Solace of the Road

Solace of the Road is beautifully written by Siobhan Dowd and tells the story of teen Holly who hates her foster family, hates her school, and generally her whole life. But when she finds a blonde wig she is able to transform into a different character, the fearless Solace. She decides to leave, take to the road, get herself to Ireland and find her mother and although Holly/Solace calls the A40 the road to freedom, the reader is in constant fear for this young girl.

Life on the road is hard but Holly is lucky enough to find a few good people who help her along her way, but still she has hours of time alone with nothing but her thoughts and eventually, the real memories of what life was like with her dysfunctional mother emerges and Holly show more realizes that she has nothing or no one to run to.

I found Holly’s story touching even as it was told with both humor and grit. Her stress and loneliness at dealing with a new foster family and then with the dangers of being alone on the road felt very real. Solace of the Road is a simple story elevated by the author’s empathetic storytelling. show less

A story for young adults who, even though they are not in a similar position, will understand and sympathize with Holly, a fifteen-year-old orphan in care. Holly reinvented herself with the aid of a blonde wig as a runaway named Solace. She hit the road with few resources in an attempt to rejoin her mother in Ireland. Holly/Solace was a brave soul who had a tough life through no fault of her own. With limited knowledge of the world she often made the wrong choices but the reader will support her all the way. Dowd's story is empathetic and engaging.

This was probably my least favourite book of Dowd's that I read.

I liked it but I didn't connect with the characters on such a deep level as I did with the protagonists or characters in her other books. This book mainly focuses on Holly who is a child in the foster care system in Britain, and while I'm sure Dowd had many astute things to say on the matter I don't really remember much of the book, which tells me a lot.

Dowd leaves a lot of her words unsaid, leaving the reader to fill in the emotional blanks in the story. And she did do this in his book but I just wasn't terribly satisfied.

It was readable, but definitely not my favourite of hers and certainly not the most memorable.

I liked this book, but agree with one reviewer that it was hard to like the character of Holly. She was very selfish. It ended a bit differently than I expected, I kept thinking she'd find her mom but that she wouldn't want anything to do with her or they'd even start another life together. Liked all the different slang that UK kids use compared to Americans. Sad to hear this author died so soon, she was very good and will be visiting more of her work!

Holly Hogan is a teenaged orphan in a group home near Londo. She dreams of reuniting with her mom in Ireland. When a couple begins the adoption process, Holly's self-doubts cause her to run away with little more than a stolen blonde wig and a little bit of money. In the wig, Holly becomes Solace, and she can free herself from some of the inhibitions, doubt, and memories that plague Holly. However, she can't quite rid herself of the memories that continue to come back the nearer she gets to what she thinks she wants. Siobhan Dowd's character is well written and I think many teens will relate to her, even if they've not been abandoned, aren't British, or haven't run away. This is a serious book, but enjoyable nonetheless, and readers will show more undoubtably cheer for Holly by the end of the novel. show less

Fifteen year old Holly Hogan's memories of Mum are the only things that cheers her up. Holly reluctantly leaves the institution she is living in to live with foster parents who try and win her over with pizza but Holly is uncooperative, grumpy, full of self-doubt and doesn't like her new school. Finding a long blond wig allows her do adopt a new persona as Solace, full of bravado and resourcefulness. She sets off to find her mum in Ireland and on the way has numerous near escapes and encounters with all sorts of strange characters. The hitch-hinking trip gives Holly/ Solace a chance to embrace her troubled life and the truth behind her mother's absence. A story of with some endearing characters and situations but not the magic of Bog Child.

Holly's a foster kid, but not for much longer. She's found a fabulous blonde wig and when she puts it on, she feels fabulous and unstoppable. She turns into Solace. And she's ditching her foster home and setting off for Ireland to find her mom.

Siobhan Dowd had a real talent for creating a sense of place - I felt like I was right beside Holly every step of the way. Though the plot occasionally lagged and you have to be committed to figuring out the heavy British slang, it was definitely a memorable journey and I felt the ending was worth the trip.

Full review on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-review-solace-of-road.html