She’s Gone
by Joye Emmens
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
It’s
1969. Jolie stands on the deck of her parents’ Santa Barbara
When
a television broadcast shows her protesting, Jolie’s father prohibits any more
involvement. This fuels the fire burning inside of her, and she flees home with
Will, her older, activist boyfriend. Idealistic and ready for anything, Jolie
follows Will and his big promises into the sixties’ cultural revolution to
create a better society.
Thrown
into an adult world, Jolie lies about her age and identity and quickly
discovers that nearly everything is more complicated than it seems on the
surface—Will included. In this psychological love story, Jolie’s emotional
journey from California
Filled
with colorful settings, characters, and the music of the times, She’s Gone is
an authentic and heartfelt story of self-discovery that follows a young woman’s
spiritual odyssey through the domestic unrest of the Vietnam War, the start of
the environmental movement, and the Women’s Liberation Movement. Many of the
social and political issues continue to be relevant today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review:
This was an awesome book, I was completely glued to the pages.
It's the story of Jolie and her struggle to become a young woman in the late' 60s. Jolie lives near an oil platform with her parents and her brothers. She has a very rigid and authoritarian father who works in the oil industry. She is a rebellious girl, idealist who does not want that the environment is ruined by oil. She's also in love with a boy much older than her and with whom she shares the dream of changing the world. When her father wants to quench her rebellion, enrolling in a strict Catholic school, she decides to run away from home with her great love. But she soon realizes that life is not as easy as she thought and the freedom that she wanted so much not so easy to obtain.
I really loved Jolie, I thought she was such a great character. She has only 15 years old but has big dreams: she wants to change the world, to create a more equitable society where there is no poverty Her ideals and her love is strong enough to give her the courage to rebel against her rigid father and escape home. The other characters are well developed and very credible and realistic.
It 's written very well, does not look like an debutant author. I can not wait to read the next book from her!
It's an ideal reading for those who want to know a little more events of those years: the war in Vietnam, the environment ruined by the damages caused by the oil, the feminist movement.
Highly recommended
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Pattie fidgeted with her spoon and coffee cup, glancing
repeatedly at Jolie. “Let’s hit the road. I want to be in Portland
Will turned to a page in his notebook. Cryptic directions
were scrawled on the bottom of a song he was writing.
“X marks the spot.” Will pointed to a small x drawn at the
end of a squiggly line.
From Dunsmuir they drove toward Sawyers Bar through Fort Jones
“This is the middle of nowhere,” Pattie said. “I thought you
said it was a short detour?”
Jolie peered out the back window. “Do people really live
here?” Where was the ranch? She’d imagined a horse ranch off the side of the
highway with a white fence that ran for miles and horses galloping wild and
free.
Will looked at the map and guided them on. They turned off
the main dirt road onto a rutted one lane track. “The ranch is eight miles
ahead.”
“This is so primitive. I’m not sure my car will make it,”
Pattie said.
“I’ll drive,” Will said.
After switching drivers, Will drove, up and up, mile after
mile, until they reached a crest. “Look at this.” Will stopped the car. When
the dust settled, they got out and looked over the valley. Folds upon folds of
blue green mountains were stacked against each other as far as they could see.
Small cloud wisps wrapped the far off peaks. An emerald green river snaked
through the lush fir and pine forest far below.
The tightness in Jolie’s stomach relaxed. Two brown and gold
mosaic-patterned hawks rode air currents, floating effortlessly in large
meandering circles over the forest valley. They were free, and she was free.
Free from her parents. Free from Saint Mary’s.
“Are you sure about the directions?” Pattie turned the ring
on her finger over and over. “I mean, there is nothing out there.”
Will nodded. “I trust my friends.”
They drove on, bumping down the twisted mountain, granite
cliffs on one side and the green winding river far below on the other. A rusted
brown station wagon lay overturned partway down the mountain. Jolie closed her
eyes to calm her stomach. The drop-off was dizzying. If the wheel got too close
to the loose edge it would be all over. Will inched down the rutted road,
navigating hairpin turns for three more miles. At the bottom, the forest opened
up and the road ended in a meadow.
Will parked in the grass. “We have arrived.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Joye Emmens was
born in Santa Barbara, California. She enjoyed a successful career in
environmental health before joining Amgen, a biotechnology company that
researches and develops cures for serious illnesses. After ten years, she left
Amgen to pursue a lifelong dream to write fiction. She lives in Ventura,
California with her husband. Her two sons and grandson live in Seattle. Joye
volunteers as a Big Sister and mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of
America.
website:
www.jemmens.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joye.emmens
Twitter:
@joyeemmens
Giveaway
Joye will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for hosting
RispondiEliminaThank you for the review and hosting my book!
RispondiEliminaGreat review, thank you.
RispondiEliminaThank you Rita!
EliminaWhat a great review. This sounds like an awesome book.
RispondiEliminaThanks Mom Jane!
RispondiEliminaI really enjoyed learning more about the author! Congratulations on being able to follow your dream of writing! The excerpt was wonderful!
RispondiEliminaThanks Betty. It's never too late to follow a dream!
RispondiElimina