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Loading... Night Road (2011)by Kristin Hannah
Work detailsNight Road by Kristin Hannah (2011)
 Marlene-NL | Apr 12, 2013 |  I read Night Road for a group discussion and quickly discovered that it was a beautifully written story of family ties, acceptance, love, bending rules, facing consequences, anger, loss and ultimately forgiveness. It just blew my socks off. It is going to be a great discussion book as some of the storylines are friendship, loyalty, parenting, underage drinking, premarital sex, grief and (as mentioned before) forgiveness. The characters were brilliant and just jumped out of the pages and there was growth in each of them as they went through their various life experiences. Kudos to the three secondary characters too, the twin’s father Miles, Lexi’s aunty Eva and her attorney Scott. It was the actions of these three characters that moved the direction of the story along and kept the main players sane. Although the ending was gloriously predictable I was kept captivated by the story as the plot twisted and turned and blocks put up and quickly demolished. The pits of despair were counteracted by humour and supported by the strong foundation of love. sally906 | Apr 3, 2013 | This was a VERY good book and I read the complete book in less than 48 hours! I would like to give it 4-1/2 stars because it is better than a 4 -star book. I didn't, only because it is not quite as good as Winter Garden, another Kristin Hannah book. (If you haven't read that one, be sure you do; it is wonderful!) The main family in the story is the Farraday family. Jude is the mother of twins, Mia and Zach, who were born after much difficulty. To say Jude is a 'helicopter parent' is a huge understatement. She borders on controlling, involving herself in every aspect of her children's lives, including walking her daughter to class the first day of high school. She is motivated by love, and the need to protect them, but it is still hovering. Lexi Baill is an orphan, the daughter of a drug addict who has been in and out of foster care since she was a toddler. She is lucky to have a social worker that truly cares for her. After her mother dies of an overdose, she is left without family and any possiblity of leaving foster care....until a great aunt is found in the same town as the Farradays. The aunt works at Walmart, and lives on the 'wrong' side of town, but she immediately loves Lexi and shows her what family really means. Mia and Lexi have a lot in common, both being unsure of themselves and feeling like 'outcasts'. They immediately become best friends. Jude, of course, has misgivings about her daughter befriending the dauther of a drug addict. But since Jude grew up with a mother who showed her no love, she empathizes, and decides to allow the friendship. The girls become fast friends. Complications arrise when Zach and Lexi realize they are attracted to one another. For Jude, friendship is acceptable, but a romance is another thing. Things continue along relatively happily until late in senior year, when there is a tragic accident, just before graduation. Fingers are pointed and blame is placed, and all must learn to live with the consequences of poor decisions. Once you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down until you finish. (  ) Time2Read2 | Mar 31, 2013 | I loved this! Great book but the last part was just so sad. ( ) Elysianfield | Mar 31, 2013 | I listened to this in the car.... A bit on the schmaltzy side for me. (  ) biba0219 | Mar 8, 2013 |
 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.  Even readers who like their melodrama thick will have problems as Hannah pushes credibility to the breaking point, and more than once.
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For a mother, life comes down to a series of choices.
To hold on…
To let go..
To forget…
To forgive…
Which road will you take?
Night Road
For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.
Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy-- until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.
On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.
Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, NIGHT ROAD raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.
Emily Giffin (left) is the author of five New York Times bestselling novels, including Something Borrowed, which has been adapted as a major motion picture that will be in theaters in summer 2011. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she lives in Atlanta with her family.
Kristin Hannah (right) is the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen novels, including Winter Garden. She is a former lawyer turned writer and the mother of one son. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.
Kristin Hannah: Well, first, I have to say, Emily, that I am just the tiniest bit irritated with you. When I got the call to do this interview, I was thrilled, to say the least. It came at a really busy time for me--right after the holidays and we all know how crazy that is--and my work in progress was giving me fits. Then I picked up Heart of the Matter, and lost myself. No more writing, no more cooking, no getting my hair done or reading my email. Once I started the story I literally couldn't put it down. Brava, girlfriend, I say. Your characters are so real and compelling, and they always say exactly the right thing. With so much honest emotion, I just have to ask how much of your work comes from your own life?
Emily Giffin: It never fails to thrill me when someone responds to one of my novels--especially when it's another writer. Writers understand the alchemy involved in making up something from nothing. And I just finished your book, Night Road, and I found it so emotional, so moving, and so terrifying--especially since I have three young children who will someday be teenagers. In terms of how much does my work come from my own life, I would say that I'm absolutely inspired by people, places, conversations, relationships, and issues that I observe, and that the "what if" part of my novel is very much inspired by these things in my life. But the details of my plots and the specifics of my characters come from my own head. How about you, Kristin? I'll ask you the million-dollar question that every author gets asked: where do you get your ideas?
Kristin: Ah, the idea question. I don't want to sound coy, but the truth is, I don't quite know. It's the most magical part of the process for me. I'm a pretty analytical gal, and I approach writing in the same just-the-facts-ma'am way I approach most things. I need to find an issue that engages me on an intellectual level, and then I need to marry that curiosity with a kind of passion. I need to feel genuinely passionate about each story before I ever write a word, and I have to actually have something to say. It takes me at least a year to research and write a novel, and so I have to really adore each part of it--the characters, setting, story. Most of all, it has to make me feel something genuine. That's really the most important component. Usually it begins with a single "what if" question--what if you discovered your mother had a whole secret life about which you knew nothing (Winter Garden) or what if your husband were accused of a crime you believed he hadn't committed (True Colors)--and then I write and re-write until the characters seem as real to me as old friends.
Kristin: I'm amazed by how much we have in common. We're both moms, both lawyers, both lived in London for a time. You're like a younger, cooler version of me. How did you make the transition from lawyer to writer, and do you think you'll ever practice law again?
Emily: I would hardly say I'm cooler than you, Kristin! I hear you live in Hawaii part time! What is cooler than that? I made the transition from lawyer to writer because I was so miserable being a lawyer that I needed some escape from the day-to-day of it. And inventing stories was that escape. I can say, without hesitation, that I will never practice law again. Would you? What kind of law did you practice, and for how long? What did you find appealing (or discouraging) about law? Did you find that it gave you fodder for any of your novels?
Kristin: Honestly, I have met very few lawyers who don't say that what they really want to do is write. Like you, I can say with certainty that I will never practice law again. Not that anyone would want me to. But I still keep my Bar membership up...just in case this whole writing thing doesn't work out. And yes, in the past few years, I have finally begun to put some of that law school education to work for me. I find that I'm really enjoying adding legal issues to my work. Of course, I have to talk to real lawyers to make sure I'm getting it right...
Read more of the conversation between Emily Giffin and Kristin Hannah(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:27:20 -0500)
When stay-at-home mom Jude Farraday takes in Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, the girl becomes inseparable from Jude's teenage twins before a shattering accident rips the family apart and sets the stage for a sobering confrontation years later.… (more)
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Wikipedia in English
Twin does not what to do, chose his other twin or his girlfriend. (why does he have to pick one? )Twin sister is very insecure as is the girlfriend. Lots of teenage drama) Girl sleeps with boyfriend then he breaks it off, I just expected much more. This is my first book by this author. Maybe If I had read about the tragedy I would have given it 2 stars (this according to other reviews) but I could not do it any more. (