Customer Reviews

The Slow Way Back: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book on the recommendations of Amazon readers, but I found it to be a very poorly written book in many ways. The "secret" of the book was obvious from the start, the plot was disjointed, the characters were unbelievable and bland. Many loose ends were not tied up. The meaning of Judaism in the characters' lives was not shown except for the mention of letters in Yiddish and various Jewish foods and holidays. The very end didn't make sense with the rest of the book.

I wanted to like this book and did like certain parts individually, but on the whole I thought the book didn't live up to its reviews.

I enjoyed this story of a southern family. Several generations of women learning about their family dynamics and the ways that concealed secrets have shaped their lives. It is interesting, though obvious at times, and sweet in the way the story plays out. Many a family has a heritage that gets lost or becomes vague and tapping into our roots is always enlightening. I read this quickly and would recommend it for a good, light read.

In this story of three generations of a Southern Jewish familythere has been a secret, hinted at, obliquely wielded. In the crisisof her mid-life, Thea begins to unravel the mystery that has haunted her life, at first wanting to share it with her younger sister. In the adventure of deciphering some letters written in Yiddish between their mother's mother & sister, Thea unearths a heartbreaking lie & her sister begs her to desist. I found this book absorbing & very well done! END

Every page has something wonderful -- a perfect turn of phrase, a bit of quiet wisdom. This is a beautifully-written novel that explores the relationship between sisters, but it is much more than that. It helps us to understand the complexity of all family relationships. One of the best books I've read in years.

Beautifully crafted novel with a pace to savor. No wanton sex or vulgarity, just lyrical prose with a plot that progresses gently and beautifully. I couldn't put it down.

What a beautiful, poetic voice! Judy Goldman has created a work of art that is at once joyous, heartbreaking and revealing. The way she explores family relationships is honest and sometimes painful, but ultimately loving and able to teach us a great deal about our own dealings with family. Let's all hope that Ms. Goldman gives us more wonderful writing to read in the future.

I found Ms. Goldman's writing to be refreshing and fast paced. She caputres the hardships that occurr in every family, but are never spoken about. I look forward to more novels by this talented writer.

I wanted to like this book much more than I did. Although it was a pleasant beach read, the characters were bland and two dimensional, the dialogue did not ring true, and the relationships were confusing (e.g., Thea seemed to adore her aunt, yet the aunt, as seen through Thea's eyes and based on Thea's observations, was presented unsympathetically. It was probably the author's attempt to show the ambivalence inherent in family relationships, but it didn't work.)

The big family secret became obvious early in the book, which led the march towards its revelation to become tiresome, and the revelation itself was anticlimactic.

All in all, I would rate this as an uninspired but not unpleasant read.

This novel weaves a story that is simultaneously touching and suspenseful. The relationships between the principle character and her husband, her sister, and other family members, are poignant descriptions that bring to mind your own family relationships. I found myself wanting to know the ending while thoroughly enjoying the journey through this book.

Judy Goldman speaks in a voice that resonates with me. I loved this book, and I have recommended it to several of my close friends. It is the story of a woman's emerging identity in her fifties within the context of her family relationships and her growing understanding of them as she matures. Perhaps because I am about the same age as the protagonist, and I am also a psychologist, the territory the novel explores is very familiar to me. I thought that the characters were exceptionally well-drawn, and I was surprised to find that other readers were not uniformly positive about this book. Perhaps my world view, like the protagonist's, has been shaped as much by the places I have lived as it has been by my family of origin and its traditions. In the same way that I love Rebecca Wells' writing, in part for her evocation of a time and place with which I am intimately acquainted, I loved this book. It made me feel at home.