Customer Reviews

No Easy Road

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

 

 

The author's life experiences are heartbreaking, and the subject matter covered is not easy to read about. Many of the details of the abuse the author experienced are absolutely horrific. However, the author's resilience shines through in the end, and the fact that she was able to write this book is a testament to the strength of her spirit. Yes, the writing is a bit unpolished, but it is worth overlooking the writing style.

I was happy to read this book even though the material is depressing. I feel that God was working in Pat's life because on many occasions she was saved from some horrible situations. Still doesn't mean she didn't suffer. I would like to hope that now days foster homes/group homes have therapy and such to help these young children. I would hope that home mother's are better selected than what's in this book. Although I didn't cry there were times I wanted too. There was one time she mentioned she wanted to kill herself but couldn't find a way. I feel that that shows how desperate she was to get out of that situation.

I would have loved to hear above some triumphs that she might have had as an adult. Pull yourself up from t he bootstraps and make life the way you want it to be and work hard to get there.

This book really puts into perspective human suffering. My heart went out to the author and what she went through in her life. I guess the "happy ending" was more of the epilogue of the book. We really do take for granted our lives and having food, clothing and shelter. I think this book is worth the read. God bless this lady for overcoming her circumstances!

I was very disappointed. It was not the subject matter but rather how the book was written. I found it heard reading since the author kept jumping ahead and then coming back to the current time. I understood the trials & tribulations she went through but I was actually more angry with her than sympathetic. There were times she could have avoided certain situations. I actually found the book quite boring.

I finished this book only so I could write a review. Where to begin... This was a poorly written, self indulgent, whiny, choppy, waste of time. Depressing drivel just might cover it. The author finds no joy, and nothing positive in her life. Her tale of woe ends all too abruptly. She infers that there is some kind of mediocre "happy ending" but warns that she can write another whole book of her personal misery. I think I'll skip it.

I found this story very sad. She came from alcoholic parents. She and her siblings were in a children's home where there was no love, compassion, hugs, caring. I hope it is different now in homes where children are taken to be with many others who had no other place to go.

The house mothers there were very uncaring and should have not been in that position. She was so young when she left to try and make a life for herself. She went from abuse by the house mother to more abuse.

This is a story of real survival. I would have liked to know how she turned her life around but that was left out. We do learn some things in the epilogue but it left a lot out of the time between the age of 16 to her adult life. Maybe she will write another book and fill in that part or it might be OK just to know her life is good.

We should never take for granted having a place to live, food, clothes and a bed to sleep in. I am thankful every day while realizing so many don't have this.

God was with her for sure through her painful life and brought her to a happier time.

The author obviously has a good story to tell, and there were elements of interest, but the writing style was a little tedious -- everything was described in a bland, matter-of-fact way. I felt sorry for the author because her childhood was so difficult, but every scene had the same pace, and somehow it all sounded ho-hum. A little humor and some changes in the pacing would make all the difference. It was not well edited, either. Rewriting and editing are so important!

The subject matter and the fact that it was a true story makes this book worth reading. The struggles this girl went through are heartbreaking, and even though sometimes in todays world we only expect memoirs to be written by famous people or people who have been the victims of unspeakable crimes this girls story should be heard. What she went though no one should have to, yet many do. And yes the book could have benefited from a better writing style to hold the readers attention, but in some ways that only makes the book more raw, and therefore true.

The memoir begins with Patsy as a young girl living in a youth home with an uncaring house mother. A few of her cousins and siblings live in the house with her, but none are very close. Her parents are mentioned a few times in the novel and presented as alcoholics and gypsies that have no interest in caring for their children. After years of problems in the youth home, she finally leaves and takes a job as a live-in nanny and house keeper to wealthy family. Issues arise with the job and she forced back into women's hostel with an even worse house mother that steals her wages. While living in the women's hostel she runs away, goes through three jobs, and is eventually taken away by her social worker. Even though Patsy has a few decent jobs at a University and at Hospital something manages to go wrong and she is fired from both. On her journey she deals with an abusive boyfriend, prostitution-although she never works as a prostitute, and a violent attack. Alcohol and drugs are always in the background in this memoir.

The story-telling tends to skip around a lot. At one point she is talking about kids she went to school with, then she talks about "years down the road" and where they ended up or rumors she heard about them. She also does a number of flash forwards which take you out of the story at hand. Because of all the jumping around, the novel is unorganized. The language in the book is a little abrasive, but this is how people spoke.

Patsy had a very difficult growing up and I applaud her for having the courage to write it down and relive her past. However, the memoir ends very abruptly with her getting in a taxi cab with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. At this point she is only 16 years old. If there is a continuation of this novel I would love to read it-obviously her situation changed but I would love to here more about the turning point of her life and how she changed her circumstances.

I understand this was the author true story, but it was too graphic for my reading taste. The language was too explicit that I just stopped reading it part way through. I feel aweful that she went through those things, but I couldn't read it.