Jonah and his younger brother, Simon, are on their own. They set out to find what’s left of their family, carrying between them ten dolla... read full description
reviews
Mar 27, 2009
Kelly
rated it: 
From page one, Andrew Smith's new novel IN THE PATH OF FALLING OBJECTS takes the reader by the throat and holds on tight. Maybe that's an exaggeration. And maybe it implies reading the book is not a good experience, which isn't true. So let me rephrase. Smith's new novel hits the ground running, thanks to the vulnerability of his protagonist Jonah (and his younger brother), and the brutal intensity of the story's psychotic villian, Mitch (who looks, in my imagination, like Charlie Manson, pe
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 30, 2010
Cornmaven
rated it: 
This book is extremely complex, and will have a small young adult audience, but it's well worth the read. A road trip/Shakespearean tragedy of epic proportions would be a good description. Smith's writing style is fabulous, with tons of descriptive passages that are very detailed but not overly long. You really feel as if you are there on the journey.
The final scenes come in short bursts and build the tension very well. The reflective final paragraphs leave much to discuss.
More...
The final scenes come in short bursts and build the tension very well. The reflective final paragraphs leave much to discuss.
More...
Feb 10, 2010
Erica
rated it:
Generally when I pick up a book I can’t wait to devour it as quickly as possible. This book was different. There were times that I wanted to know what happened next, but I just couldn’t read anymore before processing what I’d just read. Because of this, it took me much longer than normal to get through the story. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great.
Although the book is set in 1970, the story is almost told outside of time (other than the references to the Vietnam War). Jonah has the More...
Although the book is set in 1970, the story is almost told outside of time (other than the references to the Vietnam War). Jonah has the More...
Nov 05, 2010
Kat
rated it: 
The year is 1970, and brothers Jonah and Simon are hitting the road and heading west. Their negligent mom has taken off, their dad is in jail, and their oldest brother Matthew is MIA in Vietnam. When their horse dies on the side of the road, all they have left is each other, some letters from their brother, and a gun buried under some dirty clothes in their pack. While making their way across the desolate Southwest, the brothers end up in a Lincoln convertible with a metal statue of Don Quixote,
More...
May 16, 2010
Tabitha
rated it:
In The Path of Falling Objects is sharp and gripping, and I read it nearly in one sitting. The two main characters are very realistic, and such brothers. I have two boys who are close in age (granted, they are 4 and 6, not 14 and 16), but they behave in very similar ways that Jonah and Simon behave. They’re close, but can fight something fierce. So I identified with Jonah and Simon right away.
Actually, all the characters are vivid and fully-developed. It’s clear Lilly is in it for su More...
Actually, all the characters are vivid and fully-developed. It’s clear Lilly is in it for su More...
Dec 16, 2011
Angie
rated it:
Two brothers of a mother who ran off, a father who's in jail in a nother state, and an older brother who enlited and went to fight in Vietnam, decide to take the family horse and travel to Arizona to see their father when he gets out of jail. The horse dies shortly after the trip starts and teh rest is downhill from there for Jonah and Simon. They get picked up by a beautiful girl and a psychopath, and spend the next several interminable days on the road to hell.
Interspersed with th More...
Interspersed with th More...
Feb 25, 2010
Ricki
rated it:
Phew. If you want a book that is going to make you incredibly uncomfortable and nervous, I highly recommend this one! This book is absolutely frightening. I couldn't stop reading it, but I found it to be very disturbing, and I don't think I can recommend it to students because the violence was a bit excessive to me. I limit authors to one animal killing per book (not three). There were murders of innocent people, throat slashings, etc. I was shocked when I made the connection that this is the sa
More...
May 26, 2009
Bridget
rated it:
I was torn about how many stars to give this book. I wavered between three and four. Smith is an expert craftsman at slowly revealing plot and content. The tension of wanting the story to explode is almost unbearable. The end of the story certainly does explode.
I had very strong feelings about all of the characters. I could picture them and reacted to what they said and did. I thought their dialgoue was not always consistent though.
The story was dark and the topic was a More...
I had very strong feelings about all of the characters. I could picture them and reacted to what they said and did. I thought their dialgoue was not always consistent though.
The story was dark and the topic was a More...
Jul 16, 2009
Dodie
rated it:
Smith delivers another stunningly intense story, following up on his debut novel, Ghost Medicine. Two brothers, 16 and 13 years old, abandoned by their mother, set out on a road trip to find their father who is soon to be released from prison. Their older brother Matthew is serving in Vietnam, and through his letters home, readers see his life unraveling as the list of atrocities he's experiences grows. These letters parallel a similar falling apart by the two brothers who have hitched a ride wi
More...
Aug 10, 2009
Erika
rated it:
This is a tense novel that grabs you on the first page, but comes to a slow boil. You keep reading because you want to find out what Mitch did and what he's going to do. Once the action starts it's hard to put the book down. Considering the level of violence in the novel I'd rate this for 15 and up.
My only criticism is that sometimes it's difficult to figure out who the narrator is in the book. At first I thought it was shifting from one character to another, but it appears to be fro More...
My only criticism is that sometimes it's difficult to figure out who the narrator is in the book. At first I thought it was shifting from one character to another, but it appears to be fro More...
Dec 02, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Jonah and Simon are brothers on a search to find their brother, whom they believed escaped from the Vietnam War and is now back in America. When the brothers leave their home, they hitch a ride with Mitch and Lilly. So begins a bloody, violent and disturbing road trip.
Mitch's character is a well-developed sociopath and the brothers' sibling rivalry feels real and honest. I only wish the character of Lilly was a bit more developed. She felt more like a device to move the plot along r More...
Mitch's character is a well-developed sociopath and the brothers' sibling rivalry feels real and honest. I only wish the character of Lilly was a bit more developed. She felt more like a device to move the plot along r More...
Apr 28, 2009
Terri
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 30, 2011
Kenaia
rated it:
I honestly don't know whether to hate or love this book. It's vividly, gruesomely written. It is the ONLY book in my memory that has left me nauseous and not wanting dinner. It is also one of the few books I've read with such amazing make-you-sit-up-straight-and-read-for-hours qualities, like it's amazing descriptions and the way you sort of see into everyone's mind. It was unique, it was original... but it was also terrifying. It was magnificent. It was terrible. It is a book I strongly encoura
More...
Feb 19, 2011
Amy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 25, 2010
Terry
rated it: 
Great premise. First two pages rock. Then, it comes to a complete halt. Not a good feature in a road book. The gist goes something like this: two brothers leave home on a horse, which promptly dies. They fight, or fight the urge to fight, while reading over the letters oldest brother has sent home from Vietnam. The brothers are then picked up by two characters who would need neon signs blinking "Danger" to appear both more hazardous and symbolic. First words exchanged? "Wel
More...
Aug 08, 2011
Michele C.
rated it:
If you read this book for no other reason, read it for the heart breaking letters from a young soldier serving a tour in Vietnam at the beginning of most chapters. Andrew Smith knows how to break my heart and makes me fall in love with his characters from page one. I instantly loved these three brothers and wished I could protect them from the horrors that they endure. One brother, Matthew, fighting a war in Vietnam, the other two,Jonah and Simon, have been abandoned by their mother while their
More...
Apr 05, 2010
Terrie
rated it:
This book is violent, intense, brutal and made me extremely uncomfortable. I was holding my breath throughout most of it. The relationships felt very authentic- brothers who fight constantly, yet would do anything for each other. The strange thing was that the main theme (which goes way beyond what I have described)could have been delivered in a much rosier plot, which just goes to prove that rich or poor, black or white, all humans have the same basic needs, desires, jealousies and fears. I to
More...
Nov 22, 2011
Sue
rated it:
The meteor that falls near Simon and Jonah is truly the most innocuous thing to fall on them, literally or figuratively. Jonah and Simon are brothers living in rural New Mexico. Their older brother is fighting in Vietnam. Their mother has gone off and left them alone. Their father is in prison in Arizona. They have no electricity and have run out of food. They believe their only option is to leave their home and go to Arizona to try to find their father and find their brother's army buddy.
More...
Jun 27, 2010
Charlou
rated it:
Disturbing. Scary. Hard to put down. Three brothers. Matthew is serving a tour in Vietnam and his experiences are shared in letters to his brother Jonah. Jonah takes his younger brother, Simon, away from their shack of a house in New Mexico after their mother disappears to find their father who should be getting out of prison soon in Arizona. They catch a ride with a man, Mitch, and a pretty girl, Lily. Mitch is a psychopath. Who survives?
Jan 06, 2010
Christina
rated it:
Talk about the "road trip from you-know-where"--2 teen brothers, trying to get to see their father when he gets out of jail. Their horse dies, stranding them out on a lonely desert highway, and they have no money, only each other and letters from their older brother in Vietnam (oh and there's the matter of the handgun hidden in their backpack). But when a mysteriously creepy guy and a hot girl in a car (with a weird tin statue in the backseat) stop to give them a lift, it's no longer a
More...
Jan 22, 2010
Sally
rated it:
Great action adventure survival novel. Two teen boys abandoned by their mother, father is in prison, set off from Texas to Arizona to find their older brother Matthew a soldier who they think is home from Vietnam. As they are walking down the road they are given a ride by a young man and woman. Bad mistake! The man is crazy, a total psychopath and now they are stuck with him. My heart is still pounding after finishing this novel.
Apr 06, 2011
Hanaa
rated it:
When I first picked up this book, it looked so refreshing as it wasn't another "fantasy -- vampire/alien/beast/other-supernatural-boy-who-just-happens-to-love-you-but-wants-to-kill-you" book. I also thought it was going to be fairly predictable, but let me tell you it wasn't; the book was written so cleverly. It was well-paced, allowing the reader to get to know all of the characters as much as possible. The plot was so well done, and I cannot wait to read more by Andrew Smith :)
Dec 10, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
It’s the summer of 1970. Jonah’s older brother’s fighting in Vietnam, his dad’s in jail, and his mom has left town with her newest boyfriend, abandoning Jonah and his younger brother Simon.
Jonah knows they won’t be able to survive for long in their trailer without money, food, or electricity, so he decides to take Simon and head out west. On a deserted stretch of highway, they hitch a ride with Mitch and Lilly, two mysterious strangers with a dangerous secret…
As they ge More...
Jonah knows they won’t be able to survive for long in their trailer without money, food, or electricity, so he decides to take Simon and head out west. On a deserted stretch of highway, they hitch a ride with Mitch and Lilly, two mysterious strangers with a dangerous secret…
As they ge More...
May 05, 2010
laaaaames
rated it:
I really had to force myself to finish this one. Smith is great with building tension but is crap with dialogue. I loved the brother relationships but I didn't buy all of the others, especially Jonah/Lilly. Also, and I know how unhelpful these sorts of statements are, but I'm not really sure I understand the point of this story, given how things turn out.
(read: 55 - manuscript in between)
(read: 55 - manuscript in between)
Jul 30, 2011
Megan
rated it:
This book is terrifying. I was reminded of how i felt while reading KUJO back in high school. So scary, but could not stop reading this book! On the edge of your seat, page turning psychological thriller, right up to the last page!
Btw: read The Mulberry Lens (sp?) right after. Creepy and freaky, just not my kind of freaky.
Btw: read The Mulberry Lens (sp?) right after. Creepy and freaky, just not my kind of freaky.
Jan 21, 2010
Kristin
rated it:
I stayed up until midnight for three days in a row, reading this book. (This is the ultimate compliment from me - I treasure sleep.) The night I finished it, I was sitting straight up, reading as fast as I could to find out what happens to Jonah and Simon. This is one beautifully crafted, creepy-as-all-get-out, book.
Aug 31, 2010
P.J.
rated it:
Book 58 for 2010. Andrew Smith's books have a way of making me have to turn the pages to see what's going to happen. I loved THE MARBURY LENS (Nov. 2010) and am equally impressed with this one. Highly recommended for boys and girls, upper middle school and up.
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 18, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
Beautifully written story of two brothers looking for "something" which leads them on a road trip where they meet two more lost souls. Gripping. You want to read it fast because your stomach is in knots wondering what will happen to these kids...
Fabulous.
Fabulous.
May 29, 2011
Mrs.
rated it:
Have you ever been a road trip from hell? I'm sure you have and I'm also sure it wasn't as bad as Jonah's and Simon's journey. It's a nightmare-ish fast-paced read and I enjoyed every minute.
--Review by Lauren
--Review by Lauren
Jan 02, 2011
William
rated it:
Jonah and Simon are trying to grow up and get out their current disaster of a life. Hitchhiking leads them on an adventure they will never forget and a cast of characters whose motives may or may not be pure.
