Book: Torn Away Author: Jennifer Brown
Release date: May 6th 2014
Rating:
Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home.
As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents. In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.
About the Author
Two-time winner of the Erma Bombeck Global Humor Award (2005 & 2006), Jennifer's weekly humor column appeared in The Kansas City Star for over four years, until she gave it up to be a full-time young adult novelist. Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.
Review:
Wow I did not expect this! But I am happy to say that it was absolutely amazing. Beautifully written, powerful and extremely emotional. I particularly enjoyed how slowly the story snuck up on me. I recommend only skimming the blurb because it actually gives a lot of the story away. Having said that, I'm not going to get into too much details about the story.
My old life was that far away. Gone. As if the tornado's damage would never be complete. It had destroyed my present, laid waste to my future, an was now busy eating up my history, too, as I forgot what life was before.
Short version is: this is the story of Jersey, a Midwestern girl that has grown up with the threat of tornadoes her whole life, and how she loses everything when a huge tornado hits. She has survived a nightmare but hasn't come out a winner. Jersey was a great character. . . oh I loved her. She was such a broken soul, you didn't know if she'd ever be put back together. She has lost everything including her hope, her identity, her faith, the ones she loved. I won't say anything else, only that I cried, I sobbed and then I cried some more.
I'm wondering if it's even possible to lose "everything" or if you just have to keep redefining what "everything" is. . . I guess that's just my way of saying you don't need to worry about me giving up. I'm just going to keep redefining "everything" for as long as I need to, because I'm pretty sure that's the best way to keep on going when you feel like you've lost it all.
Whilst this story is tragic and heartbreaking it’s also endearing and hopeful. It filled me with all kinds of emotions, ranging from frustration and anger and sadness to joy and happiness and love, and at the end it left me feeling content. To sum it up, it was and incredibly emotional read. . . a powerful novel, intense, and moving. You can’t help but find yourself taking note of the people and things that make your life worth living, after this experience. Seriously, this is probably one of those books that I will be thinking about for days and days afterwards. This is what every books should be. Torn Away will blow you away!
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