The Road Taken

by Rona Jaffe

Bestselling author Rona Jaffe delivers a story of twentieth-century America . . . a story of choices . . . of fate . . . of the road taken by chance and by destiny, full of passion and heartache, promise and fulfillment . . . .

At the helm of this incredible epic is Rose Smith, an independent and adaptable woman who meets the challenges of this rapidly changing century with her three daughters. These four women — all different, all fiercely-willed — will make courageous, sometimes reckless choices in their lives as they move boldly through a new world. Yet they will be united by an inner strength that will withstand life's most turbulent demands, helping each to accept tragedy, embrace joy and, ultimately, find redemption.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book Club

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Rona Jaffe established The Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Awards program in 1995. It is the only national literary awards program of its kind dedicated to supporting women writers exclusively. Since the program began, the Foundation has awarded more than $850,000 to a total of 92 women.

Ms. Jaffe was the author of sixteen books, including Class Reunion, Family Secrets, The Road Taken, and The Room-Mating Season (2003). Her 1958 best-selling first novel, The Best of Everything, was reissued by Penguin in 2005.

Reviews

[Gabrielle Appel]

While sitting on my floor looking up at my shelves of books for one i had once read to my cousin, I accidentally picked this book up. It was an easy mistake because both books don't have their sleeve. I flipped throw it and quickly realized it was not the book I was looking for, although I could not put it down. I had fallen into a different world than our own. A beautiful world with no cell phones or iPods but instead a world with humble people. A world were a date didn't mean going to the movies, but a walk where you could open up and enjoy each other. I had fallen in love with a family of a broken man and his three children. This is truly the best book I have ever read. I thank God for that mistake.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose Smith was born right at the beginning of the twentieth century - in the year 1900 - the year that ushered in the most rapidly changing century in history. It was a century filled with remarkable advancements - in the field of medicine, in the world of technology, politics, and most especially within American society. At the age of ten, Rose loses her mother to an illness which everyone seems remarkably vague about; refusing to even entertain Rose's simplest questions regarding her mother's death.

Raised by her somewhat distant father, her older sister Maude, and her new stepmother Celia, Rose quickly learns to become independent and adaptable. As she grows up and begins a family of her own, she and her three very distinct but equally strong-willed daughters, as well as the men in their lives become an indelible part of the country's growth too - an America beset, and inescapably altered by - the onset of devastating wars, the advent of new medicines, and the emerging empowerment and autonomy of women.

This is a glorious saga that spans the years of twentieth-century America - a poignant tale of our century and our America - as told through the experiences of four generations in the same family that embodies the human experience. This is a story that chronicles the lives of an extraordinary woman and a family whose lives are composed of a mosaic of tragedy and joy, love and hate, rivalry, struggle and redemption. This is also a poignant tale of an unforgettable family, and the choices made, chances taken and twists of fate followed, which transform people's lives forever.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I have always enjoyed reading books about families - books dealing with families and their histories. Although this was a relatively quick read for me, it still had the feeling of an intricately-woven, well-plotted family saga. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I found it just the slightest bit long-winded in parts. I give this book a definite A+!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of three generations from 1900 to 2000 living in New York. Definitely worth reading. Would recommend as a perfect beach book

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a guilty pleasure. This was the story of the last century with in no particular order the two world wars, with the assassinations of the president, his brother and Martin Luther King. The beginning of the aids epidemic, the rise of women,how everything changed and the women that lived it.

Here I thought I had read all the good Rona Jaffe books.I have been a fan of her books since I was a teen, reading them in Dutch.I think my first book was Class Reunion and Five Women after that. So I apparently still like her books. This was a joy to read, even learned some things I did not know or had forgotten. For me this is a 5 star book because I was so sad I was done with it.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

I loved reading the various sagas that occurred over a century of the family's life. I loved each of the characters!

[Gowri N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This family saga covers the story of four generations of white, upper middle-class Americans. Reminds one of Alex Hailey's Roots.

While it was well written, some parts felt like a documentary of the changes America saw in each decade. There were also far too many characters, most of whom were broken or disgruntled with their lot.

What I really liked, however, is the fact that there wasn't a happy ending for 'deserving' characters, as there is so often in such books. There were some tragic lives, some perfectly happy ones, and some that were accepted with grace.

In a completely different category from Jaffe's The Best Of Everything, but still quite readable.

[Michelle "Champ" · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was FANTASTIC! From the second I started it, I had NO desire to put it down and was sad that I could not just sit down and devour it from start to finish.

The book opens with a little girl (born 1900) experiencing the death of her mother. Throughout the book we follow this little girl and her siblings as they grow up, have children and grandchildren, through wars, peace time, famine, sickness, health, differences and similarities, love and hate....and a century.

A fabulous journey....I really didn't want to end.

[Ellen G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that goes through the years--starts with Rose in the pre-World War I era and then later (as she married and has children) covers WWII, and the Vietnam/Sixties era, spanning all the way into the '80s. Most of the characters are compelling and it's an interesting read. It seems to end a little abruptly--but then, books of this type sometimes do. Overall I really enjoyed it.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in grade 12 and have been unable to forget about it. It was that powerful. It's 100 years of family tradition in the making. Rose's mother dies when she is only ten she has an older sister and a younger brother who is too young to understand what's happened. Her father remarries and has a new son. Overall the book is well written.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't read Rona Jaffe in years and grabbed this one when I saw it. What she did with the span of the 20th century along with family strife was so interesting and engaging as the timeline of historical events played the backdrop. Enjoyable read.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, page turner, recommend

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book! This was well written as well as an easy read that follows one family through the 20th Century. A pleasure to read.

[Jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I like big sweeping family dramas, and this one was set against major events of the 20th century.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far I love this book. It has caught my interest. I love the historical references and the family.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Jaffe's best. More to come!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the walk through a century of US history as seen through the eyes of a single family. Great combination of fiction and actual events. I''ll read it again!

[Kathy Vullis · Rating 3 out of 5]

During her life Rona Jaffe wrote sixteen novels and I have now read three: The Best of Everything (1958), Five Women (1997) and The Road Taken (2000).  If Rona has a theme in her books, at least the one's I've read, it's the changing role of women in the 20th century.  Her bestselling classic The Best of Everything for example is about four young women who come to New York to work in publishing and hopefully find Mr. Right.  The book was ahead of its time and along with Five Women well worth reading.

I wish I could say the same for The Road Taken but at least for me I found it a sad book which maybe I needed to be in a better frame of mind to appreciate.  The premise of the novel is interesting.  We follow the life of Rose Smith born on Jan 1 1900 and the book ends in 1999 with Rose about to turn one-hundred.  It's a journey through the turbulent and often tragic 20th century.

The Road Taken is also about Rose's three daughters Peggy, Joan and Ginger who will face choices their mother's generation never faced.  We follow the story of Rose's brother Hugh.  As a young boy he knows he has feelings for other boys that he can't share with anyone.  But by the time The Road Taken ends Hugh, age 80 with his partner Teddy, is going on protest marches to raise money for AIDS research.

Hugh and his sister Rose remain close all their lives possibly because they have an optimistic spirit and they change with the times.  This is also true of Rose's youngest daughter Ginger a brilliant and kind-hearted young woman who is stricken with polio at age 16.  It leaves her in a wheelchair but Ginger is determined to graduate from medical school and go into research and through hard work and determination that's exactly what she does.

Ginger's older sisters, Peggy and Joan, have a harder time managing the 20th century and they are constantly at war with each other.  They are too different and their relationship is permanently broken by a tragic accident that happens halfway through the novel.  Peggy is never able to completely forgive Joan for this accident and the best they will ever achieve is a cold peace.

And as we get deeper into the 20th century we see the enormous changes in society but also time passing by so quickly.  The Road Taken really brings this home in the story of Celia, Rose's stepmother.  Celia is a minor character in the novel, a good woman but rather direct in her advise which can exasperate her family.  The family also marvels at Celia's tremendous energy, going on cruises, volunteering, lunch with her girlfriends, never stopping. 

And then 3/4 of the way through The Road Taken there is a heartbreaking passage where Celia notices that when she calls her friends to chat and make lunch plans her friends  are becoming somewhat annoyed.  Their response is "Celia you just called me ten minutes ago".  Celia is puzzled but not yet alarmed.  She makes a joke about getting old.  The friends laugh as well but Celia begins keeping a list of her friends names on a notepad near the phone crossing out each name after she calls that person so that she will remember not to call them ten minutes later.  I wish I could say that this solves the issue for Celia but when you have seen this illness up close you know it only gets worse.

But on the plus side The Road Taken ends with Rose in pretty good health getting ready to celebrate her 100th birthday with her extended family.  And so to sum up I probably wasn't in the right mood to enjoy The Road Taken.  It got a little too real for me with Celia's story.  But I definitely recommend Five Women and The Best of Everything and I plan to read one or two more novels by Rona Jaffe going forward.

[Kaipo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rona Jaffe's done it again! This book has a lot of parallels to her novel The Last Chance and in a good way, such as how Nikki and Joan both read manuscripts to make a living in New York City. What surprised me throughout the entire century we see with Rose Carson is the amount of medical terminology that Jaffe brought to the forefront. Starting with Rose's mother dying from an idiopathic illness and ending when Rose is a hundred years old with stopgaps of medical advancements along the way (such as Joan's hypothyroidism caused by her radium treatment being fixed). As somebody who is in nursing school, I loved simultaneously reading this and attending lectures where they explain the same signs and manifestations throughout the novel.

A highlight for me was Joan and Peggy's relationship. Their tumultuous ups-and-downs remind me a lot of my relationship with my brother, and it felt incredibly relatable seeing both of their viewpoints. Ginger, Rose's youngest daughter, being able to grow into her own self and be content with being a career woman after meeting Althea was such an incredibly satisfying ending to her yarn that was spun.

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took me a very long time to read, there are a couple of books like that - I read a bit, and keep going back, it does not grab me to finish from beginning to end, but something pulls me back.
I finally decided to finish it this month. An interesting story - a trilogy may have been a better fit for me, then more time could have been spent on developing many parts of this saga. Covering a hundred years is a big challenge, especially the 20th century that had a LOT of events, discoveries, social and otherwise .
In the words of another reviewer - who seemed to feel the same as I - "it was like a fast train ride". You may remember a few scenes along the way, but the rest is a blur.

[Judith Squires · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable historical novel by the author of the excellent 1950's novel, "The Best of Everything." Jaffe details the long life of Rose Smith, a woman born in a small Rhode Island town, who loses her first love, who dies in a World War I training camp of the Spanish influenza. She becomes a schoolteacher, eventually marries a young lawyer and moves to New York. There she raises three very different daughters and also makes a home for her younger brother, a gay man, who lives long enough to participate in the Gay Liberation movement. I loved her characterization of Hugh and his beloved partner. Rose is open to the changing times and all that happens through the decades. A good summer read.

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows three generations of women in New York over the course of the 20th century and depicts how their lives intertwine with each other’s and with major events of the century, such as the 1st and 2nd world wars, the flu of 1918, the polio epidemic, the Vietnam war, the AIDS epidemic, etc.
Reading this book was like watching the seasons roll by and change the colors of the leaves - there is a beauty in it, and despite the inexorable nature of time still a feeling of hope amid the tragedies of each generation.

[Robert K. Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fiction with factual history intertwined in the story.

I enjoyed this book as I traveled back to the times for which it was written. I identified so much with Ginger, being a polio survivor myself, I was impressed with the accuracy of Ginger's struggles. If you are a child of the 50's, 60's or 70's you will recall with familiarity people that remind you of most of these characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Lukie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read for when you're in the mood for a multi-generational family saga. The matriarch, Rose, was born a year after my own grandmother (1900) so the sociological and historical context of the novel was the same as my own family's. In that sense, it was all familiar in a general sense, but not predictable in the particulars. An absorbing, enjoyable read.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no memory of having read this before, until I got to the polio episode, which was familiar, but I thought was in one of the other novels. Not I think one of her best, but readable (if forgettable...)

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story of generations of a family from 1900-2000 living in New York City. Lots of characters but they all weaved together. It held my interest from beginning to end. I didn't want it to end, it was that good.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom read her books

My mom said she was a good author. She read her books when they were published. Well she
Was right. Strong women, I came from a family just like it. I will read all her books. Well written I would even tell my teenage grand daughter to read this.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationship between Mothers, Daughters, and Grandchildren can be so frustrating, and at the same time be a Blessing with unlimited joy.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I have ever read.

[Laurie Somers · Rating 4 out of 5]

great family saga