Review: Follow Me

Title: Follow Me

Author: Joanna Scott

Review Copy Provided by: Hachette Book Group

About the Author: Joanna Scott is the author of nine books, including The Manikin, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Various Antidotes and Arrogance, which were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and the critically acclaimed Make Believe, Tourmaline, and Liberation. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Award, she lives with her family in upstate New York.

About the Book: On a summer day in 1946 Sally Werner, the precocious young daughter of hardscrabble Pennsylvania farmers, secretly accepts her cousin's invitation to ride his new motorcycle. Like so much of what follows in Sally's life, it's an impulsive decision with dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Soon she abandons her home to begin a daring journey of self-creation, the truth of which she entrusts only with her granddaughter and namesake, six decades later. But when young Sally's father--a man she has never known--enters her life and offers another story altogether, she must uncover the truth of her grandmother's secret history.

You can read an excerpt from the book, here.

My Review: Joanna Scott is a great writer! This book tells Sally's story, from Sally's point of view, but also from her granddaughter's point of view. It is interesting how the story changes narration. If you're not careful, you'll lose track of who is telling the story. Sometimes, it's Sally, who the story is about, sometimes it's the granddaughter, whose name is also Sally, and at one point, it's the latter Sally's father.

Sally, the grandmother, is a very strong character. She goes through more than one person should be able to handle in a lifetime, but she perseveres. At first, she does so to save herself and her son, but then she does it to save her daughter. She is determined to do what's best for both of her children, even it is not always the "right" thing in others' eyes. There were times when I felt sorry for her and then times when I thought, "Why are you doing that; are you crazy?" This was one that I really got into and at times felt like I was right there with the characters. That's a sign of a good book, when you can escape.

This is the first book by Joanna Scott that I have read, but I'm intrigued enough by her writing to want to read more. She writes in such a way that you connect with the characters and want to get to know them better by continuing to read. All in all, this was a good read!

This post is part of a blog tour hosted by Hachette Book Group. Below is a list of ALL the participants. I know there are alot, but I encourage you to at least stop by some of them and see what they have to say about this book.

http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com/
http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/
http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/
http://bookopolis.blogspot.com/
http://www.caribousmom.com/
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com/
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.blogspot.com/
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/
http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.acircleofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://bananas4books.blogspot.com/
http://www.bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com/
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/
http://grumpydan.blogspot.com/
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://worducopia.blogspot.com/
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://2kidsandtiredbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/
http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
http://www.anovelmenagerie.com/
http://danys-san.blogspot.com/
http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
http://tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com/
http://literarymenagerie.blogspot.com/
http://www.chikune.com/blog
http://book-chic.blogspot.com/
http://www.amberstults.com/
http://allisonsatticblog.blogspot.com/
http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com/
http://38thavedivareaders.blogspot.com/
http://linussblanket.typepad.com/
http://www.morbid-romantic.net/
http://kylees2009.blogspot.com/
http://www.savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/
http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com/
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
http://www.xanga.com/bravehsgirl
http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
http://burtonreview.blogspot.com/
http://donnasbookreviews.blogspot.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/readingstaycation

Teaser Tuesdays - Follow Me

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Follow Me by Joanna Scott, p. 178.  This is a book I am reading for a blog tour with Hachette on the 27th. 

All the names available were like candies on display.  She'd choose one and give it to her child, her little girl, who with her fluttering presence was the reason Sally didn't mind the evening solitude, why, with the dark sky spilling snow, the shop below her apartment closed for the night, the intersection of Mead and State below her window empty of all activity, she didn't feel the least bit lonely.