Customer Reviews

The Miles Between

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm not going to tell you what this book is about, although, if I did, the review could very easily write itself as I could handily point out each and every clever thing the author did to craft their story. So, I will merely tell you that the book is wonderfully well written with the following supporting points:

1) The main character grows and blossoms in a meaningful and enjoyable way over the course of the book.
2) The dialogue is extremely well written, witty, and rich.
3) The characters are believable enough, and yet special as well.
4) The main character, Destiny, is delightfully sardonic, without being overdone. A delicate balance.
5) The author ties together many plot details throughout the book. The book is not just written, it is carefully woven. For example, by the end of the book the innocent "on my way" from the beginning has a much greater impact and meaning.
6) Mature readers may be able to guess the conclusion relatively early, but less sophisticated readers will enjoy the unfolding truth, as well as looking back over the previous chapters and remembering various clues that were left along the way.
7) There are no "cheap tricks" in the book. As you might expect of Juvenile Fiction, there is no gore, lust, or other heavy and overused devices. This book is well written enough for an adult to enjoy it, and safe enough for a juvenile. Which is, as we all know, a very hard feat to accomplish without helpings of gore, lust, or hate...
8) While unlikely things happen, the nature of the book and the way it is constructed allows you to accept these moments easily without having to put much effort into suspending your disbelief. Its all consistent.
9) The denouement is handled extremely well and leaves you feeling quite satisfied.

When the weight of the scenario hits you, its quite likely to make you cry like a baby. If you want a book that makes you feel something, then Pearson definitely delivers. You will feel sorrow, but oh so much enjoyment. Which is really what makes this book so magical. Pearson has hit a wonderful balance.

Destiny Faraday has perfected her presence at boarding school. She doesn't have friends, but she spends a little time in the company of a few people. She doesn't refuse to speak but keeps her talking to a minimum. Des has the boarding school life of predictability and routine down pat from her endless observations of those around her and from her number-one rule: Don't get attached. But things rarely go as one plans. When Des unexpectedly finds an abandoned running car, she realizes that although this day, October 19, is supposed to be bad, she can't pass up this opportunity. Somehow her party grows to four with the addition of three of Des' classmates, and they take off on an unauthorized road trip in search of one fair day where everything turns out just so. Along the way, Des finds out that someone has already broken her number-one rule for her--and that it might not be such a bad thing.

I'll admit the first novel by Pearson I read, Scribbler of Dreams, was not one of my favorites. However, The Adoration of Jenna Fox convinced me to give this author another try, which I'm glad I did because The Miles Between was absolutely fabulous. It's difficult to say what exactly about Pearson's writing that makes this novel come together so magically, but perhaps it is its thoughtfulness. There's something about the words on each page that makes each of the main characters so real and makes the reader wish he/she was on this random road trip. Both the characters and the plot are spectacularly formed, revealing the right amount of information at the right time to keep things well-paced but still interesting. I don't really know what else to say about the presentation of this story besides that the effect is wonderful and stunning. I was so connected to this book, the story and the characters, also because of how coincidence and fate were so central to the novel. These are just some of the things about life that have always amazed and fascinated me, and their inclusion in this novel made it all the more unique and interesting. The Miles Between is not an action book; it is mostly character- and thought-driven but still with plenty of surprises hidden within its pages. It is a wonderfully endearing novel that will cheer anyone up and make them feel not alone.

Fans of Pearson's writing, particularly in The Adoration of Jenna Fox, will enjoy The Miles Between. This sweet story will also attract fans of You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith, Crash Into Me by Albert Borris, Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern, and Sprout by Dale Peck.

On the surface, this is a novel about coincidence. What does it mean when we happen to find ourselves in a certain place, at a certain time? How will our lives be different? Better? Worse? Digging deeper into the heart of this story, we get to explore all of the possibilities that chance brings into our lives.

When we meet Destiny Farrady, we see a wounded child who, at 17, has been shuffled from boarding school to boarding school due to having parents who can't take the time to raise her themselves. She's structured her personality to keep to a strict routine and not allow anyone to get close to her, in the hopes that she won't be hurt further if she should be left behind again.

On the morning of October 19, she's given the opportunity to share "one fair day" with three of her classmates. They engage in a road trip together and along the way forge a bond of understanding about all the things that go right and wrong in their lives and the world.

Though I was able to guess the climax of this novel about halfway through, I couldn't help but be completely taken in my Ms. Pearson's beautiful explanations of chance, coincidence and life. Destiny's story brought me to tears and the messages that were delivered were more powerful than I can describe.

Anything that may be construed as trite within the narration of this story is all overshadowed by the emotions the reader will inevitably feel after witnessing the tale of this poor girl. I really can't say too many good things about this story - Just read it!

Coincidence, fate, destiny - how much of our lives do these control? Destiny Faraday believes these powers have been in control of her life since the day she turned seven.

Destiny is now seventeen; in fact, it is October 19th, her birthday. She pulls herself out of her bed at Hedgebrook Academy as a fellow boarding school student calls out "Breakfast, Des." At breakfast, she sits with the usual people and eats the same lumpy oatmeal the cook churns out every day. Will this day be the same as any other day, or could this day somehow be different? It turns out that quite a bit about this day will be different, and yet just the same.

Later that morning, Destiny stumbles across a beautiful, pink convertible idling on the school grounds. The car offers the possibility of adventure and perhaps a chance to prove something to the parents she feels have abandoned her in various boarding schools for the past ten years. When Destiny spies Seth hiding out to avoid trash duty, she asks if he drives. When the answer is yes, they hop in the car and cautiously head toward the main gate. This is the first of a long line of coincidences that will take Destiny on the roadtrip of her life.

Joined by two other students, Mira and Aidan, Destiny and Seth turn in the direction of Langdon some two-and-a-half hours away. Along the way they encounter some odd situations. They rescue a little lamb wandering in the roadway, and Seth promptly names him Lucky. When the gas supply begins to dwindle, a quick check of their finances reveals nothing but empty pockets until they check the glove compartment and discover a thick packet of $100 bills.

Many other strange and unusual happenings fill their day until they finally arrive in Langdon. Destiny confesses to her travel companions that this is her home and that today is the day she wants to confront her parents about her feelings of abandonment. With promises to support her, her classmates rally as the joyous adventure suddenly turns more serious.

THE MILES BETWEEN is the story of a girl searching for answers. So much in her short life has gone wrong, with coincidence as the only explanation, and now she seems ready to face the fears she has lived with for so long.

Mary E. Pearson weaves together an amazing and tragic tale as she turns four acquaintances into true friends. The range of emotions packed into this novel will take readers from laughter to tears and everything in between.

This is a must-read due out this September.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

For Destiny Faraday, October the 19th has never been a day she has loved and during the novel we are about to see why as on the day of what turns out to be her seventeenth birthday , her and three friends decide to skip school and go on a road trip -their destination is Langdon . Along the way, we see the four becoming really good friends and starting to share their secrets and also along the way they meet some interesting characters including but not limited too - the president of the USA and in the mens bathroom of all places at a small country gas station. When they get to Langdon, all three of them have shared their secrets and bared their soul- all but Destiny. Her whole life from the age of seven has been a lie , she has been living the fantasy of her parents abandoning her. What happens when the friends arrive at Destiny's home and what will they discover there ? What is the real truth behind Destiny's family and her mysterious Aunt Edie.
A novel that all must read and I highly recommend it as it will keep you guessing and intrigued till the very end.

It took me months and months to finally read this book. When I first received it, I started to read it and the very notion of such a dark life for a young girl really did not pull me in. However, I took an airplane ride and took this book with me so I would finally read it.

I read this book quickly, as I had no other choices. The life of Destiny "Des" Faraday is sad, that is for sure. I pictured someone like Winona Ryder in the movie Heathers. This poor character has gone through most of her life without a close relationship with anybody, on purpose. She has grown up moving from boarding school to the next boarding school, and in this story, Des has just turned 17.

This story is about getting to know three of Des's classmates better via a chance road trip. There is no sex, high drama, drugs, alcohol or any negative influences except what happens in real life. It was an enjoyable, easygoing tale, and I did wind up enjoying it, even if it took several months to get to.

October 19 is not going to be a good day.

For some people this would be an educated guess. For Destiny Faraday it is a bleak statement of fact. It is also part of why she tries so hard to never get attached. To anything or anyone.

October 19 has never been a good day for Des, which is why she crumples the day's calendar page before the day has even started.

What was supposed to be a throw away day suddenly turns into something else. Thanks to an encounter with an odd stranger and the sudden appearance of a car, Destiny and three of her classmates start a road trip searching for one fair day--a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just right. Which might be what will change everything in The Miles Between (2009) by Mary E. Pearson.

Destiny is a broken, lonely character at the start of The Miles Between. Part road trip, part coming of age, this is the story of Des' one fair day but also her own, literal and figurative, journey to healing. Pearson maintains a sense of wonder throughout this story to temper Destiny's harsh reality and elevates what could have been a merely maudlin story to a charming, magically complex one filled with surprises where everything really does add up.

Destiny and her wacky classmates (Destiny does not waste time making friends) are lovable and utterly tangible as characters.

Possible Pairings: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg, Stealing Henry by Carolyn MacCullough, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

Destiny Faraday is a character with secrets, and you as a reader are going to want to know what they are. You will also find yourself wondering what's wrong with her, then what's wrong with her parents, and maybe even what's wrong with the world.

That's Destiny's question in the early pages, although it takes on a richer meaning later in the book. She petitions the universe for just one "fair day" and apparently gets it, taking three of her boarding school inmates along for the ride. It's literally a road trip, awash in magical realism till you might find yourself worrying that you'll get that horrible movie Wizard of Oz line at some point: This was all just a dream.

But you won't. Instead, you will follow four kids in a car and will probably come to like even the least likable of them. There's Destiny, who has an odd fascination with numbers and is regularly kicked out of her boarding schools; Mira, who's so cheerful she gets on everyone's nerves; Aiden, who's uptight and by the book, at least until the day he gets pulled into this adventure; and Seth, who appeals to Destiny against her better judgment and really should have gotten extra credit instead of trash duty this fateful morning. We even meet a lost lamb called Lucky, whose cuteness and "Look at me, I'm a symbol" status quickly cease to be irritating when everyone in the book conspires to treat him like a pet dog.

Thanks in part to Mira's question game, we soon get to know more about each character. We also bemusedly watch the universe conspire to answer Destiny's "fair day" petition even as she draws closer and closer to her destination--Langley, where the parents and baby brother who abandoned her supposedly live. It hardly seems coincidental that Langley, Virginia, is famously the home of CIA headquarters, a place of secrets. But then, Des spends most of the book trying to convince doubters like Aiden of the power of coincidence.

About the only time author Mary E. Pearson loses me is after the big climax, when she lets herself get sucked into the trap of having Destiny spout pop psychology about her life. But frankly, the rest of the book is so compelling--and oddly charming--that it is well worth it to put up with a few pages where telling overtakes showing. And then the last few plot twists round out this unabashedly coincidence-based story just the way they should.

The Miles Between is an unusual, funny, moving, and well-crafted book, a road trip I definitely recommend you take.

After reading The Adoration Of Jenna Fox last year, I just knew Mary E. Pearson was an author who had a true and never ending talent for writing books and The Miles Between proves this even further. Well, to me at least.

From the start you are captured by the tale of Destiny Faraday who was supposedly abandoned by her parents and younger brother at the age of seven leaving her to spend the rest of her childhood and teen years in boarding schools making do the best she can given the criticisms. Destiny was a character that was easy to like and one that you constantly felt sad for because of all the awful things she had been dealt in her sixteen years of life. I was always hoping that she would finally realize that she should give people a chance, so that she could see that not all people out there are bad. The other characters such as Seth, Aidan, and Mira were all well developed, too, which left me to enjoy reading about them.

The one thing that really hooked me to this novel, though, was the emotion that Ms. Pearson brought to you in her writing and characters. I was actually close to tears in a couple of times during the ending scenes and believe me when I say this, I'm almost never close to tears, even reading a extremely sad book.

Plus, the plot was extremely well done. I loved the idea of having "one prefect day, where the good guy actually wins for a change" because it brought an interesting story line that dealt out twists and turns that I sometimes never saw coming.

Overall, The Miles Between is book that's heartbreaking and heartwarming all in one making it one of my favorite releases of the year and defiantly a book that you should pick up ASAP.

Grade: A+

"All I want is one day where the good guys win. One day where the world makes sense. Just one day where the world is fair. Where it all adds up to what it should be. Just one single fair day. Is that too much to ask?"

Despite her rant directed at the visiting Calculus teacher, Destiny Faraday knows there is no such thing as one fair day. At least not for her. Destiny has been shipped from one school to another since she was seven years old. She is, as she puts it, estranged from her parents. Every couple of years she makes enough waves to get her expelled from her current school, but she never gets sent home. It's just on to the next school.

Still, when serendipity provides Des with a car, she decides to go in search of her perfect day. Somehow, despite Des' determination to remain completely detached from the people around her (what would be the point, she'll just be moving on soon anyway) three of her classmates end up coming along for the ride. What follows is a day unlike any Des, Seth, Aidan or Mira has ever experienced before. It's full of the marvelous coincidences that happen when the stars are aligned just right and people "let themselves be swept along by something outside of themselves."