Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

When You Went Away

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 761 ratings · 143 reviews

Only a few months ago, Gerry Rubato had everything he thought he needed from life. He was passionately in love with his college sweetheart after nearly twenty years of marriage, he had a bright, independent-minded daughter, and he had the surprising addition of a new child on the way. Then everything changed with stunning rapidity. With little explanation, his daughter ran...more

ebook, 243 pages

Published October 6th 2009 by Perseus Books Group

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,441)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 08, 2012 Gigi Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first book I read in 2012 was "Spinning" by Michael Baron, and "Spinning" was also the first book I had read by this author. I really enjoyed "Spinning," so I decided it was time to read another one by Baron, and see if I would like it just as well.

I really did enjoy this book, "When You Went Away." However, the only complaint I have about this book is the references to all the baseball lingo about the Yankee Baseball Team. I know a man wrote this book, so if other men read it they will pro...more

like · see review

Aug 27, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When You Went Away by Michael Baron
After reading Michaels' soon to be released book and enjoying it I got several of his other books. This one is about Gerry who has lost his wife Maureen and he's left with his 4 month old son Reese. Tanya he hopes will come home back to Long Island, NY in time.
The story goes back to happier times with the family and then up to date where he's just hired Lisa to take care of the baby so he can return to work.
He spends his whole day with his son, watching him lau...more

like · see review

Dec 22, 2011 Rachel Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mainstream

I downloaded this book for free for my Sony e-reader.

Gerry thought he had everything, but then his life started to fall apart. First his teenage daughter runs away with her older boyfriend, simply disappearing into the landscape of the US. A couple months later, his wife dies suddenly, leaving Gerry to raise his infant son alone, and somehow cope with his grief. Ally enters Gerry's life about five months after his wife's death, causing Gerry to question his unchanging love for his late wife and...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 20, 2011 Lis Carey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, lit-fic

Gerry Rubato is struggling with the sudden, wholly unexpected death of his wife, raising their now four-month-old son by himself, and the aching absence of his much-loved daughter Tanya, seventeen years old, who ran away just a month before her baby brother Reese was born, and three months before her mother's death.

We meet Gerry and Reese as Gerry is returning to work, leaving his son for the entire work day for the first time since his wife Maureen's death. It's tough for him to do, but he know...more Gerry Rubato is struggling with the sudden, wholly unexpected death of his wife, raising their now four-month-old son by himself, and the aching absence of his much-loved daughter Tanya, seventeen years old, who ran away just a month before her baby brother Reese was born, and three months before her mother's death.

We meet Gerry and Reese as Gerry is returning to work, leaving his son for the entire work day for the first time since his wife Maureen's death. It's tough for him to do, but he knows it's necessary, and he hires the best baby-sitter available, and goes to work. Real life resumes for him.
Gerry works his way through the unsettling feelings of everyone worrying and treating him differently until they get used to him being back, and his boss's frustration and subsequent hostility when he won't leave his four-month-old son for a long weekend in order to be included--for the first time--in the company executives' annual retreat. The most unsettling experience of all, though, is developing a friendship with a woman newly added to his team.

Ally is smart, funny, attractive, and sympathetic to his loss without making him feel self-conscious. They chat, trade jokes, share ideas, and become friends. When they take the first steps toward moving their relationship outside the office though, Gerry panics. What kind of a man is he, interested in another woman just five months after his beloved wife of eighteen years has died?

He works through his panic, he and Ally move ahead, and he develops a new, stronger friendship with his late wife's sister Codie, even as he and Codie share their frustration at Codie's parents' refusal to come north and meet their new grandson. Running through the whole story is Gerry's concern for his missing daughter, who ran off with her twenty-year old boyfriend, dropped out of sight, and contacts him only by email sent through a remailer, to hide her location. Tanya doesn't know her mother is dead, because he has no way to get a message back to her. Gerry begins writing a journal, the things he wants to tell his daughter and can't.

This is a warm, sensitively told tale, written with grace and dignity. Gerry's emotions are real and human, and treated with respect. Everyone involved tries to do the right thing, which doesn't mean there is no conflict. There is plenty of conflict--the most important of which is within Gerry himself.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher.(less)

like · see review

Oct 04, 2011 Sasha Martinez added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2010

I was very much afraid that this book would read like a Nicholas Sparks novel. Then again, we are informed that Gerry experiences heartache and loss early on: his seventeen-year-old daughter ran away with a twenty-year-old, his wife died a month after giving birth to their son, and now he’s faced with a life of trying to grapple with the loss, and raising his infant son alone.

And he does a pretty good job with it. Meeting new people, rekindling friendships, finding love, finding strength. Bondin...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 28, 2011 Iamthez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, contemporary

Not a bad novel. Not amazing, not horrible either. It's a story about a man who had everything, lost almost all of it, and is left to pick up the pieces. He makes decisions that are fairly realistic, rarely acts out of character and talks like a normal, regular person.

I think I would've liked this book better if -- and I'm sure people will disagree with me -- there had been a lot less baseball talk. I am not a baseball fan. I don't know what an inning is or I don't care about a baseball star's...more

like · see review

Apr 09, 2011 Diane Morasco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, fiction, arc, breathtaking, literary, poignant

When You Went Away is simply breathtaking! When You Went Away is a beautifully written novel that will warm you deep inside.

When You Went Away is an extraordinary saga of one man's powerful journey through life from the heartbreaking sorrow & devastating loss of his soul mate, the distressing heartache of his daughter, Tanya, who ran away w/ an older man & raising his infant son, Reese.

When You Went Away is a poignantly written tale that is vibrant in details, crisp in detail and emotion...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2010 Deanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, 2009-favorite-books

When You Went Away is one of the best books I have ever read.

This book pulled me in many directions emotionally simply through the wonderfully written telling of how Gerry slowly pieces back together his life after loosing his wife suddenly, caring for his infant son on his own while gripped with worry over his teenage daughter who ran away. Gerry is experiencing grief , tremendous grief. His saving factor is Reese, his two month old baby. Through Reese, Gerry learns to revel in the small things...more

like · see review

Jun 14, 2011 Philip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel almost made me want to become a parent. Which is saying something. Reese is so cute.

This novel was quite good. In a silly coincidence, I read this right after reading The Homecoming, which also starts with the death of the main character's wife thus making him the single father of his son. As a consequence of starting in the same place, the stories have some similarities, though there is also a lot different between them. But by the time I get around to reading them, these books have...more This novel almost made me want to become a parent. Which is saying something. Reese is so cute.

This novel was quite good. In a silly coincidence, I read this right after reading The Homecoming, which also starts with the death of the main character's wife thus making him the single father of his son. As a consequence of starting in the same place, the stories have some similarities, though there is also a lot different between them. But by the time I get around to reading them, these books have been sitting on my Kindle for a while and I completely forgot what the blurb said they were about, so it was a funny coincidence. That said, I thought this novel was better than the other. Beyond that sentence, though, I'm going to stop comparing the two and just review the novel this review is for.

One thing that I especially liked about this book was the way the author put together the narrative. He used flashbacks, journal entries and emails in the story to construct an interesting and involved way of telling the story. The novel starts rather in the middle of things, as seems popular, but unlike some stories, it didn't take long for me to understand what had happened and, as it continued, I learned enough about all the characters and what had happened that it felt real and believable. I felt Maureen's impact on the story even though she was dead. I felt the tension between Tanya and Gerry and to some degree seemed I understood it rather than just being told about it.

As I read, it is always strange the things that suddenly come to me since I know that I'm going to be writing a review about the novel afterwards. In the middle of the story, I abruptly came to decide that I hadn't used riveting yet in these reviews and that this would be a good book to describe thusly. Not the action-packed type riveting that production companies like marketing as, but rather, riveting as in I couldn't escape these characters even when I stopped reading, so I might as well keep reading to see what happened.

Gerry is the most developed of the characters, which makes sense, since the entire story is told in first-person through his point of view, but through the aforementioned narrative techniques (all of which felt very natural) I felt like I really came to know Tanya, Maureen, even Ally to a lesser extent. And Reese is just adorable. Augh, I love novels with great round characters. Even Tate, though he was definitely a side character, played a big role and showed surprising depth in his actions and discussions. Perhaps the only disappointment on this level was Marshall, who Gerry described in the beginning as being a friend but never showed that at all, instead seem mostly like a jerk.

Another random thought while reading was on the ending. Things did wrap up quickly, but this novel was written better than others in that it wasn't so quick as to jerk me out of the story. In fact, the only thing that did jerking was me realizing that the ending was well done and thus thinking about how I should put it in my review. Sometimes I can't stand me.

Ultimately, as this review probably makes fairly obvious, I liked this book. I liked these characters. Even as they did stupid things, I never became annoyed and always felt like I could understand to some degree why they did what they did. And I just always wanted things to work out. As with most books I read where I really come to like the characters, I wished there was an epilogue after all the drama to show how they all lived happily ever after, etc., even if that would rather be out of place.(less)

like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Anette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gerry Rubato has lost his whole world--first his daughter Tanya runs away with an older man at age 17 and then he loses his wife tragically. All he has left to center him is his infant son, Reese. The story is told from Gerry's point of view, and much of the beginning pages focuses on his grief and confusion about how to move on. I was swept up in his grief, his struggle to find his way, and the dilemmas that face him when he begins to fall in love again. There are a lot of baseball talk in the...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 12, 2009 Serena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Baron's When You Went Away is more than a novel about grief and fatherhood; it's a novel about being lost and the journey to find the right path.

Gerry Rubato has lost his whole world--first his daughter Tanya runs away with an older man at age 17 and then he loses his wife tragically. All he has left to center him is his infant son, Reese. The story is told from Gerry's point of view, and much of the beginning pages focuses on his grief and confusion about how to move on. Readers will be...more Michael Baron's When You Went Away is more than a novel about grief and fatherhood; it's a novel about being lost and the journey to find the right path.

Gerry Rubato has lost his whole world--first his daughter Tanya runs away with an older man at age 17 and then he loses his wife tragically. All he has left to center him is his infant son, Reese. The story is told from Gerry's point of view, and much of the beginning pages focuses on his grief and confusion about how to move on. Readers will be swept up in his grief, his struggle to find his way, and the dilemmas that face him when he begins to fall in love again. However, despite the focus on Gerry's grief, readers may not find When You Went Away to be a tearjerker.

"And just for a second -- that instant between dreaming and being awake when almost anything still seems possible -- I believed that everything else about my dream was true as well. My wife was next to me. My daughter, five or nine or seventeen, was two doors down the hall, about to protest that it was too early to go to school." (Page 3 of ARC)

Reese becomes Gerry's world for a long two months of seclusion before he heads back to work at a catalog firm. Codie, his wife's sister, becomes a sounding board for Gerry and he for her, allowing their relationship to go beyond sister-in-law and brother-in-law to confidants. The first few weeks back to work for Gerry are rough with sympathetic looks and a number of "How are you feeling?" questions from coworkers. Eventually, he finds a friend in Ally Rittan, a fellow creative mind.

"Ally slipped into the side door of my life and made herself at home without moving any of the furniture." (Page 213 of ARC)

Readers will embark upon a meditative journey with Gerry and Reese as Gerry works through the loss of his wife, the realization that love can find you at the most inopportune moments, and the harsh realities of repairing a relationship with his lost daughter. Some of the most insightful sections of the novel involve Gerry's journal conversations with his daughter Tanya; they are frank and raw.

When You Went Away is an apt title given that the narration focuses on what Gerry feels, does, and how he reacts to the absence of his daughter and his wife, but readers may also find that this novel examines what can happen to the self when tragedy strikes and the journey it takes to locate or transform that lost self. (less)

like · see review

Nov 19, 2011 Lis Carey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, lit-fic

like · see review

Apr 04, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When You Went Away, was a freebie on Amazon for the kindle. The plot centers around a father who has recently had a newborn son with his wife. Before the son is born though, their teenage daughter walks out of their lives. Four months after the son is born, his wife dies.

I loved the tone in this book. It is exactly what I would do. The father at first just goes through the motions with his son, knowing he has to stay alive for him. Slowly this changes as he really gets into the moments with Rees...more When You Went Away, was a freebie on Amazon for the kindle. The plot centers around a father who has recently had a newborn son with his wife. Before the son is born though, their teenage daughter walks out of their lives. Four months after the son is born, his wife dies.

I loved the tone in this book. It is exactly what I would do. The father at first just goes through the motions with his son, knowing he has to stay alive for him. Slowly this changes as he really gets into the moments with Reese(the son) and knows that it all could be taken away too soon.

The author is writing from Gerry's point of view. He talks about the mundane tasks in which he has to do to take care of his baby. He talks with such emotion about his love for his wife and the immeasurable pain that comes from missing her. He talks about the past mistakes and should-haves when discussing/thinking about his daughter.

In the middle of the store, Gerry and his sister-in-law Codies, finally start speaking to each other and find out they are really good friends. Gerry goes back to work, finding a new employee Ally. He also begins a journal to his daughter, in hopes that when she comes back she will understand what he felt. (The daughter didn't even know her mom had passed on!)

I am going to spoil a part of the book for anyone, so please forgive me in advance. Gerry and Ally become an item, which is only 5 months after he loses his wife. I loved the author's writing in how he gave such confusion to Gerry on whether he was doing the right thing or not. He was experiencing joy with this other woman, but shouldn't he be still mourning his wife!?

In this book, I was waiting to find out what happened. I was caught in the middle. I loved the story lines with Gerry and his son and the devotion between them; I loved the side story about his daughter and the journal he kept; I even loved that he was able to talk with his sister in law about things he would have talked with his former wife.

The thing that is really getting me here, is that I was rooting for HAPPINESS. Which usually is not like me. I hate movies/books where you know who it is going to end, they will make up/find the kid/ life will go back to perfect happy ever after. That sounds so horrible!!! But really...have you ever seen MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING with Julia Roberts? I was rooting for the fiancee (blonde chick) in that movie, I didn't want Roberts to end up with her best friend. IT WAS THE BEST MOVIE BECAUSE IT DIDN'T END LIKE THE OTHERS!!

I plowed through the romantic scenes in When You Went Away and kept thinking this sucks. I realize I am young and probably naive to many of you, but it really broke my heart in a couple of places where Gerry was totally happy with Ally. That there was joy with another woman while just a few months ago, he was living/married/loving another woman! I guess I just couldn't see myself doing that if my husband was to ever die. But then again, we never know what we will do unless the situation presents itself.

AND the thing that blew me away!? It was like the author KNEW I was going to be pissed, so he would make Gerry have doubts about his relationship with Ally. He would voice my concerns in Gerry! It was crazy.

I'm still not sure that I am happy with the whole romantic line in that book, but I am glad the way it ended. Which again, is weird, for me. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 10, 2011 Tânia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, won

Michael Baron has been compared to Nicholas Sparks, but after reading this book I can’t see why. Their writing style is completely different and, not undermining Michael Baron’s talent, Nicholas Sparks writes so much more passionately, which was something I missed in this novel. But I guess this book is more about the loss of a loved one, and it’s devastating effects on those left behind to deal with it like Gerry Rubato, who suddenly finds himself as a single parent, raising an infant son, Rees...more

like · see review

May 21, 2012 Célia Loureiro rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: meus-books-i-own

A comparação que um dos críticos fez, entre o Michael Baron e o Nicholas Sparks, não é de todo despropositada. O livro tem, de facto, um enredo tipicamente Sparksiano. Felizmente, é um pouco mais profundo do que isso. Ainda não assim, não foi o suficiente para me cativar. Além de uma obsessão óbvia pela palavra «fascínio», palavra que me irrita deveras quando constantemente utilizada a propósito de sopas, o autor meteu demasiado baseball no livro. Dá ideia que precisa de encher chouriços. É inte...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know-chick book-but I like them. I really enjoyed this book. As sad as the book sounds it didn't make a cry baby like me cry.(The Christmas book to this book did) Maybe because it was written very well, or maybe because it's written from a mans point of view, I don't know.
Anyway, he told about the cute things the baby was doing, which brought flashbacks of Shan and then he would talk about his daughter growing up, pre-teen years and teen years, which I can relate to now. During those years he...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the reviews I read about this book said something along the lines of, "Nicholas Sparks fans will fall in love" with Michael Baron. That almost put me off reading it because I don't really like Nicholas Sparks books. I can only compare my taste for him to that of Danielle Steele. & I think Danielle Steele writes at a 4th grade reading level.

Anyways.

Baron's characters were lovable & entertaining. I totally made a connection with Gerry as he plodded his way through life as a widowe...more

like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Cheryl "Mash" rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WHEN YOU WENT AWAY by Michael Baron
Published by The Story Plant
ISBN-10: 0981956807
ISBN-13: 978-0981956800
This was a personal choice of reading that I downloaded via Amazon during a special rate that was offered.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Baron's carefully crafted debut tale, the Story Plant's first mass market original, is too true-to-life to be interesting. Gerry Rubato's wife has died and his teenage daughter has run away from home, leaving him alone to raise an infant son. Despite the recent t...more WHEN YOU WENT AWAY by Michael Baron
Published by The Story Plant
ISBN-10: 0981956807
ISBN-13: 978-0981956800
This was a personal choice of reading that I downloaded via Amazon during a special rate that was offered.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Baron's carefully crafted debut tale, the Story Plant's first mass market original, is too true-to-life to be interesting. Gerry Rubato's wife has died and his teenage daughter has run away from home, leaving him alone to raise an infant son. Despite the recent tragedies, the focus of the novel is on rather ordinary non-events, such as Gerry's work at a catalogue company, opinions about the Yankees and tedious descriptions of food. As Gerry struggles to confront his runaway child, he chronicles his emotional reactions in a series of journal entries. A romantic subplot involving a colleague provides predictable conflict. Buried in the minutiae is an earnest tale of a man's emotional awakening and grief, but a too-easy resolution makes this more of a tour through Gerry's processing than a story.

My Thoughts and Opinion: Once again Michael Baron pulls on the heart strings from the opening sentence to the very last page. A poignant, tender, emotional, romantic, softhearted and moving love story through the eyes of a male written by a male. A story of love on different levels and in different states of the main character's, Gerry, life. Gerry has everything, a wife, which is the love of his life, a teenage daughter, a brand new baby boy and then his word collapses. His daughter runs away, his wife dies suddenly, he becomes an instant single parent, and even though there is so much grief, he has to go on.

I have read many books by this author and every time I do, I have to remind myself that it is written by a male author. The soft, compassionate, moving and touching words that the author conveys in his writing tugs on the heart strings and allows the reader to see and feel the eyes of a male perspective. Ladies, I wish, all of this could be bottled and made into a vaccine for the male species, if you know what I mean. Another plus with this book was that the main character is a huge Yankees fan. When his son was just an infant, they would spend their evenings together on the couch, watching a game, while he explained the art of baseball, knowing that his son probably had no clue what he was talking about. This brought back memories. I would do the same thing, not baseball but cooking. And another plus, my oldest son is a HUGE Yankees fan, naming is dog after the team and even has a tattoo. So in my book....that gets extra points. Overall....phenomenal poignant read!!! A grand slam!!!

My Rating: 5 (less)

like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Filipa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, portuguese-books, 2011-reads, contemporary, romance

Acabei de ler o livro.
A minha opinião mudou ligeiramente durante a leitura do mesmo.
Bem, a primeira coisa que tenho a dizer é que este autor não é comparável ao Nicholas Sparks. Apesar de gostar bastante dele, as escritas deles são muito diferentes. O NS relata as coisas com mais distância e nota-se mais que aquilo é um trabalho de ficção. Este autor, Michael Baron tem certamente vantagens acerca da escrita dele - para já escreve na primeira pessoa, o que cria uma proximidade maior para o leit...more Acabei de ler o livro.
A minha opinião mudou ligeiramente durante a leitura do mesmo.
Bem, a primeira coisa que tenho a dizer é que este autor não é comparável ao Nicholas Sparks. Apesar de gostar bastante dele, as escritas deles são muito diferentes. O NS relata as coisas com mais distância e nota-se mais que aquilo é um trabalho de ficção. Este autor, Michael Baron tem certamente vantagens acerca da escrita dele - para já escreve na primeira pessoa, o que cria uma proximidade maior para o leitor.
A escrita deste autor é melhor que a do NS, na minha opinião. Muito mais emotiva e cheio de significado.
E escreve bem. Ele tem uma escrita bastante ponderada, adulta - parece escrever como quem tem muitos e muitos anos de experiência, apesar deste ser o primeiro trabalho de ficção dele.
Depois, ele tem um relato emocional sim, mas não deprimente. É um relato muito real, com personagens com defeitos, que também fazem asneiras. Que também aprendem com os seus erros.
Não chorei, apesar de ser um tema difícil. Felicito o autor por ele ter conseguido exprimir muito bem o que é perder uma pessoa amada e ser capaz de reencontrar o prazer de voltar a amar outra vez tão intensamente.

As primeiras 100 páginas são um pouco difíceis de atravessar, mas não mostra a qualidade do livro. Aliás, a qualidade do livro começa mesmo a aumentar a partir da página 110. Aí começa o desenrolar da vida das personagens relatada com uma dose bastante saudável de realidade.
Não posso deixar de referir que adoro livros que me façam ponderar sobre como seria se me acontecesse aquilo na vida real. Foi o que me aconteceu com este livro.
Adoraria conhecer as personagens deste livro, porque são todas pessoas admiráveis no fundo. Todas cometem erros, fizeram coisas de que se arrependeram mais tarde na vida, mas no fundo todas elas são objecto profundo da minha admiração.
Até mesmo o Reese, o bebé de 6 meses da história que é uma doçura.

É um livro acima de tudo romântico, uma bela história de amor que surge depois do personagem principal estar numa fase baixa da sua vida.
Acho que o autor captou imensamente bem o que é ser pai, o que é sofrer mas também captou muito bem o que é amar incondicionalmente outra pessoa ou conseguir arranjar espaço no nosso coração para amar as pessoas importantes na nossa vida de maneira igualitária. E para nunca desistir daquilo que a vida nos oferece, dos bons momentos que podemos aproveitar desde que estejamos dispostos a isso. É encontrarmos o nosso caminho para a felicidade, depois de maus momentos. É sobre estarmos determinados a agarrar as rédeas da nossa vida e simplesmente sermos felizes.
Para mim, passou uma mensagem muito bonita. Com certeza que para vocês poderá ser outra experiência, mas eu gostei bastante do livro apesar do início ter tido um arranque que deixou a desejar.

Pretendo ficar de olho nas obras do autor. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Candace rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book because it was a cheap Kindle buy. It was fairly good up to a point. The struggles of a widowed almost 40 year old man with an infant son and a teenage daughter that ran away with her older boyfriend. Trying to juggle work and being the sole caregiver of his son, it was predictable when he gets involved with a co-worker. Rather quickly after his wifed died, only 4 months, so you can see the writing on the wall with that one. It got rather monotonous after awhile and I was ready f...more

like · see review

Apr 01, 2011 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another free Kindle download that I liked a lot. The writing was easy to read; the story was compelling. How does one handle the unexpected death of a loved wife, the runaway teen daughter, and the birth of a "late" son? The author, Michael Baron, handled it well -- the introspection and thoughts of Gerry, the hero, seemed most appropriate to the situation. When Gerry was falling in love with another woman, was he betraying the life and love of his now deceased wife? The author handled other, si...more

like · see review

Apr 01, 2011 GenieD rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but never did. The main character just never made me care about him or his situation.
He is a widower with an infant son and a 17 yr old daughter who ran away.
There were just too many uninteresting things going on in this book. He talks about the Yankees baseball team for several pages multiple times, and mentions rock groups and rock songs that never mean much to the story.
The other characters had issues too, no one was a "regular" person.
The whole thing was...more

1 like · like · see review

May 31, 2012 Judy B. Burford rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surprise! I'm a suspense reader, yet I quite liked this book. Michael writes beautifully. As a reader I felt like I "knew" his characters. He especially captured the personality of little Reese in a way that touched me as a reader. My only criticism was the flavour of the e-mails from Tanya. The words and the manner in which she spoke in these e-mails seemed beyond her years. It sounded more like her father talking. Again, as a suspense reader, I was quite pleased to find myself longing to get b...more

like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book but I thought the way it was written was a little too easy - i.e. the point of view was first person through the dad but we got to know what everyone else was thinking through these incredibly detailed letters, his journal entries, etc. Just seemed like he took the easy way instead of being more descriptive and allowing us to wonder with him what they were thinking. It was a good story that needed to be told though - about how a new love doesn't demean an old one and lots of...more

like · see review

May 23, 2011 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama

I love the way this author writes. I love the way he takes an incredibly hurt person going through so much grief at once, and makes the subject sad but hopeful, not at all depressing. I love his outlook on children, how they grow and see things, and how they make us grow and see things differently as well.

The fluidity of the story is refreshing. It doesnt seem to jump from one subject to another, but it doesn't dwell too long either. Like real life so many feelings and thoughts occur throughout...more

like · see review

Oct 04, 2011 Samantha Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book whilst lying by the pool in Spain. Thank god for big sunglasses! This was an incredibly emotional read for me and had me absolutely captivated by the characters from the first few pages.

Michael Baron tells the heartbreaking story of Gerry, a single parent struggling to raise his infant son following the untimely death of a wife he loves more than words can describe, and the disappearance of his daughter who ran away with her older boyfriend, shortly before the death of her moth...more

like · see review

Oct 02, 2009 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gerry Rubato had everything…a beautiful wife, a lovely daughter and a brand new baby boy. That all changed in a blink of an eye. His daughter, Tanya has left home wither boyfriend, Mike and his wife, Maureen has died. Now it is just Gerry and his son, Reese. As if losing a wife and daughter wasn’t hard enough; caring for a new baby is even harder. Eventually, Gerry gathers himself together enough to make his way back to work. It is there that he meets Ally Ritten. She is the newest member to wor...more

like · see review

Apr 22, 2011 Tanya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

May 22, 2011 Amy Ramkhelawan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a touching story of coping with day to day life after his teenage daughter runs away and his wife dies unexpectedly months after giving birth to their son. I know it sounds depressing, but it really a great book that is very well written and gives touching insight from a male side of you which is unusual for me as a reader. I enjoyed this book very much and only really misted up once or twice. There was no uncontrollable sobbing or anything even close.

like · see review

Apr 18, 2011 Caroline Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book pulls at my heart strings. It makes me think about what I would do if I were in the Gerry's situation. He is suddenly left with newborn son because his wife suddenly and unexpectedly dies just after his teenage daughter runs away with an older boyfriend. This a freebie book for my Kindle. I had no expectations for it, but I really do love it. I do not want the book to end, but I do there are so many unanswered questions. The characters and situations are believable. The emotions are hi...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 48 49 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Romance

13 users

Contemporary

10 users

Drama

3 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Spoilt
by Joanne Ellis
Blue
by Lou Aronica
A World I Never Made
by James LePore
Protector
by Laurel Dewey
Heir To The Everlasting
by Janice Daugharty

About Michael Baron

Pseudonym for Michael A. Kahn

I grew up in the New York area and I’ve lived there my entire life. I worked in retail and taught high school English before I got my first book contract. I have gotten several additional book contracts since then, which is fortunate because I didn’t have the patience to work in retail and, while I quite enjoyed teaching, my approach was a bit too unconventional for mo...more Pseudonym for Michael A. Kahn

I grew up in the New York area and I’ve lived there my entire life. I worked in retail and taught high school English before I got my first book contract. I have gotten several additional book contracts since then, which is fortunate because I didn’t have the patience to work in retail and, while I quite enjoyed teaching, my approach was a bit too unconventional for most school systems. One school administrator told me that, “there are more important things than being a dynamic teacher.” Since I couldn’t name any of those things (at least in the context of school), I figured I didn’t have a long-term future in the profession. Hence, I became a writer, where I believe people appreciate a certain level of dynamism.

Though I started with nonfiction, I have always loved fiction and I have always wanted to write it. I’ve always had a particular affection for love stories. In fact, the very first book-length thing I ever wrote, when I was thirteen, was a love story. Mind you, it was the kind of love story that a thirteen-year-old boy would write, but it was a love story nonetheless. I have a deep passion for writing about relationships – family relationships, working relationships, friendships, and, of course, romantic relationships – and I can only truly explore this by writing fiction. These novels have given me a way to voice the millions of things running through my head.

My wife and kids are the center of my life. My wife is the inspiration for all of my love stories and my children enthrall me, challenge me, and keep me moving. One of the primary reasons I wrote my first novel, When You Went Away was that I wanted to write about being a father. Aside from my family, I have a few other burning passions. I’m a pop culture junkie with an especially strong interest in music, I love fine food (and any restaurant shaped like a hot dog), and I read far too many sports blogs for my own good.

You might have noticed that I haven't published a photo of myself. This isn't because I'm involved in the Witness Protection program or because I have an innate fear of cameras. It's because Michael Baron is a pseudonym. I'm writing these novels “undercover” because they're not entirely compatible with the nonfiction books I write and I didn't want to confuse readers. We're all different people sometimes, right? I just decided to give my alter ego another name.

My third novel, The Journey Home, has just come out. It’s a love story, too. Naturally.(less)

More about Michael Baron...

Books by Michael Baron

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About When You Went Away

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from When You Went Away

“It's important that you identify what the best things are in your life. The things that do more than just get you through the day. The things that make you want the next day to come. And once you identify those things, it's critical that you nurture them and keep them strong.” — 8 people liked it

“You don't tolerate parenthood. You don't survive it. You grow with it.” — 6 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: When You Went Away
avg rating	preview: When You Went Away Goodreads rating: 3.69 (761 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10424124-when-you-went-away?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1297283997l/10424124.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10424124-when-you-went-away?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]When You Went Away by Michael Baron[/url]

When You Went Away

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website