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Sleep Toward Heaven
Sleep Toward Heaven is a luminous story of murder and desire, solitude and grace, set in Manhattan and small-town Texas.
In Gatestown, twenty-nine-year old Karen awaits her execution on Death Row. In New York, Franny, a doctor the same age, plans her wedding and tries to resist her urge to run. In Austin, Celia, a brassy young librarian, mourns her lost husband.
Over the course of one summer, the three women’s disparate lives intertwine. Karen, Franny, and Celia all struggle to find their place in a world where nothing is sure, as they move toward one night that will change them all forever.
With razor-sharp prose and humor that ignites the page, Amanda Eyre Ward’s debut novel will keep you reading all night and give you something to talk about in the morning. Sleep Toward Heaven is a novel to celebrate and to savor.
Amanda Eyre Ward was born in New York City, and graduated from Williams College and the University of Montana. Her short stories have been published in various literary reviews and magazines. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, the geologist Tip Meckel. She is a regular contributor to the Austin Chronicle.
In Gatestown, twenty-nine-year old Karen awaits her execution on Death Row. In New York, Franny, a doctor the same age, plans her wedding and tries to resist her urge to run. In Austin, Celia, a brassy young librarian, mourns her lost husband.
Over the course of one summer, the three women’s disparate lives intertwine. Karen, Franny, and Celia all struggle to find their place in a world where nothing is sure, as they move toward one night that will change them all forever.
With razor-sharp prose and humor that ignites the page, Amanda Eyre Ward’s debut novel will keep you reading all night and give you something to talk about in the morning. Sleep Toward Heaven is a novel to celebrate and to savor.
Amanda Eyre Ward was born in New York City, and graduated from Williams College and the University of Montana. Her short stories have been published in various literary reviews and magazines. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, the geologist Tip Meckel. She is a regular contributor to the Austin Chronicle.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2003
56 people are currently reading
1564 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Eyre Ward
16 books1,405 followersAmanda Eyre Ward’s new novel. LOVERS AND LIARS, will be published in May, 2024! It is the story of a librarian in love.
Here is a very long bio: Amanda was born in New York City in 1972. Her family mved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.
Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Williamstown Public Library. After graduation, Amanda taught at Athens College in Greece for a year, and then moved to Missoula, Montana.
Amanda studied fiction writing at the University of Montana with Bill Kittredge, Dierdre McNamer, Debra Earling, and Kevin Canty, receiving her MFA. After traveling to Egypt, she took a job at the University of Montana Mansfield Library, working in Inter Library Loan.
In 1998, Amanda moved to Austin, Texas where she began working on Sleep Toward Heaven. Amanda finished Sleep Toward Heaven, which was published in 2003. Sleep Toward Heaven won the Violet Crown Book Award and was optioned for film by Sandra Bullock and Fox Searchlight. To promote Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda, her baby, and her mother Mary-Anne Westley traveled to London and Paris.
Amanda moved to Waterville, Maine, where she wrote in an attic filled with books. Amanda’s second novel, How to Be Lost, was published in 2004. How to Be Lost was selected as a Target Bookmarked pick, and has been published in fifteen countries.
After one year in Maine and two years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amanda and her family returned to Austin, Texas.
To research her third novel, Forgive Me, Amanda traveled with her sister, Liza Ward Bennigson, to Cape Town, South Africa. Forgive Me was published in 2007.
Amanda's short story collection, Love Stories in This Town, was published in April, 2009.
Her fourth novel, Close Your Eyes, published in July, 2011, received a four-star reiew in People Magazine, won the Elle Lettres Readers' Prize for September, and inspired the Dallas Morning News to write, "With CLOSE YOUR EYES, Austin novelist Amanda Eyre Ward puts another jewel in her crown as the reigning doyenne of 'dark secrets' literary fiction."
Close Your Eyes was named in Kirkus' Best Books of 2011, and won the Elle Magazine Fiction Book of the Year. It was released in paperback in August, 2012.
Amanda's fifth novel, The Same Sky, was published on January 20, 2015. It was named one of the most anticipated books for 2015 by BookPeople and Book of the Week by People Magazine. Dallas Morning News writes, "Ward has written a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity."
The Same Sky was chosen as a Target Bookmarked pick.
Amanda's new novel, The Nearness of You, was published on Valentine's Day, 2017.
Amanda's new novel, THE JETSETTERS, was chosen by Reese's Book Club and Hello Sunshine and became a New York Times bestseller. Her novel THE LIFEGUARDS was published in 2022.
Ask me anything and stay tuned for news about LOVERS AND LIARS and TV and film projects based on Amanda's work!
Here is a very long bio: Amanda was born in New York City in 1972. Her family mved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.
Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Williamstown Public Library. After graduation, Amanda taught at Athens College in Greece for a year, and then moved to Missoula, Montana.
Amanda studied fiction writing at the University of Montana with Bill Kittredge, Dierdre McNamer, Debra Earling, and Kevin Canty, receiving her MFA. After traveling to Egypt, she took a job at the University of Montana Mansfield Library, working in Inter Library Loan.
In 1998, Amanda moved to Austin, Texas where she began working on Sleep Toward Heaven. Amanda finished Sleep Toward Heaven, which was published in 2003. Sleep Toward Heaven won the Violet Crown Book Award and was optioned for film by Sandra Bullock and Fox Searchlight. To promote Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda, her baby, and her mother Mary-Anne Westley traveled to London and Paris.
Amanda moved to Waterville, Maine, where she wrote in an attic filled with books. Amanda’s second novel, How to Be Lost, was published in 2004. How to Be Lost was selected as a Target Bookmarked pick, and has been published in fifteen countries.
After one year in Maine and two years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amanda and her family returned to Austin, Texas.
To research her third novel, Forgive Me, Amanda traveled with her sister, Liza Ward Bennigson, to Cape Town, South Africa. Forgive Me was published in 2007.
Amanda's short story collection, Love Stories in This Town, was published in April, 2009.
Her fourth novel, Close Your Eyes, published in July, 2011, received a four-star reiew in People Magazine, won the Elle Lettres Readers' Prize for September, and inspired the Dallas Morning News to write, "With CLOSE YOUR EYES, Austin novelist Amanda Eyre Ward puts another jewel in her crown as the reigning doyenne of 'dark secrets' literary fiction."
Close Your Eyes was named in Kirkus' Best Books of 2011, and won the Elle Magazine Fiction Book of the Year. It was released in paperback in August, 2012.
Amanda's fifth novel, The Same Sky, was published on January 20, 2015. It was named one of the most anticipated books for 2015 by BookPeople and Book of the Week by People Magazine. Dallas Morning News writes, "Ward has written a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity."
The Same Sky was chosen as a Target Bookmarked pick.
Amanda's new novel, The Nearness of You, was published on Valentine's Day, 2017.
Amanda's new novel, THE JETSETTERS, was chosen by Reese's Book Club and Hello Sunshine and became a New York Times bestseller. Her novel THE LIFEGUARDS was published in 2022.
Ask me anything and stay tuned for news about LOVERS AND LIARS and TV and film projects based on Amanda's work!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
December 7, 2015
3.5
This is the story of three women: a prisoner sentenced to death, a doctor, and a librarian. At first we don't get if there is any connection, but then we find out that,in factores, there is a bond between them.
It's a very moving book, because it deals with subjects such as murder, rape, death penalty, etc, so it's hard to read because you sympathize with the women at Death Row, you end up feeling sorry for them, but it makes you think,they DID commited awful crimes, they messed up their lives and other people's lives.
This is the story of three women: a prisoner sentenced to death, a doctor, and a librarian. At first we don't get if there is any connection, but then we find out that,in factores, there is a bond between them.
It's a very moving book, because it deals with subjects such as murder, rape, death penalty, etc, so it's hard to read because you sympathize with the women at Death Row, you end up feeling sorry for them, but it makes you think,they DID commited awful crimes, they messed up their lives and other people's lives.
September 2, 2007
This is an amazing book. After having read and enjoyed Ward’s How to Be Lost, I went looking for her first novel, Sleep Towards Heaven. I am glad that I did. Sleep Towards Heaven takes place in Texas and examines the morality and far-reaching implications of the death penalty in a moving, yet relatively unbiased, manner.
The story is told from the perspective of three women: Celia, the librarian whose husband was murdered; Karen, a serial killer on death row; and Franny, a doctor whose life becomes intertwined with Celia and Karen's lives. All three narrators are completely believable and, in their own way, empathetic characters. The women on death row seem to be loosely based on famous serial killers such as Aileen Wuornos and Darlie Routier. (Those who like Joyce Carol Oates reality based fiction may find this book interesting.) Both moving and hopeful, this is a passionately written book that strongly engaged me as a reader. It thought about it for days after I finished reading it. I very strongly recommend this beautiful, powerful, and realistic book.
The story is told from the perspective of three women: Celia, the librarian whose husband was murdered; Karen, a serial killer on death row; and Franny, a doctor whose life becomes intertwined with Celia and Karen's lives. All three narrators are completely believable and, in their own way, empathetic characters. The women on death row seem to be loosely based on famous serial killers such as Aileen Wuornos and Darlie Routier. (Those who like Joyce Carol Oates reality based fiction may find this book interesting.) Both moving and hopeful, this is a passionately written book that strongly engaged me as a reader. It thought about it for days after I finished reading it. I very strongly recommend this beautiful, powerful, and realistic book.
January 9, 2017
No bells and whistles here - just some fine storytelling about three seemingly unconnected women - a doctor, a widow, and a death row inmate.
Ward's story is involving and unforgettable.
Ward's story is involving and unforgettable.
July 25, 2018
A very postmodern book, if only in its undertones. This was a surprisingly quick read which I devoured in a single afternoon. This engrossing plot features a triangle between three women: a prisoner on Death Row, a doctor, and a librarian. At first, the three narratives seem to be randomly thrown together, but their connection is revealed soon enough. You won't be able to put it down after that.
As a native Texan, I enjoyed the well-researched bits about Huntsville, the prisons, and the death sentence. Texas executes more people than any other state, and middle schools statewide make the field trip / pilgrimage to the Huntsville museum where Old Sparky is retired. From an early age, we learn about the lethal injection and the gruesome details of how exactly an execution-via-electric chair works. I recently went to the museum as an adult and was horrified to see a gift shop t-shirt featuring Old Sparky, with the slogan "Riding Thunder." That is fucked.
Ward is obviously not from Texas, but this fact, obviously, does not take away from the quality of her writing, which is well-researched and written in lovely prose. However, her opinions on the death penalty go against everything most Texans believe. Her characters do not reflect the average Texan. Here, the death penalty is not just a policy, but a part of religion. Just like gun rights.
Ward devalues the death penalty. As in, what good would this woman's death do? What good could come from killing this woman? We look at this woman's life before prison and sympathize with her plight, but Ward seems to be advocating that justice is relative. Her character is a murderer, but she had such a tragic life, surely we can judge the murder in a different life?
The death penalty is not a cruel and unusual punishment... There are many arguments made about its cruelty, but as for unusual, it's definitely not, because we do it! A lot. Especially in Texas. This is a common punishment. Common! If you tip the scales of justice, they must be righted again. Ward questions this sentiment with grace.
As a native Texan, I enjoyed the well-researched bits about Huntsville, the prisons, and the death sentence. Texas executes more people than any other state, and middle schools statewide make the field trip / pilgrimage to the Huntsville museum where Old Sparky is retired. From an early age, we learn about the lethal injection and the gruesome details of how exactly an execution-via-electric chair works. I recently went to the museum as an adult and was horrified to see a gift shop t-shirt featuring Old Sparky, with the slogan "Riding Thunder." That is fucked.
Ward is obviously not from Texas, but this fact, obviously, does not take away from the quality of her writing, which is well-researched and written in lovely prose. However, her opinions on the death penalty go against everything most Texans believe. Her characters do not reflect the average Texan. Here, the death penalty is not just a policy, but a part of religion. Just like gun rights.
Ward devalues the death penalty. As in, what good would this woman's death do? What good could come from killing this woman? We look at this woman's life before prison and sympathize with her plight, but Ward seems to be advocating that justice is relative. Her character is a murderer, but she had such a tragic life, surely we can judge the murder in a different life?
The death penalty is not a cruel and unusual punishment... There are many arguments made about its cruelty, but as for unusual, it's definitely not, because we do it! A lot. Especially in Texas. This is a common punishment. Common! If you tip the scales of justice, they must be righted again. Ward questions this sentiment with grace.
January 9, 2011
Ward's writing style wasn't all that impressive in prose, but it was so simple and I found it very easy to relate to what she wrote about. She didn't use huge words or bury the meaning in pretentious sentences. She just told it like it was.
The plot was very clever... parts of it were predictable, but not in a bad way. I really liked getting to know the three different characters, and now that I'm trying my own hand at writing a book, I appreciate more an author's ability to fully develop the characters. I think she did a great job because each woman was different, had a different voice, and a different sense of being. It was weird because although my life was so different from each woman's... I still related to certain facets of each of their lives.
The plot was very clever... parts of it were predictable, but not in a bad way. I really liked getting to know the three different characters, and now that I'm trying my own hand at writing a book, I appreciate more an author's ability to fully develop the characters. I think she did a great job because each woman was different, had a different voice, and a different sense of being. It was weird because although my life was so different from each woman's... I still related to certain facets of each of their lives.
August 11, 2013
3.5***
Three very different women are connected by an impending execution at the Huntsville Prison in Texas. Karen – “the Highway Honey” – is on death row for the series of murders she committed in an effort to keep her young lover supplied with heroin. Celia is a lost and emotionally drained librarian and widow, whose husband was murdered. Franny left the small Texas town years ago for boarding school, making her life in New York as a doctor. Reeling from the recent death of one of her pediatric patients, she leaves her fiancé behind to return to Texas when her last relative, Uncle Jack, dies suddenly, and winds up taking over his job as prison physician. All three are emotionally disconnected and fragile. The novel spans one hot Texas summer and is told in alternating chapters by each of the three women.
Karen’s background story is obviously based on that of Aileen Wuornos (who was executed in Florida for the robbery/murders she committed there), with very little effort to change the circumstances. She might have been any murderer, why borrow such a recognizable back story? The novel is set in the fictional Gatestown, which is obviously a stand-in for the real Gatesville in which the Mountain View Unit for female Death Row prisoners is actually located. Why bother to change the name if it’s going to be so similar? The book mentions that this is about a 5-hour drive to Hunstville, where the executions actually take place, yet hordes of people show up “for the execution.” This confused me … wouldn’t they go to Huntsville? But enough quibbling over small details; they were distractions, yes, but not major flaws.
This book surprised me. Despite the emotional distance of the three central characters, there was an immediacy to the writing and I found myself completely drawn into their combined story. Their tale of grief, loneliness, longing and forgiveness has a universality about it despite the unique circumstances of each. Karen and her fellow inmates on Death Row try to create some sort of “family” out of their shared experience as they wait for their respective execution dates. Celia stumbles through her days trying to find a way back to life, afraid to hold anyone close again after losing Henry in such a violent and sudden way. She insists she is “fine” and proves it by buying a new bikini (“Isn’t that what normal women do?”), but her therapist feels that she has not really faced her rage yet. Franny is perhaps the most closed-off character and I had a very hard time with her. Of the three, she seems to be the one most damaged, going through the motions and sedating herself with alcohol. Her actions make little sense to me, but I was glad that she was finally able to acknowledge some love and personal connection.
The ending was emotionally charged for the characters, but I felt a little manipulated. The women didn’t seem to understand their own motives and, frankly, neither did I. And I thought the “resolution” was contrived and convenient. Still, this was a pretty good debut effort and I will certainly read more of this author’s works.
Three very different women are connected by an impending execution at the Huntsville Prison in Texas. Karen – “the Highway Honey” – is on death row for the series of murders she committed in an effort to keep her young lover supplied with heroin. Celia is a lost and emotionally drained librarian and widow, whose husband was murdered. Franny left the small Texas town years ago for boarding school, making her life in New York as a doctor. Reeling from the recent death of one of her pediatric patients, she leaves her fiancé behind to return to Texas when her last relative, Uncle Jack, dies suddenly, and winds up taking over his job as prison physician. All three are emotionally disconnected and fragile. The novel spans one hot Texas summer and is told in alternating chapters by each of the three women.
Karen’s background story is obviously based on that of Aileen Wuornos (who was executed in Florida for the robbery/murders she committed there), with very little effort to change the circumstances. She might have been any murderer, why borrow such a recognizable back story? The novel is set in the fictional Gatestown, which is obviously a stand-in for the real Gatesville in which the Mountain View Unit for female Death Row prisoners is actually located. Why bother to change the name if it’s going to be so similar? The book mentions that this is about a 5-hour drive to Hunstville, where the executions actually take place, yet hordes of people show up “for the execution.” This confused me … wouldn’t they go to Huntsville? But enough quibbling over small details; they were distractions, yes, but not major flaws.
This book surprised me. Despite the emotional distance of the three central characters, there was an immediacy to the writing and I found myself completely drawn into their combined story. Their tale of grief, loneliness, longing and forgiveness has a universality about it despite the unique circumstances of each. Karen and her fellow inmates on Death Row try to create some sort of “family” out of their shared experience as they wait for their respective execution dates. Celia stumbles through her days trying to find a way back to life, afraid to hold anyone close again after losing Henry in such a violent and sudden way. She insists she is “fine” and proves it by buying a new bikini (“Isn’t that what normal women do?”), but her therapist feels that she has not really faced her rage yet. Franny is perhaps the most closed-off character and I had a very hard time with her. Of the three, she seems to be the one most damaged, going through the motions and sedating herself with alcohol. Her actions make little sense to me, but I was glad that she was finally able to acknowledge some love and personal connection.
The ending was emotionally charged for the characters, but I felt a little manipulated. The women didn’t seem to understand their own motives and, frankly, neither did I. And I thought the “resolution” was contrived and convenient. Still, this was a pretty good debut effort and I will certainly read more of this author’s works.
July 9, 2012
The only reason for two stars for this book is that it really gave my book club a lot to discuss; however, it was the topic of the book (not the book itself) that led to all the discussion. I personally felt the book was a little weak. I didn't like the character of Franny at all; difficult to believe she was a doctor - she was so wishy washy and tremulous all the time.
No matter how hard the author tried to make the reader feel sorry for the girls on death row, I just can't waste my sorrow and patience on someone who kills people no matter how poorly they were treated growing up. Everyone has a story; get over it and get on with living. I hate bleeding hearts....do I believe in the death penalty??? I don't think so - but life in prison without parole should do it. Sorry for the band wagon -- this is mostly what my book club discussed rather than the book!
Wow, a few months ago, I didn't even post reviews because I didn't like to have my opinions influence readers one way or another, and now I find myself ranting!! Sorry.....
No matter how hard the author tried to make the reader feel sorry for the girls on death row, I just can't waste my sorrow and patience on someone who kills people no matter how poorly they were treated growing up. Everyone has a story; get over it and get on with living. I hate bleeding hearts....do I believe in the death penalty??? I don't think so - but life in prison without parole should do it. Sorry for the band wagon -- this is mostly what my book club discussed rather than the book!
Wow, a few months ago, I didn't even post reviews because I didn't like to have my opinions influence readers one way or another, and now I find myself ranting!! Sorry.....
January 9, 2012
Wow. What an absolutely amazing book. I didn't really know what to expect from this book. I got it for Christmas many years ago and never went back to it. Now I am saddened that it took me so long to read this wonderful story.
The three main characters – Karen, Celia, and Franny – were so vivid and relatable. I absolutely loved them. Even the secondary characters had a special place in my heart. Once I picked up this book, I was unable to put it down. Left me crying one moment and then laughing. A story about redemption and forgiveness of one's self and others. Letting go of the past in order to move on with the future. A very heartwarming book that didn't get half the attention it deserved when it came out. Beautifully written. This was the first novel by author Amanda Eyre Ward. I will definitely be looking into reading more of work.
The three main characters – Karen, Celia, and Franny – were so vivid and relatable. I absolutely loved them. Even the secondary characters had a special place in my heart. Once I picked up this book, I was unable to put it down. Left me crying one moment and then laughing. A story about redemption and forgiveness of one's self and others. Letting go of the past in order to move on with the future. A very heartwarming book that didn't get half the attention it deserved when it came out. Beautifully written. This was the first novel by author Amanda Eyre Ward. I will definitely be looking into reading more of work.
January 8, 2009
Beautifully written novel about the lives of three women - Karen, on death row for murdering several men, Celia, a widow whose husband was killed by Karen and Franny, a doctor trying to make Karen's last days more humane. It is a story of forgiveness, what it means to forgive others and how to forgive yourself. My favorite line (page 44): "When do you stop trusting your instinct to run? Franny wondered. When do you accept that you will never feel at home no matter where you go? When do you just make yourself stay?" Questions that all three women must answer in their own ways, just as all people must answer them.
August 14, 2012
I read Sleep Toward Heaven in 2003 and loved it so much I kept the book. 9 years later, I read it again and loved it even more. I will put it back on my bookshelf because I know I will want to visit these characters again.
July 16, 2014
My review at Amazon, from way back:
I've just completed the incredibly moving Sleep Toward Heaven . What a beautiful book it is. This will be on my year's best list. The author has rendered society's most loathsome people in a way that is sympathetic without sentimentality. The characters and their crimes are believable and comprehensible even as the crimes themselves are repugnant. This is a novel full of insight and compassion, wrapped in a story that is compelling and suspenseful. A great read with an important theme; Dickens would have loved this book.
[I certainly do refer to Dickens a lot]
I've just completed the incredibly moving Sleep Toward Heaven . What a beautiful book it is. This will be on my year's best list. The author has rendered society's most loathsome people in a way that is sympathetic without sentimentality. The characters and their crimes are believable and comprehensible even as the crimes themselves are repugnant. This is a novel full of insight and compassion, wrapped in a story that is compelling and suspenseful. A great read with an important theme; Dickens would have loved this book.
[I certainly do refer to Dickens a lot]
March 12, 2010
Originally I stayed away from this author becuase I thought she was another Anita Shreve or Carol Goodman.
But I actually couldn't put this book down. It's Ward's first novel, and it has that first-novel cautiously lovely language mixed with first-novel sort of cliche but why the hell not? language. There's a subtle kind of danger in the prose. And the women are not just tough because they choose to have a lot of casual sex and decide not to have children.
But I actually couldn't put this book down. It's Ward's first novel, and it has that first-novel cautiously lovely language mixed with first-novel sort of cliche but why the hell not? language. There's a subtle kind of danger in the prose. And the women are not just tough because they choose to have a lot of casual sex and decide not to have children.
January 24, 2025
I reread this about once a year. There's just so much beautiful stuff here. Three beautifully delineated women, all dealing with loss, change, and discovery, on the way to genuine redemption. I am always moved, especially by the character of the woman on death row, whose loneliness, loss, and yearning for wholeness are incredibly poignant, especially when played against the stories of the two women whose lives touch hers.
July 22, 2012
Powerful, thought provoking, well written. One of the best in a while. The characters were well defined with physical and emotional detail, the predicament of being on death row was one of those things we rarely think about and yet drawing the reader in. It reminded me of seeing a horrible accident where your pulse races and you know there is blood, you don't want to look but you want to know "what happened? are they dead?"
I had not read this author before and I must say that I am not a big fan of the change in POV as to each character but I did get past that, obviously because of my rating.
The ending was not at all how I thought it was going to end and yet, so strong and made quite a statement.
I had not read this author before and I must say that I am not a big fan of the change in POV as to each character but I did get past that, obviously because of my rating.
The ending was not at all how I thought it was going to end and yet, so strong and made quite a statement.
October 14, 2012
Engaging, riveting and hard to put down. I loved this book - character development was basically flawless and the way the storyline eventually brought everyone together was believable and very interesting.
August 14, 2012
This book is one to make you think after reading it. I chose the book because a friend of my brother's wrote it and it sounded interesting. However, until half way through it, I was not particularly impressed. I had trouble keeping up with the characters, who are all very damaged. Each chapter is about one of them and titled with the character's name, but the story is not first person. However, what changed my opinion is the last quarter of the book, when all the strings of the character's stories come together beautifully.
The writing is very subtle: it is only when you get to the end that you see how much craft went into the writing and how much ever detail is imbued with symbolism.
The ending has a supernatural aspect that I did not see coming and it could be argued that it is kind of manipulative, but it worked for me as I read it. It is only now on reflection that I see it was a convenient solution. I think it shocked because the book is so realistic that you can't imagine a supernatural twist in the very last moment.
The book leaves you with a lot of themes to ponder: forgiveness, turning your life around, holding a grudge. I think it's the book's subtlety that allows it to seep under your skin and into your brain.
The writing is very subtle: it is only when you get to the end that you see how much craft went into the writing and how much ever detail is imbued with symbolism.
The ending has a supernatural aspect that I did not see coming and it could be argued that it is kind of manipulative, but it worked for me as I read it. It is only now on reflection that I see it was a convenient solution. I think it shocked because the book is so realistic that you can't imagine a supernatural twist in the very last moment.
The book leaves you with a lot of themes to ponder: forgiveness, turning your life around, holding a grudge. I think it's the book's subtlety that allows it to seep under your skin and into your brain.
June 30, 2010
This was a good book - though I did enjoy How To Be Lost a lot more. The characters in this novel were quite strong, and there was definitely a high emotional appeal, but the plot was very predictable. The biggest (and most shocking) drawback to the whole novel was Karen. Her entire crime wave as well as personal life was completely lifted from Aileen Wuornos's life. Ward hardly put any spin on that true story at all (other than change Karen's race) to make her story unique. I wouldn't have been as upset had Ward acknowledge this inspiration anywhere in the book. Since she did not, it seems a bit life theft. The book came out the same year as the film Monster, so the good ratings of the book are really shocking, unless the book's release preceded the movie's. It was well-written, and I am glad that I read it, I just wish that Ward had thrown out some sort of acknowledgment that she based Karen of Aileen.How to Be Lost: A Novel
February 23, 2009
I couldn't put it down. The writing is spare and powerful, beautiful, never a word too many or wrongly put. We follow 5 fictional women on death row in Texas, their crimes terrible. We also follow a doctor who works in the prison, and the wife of a victim. We explore hope and hopelessness, hatred and forgiveness, life and death. I don't think everything can or should be forgiven, but I recognize the redemptive power of forgiveness and it is brought out perfectly in this book. The woman on death row whom we follow the most closely is the most forgivable of the women on death row. We are brought to see her childhood, its deprivations and horrors, the lack of education and chances, the abuse she continues to suffer, her illness and her grace at the end of her life. It is inevitable that our hearts should open, at least to the possibility of forgiveness, if it is even ours to give.
April 6, 2015
This captivating, witty but ultimately sad book was one that I read very quickly. It was definitely one that was hard to put down.
Celia, a librarian, is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband years ago. Franny, a doctor, is unhappy in her long-term relationship. Karen is on death row. The book follows the same period of a few months in each of their lives in an interesting narrative style that changes tense and reader-perspective according to the character.
Sleep Toward Heaven describes grief, disillusionment in relationships and life on death row sympathetically and convincingly. The book is well researched and an enjoyable, absorbing read that an easily be devoured in an evening. My only criticism is personally I found the view of the book towards serial killers a little too sympathetic, a little too saccharine that made the ending a little unsatisfying.
Celia, a librarian, is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband years ago. Franny, a doctor, is unhappy in her long-term relationship. Karen is on death row. The book follows the same period of a few months in each of their lives in an interesting narrative style that changes tense and reader-perspective according to the character.
Sleep Toward Heaven describes grief, disillusionment in relationships and life on death row sympathetically and convincingly. The book is well researched and an enjoyable, absorbing read that an easily be devoured in an evening. My only criticism is personally I found the view of the book towards serial killers a little too sympathetic, a little too saccharine that made the ending a little unsatisfying.
April 19, 2018
Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. This novel follows three women who seemingly have very different stories but ultimately wind up coming together in a moment that changes their lives forever. Each chapter is told from one of their perspectives, and the voice for each is clear and distinguishable. The way the author uses tense and person really sets the idea that the people we're reading about are more than just characters. Though they are fictional, they feel real.
Some tough stuff is tackled here. Forgiveness, death, letting go, and purpose. They're all heavy topics, and you don't think the novel would end the way it does, but I'm so glad it does. I don't want to give away spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that!
Overall, I highly recommend. It's a really quick read, but it's gorgeous from beginning to end.
Some tough stuff is tackled here. Forgiveness, death, letting go, and purpose. They're all heavy topics, and you don't think the novel would end the way it does, but I'm so glad it does. I don't want to give away spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that!
Overall, I highly recommend. It's a really quick read, but it's gorgeous from beginning to end.
February 10, 2009
For the last two days I've been living with women on Death Row. It's very loud. The TV is blaring almost constantly. The doors slam open and slam closed. People yell and scream and bang on their cell bars with their trays, anything that will clang. We are never alone. When we think we might be alone we are being watched on screen, remotely. We are strip-searched every 2 or 3 days. Except for a few guards and the doctor, we are considered dead meat. Pre-dead meat.
This bitch killed my husband. Those two monsters killed their own babies and a husband! That one, she's killed 7 husbands and there's a number 8 coming up. What is a life worth to these sub-people? What are their own lives worth to them? Are they worth saving? Are they worth keeping?
This bitch killed my husband. Those two monsters killed their own babies and a husband! That one, she's killed 7 husbands and there's a number 8 coming up. What is a life worth to these sub-people? What are their own lives worth to them? Are they worth saving? Are they worth keeping?
March 20, 2015
The first of Amanda Eyre Ward's novels that I read was actually her most recently published--Same Sky. In less than ten pages, I was absorbed into the story and awash in her words. My gosh, how I wish I'd been able to write the way this amazing author does! Since I'd read her latest novel first, I chose to read her very first novel next, this one--Sleep Toward Heaven. Turning that last page was for me, as it was previously, a bittersweet experience, a mixture of regret and satisfaction coupled with an intense appreciation of the human spirit, that I've not felt from my reading in quite some time. I've just made a library request for another of her novels--How to be Lost. I hope it will be available soon!
February 4, 2009
This was a very thought provoking book about a murder and how it affects the one murdering, the one whose husband was murdered and the one who comes to care for the murderer as she's dying of AIDS on death row.
The twist at the end, as the one whose husband is murdered, has compassion on the murderer, is remarkable. Very haunting.
The twist at the end, as the one whose husband is murdered, has compassion on the murderer, is remarkable. Very haunting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2015
Had never read this author before. Will now look for her other books This was her debut novel written in 2004. Interesting read where three women's lives intersect during a hot Texas summer. One is a librarian(and victim),one is a doctor and the other is woman on death row. It was a page turner and hard to put down.
July 12, 2012
Could have been very easily a much longer book...It wasn't until the end of the book that I felt some sort of human connection with the characters and story line.. even though, my hometown of Uvalde, Tx made a Cameo...
August 1, 2017
This book was a page turner with an unusual plot, and interesting format, and unpredictable ending! The author has my vote for being an easy read and I certainly will look for my books by Amanda Ward.
June 28, 2016
Sad story but the characters really stuck with me
October 20, 2017
Beautifully written.
June 4, 2021
There’s a moment in Sleep Toward Heaven when Franny Wren, one of the three co-stars in this death row drama, is likened to a small bird, thin and delicate (her hand and wrist in fact). It was a bit too much for me: I mean Franny Wren I?
The story is told from three separate perspectives: Franny’s, Celia’s and Karen’s. Franny is a doctor whose uncle, also a doctor, works part time at a maximum security prison in Texas; he also raised Franny following the death of her parents in a car crash. Celia is a library worker who loses her husband, shot and killed by Karen, who is now on death row as a result.
The three stories are told in separate alternating chapters until the point when the characters’ lives intersect as Karen’s inevitable execution draws ever closer. And this is the problem, because I found only Franny’s story at all interesting, although the plight of more than several women waiting on death row was compelling.
The stories of the three women are about various forms of loss.
Franny lost both parents in a violent car crash. Franny has also lost her sense of place, her sense of belonging, by removing herself from Texas and going to New York, where she is out of place, treated as a rube by the supercilious New Yorkers. This is epitomised by her self-centred boyfriend who sees only how she affects his life and feelings.
Celia has lost her husband, shot in a convenience store, again taken away violently. She has lost her partner and the life she was going have with him.
Karen is hopelessly lost from the beginning. Her loss is that she never had a chance, driven to roadside prostitution and crime because of her love for a worthless addict.
In a perverse twist, to Texas society, the town itself also suffers a loss when Karen manages to kill herself with extra morphine, after contracting AIDS, and thereby cheating the state out of a juicy execution.
Because the separate story strands don’t hold equal interest the novel as a whole suffers. Amanda Eyre Wards’ How to Be Lost is better.
The story is told from three separate perspectives: Franny’s, Celia’s and Karen’s. Franny is a doctor whose uncle, also a doctor, works part time at a maximum security prison in Texas; he also raised Franny following the death of her parents in a car crash. Celia is a library worker who loses her husband, shot and killed by Karen, who is now on death row as a result.
The three stories are told in separate alternating chapters until the point when the characters’ lives intersect as Karen’s inevitable execution draws ever closer. And this is the problem, because I found only Franny’s story at all interesting, although the plight of more than several women waiting on death row was compelling.
The stories of the three women are about various forms of loss.
Franny lost both parents in a violent car crash. Franny has also lost her sense of place, her sense of belonging, by removing herself from Texas and going to New York, where she is out of place, treated as a rube by the supercilious New Yorkers. This is epitomised by her self-centred boyfriend who sees only how she affects his life and feelings.
Celia has lost her husband, shot in a convenience store, again taken away violently. She has lost her partner and the life she was going have with him.
Karen is hopelessly lost from the beginning. Her loss is that she never had a chance, driven to roadside prostitution and crime because of her love for a worthless addict.
In a perverse twist, to Texas society, the town itself also suffers a loss when Karen manages to kill herself with extra morphine, after contracting AIDS, and thereby cheating the state out of a juicy execution.
Because the separate story strands don’t hold equal interest the novel as a whole suffers. Amanda Eyre Wards’ How to Be Lost is better.
October 6, 2024
Love this author!
Second reading of Sleep Towards Heaven, and it is still one of my favorite books. This is Ward’s debut and she knocked it out of the ball park, IMO. Very moving story of three very different women whose lives converge. The divisive subject of the death penalty is handled with sensitivity and no political bias. ( not an easy thing to carry off with this hot topic ). Wards story telling skills have been proven over and over again, as she continues to write compelling stories. If you haven’t read anything by Ward, please check out this novel, or one of my other favorites: How to be Lost, The Same Sky, Jetsetters ( Reese’s book club), and her latest Lovers and Liars. You won’t be disappointed.
Highly Recommended.
Second reading of Sleep Towards Heaven, and it is still one of my favorite books. This is Ward’s debut and she knocked it out of the ball park, IMO. Very moving story of three very different women whose lives converge. The divisive subject of the death penalty is handled with sensitivity and no political bias. ( not an easy thing to carry off with this hot topic ). Wards story telling skills have been proven over and over again, as she continues to write compelling stories. If you haven’t read anything by Ward, please check out this novel, or one of my other favorites: How to be Lost, The Same Sky, Jetsetters ( Reese’s book club), and her latest Lovers and Liars. You won’t be disappointed.
Highly Recommended.
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