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Away: A Novel |  | Author: Amy Bloom
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $0.01
as of 9/10/2010 18:58 PDT details
You Save: $13.99 (100%)
New (44) Used (400) Collectible (4) from $0.01
Seller: seashellbooks_inc
Rating:  140 reviews
Sales Rank: 52647
Media: Paperback
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0812977793
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780812977790
ASIN: 0812977793
Publication Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780812977790 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Panoramic in scope, Away is the epic and intimate story of young Lillian Leyb, a dangerous innocent, an accidental heroine. When her family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom, Lillian comes to America alone, determined to make her way in a new land. When word comes that her daughter, Sophie, might still be alive, Lillian embarks on an odyssey that takes her from the world of the Yiddish theater on New York’s Lower East Side, to Seattle’s Jazz District, and up to Alaska, along the fabled Telegraph Trail toward Siberia. All of the qualities readers love in Amy Bloom’s work–her humor and wit, her elegant and irreverent language, her unflinching understanding of passion and the human heart–come together in the embrace of this brilliant novel, which is at once heartbreaking, romantic, and completely unforgettable.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 140
 an astonishingly good book July 24, 2010
Stephen H. Voss (Istanbul)
I will comment on three points.
The first isn't about the book but about the reviewers. We learn that Amazon reviewers have a difficult time coming to terms with the complexities of sex in actual life. They would like it to be romantic but done with the lights out. However the truth is that in extremities like Lillian's it is seldom like that. One would think this is a pornographic or at least rollickingly erotic book. It doesn't come close to either. These reviewers need a reality check. Ignore their opinions about the book, enjoy what their reviews tell us about them.
The second is that many readers had trouble deciphering the book's last paragraph. It's pretty simple. Page 235 completes the narrative dropped at page 232. The alternative stabs make no sense.
Finally to the book itself. Technically stunning and extremely moving and a revelation about the strangeness of which our species is capable. Open your eyes and your heart [I found tears on my face as I put the book down] and prepare for something you have not encountered before.
 Stay Away!!!!! July 9, 2010
Kelly V. Williams (Atlanta)
I am glad I am not the only one here who didn't like this book. I couldn't get past the 1st 30 pages. I usually try to push through novels but I should have known it wasn't good when reading that Lillian is sleeping with her lover's fathers still made my eyes glaze over.
Disappointing July 4, 2010
Avid Reader (CT)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book started out with some promise. Rather quickly, however, it deteriorated into a trashy novel with little rhyme or reason. The characters, including Lillian were shallow and hard to connect with and her entire journey was absolutely implausible. Very disappointing!
~~~If you're thinking about reading this book... May 23, 2010
Something Random (Seattle, WA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
...consider the following:
1) You're ok reading books that make a serious effort to historically locate human sexuality.
2) You recognize sex and desire are integral parts of our humanity and take many forms. This means you are comfortable reading scenes involving gay sex, sex as currency, and sex as love.
3) You're ok reading books that are not obviously character or plot driven. The best comparisons I can think of here are Jeanette Winterson or Tony Morrison. Bloom's language is not difficult but I want to warn you that the your particular reading psychology (taste) may work against you here. It is not surprising to me that so many readers had a difficult time trying to identify with Lillian. This book isn't about Lillian; Lillian is a vessel for a more general commentary the author is trying to make. I thought this was really obvious. Many readers are used to a more traditional book where the author does overtime to make the inner world of the protagonist alive so that the reader more easily identifies with the protagonist. Bloom doesn't really do anything like that. Lillian is what you make of her. Any conclusions or interpretations you take from her story are your entirely your own. Bloom makes no effort to push you any direction with regards to Lillian. Many readers find this disconcerting b/c they keep trying to force their expectations of how the book is supposed to read onto the text and become frustrated/disappointed that Lillian remains mysterious or that the book goes somewhere else. This can be observed in many other reviews for the book here.
4) You are ok with discontinuity in setting. Each location in the book is entirely new, independent of the previous ones, and contains its own set of characters. The author puts a strong emphasis on the hidden lives of the people around us and the strange places life can take us. I think this is where the true beauty of the book lies.
5) If you read some of the other reviews and felt that they were in any way ignorant/prudish/shallow you will probably love this book
6) The quality of the writing in this book is top notch. The metaphors and imagery are absolutely gorgeous and reflect Bloom's prodigious talent. I guarantee you will not be left unimpressed and this will become one of your favorite all-time books if you are ok with 1-5.
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I work at a bookstore in Seattle. Demographically I have found that overwhelming young (20's, 30's) liberal audiences enjoy this book.
Compelling story, beautiful writing February 3, 2010
Sabrina James (Washington, DC)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Dear Ms. Bloom - Thank you for this gem. Shame on those who say this novel is trashy (as if the life of an immigrant of little means in the 1920s were a chase and scented affair). This is a compelling story with such pure and evocative writing; stripped to the core of the emotional spectrum at times, meandering through various characters' lives and foreshadowing through their respective fates. Thank you from your readers who take delight in savoring both form and content. I will explore your other works; I look forward to plunging back into your unique observations of the range and complexity of human emotions.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 140
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