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Becky_Haase
A sad, hopeful book
What a sad, hopeful book. No, that is not an oxymoron. This really is an excruciatingly sad book full of hope and faith. A young girl, left alone to care for her even younger brother, must lead them from crushing poverty in Honduras to their illegal immigrant mother in America. Hope and belief carry them until her brother is hooked on glue and she is raped.
A young American couple with everything -- a successful restaurant, enough money, friends, family, an enduring love for each other, but no child to make them complete. Hope and belief seem lost when the child they adopted is taken from them after one blissful day because the birth mother changes her mind.
Told in alternating chapters with Carla, the Honduran child, and Alice, the American wife, voicing their stories. The situations are real, the characters are fully fleshed out, the tension increases as the stories play out. How can this end happily? Does it end happily? Who are the winners and losers?
A beautifully written tale of heart wrenching loss, dashed dreams, hope, love and a place to belong.
5 of 5 stars
Gretchen M.
Eye-Opening
He heartache of Alice and the terror and real-life horror experienced by Carla, a 12-year-old immigrant child, are depicted so expertly that you really feel for these characters as if you know them personally. I don't think I will ever have the same views on immigration and its implications again.
Laurin B. (Appleton, WI)
To Understand All Points Of View
From the first sentence I was mesmerized by The Same Sky. The well-paced story, alternating between Alice and Carla and the seemingly random (but strikingly rhythmic) mystery of how they are brought together, kept my heart fully engaged the whole way through.
I've always maintained, to the ire of my friends and family, that I can see both sides clearly and this novel proved my point. Everyone has their own valid lifeline, their own motive, their own reasons for not just surviving but being determined to thrive. Who are we to judge the micro moments that determine the final outcome of a life unfolding at the bequest of the resources at hand?
The final chapters blurred because I read them through tears and I couldn't read it fast enough - anticipating the ending, but being nonetheless fully satisfied that it culminated as I hoped it would. I was justly rewarded when it did!
Never underestimate the power of the interdependence of our own lives on the story threads of those around us, not only across streets and neighborhoods, but across borders - borders of class, culture and country. To grasp the full impact and importance of immigration legislation - the human importance - read this book!
Janet_P
The Same Sky
This book tells the story of a young Honduran girl, Carla, and her brother (with a mother in the US) and of a woman named Alice who lives in the US with her husband Jake. The story weaves back and forth between these two protagonists, leaving the reader convinced that their paths will cross, but with very little clues at first as to how that could possibly happen. Carla decides to take off to the US from Honduras. She wants to get her little brother away from extremely bad circumstances in their village. She faces many realistically portrayed problems that would make most people turn back. But Carla, has a goal, and, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that she will reach that goal or die trying. Alice and Jake own a barbecue restaurant and seen to have a good marriage except that Alice is not able to have a child. The characters are well drawn, and believable. The plot moves quickly and keeps the reader's interest. It reminds me a bit of Boyle's Tortilla Curtain and is every bit as impactful as that book. I highly recommend this book and am anxious for its publication.
Andrea B. (Pleasant Prairie, WI)
Highly recommended
This is the first book by Amanda Eyre Ward I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The chapters alternate between Alice, a Texas woman who aches to be a mother, and Carla, an 11-year-old who cares for her younger brother in the poverty of Honduras. Both seek something better in life, whether it is a child or life in America with her mother. By the end of the book I was wrapped-up in whether Alice and Carla would succeed and be happy.
This book is worthy of your time and will stay with you long after you read the last page.
Kimberly A. (Hannibal, MO)
A Good Read!
Having read two other novels by Amanda Eyre Ward, I was excited to read "the same sky."
There are many reasons to like this book. First, although it is probably more real than I would like to admit, the plot is timely and believable. However, I had to remind myself often that Carla is a 12-year-old--way too young for the life depicted in this book. Second, the author's use of alternating narrators keeps the story "fresh" and engaging. I always needed to read "just one more chapter." Finally, the character development is of particular note. By the end of each chapter, I was cheering for Carla or mentally advising Alice. They became real.
The plot may be accurately described as predictable, but the reader's journey through the book is certainly not. Each interaction by Carla or Alice with another person or situation, propels her closer to realizing her life's goal--and both under the same sky.
I highly recommend "the same sky." This is a good read!
Robin M. (Newark, DE)
The Same Sky is a Different Story
The Same Sky is a wonderful but at times sad book telling the story of a woman and a girl whose lives intersect, but not in the way I expected. I enjoyed the way the author alternated chapters among the characters building the story by changing the setting and the speaker. As such, it requires a more mature reader to maintain the multiple story lines. Book clubs would enjoy this novel for its comparison of cultures, and high school literature classes for the cultural comparison and for the adventure, as well. I highly recommend this book.
Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
A deep dive into the human experience
I loved this book, it was everything I've come to love about the author and more. It simultaneously feels like you are reading letters from a friend while getting to know yourself better. Though the experiences of the characters is not something I specifically relate to, the way they are written makes their experience so accessible, so relatable, I found their story to connect deeply to my own life. This book is why I love reading.
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