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Dec 28, 2011

Steph rated it:

Politics. It's not everyone's favourite, but it was Esther's. Until she became a page working for the US House of Reps. She got behind the scenes to lies, hate and the world of politics. Along with all that came the war. Because of the war, Esther felt all emotions given. Pain, loss, love, fear, friendship.
Far From The War takes you through the painful war that erupted in the US.
Esther has always wanted to be in politics, leading the country. She's a strong and independent characte More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 24, 2011

P.E. at Tantalizing Illusions rated it:

WIN A COPY OF FAR FROM THE WAR HERE:Enter here!

Far From the War was a battering, brutal story of war. Honestly, it leaves me wanting to be more active and make sure nothing like that ever happens. But the shocking reality is that it does happen! How many stories do we hear on the news of revolutions and fights for control?

The strength of this book was the fact that it didn't shy down from the aspects of war. We met soldiers from both sides, we learnt of the obl More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Mary rated it:

When Esther Casey leaves her island home near Seattle to serve as a page in the United States House of Representatives, she expects a learning experience, but she gets so much more. First she discovers the mean-spirited partisanism that has become the norm, even among the pages. Then the war starts. Washington, DC, is the epicenter and Esther has to flee with her friend Gwen. Things start to go wrong almost immediately, and Esther must struggle for survival in a continuously shifting landscape More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 03, 2011

Jenna rated it:

I went into Far From the War after a string of dystopians. I didn’t read much of the summary before I accepted the request. I knew it was set in the future and involved a second civil war in the U.S.

At first I was daunted; in the first hundred pages you have a lot about politics. It’s stuff the average person can understand. Couple that with Jeffrey David Payne’s very distinct writing style that is characterized by an expansive vocabulary, and I was more than intimidated.

More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 28, 2011

Megan rated it:

I gave this book 4/5 stars on my blog http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com

Far From War is from debut novelist Jeffrey David Payne and is the first book in a trilogy. When I first picked up Far From War I was a little confused as the book is set in Washington D.C. where the main character Esther is serving as a page in the United States House of Representatives. The confusion was I don't live in the U.S. and I don't know how the whole political system works there. However there was More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 23, 2011

Larissa rated it:

As a seventeen year old she has always been confident in what she wants from life and where her future will take her. What she wasn't ready for was the harsh reality of politics, where truth is sacrificed for loyalty, power is all important and money is the only thing that matters. Wars have been started over less; however the start of this war was still a surprise to a country suddenly thrown into civil turmoil.

It began with a military presence. It seemed peaceful enough at first, t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 02, 2011

Dawn rated it:

FAR FROM THE WAR is about the worst things you can imagine happening if the US broke out into civil war. It's also about the tenacity of people, mainly a 17 year old girl, Esther.

Esther is from Orcas Island, Washington and wins a chance to be a Congressional Page in Washington D.C. Shortly after beginning her new job, a coup is accomplished by some political and military leaders. Esther and two other Pages decide to go home and they head out to the airport. Upon reaching the airp More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 13, 2011

Krista rated it:

Another highly enjoyable read for me. I was unsure in the beginning where the book was going to go with the main character, but fast learned why it was set up that way in the beginning. The main character is a page at the House of Representatives. I thought the rules and guidelines for being a page were very strict and unreasonable. I enjoyed the story much more after she left DC and was heading home. There is a great adventure here as she travels across the country to get back home. A lot of th More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2011

Donna rated it:

Product Description
Economic ruin and partisan rancor have pushed America to the brink of a new civil war. Esther is caught in the middle, serving as a page in the United States House of Representatives when rogue politicians and military leaders stage a modern day coup d’état. When the coup turns violent, she abandons Washington, D.C. for home. She must learn to survive on her own as transportation and financial networks fail, as the war disrupts food and water supplies. The result is a ca More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 11, 2011

(Benji) The Non Reluctant Reader rated it:

This isn't your normal dystopian novel. These days when you think dystopia you think books like The Hunger Games or Matched. Those are all fantasies. This book is not. Instead it's a realistsic, awesome story about a bad ass girl from Orcas Island.
I'm always excited to read a book about that takes place in Washington, so I was eager to read this one, although only a tenth of the story actually took place there.
From the very beginning I loved the character of Esther. She was funny. Sh More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

AgnesPink added it

For entire review run over to my super awesome blog :
http://oopsireadthatbook.blogspot.com/2011/09/far-from-war-by-jeffrey-david-payne.html
Ever wondered what would happen if war just broke out AND ( as if that wasn’t enough) you were far from home?

This happened with Esther. Esther is from Orcas Island and is now a page for the US House of Representatives in Washington D.C.

The novel follows her on her journey to return home once war breaks out in future dystop More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 03, 2011

Tammi rated it:

Esther Casey lives on Orcas Island. This is off the coast of Washington. She earned the right to become a page for the US Government in Washington D.C. by submitting an essay and being nominated by Congressman Kamerlin. The page program is pretty strict with strict rules. You earn 15 demerits and you are sent home. One morning, while in the page house, tanks moving into Washington D.C. were heard and woke everyone up. Following that, was the introduction of Marines who were assigned to the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

Jasmine rated it:

This took quite a while to catch my attention. All the parts before the actual war kinda bored me. Instead of feeling like a setup for the story, it just felt like we were watching Esther's fairly mundane day-to-day life and then BAM there's a big fat war going on. The flow definitely wasn't there for me.

I loved the concept of the story though I wasn't sure about the political aspects. The first third of the book is pretty full of political jargon fulfilling my fears and leaving me pre More...

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Oct 25, 2011

Catriona (LittleBookOwl) rated it:

Original review from Little Book Owl

I will admit that I have never read a book based around politics and war. I was surprisingly pleased with it, though, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The beginning was just a little slow for me. I am completely clueless and politics and all that, even more so considering it is American politics, so I was confused with all of the technical and political parts explored towards the beginning.

Esther was an interesting charact More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2011

Traci (The Reading Geek) rated it:

Jeffrey David Payne's Far From the War is the story of a modern civil war set in a dystopian future. Esther is interning as a page in Washington D.C. at the House of Representatives when she finds herself in the middle of chaos and the beginning of a war. Esther must leave D.C. and find her own way home as the country begins to fall apart.

Far From The War is a realistic and interesting dystopian story. I have never had much of an interest in politics but the synopsis for this book c More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 16, 2011

Katie rated it:

When I first started reading Far From the War I felt very overwhelmed by all the political terms. I know more than the average person my age about politics in my country, but I have very little knowledge on US politics which led to me feeling as though I was drowning in it in the first part of this book.

The writing was very realistic and simple enough - when the political terminology is put to one side - although I do feel that the narrative was rather passive. This may have been be More...

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Oct 01, 2011

Kelly rated it:

I have been at a loss for words ever since I finished reading Far From the War. I don't even know where to start when it comes to describing my feelings and reactions to this book. So, I'll start with the one image that has stayed with since I finished reading: children collecting brass shell casings. I can't even quite pinpoint why that image has stayed with me. It certainly wasn't the most horrifying or vivid image in the novel. But maybe that's exactly why it has stayed with me; because it's More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 13, 2011

Mrs. ReaderPants rated it:

More reviews at http://readerpants.blogspot.com

WHAT I LIKED: I always love a good post-apocalyptic survival story, and it was interesting to read about how quickly things could break down in the event of a White House coup. Esther is tough, smart, and driven to survive. She is very serious much of the time and doesn't waste time with a bunch of shenanigans or worry about what everyone else is doing. While she probably would not be much fun to hang around with, I have to respect More...

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Oct 27, 2011

Holly rated it:

Reviewed for In-Interest

Given a chance to leave the small island that just lies of the coast of Washington, Esther Casey is privileged enough to gain a place as a page for the US Government - where she realizes that it's not what's best for society that determines the next move. Tanks start to move into Washington and the pages are expected to act as if nothing is happening. After fleeing the capital,the president declares war. Esther realizes it may be harder to get home — it's not More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2011

Briana rated it:

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin with this review. I expected this book to be a good read, perhaps even average, but I quickly found that it was so much more than that. Far From the War tells the story of Esther, a strong female character and her internship at the House of Representatives as part of her goal to become involved in politics one day. As the government, politicians, and military become completely corrupt and everything pretty much shuts down, Esther's experiences show what More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 14, 2011

Preston rated it:

My interest on dystopian fiction drove me to read this book on the recommendation of a friend. Though I do not read many Young Adult novels, I enjoyed FAR FROM THE WAR.
I found it to be a thoughtful and original coming of age story set in a dystopic not-so-distant future. The author seemed to capture the anxieties and concerns of the protagonist and her fellow teens very well, with an keen ear for their dialogue.
In my view, Esther Casey came across as a strong and capable prot More...

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Nov 04, 2011

Big Book Little Book rated it:

With little understanding of American politics I found the initial portion of the book slow paced and at times perplexing. This back ground is essential however, as it places our protagonist in a unique position to witness the growing political unrest first hand. Once war is declared the pace builds quickly and the resulting story is impossible to put down as my red rimmed, sleep deprived eyes can testify.

Esther is a complex and flawed character, a combination of determined politica More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 05, 2011

Kathryn rated it:

You may think that I am just being partial, given my relationship with the author, but even he will admit that I am one of his biggest critics. I think Far From the War is his best work to date. But I also think that this book was written for someone like me. Esther is a great female character and the journey that she takes is one that you won't regret joining her on. I am extremely proud of this accomplishment and I hope you take the time to read this book and let me know your thoughts. I More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 22, 2011

Eve rated it:

The United States is in the midst of civil war. The country is in economic ruins. Retirement accounts have been seized, although it is never made clear why. Hordes of people camp outside of the capital (99%ers anyone?). And, extreme partisan politics have brought government nearly to a standstill.

The protagonist, 17 year old Esther, makes her way slowly across the country from D.C. to her home in Washington. In the process she loses friends to the war and meets her first love. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 15, 2011

Marybeth rated it:

This book is not like your typical dystopia book, where you already see the fall of humanity and the rise of a new oppressive government. This shows what happens beforehand, and what's scary about this book is that it could possibly happen. When you turn on the news you see our current "leaders" you can imagine something like what Esther goes through to actually happen.

Personally, I feel like the book should have been called FAR FROM HOME because the majority of the book wa More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 15, 2012

Reut (reutreads) marked it as to-read

I'm writing this review because I accepted this book for review. And it makes me sad that I'm calling this a review, when it really isn't one.

You know when you meet someone? And you're so excited to be friends with them because they seem awesome? And then you start getting to know them a little better and you realize that you just can't?

That's how it was for me and this book. It's taken me so long to get around to doing this because in some way I'm a bit ashamed that I d More...

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Nov 27, 2011

Sabrina rated it:

I would like to thank everyone involved with the Goodreads Firstreads program for the opportunity to read this book since I REALLY enjoyed it. It seems weird to say that given the nature of the content, but the story was so compelling I finished this book in just a few days and probably could have read it in one sitting. The story, about the US when the next civil war breaks out, certainly made me think about the current economic and political situations and actually made me appreciate my brot More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 21, 2011

Gary rated it:

A real page-turner. Can't wait for the next addition in the trilogy. A very timely read given the times we live in. A great story on how one woman can overcome in some of the most difficult times one could imagine.
Could this happen? I hope not, but maybe "Far From The War" will be a clarion bell warning of what could be. I loved it. A must read!

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 21, 2011

Rachel rated it:

I really wanted to like this book but I could not get into it. For some reason, I thought there would be more romance in the book but I guess I was wrong. I am not a fan of horror or war movies so I think that played a part in why it was hard for me to like this book. There were a lot more gruesome parts than I was expecting. Also, I could not make myself care about Esther and what she was going through. I have been having personal anxiety issues and other things so maybe this was not the book f More...

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Jan 28, 2012

Christy rated it:

Just a really good book. With the tensions between political parties it is easy to see how this fictional book can become a reality and how completely a civil war would effect our lives.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)