How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back? [Hardcover]

Valerie Hobbs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

After moving with her family from New Jersey to California in the late 1950s, sixteen-year-old Bron discovers the world of drag racing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This accomplished first novel, set in the late '50s, brings uncommon depth to what at first glance seems a conventional plot?16-year-old Bron Lewis moves with her family from New Jersey to Ojala, Calif., and wants to fit in. Despite providing two radically different potential boyfriends for Bron, Hobbs is far more ambitious and skillful a writer than to focus on teen romance. For starters, the family is scarred by Mr. Lewis's suicide attempt two years ago, a trauma that haunts Bron and complicates her attitudes toward her parents, who run a diner as charming and unsuccessful as Anne Tyler's Homesick Restaurant. Bron, an unusually astute narrator, coolly dissects her feelings and her impressions. Admiring the pleasure-minded Ojala teens, she is mindful of their shallowness even as she, too, cruises down the strip and enters a few drag races. Lusting after J.C., a James Dean type, she can't understand her attraction to Will, the West Point-bound son of a family with more breeding than money. Hobbs's winding, sometimes slow-moving plot takes in serious issues?domestic violence, teen sex, alcoholism?and measures their effect on relationships. Her pacing may be off, but her insights are invariably canny. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up?This sensitive, complex coming-of-age novel immerses readers in the world of Ojala, CA circa 1960. At 16, Bron is angry. Having lost her adoration for her alcoholic father following his botched suicide attempt, she is disdainful of her mother's support of his dream to open his own restaurant. Also, Bron, a talented pianist, is afraid that she'll never fit in. But when she becomes friends with enigmatic Lanie, a beauty pageant-winning poor girl, she delves quickly into the popular lifestyle of drinking, hot rods, dating, and sliding by at school. Bron is smitten by J.C., a nearly mythical older guy who lets her race his Deuce at the local dragstrip in the women's heat. When Will, a well-bred, serious young man from a ranch family enters her life, they begin an innocent romance. After Will departs for West Point, she loses her virginity to J.C. and immediately regrets it. When Will is found dead (the circumstances are unclear), Bron realizes how much her actions matter. She matures emotionally and develops her musical talent (as revealed in the epilogue) with the help of Will's mother. Bron's is a believable and realistic voice. Her changing self-image and relationships are beautifully detailed, as are the interesting assortment of supporting (NOT minor) characters and the physical world they inhabit. The themes are subtly evoked and life's lessons are learned the hard way. A powerfully written and memorable debut.?Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY); First Edition ~1st Printing edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531094804
• ISBN-13: 978-0531094808
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,250,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

What I've learned in all the years since I began writing is that each of us has at least one special story to tell. Some stories are sad, some funny, but all are as unique as our fingerprints. We are storytellers, every one of us. Some of us just have to write those stories down. I didn't always want to be a writer though. What I longed for most was to be an ice skater, but when I was fifteen I moved with my family from New Jersey to California and there went the ice.

My first short story began with a journal entry written when I was nineteen, after a close friend of mine met with a tragic accident. Many years later, that same story became the basis for my first novel, How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back . Eight novels have followed, with three more to come in the next few years. Writing is the hardest work I've ever done, but by far the most fun.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book for young women and their PARENTS!, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back? (Paperback)

As an adult I was very moved by the story, especially the insight into the thoughts of a young woman. There was a "true story" feeling in the Bron's experiences. A must read for parents of young people...lots of insight into the need to "belong". Hobbs has done a superb writing job!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely loved it., May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back? (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It made me laugh and cry and fall in love with every bit of it. The author was so great and I hope that I can get to read more of her books, soon. I just loved it, if you haven't read it then you need to. You have no idea what you're missing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book was a good,inspiring story of a girls life., February 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back? (Hardcover)

This book was one of the best books I have ever read. It was really inspiring to someone whose life just pretty much ended when they were forced to move to a different place then where they were brought up. It also showed lots of emotions that Bron was feeling toward all the people in her life. This book showed me the insides to people. What I mean is that you have to really get to know people before you can say that you dislike the person like Bron had to do with Will. She had to get to know him because at first she didn't like him.