Charlie's Exit

Rating:
Summary: Splendid Fiction
Review: Charlie's Exit is a tale for our times -- for all times. It is a mystery of love, courage, loss, and redemption as lived through the character of a young woman at the crossroads of her past and future. Ms. Hiller is able to create vibrantly real characters and events because of the experiential and evocative qualities of her writing. Her people come alive and one finds oneself thinking about them on the way to work, in the shower, falling asleep at night, and wishing the best for them.

Ms. Hiller takes the reader with her protagonist, Charlie, as she discovers where she came from, where she's going, and most importantly, who she is.

Charlie's Exit is a good reason to stay home with a good book.

Rating:
Summary: A literary gem
Review: This book reminds me of Rashomon, the Japanese movie, in which the same incident is described from different poionts of view. I feel as if the reader obtains a strong knowledge of the personalities and motivations of the characters through the clever and effective use of this narrative device, in which Charlie's family, friends, and foes tell the tale of how she came to disappear after her home burned to the ground. I also loved the interweaving of the past and the present in CHARLIE'S EXIT, as the reader reads Charlie's great-grandmother's diary, written as this pioneer crosses the plains, on her way to her new home. The parallel stories of self-discovery by these very different yet similar women fascinated me. I wish this novel would receive the critical attention it deserves. It's a literary gem.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid Fiction
Review: We really enjoyed 'Charlie's Exit.' The author somehow manages to combine a wonderful, dreamy quality with a realistic eye and tone of placed and time. It's not too often that I find myself really caring about a character in a book, but found myself wanting to warn or coach Charlie about what she should do or watch out for. It really caught me up and I look forward to finding other books by Tobey Hiller.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Little Book
Review: We really enjoyed 'Charlie's Exit.' The author somehow manages to combine a wonderful, dreamy quality with a realistic eye and tone of placed and time. It's not too often that I find myself really caring about a character in a book, but found myself wanting to warn or coach Charlie about what she should do or watch out for. It really caught me up and I look forward to finding other books by Tobey Hiller.

Rating:
Summary: Mysterious and Delightful
Review: What a beautiful book. Hiller's grasp of mystery and intrigue were astounding. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the mystery of women and the deeper side of a seemingly straight story.

Rating:
Summary: Mysterious and Delightful
Review: What a beautiful book. Hiller's grasp of mystery and intrigue were astounding. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the mystery of women and the deeper side of a seemingly straight story.