The New York Times Book Review called Reservation Road “a triumph,” and the novel was universally acclaimed. Now, in a br...
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Sep 26, 2011
Jeanette
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I did a quick second reading of Reservation Road prior to reading Northwest Corner. While it's not strictly necessary, I do recommend doing so if you have the time and inclination. It really enhanced my enjoyment of Northwest Corner to have the characters fresh in my mind and compare the past with the present.
When we last saw Sam Arno in Reservation Road, he was a sleepy boy of ten, asking his dad if they could go sledding later. He hadn't a clue that his life would change forever o More...
When we last saw Sam Arno in Reservation Road, he was a sleepy boy of ten, asking his dad if they could go sledding later. He hadn't a clue that his life would change forever o More...
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Dec 10, 2011
Irene
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After I finished Reservation Road, countless questions lingered amid disparate emotions coupled not only with the painful narrative which continued to haunt me, but also the enduring legacy foisted upon the memorable characters of Dwight, Sam, and Ruth of the Arno family pitted against Ethan, Grace, and Emma Lerner begging to be explored.
Twelve years later, Northwest Corner spiritedly revisits Dwight Arno, outwardly transformed and contrite, vaguely expectant in his new West Coast s More...
Twelve years later, Northwest Corner spiritedly revisits Dwight Arno, outwardly transformed and contrite, vaguely expectant in his new West Coast s More...
Dec 16, 2011
Karen
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I am having a hard time figuring out why I finished this book, given how frustrated I was with it, but there must have been something compelling, because I kept reading. I think despite its flaws, the story and characters were interesting, even if the story wasn't told well and the characters didn't often make sense. There were a few main things I did not like: 1)the short chapters and constant changes in point of view completely interrupted the flow of the story (the only saving grace was tha
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Aug 13, 2011
Gaby
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You don't need to have read or watched Reservation Road to appreciate the characters, their dilemmas or the writing in Northwest Corner. Schwartz captures the complexity, heaviness, and hopelessness so well.
* Dwight Arno at fifty. He's been released from prison and built a new life on the other side of the country, surrounded by people that don't know his past. Only his employer knows about his record and it has never been an issue at the sporting goods store where he works. More...
* Dwight Arno at fifty. He's been released from prison and built a new life on the other side of the country, surrounded by people that don't know his past. Only his employer knows about his record and it has never been an issue at the sporting goods store where he works. More...
Aug 04, 2011
Lori L
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Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwartz continues the story from his novel Reservation Road. Dwight Arno is now fifty years old and out of prison. He is now living in California and is the manager of a sporting goods store. Dwight is surprised by an unexpected visitor, his estranged son, Sam. Sam has left college in Connecticut and is running from something he has done. Northwest Corner examines the lives of ordinary men and woman who are all damaged in some way and are all searching for mean
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Jul 12, 2011
Holly
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In this powerful sequel to Reservation Road, John Burnham Schwartz revisits the Arno and Learner families in another psychological study of the effects of grief, guilt, anger and disconnection on the human spirit.
Dwight Arno has made a fresh start in Santa Barbara, California as a fifty-year old sporting goods store manager. No one in his present knows about the hit-and-run death of Josh Leaner twelve years ago, which shattered his family. His son, Sam, now a twenty-two-year old bas More...
Dwight Arno has made a fresh start in Santa Barbara, California as a fifty-year old sporting goods store manager. No one in his present knows about the hit-and-run death of Josh Leaner twelve years ago, which shattered his family. His son, Sam, now a twenty-two-year old bas More...
Jul 06, 2011
Kasa
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Twelve years ago the lives of two families were shattered by a horrifying accident, recounted beautifully in an earlier novel, titled "Reservation Road." That book was told primarily in two first person voices by Etahn and Dwight, the fathers in those families. Presenting that devastating event and its immediate consequences"Reservation Road" was multilayered, complex, like its characters.
"Northwest Corner" takes up with the characters 12 years later, More...
"Northwest Corner" takes up with the characters 12 years later, More...
Jun 06, 2011
Eileen
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WARNING: If you haven't read "Reservation Road," then do not read this review of its sequel because it might spoil your experience with the former.
I have long admired the work of John Burnham Schwartz, having and been blown away by "Reservation Road." I then went back and read his first book, "Bicycle Days" and followed with "Claire Marvel" and The Commoner. But I couldn't quit thinking about the terrible grief in "Reservation Road." Wh More...
I have long admired the work of John Burnham Schwartz, having and been blown away by "Reservation Road." I then went back and read his first book, "Bicycle Days" and followed with "Claire Marvel" and The Commoner. But I couldn't quit thinking about the terrible grief in "Reservation Road." Wh More...
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May 22, 2011
Jill
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Over 12 years ago, John Burnham Schwartz introduced us to two ordinary families facing an extraordinary crisis – the inadvertent death of a young boy, Josh Lerner, by a hit-and-run driver, a small-town lawyer named Dwight Arno. The book was Reservation Road, a wrenching psychological study about how a single moment in time can shatter an orderly world into tiny little shards.
Now, in a poignantly written sequel, Mr. Schwartz revisits the two families – the Arnos and the Lerners – years More...
Now, in a poignantly written sequel, Mr. Schwartz revisits the two families – the Arnos and the Lerners – years More...
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Aug 19, 2011
Laurel-Rain
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If life could be divided into "before and after," this sequel to the dramatic Reservation Road could be classified as After. Twelve years after the devastating events that took the life of the young Learner boy and shattered two families, Dwight Arno has started over. After prison. After losing everything about the life he once had.
We see him again in Santa Barbara, CA, working in a sporting goods store, living in a rented home, and walking through his days as if he is an aut More...
We see him again in Santa Barbara, CA, working in a sporting goods store, living in a rented home, and walking through his days as if he is an aut More...
Aug 06, 2011
Larry
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In his magnificent book, Reservation Road, John Burnham Schwartz traced the lives of two families, the Arnos and the Learners, affected by tragedy and a subsequent cover-up. It has been 13 years since that book was published, and 12 years have passed in the lives of the Arnos and the Learners.
Dwight Arno has rebuilt his life after a stint in prison, and settled in California, far from the Connecticut neighborhood where he lived when he was married. His existence is rather austere—a More...
Dwight Arno has rebuilt his life after a stint in prison, and settled in California, far from the Connecticut neighborhood where he lived when he was married. His existence is rather austere—a More...
Oct 03, 2011
Michelle
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This book, a follow-on to the amazing Reservation Road, wasn’t nearly as compelling as its predecessor. It has the same stellar writing but lacks the fast-paced, oh-my-gosh-what’s-going-to-happen-next quality. In many ways, despite the extremely climactic opening, this book really isn’t about much.
As with before, the author does a great job shifting narratives, but some people I just didn’t need to hear from (e.g. Dwight’s girlfriend). This book does contain interesting commentary o More...
As with before, the author does a great job shifting narratives, but some people I just didn’t need to hear from (e.g. Dwight’s girlfriend). This book does contain interesting commentary o More...
Jun 03, 2011
Dolly
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I won a copy of this book on Goodreads Giveaways and I'm so very glad that I did. I have not read Reservation Road, but it will be added to my to-read list. This was a dramatic story, but I loved the roles that the mothers played in this book. It has some very troubled characters, but I feel that none of them are all that far away from any of us in many ways. The raw emotion displayed in this book is often tough to take, but I felt like it was a story that needed to be told.
int More...
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Jun 07, 2011
switterbug (Betsey)
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This novel is a literary blessing for fans of Reservation Road who felt that Schwartz wasn't "finished" with the Arno family, that he had more to say and a penetrating way of saying it. This is a follow-up to the Arno and Learner families, twelve years after a hit-and-run tragedy that shredded two families to fractious pieces. At the time of the incident, Dwight and Ruth Arno (the centerpiece family) were already divorced, and this just annihilated any redemptive force from taking shap
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Oct 12, 2011
J.M.
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Dwight is a manger of a sporting goods store in California, far from the scene of a fatal accident. After twelve years of prison and losing his family and position, he is still running, living a half-life that is respectable but nothing compared to what he had before the accident that changed his life.
His son Sam is in college and is running from his own mistake. Sam runs to his father in California in hopes he can outdistance the trouble and that Dwight will help him out. Things are a More...
His son Sam is in college and is running from his own mistake. Sam runs to his father in California in hopes he can outdistance the trouble and that Dwight will help him out. Things are a More...
Aug 21, 2011
Staci
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First Thoughts after finishing this book: "I'm keeping this book...I want to read it again!"
Writing that really touched my core because sometimes I feel this way about my oldest son:
He looks up at me. "Do you hate yourself?"
My mouth is dry. Carefully, I sit on the edge of his bed.
"Some days. Other days are better."
He nods as if he understands, which makes me sadder than anything he could have said.
He is my s More...
Writing that really touched my core because sometimes I feel this way about my oldest son:
He looks up at me. "Do you hate yourself?"
My mouth is dry. Carefully, I sit on the edge of his bed.
"Some days. Other days are better."
He nods as if he understands, which makes me sadder than anything he could have said.
He is my s More...
Jan 16, 2012
Marcia
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"Her memory not so much the proverbial sieve as an increasingly rusty grater, shredding little shards and slivers from the original whole. Sometimes you can tell where a piece came from, but often not....
Talking about her ex. husband- "He isn't a prospective anything but the opposite-an island she's already visited, lived on, explored, and forcibly quit. She knows every inch of that terrain and wouldn't believe in it's reinvention as a luxury resort if the Four Seasons More...
Talking about her ex. husband- "He isn't a prospective anything but the opposite-an island she's already visited, lived on, explored, and forcibly quit. She knows every inch of that terrain and wouldn't believe in it's reinvention as a luxury resort if the Four Seasons More...
Jul 17, 2011
Caitlin
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A continuation of the story told in Reservation Road, Northwest Corner is a spare and minimalist novel that packs a huge punch. We return to the story of Dwight Arno whose horrible mistake cost him just about everything, including contact with his son, Sam. When Sam turns up on his doorstep, a college senior and varsity superstar, who badly injured another boy in a bar fight. He's been expelled from school and criminal charges are imminent. His only real relationship is with the sister of th
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Sep 30, 2011
E.
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I didn't read Reservation Road... so it is possible I am missing out on some major character depth. Northwest Corner is supposed to stand on it own, but it clearly does not. Too little occurs for the book to have any meaning. There are a few good things about the book- characters, writing, premise. But overall I believe the story was not thought out enough. Chapters can be no longer than a paragraph. This book reads more like a clean wrapping up of Reservation Road. 'The trip back' is a yaw
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May 28, 2011
Terri
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"Northwest Corner" by John Burnham Schwartz is a novel that picks up more than ten years after "Reservation Road" ends. This time, Sam Arno and Emma Learner are all grown up and still dealing with the turmoil that their parents lived through since the death of Emma's brother Josh. Dwight is now in California, trying to make a life for himself. Ruth is battling cancer, Grace is trying to get her business back together, and the children are attending college. It is only after a
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Sep 27, 2011
John
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I read this before "Reservation Road." I had, however, seen the film (I'm a sucker for all things Mark Ruffalo) so I was familiar with the characters. In no way whatsoever do I feel like it was necessary for the reader to have read "Reservation Road" before starting on "Northwest Corner." That is a testament to the storytelling of John Burnham Schwartz. After just a few pages I found it nearly impossible to put down. The story slows a bit a little over halfway throu
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Oct 07, 2011
Cathy
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This book had caught my eye, and then I was lucky enough to win a Giveaways copy. I had no idea this was a follow-up (or even written by the same author)to Reservation Road until halfway through the book. No matter though, the book can definitely stand alone. I had enjoyed the movie previously. But truly, John Burnham Schwartz has a new fan and I will definitely be reading more of his books. I thought his writing was amazing, the story compelling and the core human emotions and motivations
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Aug 09, 2011
Alecia
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I was a big fan of Reservation Road. This is a sequel to that book, set about 12 years after the tragedy that was the previous novel's centerpiece. I loved Reservation Road, and thought that the back and forth chapters worked well and served the tense, unutterably sad story line very well. The author uses that same techique in this book, but to less success. Although I still admire John Burnham Schwartz's writing, the story in Northwest Corner is much less compelling than Reservation Road. There
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Sep 25, 2011
Tracy
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Strong follow up to Reservation Road, this novel catches up with Dwight and Sam Arno 12 years after Dwight killed 10 year old Josh Learner. He hasn't seen his son in those 12 years, but he did serve time in prison. Sam seeks him out after his own transgression and we get to watch the Arno family along with Emma and Grace Learner over the course of a few weeks. Puzzlingly, the narrative is also told in the voice of Dwight's girlfriend of what seems like a few weeks or months. While distracti
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Jun 05, 2011
Wendy
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I won an advanced reading copy of this book through Good Reads. The book arrived early this morning in the mail and I started reading it. Initially I was somewhat confused as it starts out with several different people telling their own stories - but I quickly grabbed on to the writing style and I literally could not put the book down until I read the last page.
This is an amazing story told through so many different eyes of how a single event affected so many different people in so More...
This is an amazing story told through so many different eyes of how a single event affected so many different people in so More...
Oct 03, 2011
Shawn
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I received this book as a giveaway from Goodreads. Also, I have not read Reservation Road nor have I seen the movie. This is the story of what happens 12 years after the events in Reservation Road. The story is compelling and complete on it's own, however, it has also made me want to read the previous book. Sam has committed an act of violence and run to his father. His father, mother and everyone around him must now face the emotional wounds that they have been harboring for over a decade. This
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May 15, 2011
Lynda
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I won this book through first reads. It was a really good story about a family separated by a tragic accident and now coming back together in tough times surrounding another tragic event. The story was written in a way that you get every character's perspective of the story in alternating chapters (like the way Jodi Picoult writes. I really enjoyed the story, it kept me interested the whole way through. The only thing I didnt really like was the end. I thought I knew how it was going to end an
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Oct 26, 2011
Mmtimes4
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John Burnham Schwartz reintroduces us to Reservation Road’s unforgettable characters in a superb new work of fiction that stands magnificently on its own. Northwest Corner is a riveting story about the complex, fierce, ultimately inspiring resilience of families in the face of life’s most difficult and unexpected challenges.
Not sure how I felt about this book. I think I had expected more. I dont' necessarily like things all wrapped up in a predictable way but I just wanted more than More...
Not sure how I felt about this book. I think I had expected more. I dont' necessarily like things all wrapped up in a predictable way but I just wanted more than More...
Sep 20, 2011
Mike
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A book using the familiar topics of family estrangement and coming-of-age tensions and mistakes, Northwest Corner is a gem of unexpected metaphorical descriptions and humor. The story is a stand-alone sequel to an earlier novel and tells its story in short chapters devoted to the individual perspectives of the protagonist and the few main characters. There are a few "adult" descriptions and situations, but nothing that detracts from a view of real life. Schultz is an excellent words
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Aug 08, 2011
Becky
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I got to meet the author at a lunch at our local independent bookstore. This Harvard graduate published his first novel in his early 20s, but then struggled for a decade to get another book published. He has since published 4 more novels including Reservation Road which was made into a movie. Northwest Corner is a sequel to that book. This was one of the best written books I have read. Amazing character and relationship development. Great metaphors. You can tell that this author polishes every w
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