very well become one.

Sally Werner, a Pennsylvania farm girl, decides to throw caution to the wind and take a ride on her cousin's motorcycle. This choice will change her life forever. A teenager mother in 1946, she abandons her baby boy with her family and runs away to start a new life only a few miles away. Sally runs to escape the people she feels judges her for her mistakes. Yet the unfortunate nature of her life is that she always feels like she has to run away and start over again. Most of the time, this is the result of her own feelings of threat and failure. With each new place that Sally runs to, she adopts a new name, a name she feels will change her fortune and reflects something she has left behind or wishes to be.

Along the way Sally has another child, a daughter named Penelope. As Sally runs, so too does Penelope until Penelope meets auburn haired Abe and falls in love. Sally's story is told by her namesake and granddaughter, the child of Penelope and Abe. Towards the end of the book, the shocking family `secret' is revealed by Sally and drives Abe away.

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.

This story swept me away into Sally's life and mind. The story flowed like the river that ties the characters of this saga. The writing engulfed me. This story is one that I will never forget and am deeply grateful to JoAnna Scott for writing.

Scott is the author of nine books. Of these nine books, one was a finalist for the Pulitizer Prize and two were finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award. If these books are anything like Follow Me, I can certainly understand why. In my never-to-be-humble opinion, this book should be nominated, as well.

Follow Me is an epic tale of women and the hard choices that they are often faced with. This is the heartbreaking story of what happens to families when adversity infiltrates them. This is a memoir of love that was never meant to be lost, but was stolen from the lovers. This is a woman's search for redemption for a life that she couldn't possibly replace with other choices; the outcomes were destined and unavoidable. This is a tragic song of a man who lost what should have been his. All of this is told by a granddaughter who pieces together the remnants of fantasy with the pieces truth searching to be found.

On Sher's "Out of Ten Scale:"

Is there any doubt, whatsover, that I am going to rate this book a 10 OUT OF 10? Of course, not! I deserves it! I only wish our bookclub read hardcovers, because this will make A GREAT BOOK CLUB discussion.

Sixteen year old Sally Werner lives in rural Pennsylvania. It is the year 1946. She accepts a ride on the motorcycle of her cousin, Daniel, a decision that changes her life forever. The end up having intercourse, an act Sally didn't consent to. She becomes pregnant, and is blamed for ruining Daniel's life. Daniel is eager to marry Sally, Sally would rather die than marry him. Forty-eight hours after giving birth to their son, Sally leaves the child in the care of her family and runs away from a future that is not her own.

Her first encounter is with the Mason family. She accepts the role as housekeeper from seventy year old "Uncle Mason." They build a relationship of trust of over the matter of two years that Sally works for him. However, while cleaning, Sally discovers a box that contains Mason's entire life savings. She is no thief, yet she can't get the money out of her mind. When her past catches up to her the local gossip begins spreading the details of Sally's past, she must pack up and leave this family she's grown to love. She goes to the box holding Uncle Mason's money, only planning on taking a small amount, when Mason's voice appears in the darkness, demanding that she take it all. Sally takes all the money, and once again runs away.

Thus begins Sally's legacy of moving from town to town, running from her own past. She uses the Tuskagee River as a path to her future, stopping off at small towns in an attempt to settle. Each time her need to flee awakens, and Sally must pack up and move on. This continues after the birth of her daughter, Penelope, is born. She can't seem to shake the guilt of abandoning her son. She sends letters home to her parents and includes a small amount of mone when she's able. Yet it isn't until almost two decades later that Sally begins to wonder what happened to her son. ..

FOLLOW ME details the lives of Sally, her daughter Penelope, and eventually her grandaughter and traces the lies created by her family to keep her in the dark about her son's existence. Just how far will they go to keep Sally form learning the truth?

Although parts of FOLLOW ME seemed to drag a bit, it didn't take long for me to become absorbed in the characters. The writing was powerful and descriptive. The characters were all well-rounded and seemed to share the same destiny, no matter how hard they tried to take control. I recommend FOLLOW ME to any reader that enjoys a detailed storyline with twists and turns that leaves you questioning until the very end.

Joanna Scott takes us on a virtual thrill ride through Sally Werner's life, spanning three generations. I really enjoyed the parts of the story based on Sally, when she left her baby, and the adventures she had a long the way. Sally changed her name a few times, Sally Bliss, Sally Mole, but she never really learned her lesson about running.

Sally has another child along the way, a girl she names Penny. She inadvertently ruins Penny's life although for spoiler reasons I cannot say why and I think that took away from Sally's story quite a bit.

Sally's namesake and granddaughter is telling the story of Sally's life and life beyond Sally. The way she describes her relationship with her Grandmother reminds me a lot of my East Coast up bringing.

The story skips around a bit and although it was very well written and I didn't get lost in the plot at anytime I had a hard time connecting. I loved the parts of the story that were about Sally herself, but drudging through the tapes from little Sarah's Father was a bit over the top for me. I know it was relevant to the story but it dragged on quite a while.

I do recommend this book to people who like a good story, appreciate recent history, and grew up or wonders about what it's like to grow up on the East Coast. Sally's story is definitely worth the read.

[...]

When Sally Werner was 16, she had a baby boy by her cousin, Daniel. Two days later, she left the baby on her parent's kitchen table and ran. This is a pattern Sally followed for years - she ran when someone from her old town recognized her, she ran when she found out she was pregnant, and she ran after an old boyfriend found her and assaulted her.

Sally finally settled into life in a small town and raised her daughter, Penelope, on her own. When Penelope's father showed up, she decided to allow him into her daughter's life. He and his mother do their best to win Penelope over by buying her gifts. Sally found a job at a law firm and was able to earn enough money to send some home to the son she abandoned years ago. She also began an affair with one of the lawyer's in the firm. Feeling neglected, Penelope decided to move in with her father. She came home to her mother's after he became abusive.

When Penelope was in college, she fell in love and became pregnant. She and her boyfriend, Abraham, are devoted to each other and decided they would share a life together. That is, until Sally tells Abraham a secret from her past that caused him to run away.

FOLLOW ME by Joanna Scott is a wonderful character driven story. At first, I was a little frustrated with Sally because her solution to every problem seemed to be to run away. After I read this,

"It was all so confusing. She had always intended to live a righteous life. In the midst of any decision, she'd always thought she was doing what was justified and necessary. But how could she know, how did anyone know what the repercussions would be?"

I realized that Sally is just like most people, doing the best they can in life. This story really captivated me, and I found that I flew through the book (especially the second half) even though it's over 400 pages long. If you love character driven novels or family stories, you will love this book.

Covers are very often the first thing that catches my eye. The cover of Follow Me by Joanna Scott is incredibly vivid and lush, promising a rich read. And it didn't disappoint! Thanks to Miriam from the Hachette Book Group for this latest Early Bird Tour selection. Another great pick!

The opening chapter is tantalizing. An unnamed granddaughter promises to never repeat the story her dying grandmother, Sally Werner, tells her. Her grandmother "confided in me because she wanted me to understand, as she put it, how one thing led to another." This book and the story contained within is the breaking of that promise and a granddaughter's search for answers.

Sally Werner's story begins in 1947 when she is 16 and makes to decision to leave her newborn child on her parent's kitchen table and run away. She finds herself at the beginning of the Tuskee River, burbling up out of the hillside. Sitting by the river, trying to decide what to do next, she thinks she catches a glimpse of a funny little creature with yellow spots watching her. There is a legend - of the Tuskawali - believed to be "sacred incarnations of fate, begot in the underworld for the sole purpose of multiplying possibility in the world. Their goodwill could be cultivated simply by leaving them alone." Sally decides to follow the path of the river and see what comes next. Along the Tuskee, Sally finds kindness, happiness, sadness and cruelty. But she is optimistic, making the best of what befalls her. But it always seems that just when things are settled, fate steps in and changes the flow of her life.

The telling of Sally's story is alternated with her granddaughter's view on Sally's life and legacy.

"I was more than a mistake to my grandmother , I was the consequence of a long series of bad decisions traceable back years before my mother and father fell in love, back to the time before mother had been born, when my grandmother was a young woman fumbling along, following the river north."

At this point in the story I had a good idea where it was going. But this didn't detract me from rapidly turning pages. Sally's life and choices are fascinating. She is a strongly written character, evoking many emotions in the reader. My opinion of her changed many times. I found myself feeling sorry for her, angry with her, proud of her and changing my viewpoint many times. She is resilient, going against the social mores of the 40's and 50's.

Throughout it all, the Tuskee River is a constant. The Tuskawali make appearances, but you have to read carefully to catch the references.

Towards the end, as Sally's granddaughter begins to find anwers, the same story is told by two characters. I found this part a little slow going - I was in a hurry to see the outcome. And although I would have liked to have the final scene all spelled out, I'm happy that Scott left it to us to use our imagination.

I really enjoyed this book. Sally Werner's life, her jouney, her indomitable spirit and the undercurrent of the Tuskawali made this a bewitching read.

The book opens up with a guy jumping off a bridge.. and then we meet Sally the younger who decides to write the story that her grandmother, also Sally, told her to never write. I found myself getting lost in the family saga that began with Sally Werner/Sally Mole/Sally Bliss and reaches the granddaughter Sally.. Sally Werner is a teenager in 1947 when her life takes a left turn as she gets pregnant and ends up walking away from her newborn son. The aptly titled "Follow Me" has us following Sally as she meanders through her turbulent life. She has no real goals, she hops on buses or bumps into people and then lives off of the good-will of others. Eventually, we read about Sally falling in love, getting older, making strange choices and just getting used to life where she finally settles in some imaginative town in New York. The characters she meets are pretty much one dimensional and predictable yet the descriptions of what Sally sees and endures are easily rendered through the author's imaginative writing technique, which you could either love it or leave it. This is her life story for all its worth, and the fact that there is a lot of drama and issues that Sally endures is what keeps it going, however incredulous some events may seem.

The narrative is told with a concurrent storyline by the granddaughter of Sally, with the focus switching back and forth between the granddaughter and the grandmother. I am not a big fan of this, especially when we are talking about bouncing between 20+ years. Once the story gets going with the elder Sally, it feels like you are chugging along on a train and then the whistle blows and the brakes are squealing and STOP you are smack back into 20 years later again listening to the younger Sally. I think the author was trying to go for suspense, since she always squealed the brakes right when we reach a climax to Sally's storyline. But we don't see the younger Sally for too long of a period during the middle, it gets back into the elder Sally's life pretty quickly so it's a minimal complaint. Towards the end of the book there is even another way the book reads, as we are hearing word for word the contents of a recorded tape.

The writing itself is again in a league of its own, with one liners or phrases that are streamed together as if to show the subconscious thoughts of Sally. One can only take so much of the chatter (at some points it seems to be paragraphs of mumbles, questioning) although again I think the author is pulling for a sense of whimsy. And Sally the elder is definitely an impulsive one; she gets herself settled after one hardship, then she is off again running. The author at one point used an analogy of a theme park ride, going around in circles and no matter how much Sally ran she always came back to whatever it was she was running from. How logical and believable it can all be is an entirely new ball of wax..

And yet, even with these few criticisms of the book, I enjoyed the pace of the novel and the fact that I was always eager to pick up the book to see what foolishness Sally would get herself into next, no matter how mad she made me sometimes. I found myself caring for Sally and her legacy, and hoping she would for once make a sound decision. The viewpoint is unique due to the nature of the younger Sally discovering the wonders of her parents' union through the journey that the elder Sally had told her. And then it all finally ties back to the original guy jumping off the bridge, hence the notion that the choices Sally Werner made in her crazy life affected a lot of people.

The book teaches us about the bonds of the family, the strength of love and what the outcomes are when people are selfish with their love. Putting the book together with all of the writing techniques and Sally's idiosyncrasies, this is a book to be enjoyed for the package deal. The saga of Sally Werner, along with the wide array of people she meets is actually overall a page-turner and I do recommend it for those interested in feeling better about their own dysfunctional families.

As a namesake granddaughter tells her grandmother's ultimately tragic story, the mistakes of youth are relived, a life run aground by a pivotal decision. At sixteen, when Sally Werner runs away from her rural Pennsylvania home, she is in disgrace. Not only has she had a child out of wedlock, but she has left him behind in her family's care. Sally simply cannot accept marriage to the child's father, her only option to flee the consequences. Her life is defined by flight, the errors in judgment of a young girl without resources to create a viable, stable existence. Namesake Sally loves her grandmother, painstakingly recreating this convoluted tale of missed opportunity and few options, the nimble, pretty Sally Werner reinventing herself in each new incarnation: Sally Angel, Mole and finally Bliss.

What begins with tragedy- the birth and abandonment of a newborn son- has serious consequences, the child's fate shadowing Sally's days. With each impulsive flight, from Pennsylvania to New York, Sally bears the weight of her mistakes, including a daughter she seeks to protect from her natural father. Unable to set down roots, Sally daughter pays the price of her mother's poor decisions over and over. Scott's protagonist is a child of circumstance, written as impressionable and impulsive, often naïve. Capturing the particular innocence of a young girl's life in the 1940s, Scott reveals thought processes and decisions, thoroughly invading the psyche of her character. But it is the burden of detail that weighs this novel down.

In fact, excessive detail erases the mystique of a colorful protagonist. The charming eccentricities that allow Sally to constantly reinvent herself become a distraction, from Sally herself to the side chapters on her granddaughter, granddaughter and her namesake's father. What the writer intuits, Scott then describes in agonizing detail. The result is the journey of a somewhat interesting character trapped in a cycle of poor decisions and her efforts to contain the damage of the past. But too much information strips Sally's life of any mystery, finally a tired old woman whose rationalizations have affected the life of her daughter and granddaughter, as plot slides into the biography of Sally Bliss. Luan Gaines/2009.