The Long Way Home

By: Karen McQuestion

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Marnie is just 35 when her boyfriend, Brian, drops dead of a sudden heart attack. Stunned by his death, Marnie finds her greatest grief is for Troy, Brian’s son whom she has raised as her own since he was a kindergartener. When he is reclaimed by his train wreck of a birth mother, Troy’s departure drives Marnie to a grief group at the local rec center. There she finds unexpected allies, three strangers who join her in an impulsive road trip from Wisconsin to Las Vegas to reconnect with Troy. Along for the ride are fifty-something Rita, prim and ladylike on the outside, seething with rage on the inside over the murder of her daughter; Laverne, Marnie’s introverted landlady who is crippled by grief for her late husband; and Jazzy, a psychic driven to the grief group by an unseen voice. Together they embark on the adventure of their lives, a journey toward healing, friendship, and love.

©2012 Karen McQuestion (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

I You Liked "Enchanted April"...

Full Disclosure: While I love nonfiction, military history and genocide and such all... I've gotta admit it. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for some good chick lit.
The description of the book makes it sound as though this would be a grittier read, what with murder, death, etc. involved, but actually, it's a sweet and easy listen.
Like "Enchanted April," "The Long Way Home" is a story of four very different women who come together on a whim and wind up finding parts of themselves that they thought they'd never find. The characters are well fleshed-out, likable, and have different strengths and weaknesses.
It's a delightful listen, especially as I just finished a couple of audiobooks on Cambodia and was in the mood for something light, but touching. "The Long Way Home" did not disappoint. The only quibbling I have is that the narrator falls into the female narrator trap of: man's voice—better make my voice low and growly, but it wasn't too bad.
Also, and this is just the writer in me, I thought there were opportunities for a little bit more tension to be thrown in, twists, anything except such neat bows tied onto problems faced and problems solved.
Other than that, I really enjoyed my time with the characters.
Oops! One more thing: I listened to it at 1.25 speed as I felt that there were far too many pregnant and ponderous pauses (Alliteration!) in the narration

Not what I meant to listen to

The story was sweet but I hadn't meant to listen to a book about a psychic. I thought this was going to be a romance when I picked it. Lol. Teach me not to read the synopsis. My mistake, psychic stuff is not my cup of tea. Would have been a perfectly moving story had Jazzi been just a bubbly young woman and the events happenstance as opposed to her being a bubbly young psychic. Bit of a shame but good luck in your future endeavors.

love this.

I loved this book and the narration. It's not my typical read but it pulled me in from the beginning.

Light, Fun, Perky Chick Lit

This is very, very light reading. The characters are caricature, the plot is light and predictable. But sometimes that's just what you want to read. The narrator was perky, which was the right tone for this book. I can't recommend it as literature, but as chick lit escape, it was enjoyable.

Great story!

such a delightful novel! I'm stunned that there are some negative reviews because this is a terrific book

Overall good read

It was a slow start but picked up in the end. Overall a good read.

A little slow

Not a great read but it passed the treadmill time. Not real good for road trip as it’s kind of sleepy

changes

a great read. an adventure that shows that even people from very different walks of life and so much in common

Road Trip

Good characters, unusual story, lots of twists and turns. Finish somewhat predictable, however doesn't deter

Great story!

Very pleased with my purchase, kept me interested and the narrator was awesome! Write on!