Far from the Tree in Around the Year in 52 Books

Jan 30, 2020 Alison Rose rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, young-adult, 4-star-books, women-authors

After a disappointing 2-star read and a garbage 1-star read, I really hoped my next book would be a good one - and thankfully, it was! This was so moving and emotional, yet also quite funny at times, and somehow very relatable even though I'm decades older than the main characters and have no personal experience with adoption or the foster care system.

I thought all three kids were genuine and real, and also had distinct voices and personalities, which doesn't always happen in multi-POV books. An After a disappointing 2-star read and a garbage 1-star read, I really hoped my next book would be a good one - and thankfully, it was! This was so moving and emotional, yet also quite funny at times, and somehow very relatable even though I'm decades older than the main characters and have no personal experience with adoption or the foster care system.

I thought all three kids were genuine and real, and also had distinct voices and personalities, which doesn't always happen in multi-POV books. And while at times they all act up and say shitty things or behave childishly--things that usually make my old ass just want to tell teen protagonists "Oh, grow the hell up already!"--I really just felt empathy and compassion for them, because each one is dealing with shit most of us are fortunate enough to never encounter. Their "bad" behaviors are understandable, and you see them trying to grow through it all.

Joaquin in particular really got to me. I just wanted to hug him. And I also appreciated that the parents of all three kids felt like actual people, rather than either being practically non-existent (as happens weirdly often in YA) or feeling super 2-dimensional. They had their own personalities and fallibilities and emotional depth.

I did have a couple of quibbles with the book. The ending was a little too Hallmark-movie-ish for me, too neatly wrapped up and like "Aw look, everyone gets the best ending possible, yay!" to be as believable as the majority of the book was. I'm not saying I needed it to be depressing, but it was a bit too much of a 180.

And then............okay, so, I'm pro-choice, which contrary to what some anti-abortion people think, does NOT actually mean I want every single pregnancy to end in abortion. But I thought it was super weird that abortion was never even mentioned once (unless I somehow blinked and missed it??) regarding Grace's pregnancy. (Not a spoiler, BTW, it's in the synopsis and the very start of the book.) I get that maybe by the time she knew, she might have been too far along depending on where she lives, but she's a middle-class white girl with attentive parents. She could have found ways. And even if she chose to still go ahead with adoption, that would have been totally fine! But it's weird that the possible option of abortion isn't brought up at all, as though it's not even a thing that exists in the book's world. I suppose that's better than if someone had brought it up and Grace had screamed YOU WANT ME TO MURDER MY BABY??????? but still. It just bugged me because it honestly felt unrealistic that it wouldn't even be mentioned.

But other than those things, I really did enjoy this book a lot and I hope that teens who have been adopted and/or in foster care might see some of their experience represented here and feel seen. ...more

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Jan 28, 2018 Fatma rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

I always have a book on my phone (due to lack of seating on the subway) and ensuring I always have something to read. I purchased this book shortly after it won the National Book Award and knew I would eventually get to it. This past week was a busy week on the subway and I chose to walk instead of transit. But I somehow started this book and then I couldn't wait to finish it. Three characters. Each taking turns to tell their stories. My heart is mostly with Grace but I loved Maya and Joaquin to ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great book

Loved the three main characters ! Fast moving plot with occasional emotional pull at your heart ! Read this now

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Nov 30, 2018 Shannon McCarty rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 14, 2021 Lee Simpson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a story of family, adoption, and so much more! It is touching and emotional and I am so glad I read it. The story is well written and the characters are well developed.

The story shares the story of 3 siblings, each with their own struggles, and the struggle of not knowing their birth mother. After Grace becomes pregnant and decides to give up her baby for adoption, she wants to find her birth mother and her siblings. This is one of those stories that makes you think long after you are f ...more

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