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quietweather's review
4.0
Mclain's [b:A Ticket to Ride|1508168|A Ticket to Ride|Paula McLain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388267656l/1508168._SY75_.jpg|1499727] remains a difficult book for me to recommend. Not because it isn't well written, cohesive, thoughtful, and even somewhat provocative, but because it is a realistic portrayal of an unfortunately suffocating period of life we've all lived through: adolescence.
The main protagonist, Jamie, is a meek leftover of a 15 year old. Her mother is a faint whisper in the dark that no one, not even her uncle, will ever speak to her about. It has been her and him in Moline, Ohio, for a long time, but now it is the summer before high school and Jamie finds herself spending it with someone unexpected. Fawn, her older cousin. Jamie is instantly drawn to her magnetic and disruptive personality. Everyone wants to be with Fawn or actually be her. The more Jamie falls into step with Fawn's demanding expectations and personality, the more she begins to lose herself. It isn't until a tragedy strikes one late Chicago summer night that Jamie has to come to terms with who Fawn really is, and who that's made Jamie become.
I'll be honest, I was hoping for a different ending to this book, but I can see exactly where McLain wanted to take it. This is a story about the pain that comes with unflinching love. It is about the importance of learning self respect and the struggle it sometimes is to acquire. It's an entirely human experience to be young and scared and doubtful of yourself and, in that, Jamie is a character that I think we can all relate to. Her fatal flaw is that she refuses to be with herself and instead uses Fawn as the solution to her crippling inability to love herself. She centers Fawn in her universe and pays the consequences most heavily.
A topic I also heavily enjoyed in the book was the trials and tribulations that come with loving someone flawed. Fawn, for instance, is stagnant in her behavior throughout the book. All she cares about is her appearance and being wanted by others. She comes and leaves as she pleases, sneaking out from Jamie's without any hesitation. She surrounds herself with men who only want her for her body. Even when someone gets hurt in one of the meet ups she has with these men, there is no remorse. "Shit happens" she says. Throughout the book, Fawn refuses to take responsibility for her actions. And to be clear, I think that she's portrayed exactly as she should be and Jamie's love for her is all the more painful and real for it. What are we to do when we feel complete by someone who loves us so coldly? Even when we are rejected by the one person we have stood by steadfastly, what can we do when nothing will change?
TLDR; If you're looking for a book that is brutally honest, poetic in its approach, and contemplative in its nature, I definitely recommend A Ticket to Ride. However, if you're looking for a heroine that isn't weak and is courageous when she needs to be, this is not the book or the theme for you.
The main protagonist, Jamie, is a meek leftover of a 15 year old. Her mother is a faint whisper in the dark that no one, not even her uncle, will ever speak to her about. It has been her and him in Moline, Ohio, for a long time, but now it is the summer before high school and Jamie finds herself spending it with someone unexpected. Fawn, her older cousin. Jamie is instantly drawn to her magnetic and disruptive personality. Everyone wants to be with Fawn or actually be her. The more Jamie falls into step with Fawn's demanding expectations and personality, the more she begins to lose herself. It isn't until a tragedy strikes one late Chicago summer night that Jamie has to come to terms with who Fawn really is, and who that's made Jamie become.
I'll be honest, I was hoping for a different ending to this book, but I can see exactly where McLain wanted to take it. This is a story about the pain that comes with unflinching love. It is about the importance of learning self respect and the struggle it sometimes is to acquire. It's an entirely human experience to be young and scared and doubtful of yourself and, in that, Jamie is a character that I think we can all relate to. Her fatal flaw is that she refuses to be with herself and instead uses Fawn as the solution to her crippling inability to love herself. She centers Fawn in her universe and pays the consequences most heavily.
A topic I also heavily enjoyed in the book was the trials and tribulations that come with loving someone flawed. Fawn, for instance, is stagnant in her behavior throughout the book. All she cares about is her appearance and being wanted by others. She comes and leaves as she pleases, sneaking out from Jamie's without any hesitation. She surrounds herself with men who only want her for her body. Even when someone gets hurt in one of the meet ups she has with these men, there is no remorse. "Shit happens" she says. Throughout the book, Fawn refuses to take responsibility for her actions. And to be clear, I think that she's portrayed exactly as she should be and Jamie's love for her is all the more painful and real for it. What are we to do when we feel complete by someone who loves us so coldly? Even when we are rejected by the one person we have stood by steadfastly, what can we do when nothing will change?
TLDR; If you're looking for a book that is brutally honest, poetic in its approach, and contemplative in its nature, I definitely recommend A Ticket to Ride. However, if you're looking for a heroine that isn't weak and is courageous when she needs to be, this is not the book or the theme for you.
steadyboyfriend's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started reading this book I thought about abandoning it, which I do not do very often with books. I thought it was another typical coming of age story but it ended up, in the end, very nearly taking my breath away. I fell in love with the characters, Jamie, Claudia, Collin and even Fawn. And Paula McLain wrote it beautifully, I felt everything Jamie was feeling and the imagery that she used was just wonderful. In the end I was definitely shocked by this book, I loved it. It will forever be a favorite.
dcmr's review
4.0
Beautiful prose, propelling story.
An evocative start: "It was August. For years it was August."
And an equally profound (near)end line: "Was there anything sadder than starting your life?"
Paula McLain is also a poet. I can't wait to read her poems.
An evocative start: "It was August. For years it was August."
And an equally profound (near)end line: "Was there anything sadder than starting your life?"
Paula McLain is also a poet. I can't wait to read her poems.
mollyfy's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
whatmeaganreads's review against another edition
4.0
I love coming-0f-age stories and definitely those based in the 70s/80s era. This one was over the edge in some parts and a bit brutal which exposed some of the darkness that happened in those years. Teens left to their own devices usually isn't always a good idea and this story proved that.
"Remember that girl? The one who was impossibly cool, who taught you how to blow smoke rings, cut school, sneak out of the house? Remember how you turned yourself inside out trying to be just like her--and then she broke your heart?
Set in the long, hot summer of 1973, Paula McLain's lyrical debut novel explores what happens when an insecure, motherless teenager falls under the dangerous spell of "that girl"--her older cousin Fawn. Fawn's worldly ways are mesmerizing to Jamie, who submits to a makeover--both inside and out--to win Fawn's approval. But over the course of a summer wrecked with tragedy and loss, Jamie learns that Fawn will use anything and anyone to further her own motives. When a local girl goes missing, Jamie realizes how dangerous Fawn truly is, and recognizes, too late, her own complicity in the disaster that unfolds around them.
Paula McLain's poignant debut is a compelling family portrait that explores the darker sides of love and loyalty."-Goodreads
"Remember that girl? The one who was impossibly cool, who taught you how to blow smoke rings, cut school, sneak out of the house? Remember how you turned yourself inside out trying to be just like her--and then she broke your heart?
Set in the long, hot summer of 1973, Paula McLain's lyrical debut novel explores what happens when an insecure, motherless teenager falls under the dangerous spell of "that girl"--her older cousin Fawn. Fawn's worldly ways are mesmerizing to Jamie, who submits to a makeover--both inside and out--to win Fawn's approval. But over the course of a summer wrecked with tragedy and loss, Jamie learns that Fawn will use anything and anyone to further her own motives. When a local girl goes missing, Jamie realizes how dangerous Fawn truly is, and recognizes, too late, her own complicity in the disaster that unfolds around them.
Paula McLain's poignant debut is a compelling family portrait that explores the darker sides of love and loyalty."-Goodreads
booksaremysuperpower's review
3.0
I'm waffling between "I liked it" and "It was Ok". Paula McLain is a superb writer and poet, there is no doubt about that. She wrote one of my favorite books from last year- "The Paris Wife"- and I'm finding it very hard to believe "A Ticket to Ride" is also by the same author. The tone and language in both books is COMPLETELY different.
I found "A Ticket to Ride" too florid and almost overwhelming in its beautiful poetic language for the first half of the novel that I was very close to putting it down for good. I like poetry and I admire incredibly well-written literature, but this novel seemed to scream out "Hey, look at me! I know how to write!" so much that I became annoyed rather than in awe. Towards the second half, however, she lets go of the similes and adverbs and the pace and flow of the story picks up dramatically. Unfortunately, the story never quite gets interesting. I wouldn't say the adventures between Jamie and Fawn are anything we haven't read before: lonely, plain parent-less 15 year old girl living in a small town meets gorgeous long-lost cousin who is "bad news". It's easy to guess that the two hit it off but Jamie is always playing second fiddle to the beautiful Fawn who leads her down a troubled path.
McLain does add a side story revolving around Jamie's uncle Raymond and his relationship with Jamie's absent mother Suzette through a series of flashbacks, but I felt this "B" plot was more of a distraction than anything else. Raymond barely exists in Jamie's present, a detail that drove me nuts, so I wasn't understanding exactly why his story was so relevant to the overall arc. I get that Suzette's dark path mirrors that of Fawn's (and possibly Jamie's), but I would have loved more interaction between Raymond and the girls in the present so that we get a sense of what he is reliving. The character spent most of the novel barely at home and out all night at bars, which doesn't seem terribly realistic when you are harboring a particularly wayward teenager who was just kicked out of her own home. I would think he would want to keep on eye Fawn at the very least, but he doesn't even seem aware the two girls sneak out every evening! It is interesting to note that the author mentions in an interview at the back of the book that Raymond was her favorite character, but I felt he was the most underdeveloped and "bland" out of everyone. Not to mention the relationship with his sister bordered on creepy and slightly incestuous.
For most of the novel Jamie is simply following Fawn around and wondering to herself how she can love Fawn so much and aspire to be just like her when she really doesn't care for how she treats everyone else (herself included). This continues and repeats itself so often that I wanted to smack Jamie at one point and tell her to get a grip. To her credit, McLain does know something about the loneliness and the yearning behind being a teen orphan- she herself went through a series of foster homes for most of her childhood. But the dourness and hopelessness and fear Jamie feels most of the time becomes a weight the reader carries as well. The entire novel is almost completely devoid of any humor whatsoever. Every character is cloaked in some sort of sadness, or in Fawn's case utter narcissism, and there is virtually no relief. I put down the book at the very end just a little shy of depressed.
If you are a fan of the novel and film "Girl, Interrupted", you may identify with this book as it carries a lot of the same themes and tone. Again, it is an incredibly beautiful book to read if you wanted to study the language, but the overall story wasn't captivating enough for me.
I found "A Ticket to Ride" too florid and almost overwhelming in its beautiful poetic language for the first half of the novel that I was very close to putting it down for good. I like poetry and I admire incredibly well-written literature, but this novel seemed to scream out "Hey, look at me! I know how to write!" so much that I became annoyed rather than in awe. Towards the second half, however, she lets go of the similes and adverbs and the pace and flow of the story picks up dramatically. Unfortunately, the story never quite gets interesting. I wouldn't say the adventures between Jamie and Fawn are anything we haven't read before: lonely, plain parent-less 15 year old girl living in a small town meets gorgeous long-lost cousin who is "bad news". It's easy to guess that the two hit it off but Jamie is always playing second fiddle to the beautiful Fawn who leads her down a troubled path.
McLain does add a side story revolving around Jamie's uncle Raymond and his relationship with Jamie's absent mother Suzette through a series of flashbacks, but I felt this "B" plot was more of a distraction than anything else. Raymond barely exists in Jamie's present, a detail that drove me nuts, so I wasn't understanding exactly why his story was so relevant to the overall arc. I get that Suzette's dark path mirrors that of Fawn's (and possibly Jamie's), but I would have loved more interaction between Raymond and the girls in the present so that we get a sense of what he is reliving. The character spent most of the novel barely at home and out all night at bars, which doesn't seem terribly realistic when you are harboring a particularly wayward teenager who was just kicked out of her own home. I would think he would want to keep on eye Fawn at the very least, but he doesn't even seem aware the two girls sneak out every evening! It is interesting to note that the author mentions in an interview at the back of the book that Raymond was her favorite character, but I felt he was the most underdeveloped and "bland" out of everyone. Not to mention the relationship with his sister bordered on creepy and slightly incestuous.
For most of the novel Jamie is simply following Fawn around and wondering to herself how she can love Fawn so much and aspire to be just like her when she really doesn't care for how she treats everyone else (herself included). This continues and repeats itself so often that I wanted to smack Jamie at one point and tell her to get a grip. To her credit, McLain does know something about the loneliness and the yearning behind being a teen orphan- she herself went through a series of foster homes for most of her childhood. But the dourness and hopelessness and fear Jamie feels most of the time becomes a weight the reader carries as well. The entire novel is almost completely devoid of any humor whatsoever. Every character is cloaked in some sort of sadness, or in Fawn's case utter narcissism, and there is virtually no relief. I put down the book at the very end just a little shy of depressed.
If you are a fan of the novel and film "Girl, Interrupted", you may identify with this book as it carries a lot of the same themes and tone. Again, it is an incredibly beautiful book to read if you wanted to study the language, but the overall story wasn't captivating enough for me.
malagajames's review
5.0
This book was engaging and had lots of tension. I thought she nailed living as a teenager in the early 70s (or late 60s) in the summer. I loved how she used songs from those years as her chapter titles. It was very different from the Paris Wife or Circling the Sun.
demottar's review against another edition
5.0
I completely loved Paula McLain's first novel! A Ticket to Ride is very different from her two historical fiction novels, but is still so gripping, well-plotted, and marked with the beautiful style and excellent characterization that I've come to expect from this author.
A Ticket to Ride is a less sprawling, more focused novel than McLain's other novels. The setting, amount of characters, and length of time the plot covers are fewer and shorter than The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun, which made for very interesting reading. Though this is a darker story about a lonely, unloved girl, somehow I still found Jaimie and Raymond's story hopeful.
When is Paula McLain going to release a fourth novel??
A Ticket to Ride is a less sprawling, more focused novel than McLain's other novels. The setting, amount of characters, and length of time the plot covers are fewer and shorter than The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun, which made for very interesting reading. Though this is a darker story about a lonely, unloved girl, somehow I still found Jaimie and Raymond's story hopeful.
When is Paula McLain going to release a fourth novel??
saffronso's review against another edition
5.0
TW; rape
This book resonated with me on a deep level.
It's a story about the messy place between childhood and adulthood. It's a story about being influenced by others, wanting them to like you so very badly that you change who you are for them. It's a story about children who know too much and have experienced too much for their own good. It's a story about how grown men take advantage of teenage girls.
McLain's writing is melodic as always, painting such vivid pictures of scenes. I think she does such a better job channeling the teenage years, especially after just reading a John Green novel.
This novel will stick with me for a while.
This book resonated with me on a deep level.
It's a story about the messy place between childhood and adulthood. It's a story about being influenced by others, wanting them to like you so very badly that you change who you are for them. It's a story about children who know too much and have experienced too much for their own good. It's a story about how grown men take advantage of teenage girls.
McLain's writing is melodic as always, painting such vivid pictures of scenes. I think she does such a better job channeling the teenage years, especially after just reading a John Green novel.
This novel will stick with me for a while.