Author: Meg Mitchell Moore
Publication Date: May 29, 2012
From Goodreads:
Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to escape: from her parents' ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of her former best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way in a world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation arrives in an unlikely form: Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages of a dusty old 1920s diary Natalie unearthed in her mother's basement. But the life she describes is as troubling - and mysterious - as the one Natalie is trying to navigate herself, almost a century later.
I am writing this down because this is my story. There were only ever two people who knew my secret, and both are gone before me.
Who was Bridget, and what became of her?
Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she's estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk.
What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow - and might even change their lives forever.
My Thoughts:
When Natalie goes to the library for help researching her family tree, Kathleen is drawn to her. Natalie reminds her of her daughter, Susannah, a heroine addict who ran away from home years earlier. She learns part of Natalie's story: her "dead" mother, the bullying. She wants to help but ultimately makes things worse.
When Natalie discovers and old diary in her basement, she and Kathleen are both intrigued. There is something written inside. Bridget O'Connell has written her story in this diary so that people can one day learn the truth about what really happened all those years ago when she had just arrived in America and took on as a maid for a doctor and his family. The discovery of the diary not only brings to light a terrible tragedy, but it also brings Natalie and Kathleen closer together.
The characters in this story were so endearing. Natalie is a smart girl, tall for her age and feels completely out of place in her body. As if this isn't hard enough to deal with, her parents are getting divorced and she has become the target of intense bullying at the hands of her best friend. She is confused and struggling. Nothing she does seems to stop the bullying and the adults in her life either don't notice or don't care. I felt for her. None of these situations are easy to deal with, but having them all happen at once is devastating. Even though it has been quite some time since I was her age, I still remember what it was like to go through this part of life and it helped me connect with Natalie immediately.
Kathleen Lynch, on the other hand, was the opposite of Natalie. She seemed lost in life and lonely. Still living with regrets over the mistakes she made with her own daughter Kathleen seemed to be barely getting by. Even though she worked hard and loved her job, it just didn't seem like enough. Her sorrow ran very deep and she didn't know how to forgive herself and move on. Even though she seemed a little nosy at times, I still liked her. I felt sorry for her and was desperately hoping that her daughter would somehow show up on her doorstep and Kathleen would get a second chance. I was thankful that she was able to bond with Natalie and start the healing process over her own life.
What I loved most about this book was that there was so much going on, yet it blended beautifully. Natalie and Kathleen's stories are interesting enough that they probably could have each had their own book, but then there was also Bridget's story, which was fantastic just the same. These three stories about completely different lives connect to give you a sense of hope that was most certainly needed for each woman. The writing was also strong and flowed elegantly throughout the pages. After reading this, I'll be moving Mitchell's first book, The Arrivals, towards the top of my reading pile and buying every other release to come. It is a blessing to come across an author who can not only tell you an amazing story but can write it just as beautifully.
I highly recommend So Far Away. The stories of Natalie, Kathleen and Bridget are compelling and leave you filled with a new sense of hope long after you turn the last page.
To learn more about Meg Mitchell Moore and her books, visit her website here.
Purchase:
The book seems intriguing, but unfortunately the synopsis doesn't draw me in. I'm not a huge fan of heart-felt reads, but I might give this a shot. Maybe.
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