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Now that's some raw story telling!
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Back Roads
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Harley Altmyer's mother is in prison for killing his father. So Harley is bringing up his younger sisters and working two jobs to pay the bills-and that doesn't leave a lot of time for distractions. But lately, he's getting distracted by Callie Mercer, an older woman who fills him with such desire he fears he might explode. And as he struggles to keep it together while things begin to spin out of control, Harley finds that as shattered as his family is, there are still more shattering surprises in store... Author Biography: Tawni O'Dell, a western Pennsylvania native, earned a degree in journalism from Northwestern University. In addition to earning wages as a bank-teller and a waitress, she put herself through college working as an "exotic dancer," jumping out of cakes at bachelor parties. A mother of two, she lives with her husband, a biochemist. This is her first published novel.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published December 27,1999
This edition
- Format
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338 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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January 1, 2000 by Viking Penguin
- ISBN
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9781402882821
- ASIN
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1402882823
- Language
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English
Characters More characters
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Harley Altmyer
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Amber Altmyer
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Misty Altmyer
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Jody Altmyer
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Community Reviews
Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
34(34%)
4 stars
37(37%)
3 stars
29(29%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
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100 reviews All reviews
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After reading so many women comment about men writing in women's voices, it's now time to admit that women writing as men can completely miss the boat. Harley didn't sound like any guy I knew, nor grew up nor WAS in my life. His sentiments rang completely hollow for me; rather he sounded more like how a woman would like a teenage boy to be. The most interesting character, Misty, went almost completely voiceless and the ending was laughable, as was most of the book. easily the worst of Oprah's Book Club.
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This was Tawni O'Dell's first published novel (I think) and it commanded praise from Oprah Winfrey as a Oprah Book Club selection, various accolades, etc.
This was my LEAST favorite of O'Dell's novels. I thought it was depressing as hell. If this is the first O'Dell book you pick up and think, "Uugh, this sucks!" then try one of her other books. "One of Us", which was released in 2014, is excellent. "Fragile Beasts" and "Coal Run" are also terrific options.
Bottom line, don't take THIS book as typical of Tawni O'Dell's writing and storylines. She's written and published MUCH better.
This was my LEAST favorite of O'Dell's novels. I thought it was depressing as hell. If this is the first O'Dell book you pick up and think, "Uugh, this sucks!" then try one of her other books. "One of Us", which was released in 2014, is excellent. "Fragile Beasts" and "Coal Run" are also terrific options.
Bottom line, don't take THIS book as typical of Tawni O'Dell's writing and storylines. She's written and published MUCH better.
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Wow and Disturbing. I wish I would've read it with Oprah as that had to have been a good discussion. The middle! I was close but not quite. The ending! I had an inkling, but the wrong culprit.
You're just jealous because those are. the shorts you wanted at Fashion Bug.
Too fat. Too geeky. Too seventies. Too eighties. Too obvious. (clothes and how an outfit looked)
Scrambled eggs and Bacon-O's.
He was one of those guys who took more pride in what he owned than who he was.
Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love it. -Confucious
You're just jealous because those are. the shorts you wanted at Fashion Bug.
Too fat. Too geeky. Too seventies. Too eighties. Too obvious. (clothes and how an outfit looked)
Scrambled eggs and Bacon-O's.
He was one of those guys who took more pride in what he owned than who he was.
Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love it. -Confucious
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very strange story of a f*cked up family...but i enjoyed it!
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I had a hard time believing that Harley would continue to go to see the therapist while working two jobs and not having a dime to spare... not that the therapy was costing anything except time, but it didn't add up other than as a plot device to explain that he was nuts (in case it escaped the reader's attention).
The real story should have been told from Amber's point of view. There were complex issues between Amber, Misty and their mother that Harley would never understand, and that complexity deserved to be explored.
In many ways this felt like another tired reaffirmation of Appalachia stereotypes. The introduction of impressionist art somehow hinted that this book might rise above the jokes, but in the end it wasn't enough. There's Appalachia, with everyone in the country making fun of them, proving again they are worthy of the treatment. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth as a reader, and explains in many ways why the author hasn't been able to follow up her initial success with another (that, and the lack of Oprah's marketing support).
Beach reading at best. Unless someone gives me a compelling reason, I won't read this author again.
The real story should have been told from Amber's point of view. There were complex issues between Amber, Misty and their mother that Harley would never understand, and that complexity deserved to be explored.
In many ways this felt like another tired reaffirmation of Appalachia stereotypes. The introduction of impressionist art somehow hinted that this book might rise above the jokes, but in the end it wasn't enough. There's Appalachia, with everyone in the country making fun of them, proving again they are worthy of the treatment. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth as a reader, and explains in many ways why the author hasn't been able to follow up her initial success with another (that, and the lack of Oprah's marketing support).
Beach reading at best. Unless someone gives me a compelling reason, I won't read this author again.
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A dark dark book that I couldn't put down. I have a thing for stories that take place in poor mining towns.
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Back roads meet backwards. This is a story of a disturbingly dysfunctional family. 19 year old Harley is a country boy, raising 3 younger sisters on account his mother is in jail for the murder of his father. Hormones running amok, sanity on the edge, an obsession with an older woman, mix in an abusive upbringing and this is formula for self destruction.
The transformation from child to man happens with the delayering of lies that reveal truths: ugly ones. He is in a constant tormented struggle with what he knows is right with what has happened in the past. A coming of age story where good trumps over evil at the cost of self sacrifice.
This was an engaging read. I like O'Dell's writing style and character development. Although her debut, I found it better than her latest release, Angels Burning. 4*
The transformation from child to man happens with the delayering of lies that reveal truths: ugly ones. He is in a constant tormented struggle with what he knows is right with what has happened in the past. A coming of age story where good trumps over evil at the cost of self sacrifice.
This was an engaging read. I like O'Dell's writing style and character development. Although her debut, I found it better than her latest release, Angels Burning. 4*
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