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Night Road by Kristin Hannah
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Night Road (2011)

by Kristin Hannah

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2,4232396,216 (3.92)39
After a string of foster homes and the death of her heroin-addict mother, Lexi Baill is taken in by a newly discovered great-aunt who lives a spartan life near Seattle. Lexi soon meets Mia and her loving twin brother, Zach. The friendship flourishes, and Mia's mother draws Lexi into the family circle. A slowly growing attraction between Zach and Lexi begins, but then Lexi, Mia, and Zach collectively make a bad decision that results in a tragedy with extreme repercussions.… (more)
Member:kleigh
Title:Night Road
Authors:Kristin Hannah
Info:St. Martin's Press (no date), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 400 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:read, own, 2010

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Night Road by Kristin Hannah (2011)

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» See also 39 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 245 (next | show all)
I thought it was a good book but the editing could have been done better. There were some instances where a word was omitted from a sentence which changed the entire meaning of what the author was conveying. In a couple of other areas, a minor detail was left out which didn't make sense when it was mentioned later in the paragraph. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book. The premise was pretty good and I was not disappointed at the ending. ( )
  Cathie_Dyer | Feb 29, 2024 |
Motherhood
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
Being a mom was all consuming to Jude. She had twins, a boy and girl. She was that mother who did everything-PTA, baking cookies, arranging parties, taking her kids to school and picking them up. Her house was the place for all the kids? friends came to hang out. Only, her daughter Mia had trouble making friends. Than Lexi moves in with an aunt she never knew she had. She had spent her life moving from one foster home to another and at times with her drug addicted mother. She was not looking forward to another new school. Then she went up to Mia at lunch and the two hit it off and became best friends. She became a part of Mia?s family. She had feelings for Mia?s brother, Zach, but never acted on them until one night after a party in which Zach drove her home. Senior year begins and there are lots of parties with people drinking and doing drugs. A final party right before graduation finds the three of them troubled, but Zach says he will be the disignated driver. All three of them have been drinking. They should have called Jude to pick them up, but decided that Lexi would drive, as she was the least inhibited. Less than a mile from home, Lexi loses control of the car and they hit a tree. Mia ends up dying and Zach has some broken bones and burns on his face. Lexi is the least injured. Jude is devastated and in a deep depression. Charges are brought against Lexi and ends up spending 7 yrs in prison. She also learns she is pregnant with Zach?s child and gives up her rights to the little girl up her birth. From there we see the suffering of all involved and the toll this takes on everyone, including the child. Once Lexi is released from prison, she returns to this town to see if her daughter is the happy girl she expects. Instead she finds a girl like her with no friends and a grandmother who is not capable of loving her. Kirkus: Kirkus logo SIGN IN Profile Picturekirkus nav logo Book Reviews News & Features Kirkus Prize Magazine Writers' Center More Profile Picture search Like Counts 0 Share via Facebook Share via Twitter Share via Email Print Reviews FICTIONNIGHT ROADshop nowbookshelfNIGHT ROADby Kristin Hannah RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2011A flawed but never dull drama.A disadvantaged teen finds friendship, acceptance and love with a prosperous Seattle-area family, until a tragic accident changes everything.Alexa (Lexi) Baill, daughter of a heroin addict, has bounced around the foster-care system for years. A long-lost great aunt, Eva, a Walmart employee, offers Lexi a home in her trailer across the bridge from Pine Island (Hannah?s fictional stand-in for Bainbridge Island) near Seattle. At Pine Island High School, Mia, daughter of Jude and Miles Farraday, and twin sister of Zachary, considers herself an outcast. She bonds instantly with the equally alienated Lexi. Soon, the Farraday?s opulent Pine Island residence is Lexi?s second home. As senior year approaches, Lexi and Zach fall in love and are relieved that Mia approves. Jude, whose days are a pleasant whirl of caring for her elaborate garden and being a supermom, has a strained relationship with her own mother. As seniors, Zach, Mia and Lexi can?t avoid Pine Island?s teen party scene. One foggy night, Zach and Mia get falling-down drunk, and Lexi, less inebriated, urges Zach to let her drive his Mustang home. (The question of who actually drove is left vague, which dodges several moral bullets, to the story?s detriment.) On a hairpin curve, the Mustang spins out and crashes. Mia is thrown from the backseat and killed. Zach and Lexi sustain milder injuries, but Lexi?s blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit, and she accepts the blame for killing Mia. Jude turns against her implacably. Lexi, unwilling to burden Eva with the expense of a trial, pleads guilty to vehicular homicide and serves over five years in prison. While incarcerated, she gives birth to Zach?s child, Grace, and relinquishes her to the Farradays. Grace bears such an uncanny resemblance to Mia that Jude finds it almost impossible to warm to her. Released from prison, Lexi returns to Pine Island, only to find that her daughter is as isolated and distrustful as any foster child. A flawed but never dull drama.
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
Because of the ham-fisted characterisations I almost abandoned Night Road. I couldn’t believe in the cast: the Stepford Wife-like perfect mother, the supporting wonderful husband, the super-caring brother / lover, the snowflake daughter who everyone must pussy-foot around, the great-aunt who lives in a trailer but opens her arms wide to an orphan without a hint of worry. The orphan who has suffered terribly but behaves perfectly when taken in.

These are fairy-tale one-dimensional characters, that undermined an interesting plot. Not helped by a lot of repetition, and a prison-life depiction gleaned from t.v. dramas. The actual premise was an interesting one, and I could imagine an author like Jodie Picoult making the central dilemma & the complex subject of grief/guilt/punishment/forgiveness far more profound & moving.

Largely an irritating read, redeemed by the last few chapters. ( )
  LARA335 | Sep 24, 2023 |
A little slow. 3* ( )
  PKolb | Sep 8, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 245 (next | show all)
An epic tale of love, friendship, loss and forgiveness.

Once I finished sobbing (and we're talking UGLY cry), I was able to look at Night Road and realize just how wonderful this book truly was.

I am having such a hard time writing the review for this book because it evoked so much emotion in me - sad, angry, happy, frustrated - that I don't know if I can find the appropriate words. How do you tell someone about a book that, literally, took your breath away? Having read Winter Garden and Firefly Lane, I thought I knew what I was in for but this one... nothing could prepare me for the ride I was about to have.

As the characters lives become intertwined, and the story more developed, you can see the amazing gift and talent that Kristin Hannah has. Through her writing, I became a classmate of Lexi, Mia and Zach. I could feel every emotion that I had back then, resurfacing. Their journey through high school becomes like that of a memory, something you have done and aren't just reading about.

Overall, this is a book that I am and will be thinking about for a long time to come. Whether you are a mother, a sister or a friends, Night Road is a story that anyone can relate to. A definite MUST-read!!
 
A flawed but never dull drama.
added by Shortride | editKirkus Reviews (Jan 15, 2011)
 
Even readers who like their melodrama thick will have problems as Hannah pushes credibility to the breaking point, and more than once.
added by Shortride | editPublishers Weekly (Jan 3, 2011)
 

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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Kristin Hannahprimary authorall editionscalculated
McInerney, KathleenNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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I cannot deny that I was a helicopter mom. I went to every class gathering, party, and field trip, until my son begged me to please, please, stay at home. Now that he is grown and a college graduate, I can look back on our shared high school years with the wisdom that comes from distance. His senior year was without a doubt one of the most stressful years of my life, as well as one of the most rewarding. When I think back on it - and those memories were the inspiration for this novel - I remember so many of the highs and the lows. Mostly I think how lucky I was to live in a tight-knit, caring community where we supported one another. So, here's to my son, Tucker, and all of the kids who streamed through our house, lighting it up with their laughter, Ryan, Kris, Erik, Gabe, Andy, Marci, Whitney, Willie, Lauren, Angela, and Anna, just to name a few. And to the other moms: I honestly don't know how I would have survived without you. Thanks for always being there, for knowing when to lend a hand, when to offer a margarita, and when to tell me a hard truth. To Julie, Andy, Jill, Megan, Ann, and Barbara. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to my husband, Ben, who was always by my side, letting me know in a thousand ways that in parenting, as in everything else, we ere a team. Thanks to you all.
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She stands at the hairpin curve on Night Road.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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After a string of foster homes and the death of her heroin-addict mother, Lexi Baill is taken in by a newly discovered great-aunt who lives a spartan life near Seattle. Lexi soon meets Mia and her loving twin brother, Zach. The friendship flourishes, and Mia's mother draws Lexi into the family circle. A slowly growing attraction between Zach and Lexi begins, but then Lexi, Mia, and Zach collectively make a bad decision that results in a tragedy with extreme repercussions.

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Night Road kept me turning the pages, although I lost sympathy for Jude Farraday after a while. Her grief was great, however, she was unable to see beyond herself during this trying period and her family suffered immensely because of it. Hannah redeems her character nicely at the end, and Judy learns and important lesson about love and forgiveness.
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