Off the beaten path (review of Her Fearful Symmetry)

I was afraid to read this book, I didn't know if she would be able to duplicate for me what she did in Time Travelers Wife, so it took me a while to get to reading this. I really liked this book I know I only gave it three stars but it isn't because of her writing (which is excellent) I just felt really sad at the end of the book. I felt the same way at the end of TTW too, but here I just felt so much remorse for Robert's story and how that ended for him. Trapped in a situation he had no idea how to deal with or handle emotionally all because of the choices of others. 

The story was beautifully written and woven together. The characters were different, likable and sometimes not likable, the situations interesting and difficult to determine the correct course of action, it was in all a fantastic book. I loved Martin's story I'm so happy he got out of the house. I felt Valentina's pain at never having her own identity but wished she had taken another course. But we all make decisions in life that lead us on paths we wished we had never been on in the first place. I wanted so much for Julia to stop being selfish and realize that she needed to be her own person and that she needed to let Valentina go. The fact that she was able to finally do that at the end proves that Valentina did not need to go to such lengths to escape what she felt was a life that was holding her back and trapping her. 

Now I loved Robert, I think I would have had a crush on him too. I wanted so much for his story to go well. I wanted him to remember Elsbeth and go on with Valentina. He just seemed so broken by the end and having him just disappear off into nowhere just seemed so incredibly sad. He was probably the one character I really wished happiness for and he doesn't seem to get it. Again this is the fate we all dread and hope we never have to deal with. Not everyone gets what they wish for and sometimes our lives take on such different tacts than we thought they were going to that it's difficult to deal with, especially if those changes in direction are caused by someone else, especially someone that we love. Sometimes we are never able to get back to where we wanted to go in the first place because of it. 

The one thing I didn't like was the switching that Elsbeth and Edie did, I found it slightly confusing and really didn't think it added anything to the story except as another example of how we can hurt those around us when we are young and unthinking, of how we can get ourselves into situations that we don't know how to get out of. But I do think the story would have been just as strong without it.

Misery and Chocolate

Caleb "Are we out of Misery yet?"  He meant Missouri.  Which he didn't really like apparently.  lol  Of course he got in huge trouble when he almost got hit by a car so maybe that is why.  :P

We are having a conversation about hot chocolate in the car on our way to NY

"OH you can put peppermint in Hot chocolate"- me
"marshmellows" - Max
"chicken" -Caleb

ummm chocolate chicken...blech although maybe that lady from the movie Chocolat could make it into something delicious. hehe