Miles From Ordinary Review

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Title: Miles From Ordinary
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: March 15, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 197
Source: Publisher

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control....
Lacey is, on the outside, your everyday 14 year old girl. At home, however, she's the sole caregiver for her mother who is plagued every day by paranoia, delusions and bipolar tendencies. Lacey loves her mother more than anything in the world, but she relishes the time away from her mother - those little moments where she can be herself and be a teenager. She is excited for a summer full of the little joys in life. She wants sleepovers, trips to the library and an escape from her mother's delusions of her dead father visiting her...but dreams are hard to hold onto when reality is far from happy.

I've yet to read anything by the author, Carol Lynch Williams, but people have sung the praises of her other book, The Chosen One. The premise of Miles From Ordinary captured me, and despite being wary of a younger MC narrating the story, I was hopeful for the best. Carol Lynch Williams nailed Lacey's voice with a raw, insightful and powerful look into a young girl's mind as she tries to hold both her life and her mother's life together. Pieced together with stark and simple prose, a haunting background and a setting that sets a scene of its own, Miles From Ordinary is one of those stories that resonates real feeling from every page.

Lacey's story begins with a bang. Her nightmares are real, and her reality is somewhat of a nightmare, too, so Miles From Ordinary captured me from the get-go. Lacey, though young, had a distinct voice and take on her life situation. She's strong, but she has a vulnerability about her that makes the sadness of the story that much more tangible. Lacey's mother, Angela, had me hating her, pitying her and loving her all at the same time. Her illness was a character of sorts, as well, spinning the struggles into every bit of Lacey's story. Gripping and realistic, Lacey's struggle to find her mother, both literally and figuratively was captivating.

I have to admit, though I was excited for Miles From Ordinary, I was still worried that it would live up to the premise. However, it definitely exceeded all my expectations. I cried for Lacey and her mother, and I felt myself rooting for a happy ending the whole time. I give this book a firm 5 out of 5, and I recommend it to all fans of YA and even adult fiction, especially those who enjoy contemporary stories.

I received this ARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

38 comments:

  1. Wow, awesome! I'd kind of overlooked this one, but now I'm thinking I should give it a go! I love the fact that it's a quick read, too.
    Thanks for the review! :)

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  2. Hmmm...a 5 out of 5? I think I might have overlooked this one too. Time to go put it on my TBR list. Thanks, Melissa!

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  3. I haven't read any of Carol's books, but after your review I'm thinking of trying them. This book looks really good. Thanks for the review!
    -Danna

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  4. Hi Melissa! I looked around for a FF post, and I think I might be going blind b/c I didn't see one -- am dropping by from CFB; anywho, interesting review! I really like that you got so emotionally involved with and connected to the characters in this book :-)

    Have a great weekend!
    Darkeva

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  5. Wow! 5 out of 5! I was not interested in this book before, but now I totally am! Thank you, Melissa!

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  6. great review!!! might need to add this to my toread list

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  7. Excellent, I just got this one in the mail yesterday and am even more excited to read it than I was before reading your review.

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  8. Fantastic review. This really sounds like my kind of read. I have ordered The Choosen One and now I will have to put this on my wishlist :)

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  9. Woow... I didn't know what to expect about this book... Now I know, I want to read it!
    Amazing review!

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  10. I wouldn't have even looked twice at this one because I don't like the cover, but now I'm intrigued. I've just added it to my wishlist :D

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  11. While this isn't the type of book I would go for, your beautiful review has pretty much convinced me otherwise Melissa! (So thanks... ;) )

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  12. I added this to my TBR list the other day. Your review makes me want to read it even more!

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  13. Lovely review as always, Melissa! This one sounds incredible, and I seriously cannot wait to read it now.

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  14. This is the next book I am reading and now I am even more excited to get to it!

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  15. Great review! It sounds like this book really sucks you in. I like how you described hating, pitying, and loving the mom all at the same time.

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  16. I just saw this the other day, and I'm SO wanting to read it! Awesome review!

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  17. OH, I really can't wait to read this one now !! The cover looks gorgeous and the blurb sounds pretty good !! Thanks for the review Melissa ;)

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  18. Like everyone else above, I've not even heard of this title. From your review, though, I get the feeling I would really enjoy this one. Thanks!

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  19. I'm jealous! I read and loved The Chose One so I can't wait for this one either!

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  20. Oh I absolutely loved The Chosen One so will definitely be reading this. Carol has a knack for nailing young voices - and therein lies the power of her novels I think. It's stark, simplistic but carries so much more weight and emotion for it. Loved your review Melissa - and wlll definitely be reading this one!

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  21. Wow! Five stars! I had overlooked this one, and I haven't read The Chosen One either, although I've read a lot of good reviews of that one!

    I might just have to read something by this author.

    Great review.

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  22. Thanks for reviewing this one Melissa, it sounds really interesting, will put it on my TBR.

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  23. Wow, wow, wow. This sounds incredible. I'm so happy it exceeded your expectations :)

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  24. I just recently discovered this one, and thought it sounded amazing. Glad to hear you loved it.

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  25. Oh no, another 5, you are so gonna make me buy more YA, lol

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  26. Oh the blurb had me interested, but your review sealed it. I need to read this book. Great review!

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  27. This sounds amazing- I need to get my hands on it. Now. :D

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  28. Oh my, a 5 out of 5! Hooray contemporary! I've been pining for this one ever since I saw it. Thanks for your review, Melissa!

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  29. The Chosen One has been on my list forever. I've heard nothing but good about it. Now, apparently, I need to pick up this one too.

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  30. I think this is on my TBR list... I need to double check! Especially since you liked it so much :)

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  31. This book reminds me of A Blue So Dark and how the MC had to deal with her mother's mental illness. These books tend to be so raw and I definitely need to add Miles from Ordinary to my TBR after your awesome review!

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  32. This is definitely on my TBR list and to see such an awesome review makes me so excited to read it!

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  33. I've had my eye on this book - so glad to hear it lived up to your expectations. Can't wait to read it for myself.

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  34. Ooooh! This sounds good. I will definitely put this on my wishlist. Love the premise, too and glad to hear it exceeeded your expectations! Fab review :)

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  35. Fantastic review, Melissa. I've been hearing good things about this book, but this review made me decide that I MUST read it. Like you, I'm a bit wary of YA with younger MC's, but Lacey sounds strong and compelling.

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  36. I just won this from LibraryThing and now I can't wait for it to get here so I can start reading it! Wonderful review Melissa!

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  37. I won this one from Library Things too. I'm reading it now. I'm leery of the mention of Bipolar. I have Bipolar Disorder and to me, it seems that authors just make up symptoms and don't do their research on the Disorder. From what I'm reading so far it sounds like PTSD. But I'm only a little way in.

    Heather

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  38. I haven't heard of this one yet but will definitely add to my wishlist based on your review. Thanks!

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