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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
Lone Star by Paullina Simons
4.0
‘You should always protect the things you can’t do without.’
Chloe, a teenager from a small town in Maine, wants to travel to Barcelona with her best friend Hannah and their boyfriends Blake and Mason before leaving home to attend college. Her very protective parents are reluctant to permit the trip, but eventually an agreement is reached. Chloe’s grandmother wants the four of them to travel first through Eastern Europe, to Latvia and to Poland where she has family, and memories of the past. Chloe is reluctant, but agrees. Her grandmother agrees to fund the trip for the four of them. Barcelona beckons. Each of the four has a different motivation for travelling. While Chloe wants a taste of independence, Blake is looking for material to write a short story which he hopes to enter into a competition. Hannah has her own reasons for wanting a change, while Mason is happy to join in.
The four friends arrive in Europe, and while travelling on a crowded train in Latvia, they meet a young man with a guitar who calls himself Johnny Rainbow. Johnny works as a tour guide and busks in Riga. Blake (Hannah’s boyfriend) takes an instant dislike to Johnny, and it isn’t long before Johnny’s presence impacts on the group.
I found it impossible to put this novel down. Following the group through the challenges of their travel, the turmoils of teenaged relationships, and (for some, at least) the recognition of the impact of war on Eastern Europe was like undertaking the journey with them. We see a number of situations from the differing perspectives of the friends, how something which enthrals one irritates another. And all the time, Johnny’s presence (or absence) has its own impact on the friends.
And after the trip? What happens when the friends return to the USA? How will the journey shape the lives of Chloe, Blake, Hannah and Mason? And what about Johnny? You’ll need to read the novel to find out.
‘IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN.’
I’m a long time reader of Ms Simons’s novels, and I’ve yet to read one that I didn’t enjoy. In this novel, Ms Simons makes the friends (especially Chloe and Blake) emerge as individuals. There are other characters, too, who’ve stayed with me (especially Lupe, and Chloe’s mother Lang).
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Chloe, a teenager from a small town in Maine, wants to travel to Barcelona with her best friend Hannah and their boyfriends Blake and Mason before leaving home to attend college. Her very protective parents are reluctant to permit the trip, but eventually an agreement is reached. Chloe’s grandmother wants the four of them to travel first through Eastern Europe, to Latvia and to Poland where she has family, and memories of the past. Chloe is reluctant, but agrees. Her grandmother agrees to fund the trip for the four of them. Barcelona beckons. Each of the four has a different motivation for travelling. While Chloe wants a taste of independence, Blake is looking for material to write a short story which he hopes to enter into a competition. Hannah has her own reasons for wanting a change, while Mason is happy to join in.
The four friends arrive in Europe, and while travelling on a crowded train in Latvia, they meet a young man with a guitar who calls himself Johnny Rainbow. Johnny works as a tour guide and busks in Riga. Blake (Hannah’s boyfriend) takes an instant dislike to Johnny, and it isn’t long before Johnny’s presence impacts on the group.
I found it impossible to put this novel down. Following the group through the challenges of their travel, the turmoils of teenaged relationships, and (for some, at least) the recognition of the impact of war on Eastern Europe was like undertaking the journey with them. We see a number of situations from the differing perspectives of the friends, how something which enthrals one irritates another. And all the time, Johnny’s presence (or absence) has its own impact on the friends.
And after the trip? What happens when the friends return to the USA? How will the journey shape the lives of Chloe, Blake, Hannah and Mason? And what about Johnny? You’ll need to read the novel to find out.
‘IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN.’
I’m a long time reader of Ms Simons’s novels, and I’ve yet to read one that I didn’t enjoy. In this novel, Ms Simons makes the friends (especially Chloe and Blake) emerge as individuals. There are other characters, too, who’ve stayed with me (especially Lupe, and Chloe’s mother Lang).
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith