Customer Reviews

When You Went Away

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

4 1/2 stars is what I'd give this novel, with the only reason for it not quite getting five stars having to do with the extraneous and, in my opinion, unnecessary baseball references that did nothing to further the plot and pulled me out of the novel. That said, this story is a treasure of unexpectedness. Touching, tender and gentle, the moments between father and son in When You Went Away pull at the heartstrings and the tear ducts.

The book is told in a near-memoir style, even though it's a fiction novel, and the reader gets to go along with Gerry, our protagonist, on his journey of surviving after both his wife and daughter leave him--his wife through death, and his teen daughter through running away from home. His daughter left prior to his wife dying, so he knows he's going to have to tell her, if he ever finds her.

Left to raise a near-newborn son, alone, Gerry has to learn how to live again. He was young when he married, and had been married for the majority of his adult life, and now he's a single father to Reese, the unplanned but much wanted child born just month prior to Maureen's, his wife, death.

Ally, a co-worker and unexpected love interest for Gerry, helps him feel again, though he questions his commitment to Maureen because he feels so much for Ally so soon after his wife has died. It's those feelings that allow him to see and understand what his daughter might have been feeling when she left home as a teenager, to run away with her love of the moment, Mick.

I won't give away the ending, because you'll really want to read this one for yourself. I do want to mention, the ending slightly disappointed me, because it seemed to come too quickly, without enough full resolution. I guess that might be a good thing, in that it left me wondering what happened next, but I'm the type of reader who, if there's not going to be a sequel, would prefer more closure.

All in all, Baron gives us likable characters in Gerry Rubato and his son Reese, with touching moments, emotion and a good story. This one is well worth adding to your reading list.

Michael Baron's When You Went Away is more than a novel about grief and fatherhood; it's a novel about being lost and the journey to find the right path.

Gerry Rubato has lost his whole world--first his daughter Tanya runs away with an older man at age 17 and then he loses his wife tragically. All he has left to center him is his infant son, Reese. The story is told from Gerry's point of view, and much of the beginning pages focuses on his grief and confusion about how to move on. Readers will be swept up in his grief, his struggle to find his way, and the dilemmas that face him when he begins to fall in love again. However, despite the focus on Gerry's grief, readers may not find When You Went Away to be a tearjerker.

Reese becomes Gerry's world for a long two months of seclusion before he heads back to work at a catalog firm. Codie, his wife's sister, becomes a sounding board for Gerry and he for her, allowing their relationship to go beyond sister-in-law and brother-in-law to confidants. The first few weeks back to work for Gerry are rough with sympathetic looks and a number of "How are you feeling?" questions from coworkers. Eventually, he finds a friend in Ally Rittan, a fellow creative mind.

Readers will embark upon a meditative journey with Gerry and Reese as Gerry works through the loss of his wife, the realization that love can find you at the most inopportune moments, and the harsh realities of repairing a relationship with his lost daughter. Some of the most insightful sections of the novel involve Gerry's journal conversations with his daughter Tanya; they are frank and raw.

When You Went Away is an apt title given that the narration focuses on what Gerry feels, does, and how he reacts to the absence of his daughter and his wife, but readers may also find that this novel examines what can happen to the self when tragedy strikes and the journey it takes to locate or transform that lost self.

If you read this book expecting anything to ever actually happen, you will be disappointed. There is very little action in the book; just the musings of a recent widower. The passages with Gerry and Reese are very sweet and heartwarming as are the memories he shares of his wife, but the story lines with his girlfriend, Ally, and his daughter, Tanya, are weak and unrealistic. I am glad I downloaded this book for free.

Gerry Rubato, the main character, is left alone to raise his infant son after his wife dies and teenage daughter has run away. For the sake of his son, Gerry tries to survive one day at a time while coming to terms with his grief. As he experiences daily struggles, he tries to understand what went wrong with his daughter. How did he lose her?

Gerry meets someone from work, but he's not sure if he's ready love again. His story is so moving, so real, and so touching. The realism reminded me of Elizabeth Berg's OPEN HOUSE with an ending that brought the entire story together nicely.

I just finished reading "When You Went Away" and found it extremely moving.

Mr. Baron clearly conveys the pain and confusion of a suddenly single father of a four-month old son. The main character's wife unexpectedly passed away just months after the child's birth. Their 17 year-old daughter ran away from home one month before the baby's birth and has cut off all communication.

The main character does receive support from his wife's younger sister and another young woman who enters his life as he returns to work.

Grief, confusion and guilt over his feelings for the younger woman so recently after his wife's death - all handled with delicacy and care.

Definitely a book worth reading.

I have also recently read "Crossing the Bridge", "The Journey Home" and can't wait for "Leaves" all by Michael Baron.

This novel felt totally contrived to please a very domestic-minded reader. Totally boring without any real angst at all. I could only bear to read about 60%, then I walked away miffed that I had wasted my time. Long descriptions of gourmet cooking and his love of baseball. Both totally gratuitous to any plot. Contrived lifeless sex to please who--"church ladies?"About as sexy as a baby crawling on linoleum floors.Oh yes that was included. Writer has not the least richness or luster in his use of our vast English idiom. I definitely wouldn't want to read any letters from this guy. No wonder the daughter ran away. Oh dad how can I tell you are a bore? But this book might sell to nursing new mothers who store mother's milk in the freezer or any who pine for their breast-feeding years.

Sorry to say that I have to agree with an earlier review of this book. I struggled to get half-way through it before giving up entirely. It isn't fair to expect this sort of novel to read like a fast paced thriller...but it isn't unrealistic to expect it to proceed at least at a trot...this crawled.

I found this to be a nice book to ready, not full of sex, or so sappy you couldn't stand it, although the events in the book could have made it sappy. When you went away is about a man that became a single dad to a young baby boy and had a teenage rebellious daughter who ran away. Not a slow read, kept me wanting to "turn the Page" of my kindle. Free or not Michael Baron is a good author, I highly recommend his books, I have read three of them in the month I have had my kindle.

What a story all the heartbreak - love - grief - doubts and wonderment of life and family! Truly a great read, I will be waiting for more from this author.

Although it jumped from "past" to "present" this was a great read. One of those books that when you first started it was like - what the heck happened to her-. I really enjoyed this. So very heartwarming, made you think about what you would do in the situation and left you feeling...... Definitely worth the download! ENJOY! And in some parts, grab a tissue!