The Solace of Leaving Early

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Fun
Review: It's difficult to write a novel about faith and romance that's smart but not smug, moving but not preachy, and entertaining on a purely plot level. Remarkably, Haven Kimmel has done just that in SOLACE--she's a wordsmith of the first order, a common-sense theologian and a splendid storyteller. She's also created two characters--Amos and Langston--who stay with you as if they were genuine folks, the preacher from your neighborhood church or an old friend returned home--a bit worse for wear--after years away. Add to this the author's subtle asides, droll throwaway lines, narrative winks and quick wisdom, and you've got a great read, one of the best in years as far as I'm concerned.

Rating:
Summary: flawed but worth a read
Review: it's hard to fault an author for dialog that is adult, interesting, challenging, sincere, intellectual, and deep. There's far too little of it in far too many books. Unfortunately, in this one, there's just too much to be believable. Too many characters speak too fluently of too many difficult and arcane subjects, not simply as if they are aware of or have read certain writings but as if they have studied them. Repeatedly. So much so that they have memorized them. That said, it's still hard not to enjoy much of this and if it pulls you out of the novel now and then, it's not too painful a dislocation. The same can be said of the mother-daughter relationships in the book, which cross over a bit into the too shrill or dysfunctional to completely buy. By far the most damaging flaw is the ending, which without going into detail, has not been properly earned, though it easily could have been and while I seldom think a book should be longer, the story and characters in this one were strong enough that I would have gladly allowed another 30-40 pages of development so the ending would be better earned. Despite all these flaws, Kimmel has written a story that is engaging and moving, an examination of grief and personal growth that touches the reader in all sorts of ways, through all sorts of characters. She has enough faith in herself and her story to allow her characters to be unlikable (and therefore all the more believable) at times and shows a deft ability across a range of character--young, old, male, female. Prepared to be frustrated and disappointed, but also moved.

Rating:
Summary: flawed but worth a read
Review: it's hard to fault an author for dialog that is adult, interesting, challenging, sincere, intellectual, and deep. There's far too little of it in far too many books. Unfortunately, in this one, there's just too much to be believable. Too many characters speak too fluently of too many difficult and arcane subjects, not simply as if they are aware of or have read certain writings but as if they have studied them. Repeatedly. So much so that they have memorized them. That said, it's still hard not to enjoy much of this and if it pulls you out of the novel now and then, it's not too painful a dislocation. The same can be said of the mother-daughter relationships in the book, which cross over a bit into the too shrill or dysfunctional to completely buy. By far the most damaging flaw is the ending, which without going into detail, has not been properly earned, though it easily could have been and while I seldom think a book should be longer, the story and characters in this one were strong enough that I would have gladly allowed another 30-40 pages of development so the ending would be better earned. Despite all these flaws, Kimmel has written a story that is engaging and moving, an examination of grief and personal growth that touches the reader in all sorts of ways, through all sorts of characters. She has enough faith in herself and her story to allow her characters to be unlikable (and therefore all the more believable) at times and shows a deft ability across a range of character--young, old, male, female. Prepared to be frustrated and disappointed, but also moved.

Rating:
Summary: the beauty of staying through the end
Review: It's rough going; I won't lie. The philosophical ponderings and the dialogue that would only come out of the of the most scholarly among us can be deterring. But the heart of the story is full of just that. Kimmel has crafted a beautiful piece of fiction. She may have left her small town, but it no doubt has stayed with her, as she crafts even the most minor characters with precision, grace, and humor. Not all parts of the story get resolved, but the sheer beauty of what happens more than makes up for it.

Langston and Amos aren't particularly likeable characters, but their yearning and their hapless way of relating to the world are both funny and heartbreaking. As they work out their flaws and accept them, they do grow. Langston, for instance, shows more childish behavior than the girls thrust into her care, yet her interactions with them are incredibly moving and smile-inducing.

It's a bit slow in the beginning, and much of the defining moments for the characters are revealed late in the book, but getting there and sticking with it yields a reward that much belies the title.

Rating:
Summary: Literate but not Worldly
Review: Jan McDonald (below) says just about everything in her review that I wanted to say -- the unlikely scholarship of the farmers in Haddington IN, the too rapid and too neat denouement, the suffocatingly thick references to religious/philosophical literature, and yes, the beauty of Kimmel's prose which renders all of the aforementioned almost irrelevant.

I would add only a few thoughts. Langston, the central character, is throughout most of the book almost a caricature of the smug, self-centered and insufferably selfish "professional student." She was exceedingly well drawn as a character, being both familiar AND infuriating -- but I kept expecting her to undergo some emotional growth during the unfolding of the story. Unfortunately, she arrives at the terminus without ever boarding that train.

Second, Kimmel's portrait of the pastor Amos Townsend is absolutely spot-on; his doubts, his discipline, his soul-searching and his embarrassment at landing in a series of dead-end parishes. Although the reader could see from the outset how the two lead characters are perfect for each other, Kimmel's slow dance of bringing them together builds a lovely tension. Too bad the book wasn't about 8 chapters longer so she could have resolved that tension realistically.

And last, I am puzzled by the title. There is no "solace" in Langston's decision to abandon her PhD in mid-exam; it is a decision she neither understands nor one she can live with. And there is no "leaving early" in the overall arc of the novel -- in the end boy-gets-girl. There's certainly no comfort for the troubled children, nor for any of the rear-stage cast who all have their own problems. In short, it seems like a title chosen by a publicist.

To sum up, a flawed novel to be sure, but not one without rewards. Some really stunning writing makes me look forward to her next novel.

Rating:
Summary: I love this book!!!
Review: My daughter gave me a copy of this author's first book, which was a memoir called A Girl Named Zippy and i just loved it. It was so charming and fresh and very, very funny. SO I was excited when I went into my bookstore and saw this new book, a novel by the same author. The clerk told me she'd read it herself and had really loved it so I took a chance because I usually wait for the paperback. Anyway, I ADORE this book, The Solace of Leaving Early. This is just a fascinating and such an unusual story that i don't even want to say what it's about...of course, you can read that up above but i will say that I'd planned to spend an a night reading the book but instead was up WAY too late and finished it all at once. So that's always a good sign. I just don't have much patience for a book you have to "work" to get into, but with The Solace of Leaving Early, the pages turned themselves!

Rating:
Summary: Not your average light summer read
Review: Placed into my hands by a woman at my neighborhood bookstore who said, 'Read this,' what a wonderful discovery this book was. Langston Braverman (and howz THAT for a great name for your character?) returns home (after a grim end to an affair and in the middle of her PhD orals) not for the usual reasons; she wants to get away from it all. But she find herself right in the middle of it all, the biggest 'it' being the death of her childhood friend and the fact that she's asked to help care for her friends deeply disturbed daughters. With great story lines, believable dialog, and revised Midwestern values, we read, compulsively hooked, as these troubled individuals struggle to find solace and peace. Wow, what a terrific book!

Rating:
Summary: Pretentious and Intrusive
Review: Some books' writing flows effortlessly into your mind. This book's writing is intrusive - I find myself thinking more about the writing style and what I don't like about it, than I do about the characters and the plot. Never a good sign. The author seems to be reaching (too hard) for the kind of lyrical and haunting prose that a few other writers have acheived.
The author's depiction of the relationship between the main character and her mother is overwrought and contrived.
If you want a really good book, try "Fall on Your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald!

Rating:
Summary: Pretentious and Intrusive
Review: Some books' writing flows effortlessly into your mind. This book's writing is intrusive - I find myself thinking more about the writing style and what I don't like about it, than I do about the characters and the plot. Never a good sign. The author seems to be reaching (too hard) for the kind of lyrical and haunting prose that a few other writers have acheived.
The author's depiction of the relationship between the main character and her mother is overwrought and contrived.
If you want a really good book, try "Fall on Your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald!

Rating:
Summary: Don't let the philosophy scare you
Review: Sure the book delves a little deeper into religious philosophy than i would like, but the story is engaging and is well worth sticking through the lecture. It's amazing how Kimmel can take a character who on the surface seems so unlikable and maybe you actually root for her by the end.