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65th out of 179 books
—
26 voters
The Escape Artist
by
Diane Chamberlain (Goodreads Author)
Susanna Miller may have lost legal custody of her beautiful eleven-month-old son, Tyler, but that doesn't mean she is giving him up. Even if her ex-husband, Jim, an attorney, and his new wife, Peggy, have every advantage to offer a child, Susanna knows the two of them cannot be as caring, loving, and devoted as she has been. Defying a court order to give Tyler to his fathe...more
Mass Market Paperback, Large Print, 432 pages
Published
March 1st 1998
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published March 1st 1997)
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If I could have given this one more stars I would have done so. Unputdownable!
This is a story of Susanna and her fight to be with her baby. She has lost him in a custody battle. Unwilling to give up her son, she takes off with him in the middle of the night to make a new life with him with new names. She starts settling into her life when a subplot - a mystery of bombings that are happening in the new town she lives. And Susanna (now Kim) gets involved in the mystery.
It has similar plot lines to other Chamberlain books. It was a very quick easy read that I enjoyed.
It has similar plot lines to other Chamberlain books. It was a very quick easy read that I enjoyed.
Aug 05, 2012
Jessica
added it
I really enjoyed The Good Father, also by Diane Chamberlain, so I decided to take a chance on The Escape Artist.
Much like The Good Father, the plot centered on a single parent forced to make tough decisions.
Susanna is a loving mother, who would do anything for her son, Tyler. So when the courts award her ex-husband custody of the nearly 1-year-old, she's willing to leave the love of her life behind in Boulder, Colo., and take Tyler with her.
She makes her way across the country to Annapolis, M...more
Much like The Good Father, the plot centered on a single parent forced to make tough decisions.
Susanna is a loving mother, who would do anything for her son, Tyler. So when the courts award her ex-husband custody of the nearly 1-year-old, she's willing to leave the love of her life behind in Boulder, Colo., and take Tyler with her.
She makes her way across the country to Annapolis, M...more
I absolutely LOVED this book! This is a 5 star ++++ Diane Chamberlain is an excellent writer and each time I read one of her books, I think the next one cannot be as good- It always is! Each one of her books is so different making it hard to compare as is as good as the next in its unique way.
This was a page turner and one hard to put down! I am so glad the author wrote at the ending of my Nook book, how she came about the idea for this story (otherwise, I was thinking…wow, she has some imagina...more
This was a page turner and one hard to put down! I am so glad the author wrote at the ending of my Nook book, how she came about the idea for this story (otherwise, I was thinking…wow, she has some imagina...more
Linc and Susanna have been friends a lifetime. He has helped more than anyone should have to in her troubled past but even he can't help when Susanna's ex husband and his wife decide that they want her little boy, Tyler. They gain custody of Tyler and Susanna knows her heart will break and decides to run taking her baby with her. She sets up home in Annapolis and despite trying to remain unnoticed she makes friends with a troubled artist and his sister.
Jim and his wife meanwhile brand Susanna a...more
Jim and his wife meanwhile brand Susanna a...more
This is a story of motherhood.
The story of a mother who is willing to do, and will do anything, to keep her son. Not in a selfish, sick and unreasonable way. She wants to keep her son away from a father that did not want the baby in the first place, and from a step mother who wants a son just to compensate her own emotional voids.
The main character looses custody of her son in trial. But she decides to escape, to "kidnap" her son and change her life, their life. She gives up the life she is fam...more
Wow!! I am asking myself why it took so long for me to discover this author???
This was the first book that I picked up from Ms. Chamberlain, but it will not be my last. As a matter of fact, I have ordered "Reflection" and plan on starting it tomorrow, if not tonight:)
I was amazed at how well I felt like I knew all of the characters. I felt for Susanne (Kim) and felt myself cheering her on right through to the end of this book. From the beginning of the book, I knew I had to keep reading so I c...more
This was the first book that I picked up from Ms. Chamberlain, but it will not be my last. As a matter of fact, I have ordered "Reflection" and plan on starting it tomorrow, if not tonight:)
I was amazed at how well I felt like I knew all of the characters. I felt for Susanne (Kim) and felt myself cheering her on right through to the end of this book. From the beginning of the book, I knew I had to keep reading so I c...more
Diane Chamberlain has a way of helping you see all sides of a story that enriches it in so many ways. One of the things I liked about this book is that there is no black and white, there are always shades of grey. When a young mother is about to lose custody of her baby to her ex-husband and his current wife, she takes off with the baby to keep him with her. As the story unfolds you start to see that it isn't that cut and dried and there are no completely happy endings.
This is one of Chamberlai...more
This is one of Chamberlai...more
Ms. Chamberlain never fails to bring amazing characters to life with depth. Even one of the very minor characters, Ron, a doctor and brother to Peggy, is someone I'd love to know....how Ms. Chamberlain was able to put that much depth into a character that we only saw a few times in the book - enough that I'd remember him, think of him after I was finished with the book - is a great feat in itself.
But what really struck me with this book was the emotion I felt - Ms. Chamberlain is well known to b...more
But what really struck me with this book was the emotion I felt - Ms. Chamberlain is well known to b...more
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I really enjoyed this book ... this was a poignant story of one woman's journey to overcome adversity on many levels. One cannot help but feel compassion and support for the main character, Susanna as she deals with the possibility of losing custody of her son to her ex-husband and his wife, so she decides to take off with her son and is always looking over her shoulder wondering if and when law enforcement will find her; it is also a story of how she overcame her inner, personal struggle to bec...more
You cannot give Diane Chamberlain anything other than 5 stars. The only problem I have with her books is that I read them so quickly - and that is because they are so good. I wish that the boring books went quickly and the good ones lasted a bit longer. My husband hates when I have my nose in a good book as nothing else gets done until the book is finished! This was another excellent read. I didn't like Peggy but was so happy when she saw the light in the end and loved that our heroine became Su...more
http://www.hoteatsandcoolreads.com/20...
I've never read a Diane Chamberlain book that I haven't loved. She is such a talented author, and has a way of writing that makes you want to read more. This book was no exception. As a Mom, I felt so bad for Susanna losing custody of her son, especially when she was a good Mom, but didn't have the funds to fight like her cheating ex husband did. I really don't blame her for taking off and starting a new life somewhere else, even though it wasn't easy. The...more
I've never read a Diane Chamberlain book that I haven't loved. She is such a talented author, and has a way of writing that makes you want to read more. This book was no exception. As a Mom, I felt so bad for Susanna losing custody of her son, especially when she was a good Mom, but didn't have the funds to fight like her cheating ex husband did. I really don't blame her for taking off and starting a new life somewhere else, even though it wasn't easy. The...more
a very touching story of a mother who had lost custody of her son to her ungrateful ex-husband and once-mistress wife. she fled the life she always had and left the love of her life to have a life with her adorable son. a mother's love is indeed great. she will do everything and everything beyond means just to keep her child loved and protected.
one thing that i liked most was when Peggy had realized what a moron she became because of what Jim had told him about Susanna and the whole lot.
i just h...more
one thing that i liked most was when Peggy had realized what a moron she became because of what Jim had told him about Susanna and the whole lot.
i just h...more
I just love Diane Chamberlain and the ways she portrays mothers in her books. I know that if I was put in the same type of situation I would have done things very similar to the way she wrote the mother in this novel. I too would have never been able to just give my son or my daughters over to their father and only be able to see them once a week. I think the mother in this novel has had a really hard life but thats the way real life is it's not all sunshine and rainbows real fucked up things ha...more
Chamberlain writes of a mother, Susanna, who loses custody of her only son to her ex-husband and new wife, not because of her parenting but because her ex-husband/wife are better equipped financially in their legal battle. Susanna flees with her son, changing their identifies and abandoning her life as she knows it. After she relocates, she finds herself involved in strange events occurring in her new residence. Lots of suspense and some romance. Enjoyed the book.
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This book was ok. It started out good but once it got the middle it dragged a little, then would pick up a little and then drag again. I really liked the ending. This was one of her earlier books and like I said before it was ok. Her most recent books such as The Courage Tree, Secret Life of Ce Cee Wilkes, Before The storm, and Secrets She Left Behind (the sequel to Before the storm) were much much better and more intriguing.
I had received a bunch of Diane Chamberlain books for Christmas. They are all very quick easy reads - usually with some great characters and this was no exception.
The secondary 'mystery' was completely unnecessary and made way too obvious very early on.
I think it really is time for a break from this author as I read quite a few in a row and they all became a little too much.
The secondary 'mystery' was completely unnecessary and made way too obvious very early on.
I think it really is time for a break from this author as I read quite a few in a row and they all became a little too much.
I love Diane Chamberlain books. This is an older novel, and the characters are not quite as rich as her later work. I wasn't sure I would like a female character who hid behind men, but I soon changed my mind.
I loved the development of her character, and the interesting story around it. Some of the peripheral characters were a little black and white.
Great story, great pace.
I loved the development of her character, and the interesting story around it. Some of the peripheral characters were a little black and white.
Great story, great pace.
Good Read. Contemporary themes, the injustices which surround wealth, power, connections etc as well as the age old mother/child bond. Weave some murder mystery, childhood abuse by alcoholic parents and a hero who did time to protect someone else and you have a book which makes for a good read and is sufficiently compelling to drive the reader to the end without losing energy.
Loved, Loved, Loved this story! Great twist at the end that I never saw coming....maybe because I was so intrigued with the characters and getting to know all of them. Diane Chamberlain has a true gift of revealing layers and layers of a character, you really feel empathy and a kinship with them by the time the story is complete. Kudos to her for also providing great details about Annapolis....now I want to go visit!
Ehh. I didn't love this. I didn't hate this book. But I'm not sure I liked this book. The plot was ok, if not slightly predictable. I realized after starting it that it wasn't a new book, but rather just a new release for kindle. it was published in the late 90s which you can tell as the story talks about very expensive computers with word processing programs, the lack of cell phones, and the ease in which you could fly without identification....
This was definite not my favorite Chamberlain book...more
This was definite not my favorite Chamberlain book...more
What would you do if you lost custody of your child, and you knew that his father didn't really care?
A great read about real-life heart-rending emotions, and what a woman will go through to stay with her son.
I found Diane Chamberlain on Kindle because a few of her out-of-print books were listed really inexpensively, and I ended up buying them all!
A great read about real-life heart-rending emotions, and what a woman will go through to stay with her son.
I found Diane Chamberlain on Kindle because a few of her out-of-print books were listed really inexpensively, and I ended up buying them all!
Found it a bit slow to start but really picked up the pace half way through.
A story about a good mother who through no fault of her own is about to lose custody of her baby son to her rich ex husband and his new wife.
She goes on the run with her son and makes new identities for them.
Then she meets Adam and things start to get more complicated and a second plot line starts to emerge......
Intriguing story and well written.
The characters were likeable and believeable.
Easy reading and enjoyable
A story about a good mother who through no fault of her own is about to lose custody of her baby son to her rich ex husband and his new wife.
She goes on the run with her son and makes new identities for them.
Then she meets Adam and things start to get more complicated and a second plot line starts to emerge......
Intriguing story and well written.
The characters were likeable and believeable.
Easy reading and enjoyable
I was pretty distracted with goings on in my life while I was reading this book, so I'm not sure it got a fair shake. Usually Chamberlain's books keep me reading nonstop until I'm done, but I found this one hard to get into. This was one of Chamberlain's earlier books and her writing has definitely gotten better. However, this book was really good. I think I was just too involved in other things to really enjoy it.
So far, this is probably my favorite Diane Chamberlain book. I enjoyed the characters and the plot
Spoiler alert*****
I figured out who the bomber was, but was surprised that Jessie was Molly's mom. I liked how Peggy didn't see herself as the "bad" woman at first, but finally realized what a jerk her husband was.
Spoiler alert*****
I figured out who the bomber was, but was surprised that Jessie was Molly's mom. I liked how Peggy didn't see herself as the "bad" woman at first, but finally realized what a jerk her husband was.
If I could give this book four and a half stars I would! I love Diane Chamberlain's writing and find it very easy to read. I understand some of the criticisms that it's not very realistic but it was still a great read which kept me gripped from the beginning right through to the end! I will definitely be reading more of Diane's work.
This was a good book, not quite on par with Diane Chamberlain's more recent books, but a very good read all the same. Told with Diane's usual flair for people and her ability to draw you into the characters is second to none! And as is usual with her books, there are some twists that you really don't see coming. I enjoyed this book.
Diane Chamberlain again! Another good story. This is a story about a woman trying to keep her son when the father and his wife threaten to take him away. So she does what she has always been good at, she runs away with her son in tow. This story really kept my interest.
Mar 18, 2013
Sherri aka SDMomChef
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
best-books-2013,
books-by-my-favorite-authors
I have yet to read a book by Diane Chamberlain that disappoints. Her genre is definitely chick lit, but it is good chick lit. In this story, a young mother loses custody to her lying, cheating, lawyer ex-husband. So, faced with giving him up, she runs away with her son. As she makes a new life, she can't stop thinking of what she left behind. But just as she is getting settled in her new life, new events happen that put her and her son in jeopardy. A nice enjoyable beach club type of book.
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I'm the author of 22 novels published in more than eleven languages. I like to write complex stories about relationships between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and friends. Although the thematic focus of my books often revolves around family, love, compassion and forgiveness, my stories usually feature a combination of suspense, mystery and intrigue.
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