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The Reverse Commute
Sophie Ryan, a middle-aged woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is stuck in a dead-end job barely paying her bills. Adding to her problems, she and her husband, Ray, live in an old New Hampshire farmhouse with endless, humorous calamities. One night when Ray is out of town, Sophie has a vivid, passionate dream that inspires her to hatch a plan to change her life and fulfill her dreams of escaping the farmhouse and her job.
Meanwhile, in the same suburban office where Sophie works, is a twenty something young girl also stuck in a cubicle, bored with her job and frustrated with life after college. One snowy night, she barely makes the train home and finds the last available seat across from a strikingly handsome, mysterious young man.
We follow Sophie and Ray and the young couple, keeping up with their dramas while at the same time trying to make the leap into their newly imagined, idealistic lives. Like a fast moving train, the story carries us along through twists and turns, obstacles and speed bumps to the surprising conclusion.
Meanwhile, in the same suburban office where Sophie works, is a twenty something young girl also stuck in a cubicle, bored with her job and frustrated with life after college. One snowy night, she barely makes the train home and finds the last available seat across from a strikingly handsome, mysterious young man.
We follow Sophie and Ray and the young couple, keeping up with their dramas while at the same time trying to make the leap into their newly imagined, idealistic lives. Like a fast moving train, the story carries us along through twists and turns, obstacles and speed bumps to the surprising conclusion.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
17 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Blanchette
5 books27 followersSheila Blanchette bounced around in various accounting jobs for almost thirty years until she found herself working in a cubicle and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. To keep her sanity, she began working on her first novel, The Reverse Commute, a roman a clef about a woman in a cubicle daydreaming of running a bed and breakfast. Writing saved her life.
After her youngest daughter left for college, she and her husband sold their house in N.H. and moved to Florida where she wrote Take Me Home but like her character Josie Wolcott, she still found herself crunching numbers to pay the bills.
Two years later, in a surprising twist of fate, the Blanchettes landed a job as innkeepers in Northwestern, CT. This may be a case of, If you write it, it will happen. It certainly proves the critics wrong. You are never too old to dream.
Her third novel is Life Is All This, which has been compared to the work of Richard Ford and Alice McDermott.
Ever the wanderer she and her husband now live in Vermont where she writes full-time and blogs about everyday life, road trips, and America as she sees it.
She recently released her fourth novel Under The Same Sun, a story she has wanted to write for quite some time.
After her youngest daughter left for college, she and her husband sold their house in N.H. and moved to Florida where she wrote Take Me Home but like her character Josie Wolcott, she still found herself crunching numbers to pay the bills.
Two years later, in a surprising twist of fate, the Blanchettes landed a job as innkeepers in Northwestern, CT. This may be a case of, If you write it, it will happen. It certainly proves the critics wrong. You are never too old to dream.
Her third novel is Life Is All This, which has been compared to the work of Richard Ford and Alice McDermott.
Ever the wanderer she and her husband now live in Vermont where she writes full-time and blogs about everyday life, road trips, and America as she sees it.
She recently released her fourth novel Under The Same Sun, a story she has wanted to write for quite some time.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 20, 2013
GAH! You need a very long attention span to read this book. I was 3 chapters into it, and STILL hadn't figured out exactly who was who. One page you're reading about some whiny woman who has a hot husband that knows how to build/fix everything, a job, and grown children, yet all she does is bitch and complain about moving to some island to start a B&B. I wanted to crawl into the book, slap her silly ass around a bit, and say "wake up woman and be grateful for what you have!" then the next page this nitwit who has a goal oriented boyfriend, and good job, and all she wants to do is complain that it's not "spiritually fulfilling". I swear, it was like reading my Facebook Newsfeed. Whine whine whine.
Where are all the books, written by smart women, with smart ideas, who aren't totally blind to the world around them?
Where are all the books, written by smart women, with smart ideas, who aren't totally blind to the world around them?
August 17, 2015
I liked the ending. The beginning of the book was very confusing though. It took me til the 5th chapter (and someone explaining it to me) to realize that there were two different characters. It went back and forth between the two each chapter. What was confusing is, one character had a name, and the other one remained nameless throughout the book. That was really annoying. I could not relate to the main character AT ALL...couldn't relate to her political views or her "wine emergencies".
June 22, 2022
Maybe the storyline is amazing but the poor writing style and grammar distracted me to the point I could not finish. My advice to the author: don’t ask your nephew to edit while he’s drinking tequila (referenced in your acknowledgment section). Too many compound sentences, not enough complex sentences. Too many unnecessary details.
June 4, 2013
So, now I am done. This book can be a hard read in terms of figuring out what is going on and the point of view changing often, but I actually enjoyed the switching. I enjoyed trying to figure out how the two women's lives were related, and who might be writing the screen play about the other woman's life. That is what I concluded early on, but I did not get an answer until the end, which was fine. Some people have written that about the ending either being great or extremely disappointing. I don't fall into either category. I think there were really two endings, and both were appropriate for each woman's life. Sophie and Ray are really representative of many people who live ho-drum, routine lives and long for something more, but are trapped by the need to pay bills and have health insurance. It is a contemporary novel set in the Great Recession we just had. They also have been married a long time and things are a little mundane, in that the romance is not consistently there anymore...which most long-weds can probably attest to. Yet as they slog through their lives and look at the small tragedies that make up our every day lives, like cars in accidents, friends being laid off, and not having enough money to pay the bills and some household emergency, like flooded basement or clogged pipe, I feel that I understand their struggles. I also like that Sophie has dreams and always tries to use them as goals. Will she ever fulfill her dream of a B&B in the Islands....we don't know, and we keep wondering. Is she a dreamer, unrealistic, or is she someone who should follow her passion.
Nameless Girl and Best Boy's story is the one I think we all wish we had....a great romance that just grows and grows, and the ability to just say, let's change things, let's follow our dreams. They are young enough to do it. At least that is the way it seems...yet Nameless Girl is also caught in the trap of being in a dead-end job to pay the bills and student loans, and wanting to follow her passion. It is never that easy, is it?
So theme of dead-end jobs and follow your passion, but also of hope and of realism. I feel like this is the author's own story in a way...as both women want to write and tell stories in the novel. I certainly see a little of myself in the story.
Yes, an angst filled book at times, but also one that leads you to hope. My only wish is that it had been a bit shorter, but I did LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the literary language and the alternating chapters of characters. I also liked that NAMELESS girl never got a name...fits with the theme in many ways. I recommend it if you can tolerate ambiguity in reading and if you like literary techniques.
Nameless Girl and Best Boy's story is the one I think we all wish we had....a great romance that just grows and grows, and the ability to just say, let's change things, let's follow our dreams. They are young enough to do it. At least that is the way it seems...yet Nameless Girl is also caught in the trap of being in a dead-end job to pay the bills and student loans, and wanting to follow her passion. It is never that easy, is it?
So theme of dead-end jobs and follow your passion, but also of hope and of realism. I feel like this is the author's own story in a way...as both women want to write and tell stories in the novel. I certainly see a little of myself in the story.
Yes, an angst filled book at times, but also one that leads you to hope. My only wish is that it had been a bit shorter, but I did LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the literary language and the alternating chapters of characters. I also liked that NAMELESS girl never got a name...fits with the theme in many ways. I recommend it if you can tolerate ambiguity in reading and if you like literary techniques.
March 22, 2015
I enjoyed this sweet little story which I mainly picked up as I mainly read on my commute, and it was a freebie - can't go wrong.It tells the story of 2 woman in alternating chapters. One is a middle age woman, unhappily stuck in a job she does not enjoy, teenage children who are just about to fly the nest and a husband she has to nag constantly to do jobs. And then there is a young woman, at the start of her career and adult life who is stuck in an unhappy relationship. But has just met a boy on her daily commute who seem to tick all the right boxes. Both woman work in the same dreary office where they feel stuck with boring jobs and dreams of a more exciting future.
It can be a bit confusing first, but once you understand that the story of each woman is told in alternating chapters, it becomes quite clear and I was looking forward to see what they are doing next. There is a bit of a sweet twist to this at the end which I did enjoy.
I guess the book is not going to change your life, but I thought it was well written and entertaining and I did get the 'aha' moment at the end. I think it would maybe suit a middle-aged reader best. http://thepegsterreads.blogspot.co.uk...
It can be a bit confusing first, but once you understand that the story of each woman is told in alternating chapters, it becomes quite clear and I was looking forward to see what they are doing next. There is a bit of a sweet twist to this at the end which I did enjoy.
I guess the book is not going to change your life, but I thought it was well written and entertaining and I did get the 'aha' moment at the end. I think it would maybe suit a middle-aged reader best. http://thepegsterreads.blogspot.co.uk...
June 2, 2013
Story of two women, one young, one older and married. Younger girl meets a boy on the train and falls in love with him. Older woman has a dead-end job, a house that needs repairs, no money, a loving husband, and the dream to own a B&B on an island. Is the younger girl the imagination or former self of the older woman? Enjoyable read.
March 15, 2014
One star is actually generous. The writing was bad enough, but the political posturing was sophomoric and superfluous. I've read plenty of books whose characters weren't likable, but these were so vapid and stupid I couldn't finish the damn thing. For once, I wish I had bought a hard copy so I could have at least had the pleasure of burning it.
May 22, 2013
I really wanted to like this book...maybe write a positive review. But I can't do it. There is way too much political, anti-religion, sex, and drugs. Made it to 26% when a charactor spoke of the "bible" not "Bible."
May 25, 2013
I think one star was generous!
June 11, 2013
Couldn't even get past the first couple of chapters....and I give every book a fair chance! Just plain annoying, terrible editing, book did not make sense.
June 20, 2013
Awful to read, the book was all over the place. The author used the word 'thru' instead of through, used 'heals' instead of heels. How did this get published?
February 28, 2015
Great book. Easy to read and hard to put down.
April 5, 2018
Beginning with its intriguing title, The Reverse Commute, Sheila Blanchette’s captivating first of her four novels, entwines two love stories: fifty-something Sophie and Ray Ryan and an unnamed young couple at the beginning of their relationship. Blanchette is flawless in transporting her readers between these narratives, and her ability to create likeable, if imperfect, all-too-human characters, is evident here. So is her remarkable facility with describing scenes cinematically.
Ray and Sophie own an old New Hampshire home, one requiring too much of Ray’s time to repair and ready to sell. Sophie, stuck in a frustrating, dead-end cubicle job, eases her ennui by working on a screenplay. The couple plans soon to fulfill their long-held-off dream of running a bread and breakfast inn, definitely someplace warm, preferably in the Caribbean.
The young girl, half of the other couple, (leaving them unnamed is unique and a good choice) works with Sophie. She lives with her ambitious boyfriend, is borderline unhappy, and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a down-to-earth young man she meets one snowy night on a commuter train.
Those are the bare bones of the major plot. The Reverse Commute is filled with wonderful supporting characters and sub-plots that are amusing or heart-rending, dialogue that is crisp and believable. Sheila Blanchette is a wonderful story-teller who understands the everyday angst of blue-collar, barely middle-class workers who struggle every day to stay economically afloat. She gets to the bones, to the hearts and souls of these people. You know she likes them. You will, too.
Ray and Sophie own an old New Hampshire home, one requiring too much of Ray’s time to repair and ready to sell. Sophie, stuck in a frustrating, dead-end cubicle job, eases her ennui by working on a screenplay. The couple plans soon to fulfill their long-held-off dream of running a bread and breakfast inn, definitely someplace warm, preferably in the Caribbean.
The young girl, half of the other couple, (leaving them unnamed is unique and a good choice) works with Sophie. She lives with her ambitious boyfriend, is borderline unhappy, and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a down-to-earth young man she meets one snowy night on a commuter train.
Those are the bare bones of the major plot. The Reverse Commute is filled with wonderful supporting characters and sub-plots that are amusing or heart-rending, dialogue that is crisp and believable. Sheila Blanchette is a wonderful story-teller who understands the everyday angst of blue-collar, barely middle-class workers who struggle every day to stay economically afloat. She gets to the bones, to the hearts and souls of these people. You know she likes them. You will, too.
October 15, 2017
The author was kind enough to send me a free book exchange for a review.
This is the story about two women; middle aged Sophie Ryan and a twenty something young woman without a name who works in the same office as Sophie. Both women are disillusioned with their current lives.
Sophie and her husband Ray own an old farmhouse in New Hampshire that is in need of more work then Ray can handle. Sophie dreams of owning a B&B in the Caribbean and is inspired to hatch a plan to change her life and fulfill her dreams of leaving her job and the farmhouse.
Nameless girl is bored with her job and frustrated with her life after college. She lives with her ambitious boyfriend and is borderline unhappy.
Not going to lie; the book was slow going the first few chapters as I tried to keep it straight who was who: The narrators switch every chapter. I could totally relate to Sophie and her disenchantment with her stale life and how unfulfilled she must have felt. I could also relate to parts of nameless girl's life. She's young but there is no excitement . Then one evening on the commuter train she meets a gentleman and falls in love. Many times I wondered if nameless girl is Sophie's younger self ...very possible.
A pleasant book filled with tangible characters and authentic storyline. A good bookclub selection.
This is the story about two women; middle aged Sophie Ryan and a twenty something young woman without a name who works in the same office as Sophie. Both women are disillusioned with their current lives.
Sophie and her husband Ray own an old farmhouse in New Hampshire that is in need of more work then Ray can handle. Sophie dreams of owning a B&B in the Caribbean and is inspired to hatch a plan to change her life and fulfill her dreams of leaving her job and the farmhouse.
Nameless girl is bored with her job and frustrated with her life after college. She lives with her ambitious boyfriend and is borderline unhappy.
Not going to lie; the book was slow going the first few chapters as I tried to keep it straight who was who: The narrators switch every chapter. I could totally relate to Sophie and her disenchantment with her stale life and how unfulfilled she must have felt. I could also relate to parts of nameless girl's life. She's young but there is no excitement . Then one evening on the commuter train she meets a gentleman and falls in love. Many times I wondered if nameless girl is Sophie's younger self ...very possible.
A pleasant book filled with tangible characters and authentic storyline. A good bookclub selection.
November 12, 2019
I actually agree with the reviews, but from a distance perspective I felt it was a gentle everyday easy read after all the great nail biting novels I enjoy. It was like watching the Hallmark Channel instead of Criminal Minds or NCIS. Just a feel good happy go to bed book.
Now, back to the nail biters!
Now, back to the nail biters!
October 17, 2023
Poorly written, poorly edited, confusing, and uninteresting. I didn't enjoy a single word of the 58 pages I managed to choke down.
January 3, 2022
Half-way through this book, I was still trying to figure out what the purpose of the story was. There are two storylines going on and the book flips between the two. Both women are disappointed with their lives and the story is a great deal about what they wished they had done rather than what they've done with their lives. It just made the characters seem whiney and complaining to me.
May 31, 2013
Finish Time: 6 nights. I have to admit I almost quit this book around 17% in, but I am not a quitter, so I stuck with it. I have to say it very much improved after the rocky start. The book just started off SO intense. Strong language, lots of taking the Lord’s name in vain, and very strong liberal political views. The politics were scattered throughout the book. While I didn’t agree, it became easy to ignore as the book went on (nothing too deep), but I probably would not recommend for the more conservative minded reader. And the language toned down as well as it really wasn’t necessary and I’m guessing the author figured that out as well.
The story went back and forth between the tales of two women. One in her late 40′s, recent empty-nester, stuck going through her self-proclaimed mid-life crisis. The other, 25, stuck in a dead-end relationship and job she wasn’t happy in, trying to figure out whether to take the safe route or begin taking chances. The overall message is that life is too short to stick with the status quo and you are in control of your own destiny and happiness.
Again, not a very deep book. Such potential to bring God into the picture and recognize the signs He puts right in front of you, but the author did not take that route. I did find myself invested in the story and the characters and wanting to finish to find out what happens. A little bit of a twist at the end, that answered a question I found myself asking about halfway into the book. But otherwise a bit predictable with a nice ending.
Decent beach read, would recommend if free, otherwise I’d move along.
The story went back and forth between the tales of two women. One in her late 40′s, recent empty-nester, stuck going through her self-proclaimed mid-life crisis. The other, 25, stuck in a dead-end relationship and job she wasn’t happy in, trying to figure out whether to take the safe route or begin taking chances. The overall message is that life is too short to stick with the status quo and you are in control of your own destiny and happiness.
Again, not a very deep book. Such potential to bring God into the picture and recognize the signs He puts right in front of you, but the author did not take that route. I did find myself invested in the story and the characters and wanting to finish to find out what happens. A little bit of a twist at the end, that answered a question I found myself asking about halfway into the book. But otherwise a bit predictable with a nice ending.
Decent beach read, would recommend if free, otherwise I’d move along.
May 20, 2013
The changing pov in this book was hard to understand. At first I didn't know if this was the story that Sophia was talking about writing. But then "she" worked with her and knew of each other through Dan. Then I spent some time irritated that "she" didn't have a name. Then I spent a long time wondering what this story was even about. The ending brought everything together for me. I just wish I hadn't been kept in the dark. The main character was so bitter and u happy. There wasn't really much to like about her. I know that we all go through times when we aren't very happy people or fun to be around, but I don't necessarily want to read about it.
The ending though, was nice.
The ending though, was nice.
August 18, 2013
I'm sorry to be negative about this book, but I'm compelled to plead with this author to get a good editor to scrub it up so that the multiple grammatical/usage/typographical mistakes are corrected. They were so glaring that it was hard to concentrate on the story ("lightening" instead of "lightning", "it's" when you meant "its","laying" when it should be "lying", "their" when you meant "there", "a pile of luxurious white towels WERE on a shelf", peep toe "heals" and head over "heals"). Nobody's perfect, but all these errors were very distracting, and they became my main focus instead of the storyline.
June 4, 2013
First of all, massive props to anyone who writes a book. Unfortunately, this book had some major problems with editing, spelling, and most of all plot. The ending made no sense because of a huge chronological plot mistake. The writing was very stilted too; almost as if and ESL writer wrote the book. I understood the main plot, but there were several other plot-lines that just went no where. It was a very frustrating read.
June 14, 2013
Read this for book club. Pretty amusing / entertaining. I enjoyed the details about Boston and the north shore. Unfortunately there were some blatant typos which took away from things. I believe this book was self-published, and I give the author massive kudos there, but it could have used a bit more polish / proofreading.
February 24, 2013
This book is a must read if you have ever worked in a cubicle or any dead end job that offers you no satisfaction. Read this book and you will begin to believe in the possibities that life holds for you.
May 26, 2013
I was hoping we would find out who "she" was. I also expected the characters to be more intertwined - maybe even "she" turned out to be Sophie as a younger woman. The ending was really disappointing, no real finality to the story, just a fizzle out.
May 22, 2013
Tough to follow, and frustrating.
June 7, 2013
I didn't get the concept at all. Very flat and scattered for me but I finished it,
June 10, 2013
Probably more of a 2.5 star read! It was ok (and better as a free download) but a little hard to follow the flow then a little bit too much "political" perspective for a work of fiction.
June 28, 2013
To be honest, i gave this up just over halfway through, i found it was okay reading, just never really went anywhere and i got bored of it.
Want to read
February 25, 2016kindle 320
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews