I am tip-toeing back into my blog. My real work has been crazy but this summer I've been getting the chance to read more and Away by Amy Bloom (which I read which I was actually "away") was a great book and deserves a(nother) positive review.
Away is the story of a Russian immigrant who came to the US during the hey dey of Ellis Island. At its core the story is about the kindness of strangers and the ability of people in desperate situations to see the good in any circumstance.
When Lillian arrives on the shores of NYC she is given room and board by an aunt but is quickly taken under the wing of a NYC theatre producer and his matinee idol son. The men's treatment of Lillian is abhorrent yet she views them as giving her opportunities she would never have had at home.
When a cousin arrives from Russia, hoping to take Lillian's place in the theatrical world, and tells Lillian her long assuming dead daughter is actually alive, Lillian takes to the road hoping to reach Serbia and save her daughter from the hands of, what she assumes are, evil relatives.
Her travels, her loves, and her adventures from coast to coast fill out this turbulent story with an ending that is surprising and realistic without being disappointing. Amy Bloom's writing is superb, not too descriptive yet drawing you in with carefully laid out detals that draw you into the heart of the places and emotions that make up the bulk of this novel.
At 256 it is a quick yet extremely moving read. Pick it up!
