Follow Me: Review, Blog Tour and Giveaway

When Sally Werner was 16, she had a baby boy by her cousin, Daniel.  Two days later, she left the baby on her parent’s kitchen table and ran.  This is a pattern Sally followed for years – she ran when someone from her old town recognized her, she ran when she found out she was pregnant, and she ran after an old boyfriend found her and assaulted her.

Sally finally settled into life in a small town and raised her daughter, Penelope,  on her own.   When Penelope’s father showed up, she decided to allow him into her daughter’s life.  He and his mother do their best to win Penelope over by buying her gifts.   Sally found a job at a law firm and was able to earn enough money to send some home to the son she abandoned years ago.  She also began an affair with one of the lawyer’s in the firm.  Feeling neglected, Penelope decided to move in with her father.  She came home to her mother’s after he became abusive.

When Penelope was in college, she fell in love and became pregnant.  She and her boyfriend, Abraham,  are devoted to each other and decided they would share a life together.  That is, until Sally tells Abraham a secret from her past that caused him to run away.

Follow Me by Joanna Scott is a wonderful character driven story.   At first, I was a little frustrated with Sally because her solution to every problem seemed to be to run away.  After I read this,

It was all so confusing.  She had always intended to live a righteous life.  In the midst of any decision, she’d always thought she was doing what was justified and necessary.  But how could she know, how did anyone know what the repercussions would be?

I realized that Sally is just like most people, doing the best they can in life.  This story really captivated me, and I found that I flew through the book (especially the second half) even though it’s over 400 pages long. If you love character driven novels or family stories, you will love this book.  Review copy provided by Hachette Books.

Joanna Scott has written 9 books and been nominated for major awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award.  She’s also received MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships.

I have an extra copy of this book to give away to one lucky reader.  To enter,  simply leave a comment on this post.  Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO Boxes, please).  I will use random.org to determine the winner.  Contest ends at midnight EST, Wednesday, May 6, 2009.  Winners will be announced on Thursday, May 7, 2009.

Some of the other blogs participating inthis tour are:

• http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
• http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com/
• http://bananas4books.blogspot.com/
• http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
• http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/
• http://literarymenagerie.blogspot.com/
• http://www.chikune.com/blog
• http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
• http://worducopia.blogspot.com/
• http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
• http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
• http://linussblanket.com
• http://www.anovelmenagerie.com/
• http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
• http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/