The Road Taken [Hardcover]

Rona Jaffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2000

A glorious saga that spans twentieth-century America, from one of today's most beloved, bestselling authors. The Road Taken is the story of our century, as told through four generations of an unforgettable family. It is also the story of choices and chances and fate, which transform people's lives forever. Rose Smith is born in the very beginning of 1900, the year that ushered in the most rapidly changing century in history, with its remarkable advances in medicine, technology, politics, and American society. At the age of ten, Rose loses her mother. Raised by her somewhat distant father, her older sister, and her new stepmother, Rose learns to become independent and adaptable. As she grows up and begins a family of her own, she and her three very distinct but equally strong-willed daughters, and their men, are a part of the country's growth too-an America inescapably altered by the onset of devastating wars, the advent of new medicines, and the emerging power and autonomy of women. The family's lives are composed of a mosaic of tragedy and joy, love, hate, rivalry, struggle and redemption, a poignant re-creation of the human experience. The Road Taken is a chronicle of a woman and a family and a century like no other, written by Rona Jaffe, whose novels have sold more than thirty-two million copies worldwide. Rona Jaffe is the internationally bestselling author of novels such as The Best of Everything, Class Reunion, Mr. Right is Dead, Family Secrets, The Last Chance, Mazes and Monsters, The Cousins, and Five Women. She has been writing for more than five decades and is considered one of the foremost chroniclers of relationships in the modern age. She is the founder of the Rona Jaffe Foundation, which offers national literary awards to women writers. Ms. Jaffe resides in New York City and the Hamptons.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestselling author Jaffe (Five Women) pulls off an impressive feat, packing most of the major events of the last century into one family saga that starts with Rose Smith, born January 1, 1900. Rose is 10 when the book opens, attending her mother's funeral, and as Jaffe follows the protagonist and her family through the decades, the author skillfully incorporates such sweeping developments as the changing roles of women, new medical discoveries and evolving opinions about war, sexuality and individual rights. Rose is 18 when her first love is killed during WWI, not in battle but by the influenza epidemic. She marries for companionship and moves from her Connecticut hometown to Greenwich Village. Her brother, HughAwhose childhood penchant for dressing up in women's clothes foreshadows his sexual coming of ageAvisits Rose and finds his element in the then-underground homosexual world in the Village. Moving in with Rose's family, Hugh acts the role of a carefree bachelor until Rose discovers his secret. Decades later, Hugh becomes an advocate for AIDS awareness. Rose's children offer Jaffe further opportunities to integrate signs of the times into the narrative: Peggy marries her WWII soldier pen pal and lives a suburban life; the independent "Disco" Joan becomes a hip fashion editor; and Ginger contracts polio just before the Salk vaccine is released. Jaffe's compelling use of personal disasters, conflicts and love relationships reveals the broad range of the ways kin relateAthe secrets, the interminable feuds, the special closeness. In this uplifting story of how family ultimately provides the vital core for the human experience, Jaffe also convincingly depicts a century of social change. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate selections; audio rights to Dove. (July) FYI: Jaffe established the Rona Jaffe Foundation, which offers awards and funding for women writers.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Jaffe's Five Women (LJ 6/15/97) scrutinized the modern lives of five friends. In contrast, her latest novel chronicles the American 20th century through the life and times of a single New York family. The story begins and ends with Rose Smith, the pivotal character, who is born in 1900. Her mother dies when she is only ten, leaving her to be raised by her father, older sister, and eventually a stepmother. Rose falls in love with the boy next door, only to lose him to the flu, which raged during World War I. Ultimately, she marries happily and has three girls, who differ startlingly from one another. They grow up, experience victories, suffer tragedies, and form families of their own. This extended family view affords an expansive panorama of American cultural history, including world wars, Twenties flappers, the fight for women's rights, Prohibition, the lives of closeted gays, ravaging diseases such as polio and AIDS, Fifties suburban housewives, and city life of every decade. Ambitious, engaging, and recommended for all public libraries.
-Sheila M. Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (June 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525944745
• ISBN-13: 978-0525944744
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,430,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page-Turner, June 27, 2000

By 

Ran Avni (Manhattan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road Taken (Hardcover)

The Road Taken is a page-turner. I picked the book up on Friday and resurfaced on Sunday evening after reading non-stop all weekend. This book tells the story of a family over the course of the 20th century. Through the telling of this engulfing story (and it would seem a sizable amount of research) this novel sheds light on the fascinating developments of our past century. A great read, fun and smart - I felt a little sad when I finished the book, this rich and absorbing story had become a part of my life. I would highly recommend this book!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As good as usual, June 28, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Road Taken (Hardcover)

On January 1, 1900, Rose Smith is born. Over the next few years, Rose enjoys her childhood in Bristol, Rhode Island, but when she turns ten her mother dies. No one, her father William, her older sister Maude, or her stepmother Celia can fill the hole in Rose's heart.

World War I accelerates Rose's growth towards womanhood when the Army drafts her first love, Tom Sainsbury. Tom wants to go overseas, but stays at Fort Riley, Kansas where he dies from influenza.

Several years later, Ben Carson, knowing Rose does not love him, marries her anyway. The move to Greenwich Village, where her gay younger brother joins them. Ben and Rose have children, whose lives continue to be impacted by international events like World War II, polio, the Cold War, and the AIDs epidemic.

Best selling author Rona Jaffe has taken a dangerous road that could have led to monster failure with a lesser talent. Instead, she has written incredible twentieth century historical fiction that uses personal tragedy to mirror major world events. The story line centers on Rose and her family by contrasting the headlines with the impact on the individual and their loved ones. Though it may take a village to raise a family, Ms. Jaffe demonstrates in her entertaining novel that it takes a family to raise the human spirit out of the ashes of calamity.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Road Taken, December 29, 2000

By 

Kathy Brown (Ajax, Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road Taken (Hardcover)

I read this book a couple of months ago and I absolutely loved it. I really got involved in the characters lives. I couldn't put it down. I tell all my family and friends about it. I was very disheartened to see all the bad reviews on this book. I am happy to say that I don't agree with a lot of the reviews.