Rating: 
Summary: Ash's Review for Backroads
Review: This is my review over the story Backroads. Backroads is very different from other books I have read. It is very exciting and a little to descriptive. Harley, the main character, comes from a very messed up family. The family has a lot of problems and the problems only get worse. The father is very abusive towards his children, not the mother, the mother really didn't stick up for her children. The children only wanted love. Misty felt like she had to get revenge on her mother, and she ended up by accident taking the life of her father. Misty felt horrible, but her mother took the blame for the crime and was sent to prison. The children then have to grow up on their own, but Harley is the one that takes care of them and all the responsibilites. Harley feels hatred towards his mother and does a lot of crazy things, until he finds out the truth. Then he turns to the mother of one of his younger sister's friends, Callie. Harley falls in love with Callie. Harley keeps having flashbacks and has terrible visions that he is trying to get rid of. The day he gets rid of them is the day he loses Callie the one he loves. Harley takes the blame for the shooting of Callie, but it was really Amber, his sister, which was jealous. Harley then ends up just like his mom, innocent, but takes the blame. The three girls end up being sent off to foster homes while Harley gets the death sentence.
Rating:
Summary: Well Written...
Review: It's a shame how some of these reviews lack the proper critque. Calling a book "A waste of time" just because you didn't like it displays a sophomoric attitude simply because you were displeased with the book. Saying that, I feel one must take into consideration that this was written from a teenager's perspective, thus this could be why some people did not like the book. It has many vulgar scenes with Harley masturbating,cursing,shooting,etc.,but this is all apart of the life of a dysfunctional family. It would have been bad writing if the author wrapped up all the plots with a happy ending and replaced the word "F--ck" for the word "Fudge". Bottom line is if you cannot take explicit content then don't read the book.This isn't a white suburban fairy-tale. It's a poor white trash fairy-tale--deal with it.The storyline was SIMPLE, which is what made this book such a tale to absorb. It was about Harley raising his younger sisters because his mother decided to take a [gun]shot at her husband. But as the reader continues on in the book, he finds himself fooled by the clever set up O'Dell displayed and makes u start despising the character(s) just when you started to like them. As far as the characters go they were all written to perfection(especially Harley..DAYUUUM). Each character had a flaw that was manipulated to the author's benefit in order for her to set down the twists. Personally, I did not like the main character because he was a PUNK. But I had felt sorry for him because he was faced with raising three girls. The character I liked most was the mother of two and Harley's "DREAM GIRL". To me, she was the link to the entire novel even though she wasn't the central focus. She affected Harley's train of thought with her passion for famous paintings and of course just being "HERSELF". The many sexual scenes were RELEVANT because each time Harley gained a new perspective on his life. For example, when the mother had left him out in the woods after their second or third sexual encounter, he realizes that someone out there actually cares about him(because she left him some food and a flashlight). Plus the mother(apart from the psychologist) was the only character that kept Harley sane. Perhaps one of the most scary factors was the fact that Harley had misplaced thoughts about killing his family members. However, the reader could relate; to the extent that he too day dreamed about killing someone(not necessarily his family members). This book keeps the reader in suspense from beginning to end, speaking of which the ending is somewhat debatable because some might oppose to what happened to Harley and his demented sister(s). The bottom line is, if you like the harshness of reality then snatch this book down of the shelf. But if you are into the half-baked type novels where the character is supposed to have a rough edge, but the only word he knows how to say is "Darn" and his idea of being dirty minded is fantasizing about a girl in grandma dresses then this book is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Easy reading, hard thinking
Review: Tawni O'Dell has written a masterpiece that will have you struggling with everything you think you believe. This book is a roller coaster of emotions. It challenged me to look at my beliefs and to shuffle everything to a new perspective. The subject matter is not easy, but the writing glides through it so easily that you feel sucker-punched when yet another of your nice tidy explanations for human behavior hits the trash. I can't imagine anyone who would not be changed by reading this book. As a Mom, as the mother of daughters and a son, as a woman and as a member of a community, this story made me rethink it all. If you think you have it ... wait five minutes. Counting the days until book two from this author ... unbelieveable talent.
Rating: 
Summary: Has its moments but not that great
Review: Back Roads is an OK written, interesting book. Yes it's disturbing but the bigger flaw is that it a little over the top with all that happens to this little "family". That and the evolution of Harley's relationship with Callie Mercer was not believable. There are moments of clever prose and humor but otherwise, everything that goes on in the story is too busy and the author fails to weave this story into something realistic. The story stays interesting due to the shock value of events rather than digging deeper into the thoughts of Harley, other characters, or even Harley's perceptions of other characters. With this book, I just thought that all the characters in the book didn't have all their marbles thus their odd, unusual behavior. Case in point, the fact that Callie had a failing marriage just didn't convince me that she would have a sexual affair with a pimply faced, awkward 19 year old while he's bleeding due to a severe injury. Lastly, I do agree the description of the book on the book is misleading. I don't know why it's described as "sexy" and "funny" when the subject matter was so dark. I also did not think Harley was all that likable... another overstatement in the description of the book.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: If you love a good book, full of emotion and reality and beauty and sickness, then this is the book for you! As a writer myself, I appreciate O'Dell's clean, straight forward writing. The characters in Back Roads are life and blood and I liked/hated/identified with them throughout the book. I read it all the way through, stopping only when absolutely necessary. I wish she had another book out so I could go out and buy it right now!
Rating: 
Summary: Very poorly written, unrealistic characters . . .
Review: I can't believe that some people who reviewed this book actually said it was "great". I thought that the book was boring and slow, and all the characters were annoying. The main character, who is trying to raise his younger sisters while his mother is in prison, doesn't even have the sense to realize that he needs help -- oh sure, he feels sorry for himself, in fact he WALLOWS in self-pity, but he doesn't actually take the mature step of getting assistance for his family. Then he starts having an affair with a married neighbor, which just made him seem more of a loser in my opinion . . . No one in this book is trying to triumph over his or her misfortunes, they are just whining and pulling each other down. And the ending made no sense to me; what was the point of another senseless killing?
Rating: 
Summary: A reader
Review: If you feel that you must read it because it appears on Oprah's list then at least do yourself the favor of purchasing the paperback. This is not a book to keep. I'll give it 2 stars because it passed the time and kept me reading but it's not a book that I would bother recommending to others.
Rating:
Summary: !...Excellent...!
Review: This book just left me in complete Awe. I counldn't put it down for the life of me. Yes, indeed it's quite the page turner. This book is very well executed. Honestly, *one* of the greatest books I've ever read, thus, I felt the need to comment on it. :) And *ahem* this book *is* "funny" and may be described as such by the "professional reveiwers". For, in my *OWN* opionion, I do not belive they were referring to the "themes portrayed"...but to Harely, the main character, for his **wittyness, and sharpness.** I certainly do not, believe that the reveiwers were sitting there saying..."....family abused..haha..father killed....hahaha..that's funny" If you got that impression. I'm very sorry that you missed some very great moments from Harely.
Rating:
Summary: A winner
Review: The story line is action-packed and filled with angst from start to finish as the strong characters generate feelings from the audience not often seen in a family drama. The story line is fast-paced, filled with amusing moments, and loaded with tidbits that anchor the time and place without slowing the plot one iota. Tawni O'Dell's hero, Harley Altmeyer, is spry, keen, and independent with a mind as sharp as ever. BACK ROADS is an exciting and realistic novel that never slows down for even a page. The story line works because the characters seem so believable and the Pennsylvania landscape adds a degree of freshness not often seen in a Keystone State contemporary. The delightful lead characters and a strong secondary mix leaves the audience with a powerfully entertaining Tawni O'Dell novel to savor. With BACK ROADS she scores big as she turns the multi-layered plot into one of the author's greatest triumphs. Lurdane Blurber
Rating:
Summary: fantastic book
Review: This book was full of unexpected twists and turns. Once I started reading it there was no stopping. It is one of the best books that I have ever read.
| 
