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chantedsnicker's review against another edition
3.0
I really wasn't sure what to make of this book. I liked the idea behind it, it was interesting and thought provoking. Dedicated chapters for each of the players in the story.
Their thoughts, were jumbled and confused, as you would expect in a time of grief and this was captured beautifully. Just perhaps a bit too in depth got me when I didn't really feel I could connect with any of the characters.
Their thoughts, were jumbled and confused, as you would expect in a time of grief and this was captured beautifully. Just perhaps a bit too in depth got me when I didn't really feel I could connect with any of the characters.
alisyy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this prior to publication.
Mountain Road, Late at Night tells the story of a young couple who have been in an accident on their way home from a party. Their car was found the morning after. Alice was dead at the scene and Nicholas died in hospital. We focus on those left behind.
Our key narrators are varied. First is the brother who had moved into the family home to care for the orphaned son, Jack. He reflects on the experience since the accident and what it means for the various family members left behind. Then we have the mother who has taken a vow of silence since the accident but who is also living with the guilt of an affair. Next is the mother-in-law driving across America to atone for her failures as a mother to take her grandchild. All three are inherently selfish and pay no thought to what is best for Jack. There was little to like about any of them.
The last section is from the viewpoint of Nicholas, the driver of the car that crashed. We see him come to consciousness and examine the reality of his situation. We learn what lead to the crash and we see his fight to survive, though this is ultimately futile.
While the idea was interesting I found this a hard one to like. I felt little empathy with the characters and the one I wanted to know more about, Jack, was given no voice.
Mountain Road, Late at Night tells the story of a young couple who have been in an accident on their way home from a party. Their car was found the morning after. Alice was dead at the scene and Nicholas died in hospital. We focus on those left behind.
Our key narrators are varied. First is the brother who had moved into the family home to care for the orphaned son, Jack. He reflects on the experience since the accident and what it means for the various family members left behind. Then we have the mother who has taken a vow of silence since the accident but who is also living with the guilt of an affair. Next is the mother-in-law driving across America to atone for her failures as a mother to take her grandchild. All three are inherently selfish and pay no thought to what is best for Jack. There was little to like about any of them.
The last section is from the viewpoint of Nicholas, the driver of the car that crashed. We see him come to consciousness and examine the reality of his situation. We learn what lead to the crash and we see his fight to survive, though this is ultimately futile.
While the idea was interesting I found this a hard one to like. I felt little empathy with the characters and the one I wanted to know more about, Jack, was given no voice.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Everyone was always thinking they knew the right way to live.’
Nicholas and April live in a remote cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains with their four-year-old son Jack. They’ve established their own lives, separate and different from their families. And then, one night, tragedy strikes. Nicholas and April are driving home from a party and die in a car crash.
Who will raise Jack?
‘What was real became unreal and what was unreal became real.’
Nicholas’s brother and sister in law, Nathaniel and Stefanie are willing, but are not sure that they are ready for the responsibility. Nicholas and Nathaniel’s parents, Katherine and David might have the financial resources, but their relationship is failing. April’s mother, Tammy, wants a chance to be a better parent, to make up for the mistakes she made as a single mother.
For the first three parts of the novel, we are in the minds of Nathaniel, Katherine and Tammy. Nathaniel and Stefanie are with Jack, Tammy is driving to Blue Ridge, and Katherine (who has taken a vow of silence) spends much of her time wallowing in guilt.
Nicholas and April have not left any instructions about Jack’s guardianship.
‘You understand that this is going to be a fight of some kind…’
I read the first three parts of this novel, trying to work out which of these relatives would be best placed to care for Jack. Decisions need to be made, but what about Jack? And why is it that so many of us, unwilling to consider our own mortality, have not made care arrangements for our children?
But it was the final part of this novel that moved me most. For these are Nicholas’s final hours, trapped in the car after the crash. Life is replayed, the consequences considered. But what about Jack?
This is a powerful novel and uncomfortable novel. Life can change (and end) in an instance.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Nicholas and April live in a remote cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains with their four-year-old son Jack. They’ve established their own lives, separate and different from their families. And then, one night, tragedy strikes. Nicholas and April are driving home from a party and die in a car crash.
Who will raise Jack?
‘What was real became unreal and what was unreal became real.’
Nicholas’s brother and sister in law, Nathaniel and Stefanie are willing, but are not sure that they are ready for the responsibility. Nicholas and Nathaniel’s parents, Katherine and David might have the financial resources, but their relationship is failing. April’s mother, Tammy, wants a chance to be a better parent, to make up for the mistakes she made as a single mother.
For the first three parts of the novel, we are in the minds of Nathaniel, Katherine and Tammy. Nathaniel and Stefanie are with Jack, Tammy is driving to Blue Ridge, and Katherine (who has taken a vow of silence) spends much of her time wallowing in guilt.
Nicholas and April have not left any instructions about Jack’s guardianship.
‘You understand that this is going to be a fight of some kind…’
I read the first three parts of this novel, trying to work out which of these relatives would be best placed to care for Jack. Decisions need to be made, but what about Jack? And why is it that so many of us, unwilling to consider our own mortality, have not made care arrangements for our children?
But it was the final part of this novel that moved me most. For these are Nicholas’s final hours, trapped in the car after the crash. Life is replayed, the consequences considered. But what about Jack?
This is a powerful novel and uncomfortable novel. Life can change (and end) in an instance.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
When a young couple, Nicholas and April, are killed in a car accident on their way home from a party, questions arise over who will raise their four year old son, Jack.
Nicholas’s brother, Nathaniel and his wife Stefanie, are willing to step up, but no one, including them, are sure they are ready for the responsibility. Nicholas and Nathaniel’s parents, Katherine and David, have the resources to provide for their grandson but their marriage is on shaky ground, while Tammy wants the chance to atone for the mistakes she made as a young, single mother to April.
Unfolding in four parts, Rossi takes us into the minds of Nathaniel, Katherine, and Tammy in the days following their loss as they grapple with their grief, anxieties, regrets, and mortality, while facing the decisions that must be made as life continues.
I was impressed by the authenticity of each voice, but I also found it exhausting to be so immersed in the unfiltered thoughts of these characters. Nathaniel’s angst, Katherine’s confused grief, and Tammy’s guilt are intensely felt as they hold somewhat circular discussions with themselves, and others, about what they are, and should, be thinking, feeling, and doing.
It was the final devastating chapter though that affected me the most as Rossi takes us into the mind of Nicholas, badly injured and trapped in his upturned car for hours, as he contemplates the life he has lived, and what he will leave behind.
Though this is not really the sort of reading I prefer, objectively I can recognise the literary merit of Mountain Road, Late at Night, I and admire what Rossi has accomplished.
Nicholas’s brother, Nathaniel and his wife Stefanie, are willing to step up, but no one, including them, are sure they are ready for the responsibility. Nicholas and Nathaniel’s parents, Katherine and David, have the resources to provide for their grandson but their marriage is on shaky ground, while Tammy wants the chance to atone for the mistakes she made as a young, single mother to April.
Unfolding in four parts, Rossi takes us into the minds of Nathaniel, Katherine, and Tammy in the days following their loss as they grapple with their grief, anxieties, regrets, and mortality, while facing the decisions that must be made as life continues.
I was impressed by the authenticity of each voice, but I also found it exhausting to be so immersed in the unfiltered thoughts of these characters. Nathaniel’s angst, Katherine’s confused grief, and Tammy’s guilt are intensely felt as they hold somewhat circular discussions with themselves, and others, about what they are, and should, be thinking, feeling, and doing.
It was the final devastating chapter though that affected me the most as Rossi takes us into the mind of Nicholas, badly injured and trapped in his upturned car for hours, as he contemplates the life he has lived, and what he will leave behind.
Though this is not really the sort of reading I prefer, objectively I can recognise the literary merit of Mountain Road, Late at Night, I and admire what Rossi has accomplished.
carolinefaireymeese's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ladyreading365's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. The title just drew me in from the beginning. This book was a nice fast paced read that makes you want to read on. To find out what happen to the young lad after his parents are killed in an accident. Will the god parents keep him or will the grandmother win i will let you read it to find out
aplace_inthesun's review against another edition
3.0
Nicholas and April live a life not in keeping with their family's views of normalcy. Quiet, peaceful, and isolated from the outside world, the family have been working on self-sufficiency and raising their young son Jack the way they wish to, without the trappings of materialism. Until one night April and Nicholas are killed in a car accident leaving Jack an orphan and needing some one to care for him.
Family members descend on the remote community, each motivated to care for Jack with their own intentions, each thinking they know what he needs. The reader gets a snapshot from Nathaniel, (Nicholas's brother), Katherine (Nicholas's mother), Tammy (April's mother) and finally, and the most poignant snapshot of all, from a dying Nicholas.
I'm largely unfamiliar with streams of consciousness in writing, so Mountain Road was something entirely different for me. Rambling descriptions and thoughts without the inclusion of actual conversation was an adjustment. Paragraphs would sometimes be a page or page and a half long. Each snapshot depicted that character's thoughts, feelings and reactions, a continuous flow of information. Nathanial's and Nicholas's points of view were like bookends for the story, where it started, and sadly, where it ended with Nicholas’s life painfully but slowly ebbing away. It's a powerful story of things left unsaid, how tragedy impacts individuals differently and how loss is manifested.
This was a confronting read, and whilst I struggled early on with the narrative I very much appreciated it's complexity. Thank you to Picador and Pan Macmillan Australia for a gifted copy of this book for the purposes of a review. Thew views expressed are my own.
This review also appears on my instagram page @aplace_inthesun.
Family members descend on the remote community, each motivated to care for Jack with their own intentions, each thinking they know what he needs. The reader gets a snapshot from Nathaniel, (Nicholas's brother), Katherine (Nicholas's mother), Tammy (April's mother) and finally, and the most poignant snapshot of all, from a dying Nicholas.
I'm largely unfamiliar with streams of consciousness in writing, so Mountain Road was something entirely different for me. Rambling descriptions and thoughts without the inclusion of actual conversation was an adjustment. Paragraphs would sometimes be a page or page and a half long. Each snapshot depicted that character's thoughts, feelings and reactions, a continuous flow of information. Nathanial's and Nicholas's points of view were like bookends for the story, where it started, and sadly, where it ended with Nicholas’s life painfully but slowly ebbing away. It's a powerful story of things left unsaid, how tragedy impacts individuals differently and how loss is manifested.
This was a confronting read, and whilst I struggled early on with the narrative I very much appreciated it's complexity. Thank you to Picador and Pan Macmillan Australia for a gifted copy of this book for the purposes of a review. Thew views expressed are my own.
This review also appears on my instagram page @aplace_inthesun.
brewtifulfiction's review against another edition
5.0
Cleverly powerful.
That is what I'd describe this novel as.
A young couple, Nicholas and April, are tragically killed in a car accident on their way home from a party, left behind is their four year old son, Jack.
Who will become his guardian and set him on the right path now?
Split into four parts, this is a story that is poetically meaningful.
We get an insight how certain family members think and feel after such a loss. Those moments of uncertainty, guilt and grief.
First there is Nicholas’s brother, Nathaniel and his wife Stefanie, they don't have children of their own but are more than willing to step up.
Then there is Nicholas and Nathaniel’s parents, Katherine and David. Told more from Katherine's POV, have the resources to provide for their grandson but their marriage isn't as stable as it appears from to those looking in.
And finally we have Tammy - April's mum -she now wants the chance to change her past mistakes that she unfortunately made when she was a young, single mother to her now deceased story.
Each party have their reasons for why they should be the ones to take charge, to be the ones to make Jack's life as good as it can be.
There was such a realism to each part. The conversations, the thoughts and processes of each character. It was all so well observed.
Both logical and philosophical.
It was the last part of the story that really got me. I won't tell you who that part belongs to but just know that I cried, it was beyond emotional.
Simple in its delivery but intimate in the way it was worded. This is a detailed account of a family struggling, trying to come to terms with a different, unexpected way of life.
I felt so much. Sadness. Tragedy. But it was all wrapped up in words of regret and hope.
Thought provoking. Mountain Road, Late at Night is a unique and powerful novel.
That is what I'd describe this novel as.
A young couple, Nicholas and April, are tragically killed in a car accident on their way home from a party, left behind is their four year old son, Jack.
Who will become his guardian and set him on the right path now?
Split into four parts, this is a story that is poetically meaningful.
We get an insight how certain family members think and feel after such a loss. Those moments of uncertainty, guilt and grief.
First there is Nicholas’s brother, Nathaniel and his wife Stefanie, they don't have children of their own but are more than willing to step up.
Then there is Nicholas and Nathaniel’s parents, Katherine and David. Told more from Katherine's POV, have the resources to provide for their grandson but their marriage isn't as stable as it appears from to those looking in.
And finally we have Tammy - April's mum -she now wants the chance to change her past mistakes that she unfortunately made when she was a young, single mother to her now deceased story.
Each party have their reasons for why they should be the ones to take charge, to be the ones to make Jack's life as good as it can be.
There was such a realism to each part. The conversations, the thoughts and processes of each character. It was all so well observed.
Both logical and philosophical.
It was the last part of the story that really got me. I won't tell you who that part belongs to but just know that I cried, it was beyond emotional.
Simple in its delivery but intimate in the way it was worded. This is a detailed account of a family struggling, trying to come to terms with a different, unexpected way of life.
I felt so much. Sadness. Tragedy. But it was all wrapped up in words of regret and hope.
Thought provoking. Mountain Road, Late at Night is a unique and powerful novel.
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