Sadly this book wasn’t my cup of tea. I tried my best but I ended up not finishing the novel. First, it’s unfinished and missing the last chapters which was not made clear from Netgalley when I requested and downloaded the book.

Second, it’s way too overly descriptive for my taste. I don’t enjoy minute details of every single thing which slowed down the pacing. And finally the sex scenes were too much for my taste. I wanted a historical fiction novel and would’ve much preferred the book to focus on historical events without the large focus on romance. I hope others will enjoy this more than I did

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book for review.

"Take the Long Way Home" is a captivating book that takes readers on a profound journey through Claudia Patterson's life. From her early encounter with racism at the age of twelve to her active participation in the fight against discrimination in her twenties, Claudia's experiences are skillfully portrayed, evoking a deep sense of empathy in readers. The book explores the harrowing and heart-wrenching moments Claudia faces along her path, making her sorrow palpable. However, Claudia's unwavering strength shines through amidst the challenges as she confronts adversity, stands up for her beliefs, and finds solace amidst grief. The story also delves into the complexities of love and the resilience required to open her heart again. "Take the Long Way Home" is a moving read that touches the heart and leaves a lasting impact.

Was a good book. This was a good story .. love the way the author pulls you into the story , like you’re right there.
Enjoyed it

Rated 4.5 Stars

Take The Long Way Home was such an enjoyable filled with love, joy, heartache and so much more. I love the way the author wove history into the story. It was like a character coming of age and growing right alongside Claudia. It was slow at times yet also interesting, intriguing and informative without feeling like information was just being dumped. I loved that it spanned decades and multiple locales. I loved getting to experience these places, time periods and cultures. It was sweet, sexy and rage inducing at times. There were also beautiful moments. I absolutely adored Claudia and her journey. It was epic. It had me fully invested from the very beginning right down to the last page and beyond. It's one of those stories that I know will sit with me for a while. This is my first book by this author but it will not be my last. I definitely recommend it.

“Fifty-eight years. That’s how long it had taken Claudia to find her way back home... But then she had to ask herself: where was home?”


Take the Long Way Home is a historical fiction/romance/coming-of-age story.

I read this book because I was intrigued by the title and the idea of a book spanning so much history through the eyes of one black woman.

Unfortunately, the book was highly sexual— not always in an erotic way— and after getting 25% of the way through I decided to just skim the rest. Because of that, I think my relationship with the history of racism hit different than it probably would have had I not been so frustrated with the sexual content.

I don’t care to read the biography of Claudia’s sex life. If Alers had written a book that focused on four impactful events over the course of Claudia’s life that corresponded to historical events instead of four impactful men, I probably would have been more interested.


[Several reviewers who received an advanced reader’s copy gave a bad review of the book because it didn’t include the last several chapters. My version was missing those as well, but I contacted someone who gave me the updated copy. My review is based on knowledge of the completed book. It was nice to have the last bits and epilogue to know how it ended up, but it also contained a few more sex scenes so it didn’t really redeem itself in the end.]


The Long Way Home

Although the book was not my cup of tea, I can appreciate a good title. That’s what brought me to this book in the first place.

The long way home at the beginning of the book was the literal path Claudia took after school where she encountered a boy who would essentially change the course of her life drastically and put her on the trajectory to become the successful and cultured woman she became, to meet the people she met, etc.

The long way home in the more abstract sense was her return to the US and a discussion on what her home really is. After losing most of her family, what was her home? She takes a hiatus from the US, a place of so much racism and heartache for Claudia, and her grandchildren is what ultimately brings her back.


Plot Summary

The book begins with our main character, Claudia Patterson, as an 83-year-old woman visiting her daughter in the U.S. and remembering how she had vowed never to return because “she’d believed the country of her birth had continually betrayed her race.”

But after Obama became president she had hope that her country had turned a corner.

As she arrives to the U.S. she reunites with Ashley Booth, a previous lover, and then begins reminiscing about the four men in her life that had a huge impact on her. Thus begins the flashback parts of the book divided according to man:

Denny Clark- 1952, Freedom, Mississippi

When Claudia is just 12 she comes across a white boy barely alive after being beaten and whipped. Her grandma and she secretly nurse him back to health. But Denny falls in love with Claudia (more like lust) and causes some problems for Claudia emotionally and physically.

“She’d just learned a hard lesson at an early age. She couldn’t trust White people.”


Robert Moore- 1958, Hampton University, Virginia and Freedom, Mississippi

After the events with Denny, Claudia is schooled by her aunt in another town, becomes fluent in several languages, and attends Hampton where she meets Robert and they get married. He is black and schools to be a lawyer fighting for civil rights through legislation. Claudia becomes an activist, but her role in signing up black voters puts a target on them and Robert pays the price.

“I know that violence begets violence, and, Claudia, I don’t want to be filled with so much hatred that I become like them.”


Ashley Booth- 1968, New York City

Still grieving the death of her husband, she meets Ashley, nicknamed the ‘Black Prince of Wall Street.’ With both parents being doctors, he has been part of the black elite in New York and introduces Claudia to that world and corporate connections. But Ashley has vowed never to marry and his lack of commitment to Claudia in their relationship pushes her to accept an international banking job based in Rome.

“Ashley Booth was the epitome of sartorial splendor from his barbered hair to the shine on his shoes.”

“Ashley couldn’t love me, Yvonne, because he is in love with himself.”


Giancarlo Fortenza- 1969, Paris and Rome

Claudia originally met Giancarlo when she was 18 and on a summer trip to Paris with her aunts as a graduation gift. They run into each other again in Rome when she moves there for work. Ashley was given an ultimatum and now Claudia is moving on to Giancarlo. She marries Giancarlo and is able to start a family and grow old together.

“She’d never been attracted to White men, but Claudia realized she would make an exception when it came to Giancarlo.”


Sexual Content

I usually just put this in a content advisory at the end of my reviews but because it was a major factor in my opinion of the book I’m giving it more space.

This book is either talking about racism and discrimination against black people or it’s talking about Claudia’s sex life. Those are pretty much the only two things.

As I mentioned, it’s not really written erotically most of the time. It’s not meant to be a spicy flowery romance book (except maybe a little bit?… I don’t know.) But in a lot of spots it’s more written matter-of-factly or clinically.

Her first period is described in detail. Her first sexual feelings are described. Private body parts are named anatomically a dozen times. The word ‘erection’ is used a dozen times. (I have a digital copy so I can search, I’m not sitting there tallying while I’m reading.)

It just felt like every character is concerned with sex: when they lost their virginity, being a mistress, wondering whether they should sleep together, actually sleeping together, taking the pill, etc.


I know my beliefs about sex being between a man and woman within the commitment of marriage are probably not the majority. I know many of you will disagree with me here, but there is more to life than sex. (And plenty more books to read than ones about sex).

This book, as it’s trying to portray sexual freedom, actually exposes a lot of the burdens, griefs, and consequences of ‘sexual freedom’

We are told: “Getting a girl pregnant before graduating had become Robert’s greatest fear—” Simple, Robert, don’t have sex until you’re married. It’s 100% in your control. Your greatest fear is now overcome. Live in fear no longer.

Claudia says: “I do think of myself as a modern woman, because I’m willing to engage in premarital sex, but I draw the line when it comes to shacking up with a man.” Willing to engage. That wording already shows a problem. Women feel like they must have sex early because they need to be as sexually free as men. How else will they find a man to stick around? And having sex with no strings attached? Not a thing. There’s always strings. Most of them probably emotional. We’re told that sex is meaningless, just a form of pleasure. That’s a lie. Sex always means something. Not ‘shacking up’ solves some problems but creates others.

When her intentionally unmarried, ‘sexually free’, aunt arrives in one of the scenes and is helped with her luggage by a married man whom she rode on the train with, we are reminded about her aunt’s “ethereal beauty” and: “no doubt the long-time married grandfather enjoyed every minute of sitting across from her during the long train ride from Paris to Rome.” Because even if people ARE happily married, even for years, they’re definitely having sexual thoughts of every attractive woman they are around and wish they had the sexual freedom to do something about it. Can’t married men be happily married and committed men without wandering eyes and wistful ponderings? Can’t they just ride a train and be helpful?!

Alers does write Claudia’s character to be a woman who desires to be married and have children so there’s not a completely anti-marriage thread in this book.

I just got so tired of all the talk and thoughts of sex or sexualized things. It didn’t feel like a nice historical fiction love story. It read like a tawdry feminist flyer.

I know when I read a book with romance that it’s most likely not going to fully align with my convictions (which is why I tend to avoid the romance genre altogether) and I can handle some of that, but it was just too overwhelming in this book to get past. And honestly, I think men will feel uncomfortable reading a lot of it.


Historical Context and Racism

I think following a black woman from the 50s to the present was an effective way to show the compounding effect that racism can have for many people.

She grows up with the Jim Crow laws. She lives through the death of Emmett Till. She lives through the Civil Rights movement headed by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and all the protests. She lives through the assassinations of JFK and King. It gave me a little different way of looking at racism for folks who have lived through all of that— one thing after another.

In some instances, it was hard to read this book as a white person. I felt myself getting defensive about some remarks and I had to check myself and see if it was legitimate or if I was taking a feeling had during a specific historical context and internalizing it as a widespread feeling today.

For example, in the chapters that take place in the 50s during the Jim Crow laws, the dialogue she has with her family and other black people is very anti-white. Saying they don’t trust white people, they don’t want to interact with white people, etc. These thoughts make more sense in the historical context of what they were experiencing between white people and black people generally speaking. But I can’t then say of today- see, black people hate white people.

Alers includes this interaction which was good, although I’m not sure if Claudia said no because she was only thinking of white people in Paris or if she thought there were good white people in the US too.

“Do you hate White people?” His question gave Claudia pause when she recalled those she’d met in Paris. “No. Not all White people are bad just like not all Black folks are bad.”

There were some things I wasn’t sure how to feel about. Here are a couple:

“she was ashamed of her White blood.”

“There was so much more she wanted and needed to know about the events that were deliberately excluded from textbooks— events that were certain to make the white race not only uncomfortable but also guilty that they had been complicit in the atrocities perpetrated by their brethren.”

This last part is what gives me the most pause. This is exemplary of Critical Race Theory. It says that all white people are guilty and should apologize for things other white people have done. But that is a problem. White people who are actually committing the crimes and saying the racist things is one thing. Those who stand by and do nothing in the presence of violence also have something they need to wrestle with, but years later and location removed, you can’t assign guilt to people who were not involved. I hate the way black people were treated and the racism that was and sometimes still is prevalent in our country. I’m more than sorry that any of it happened, but I am not at fault for it and an entire race or gender should not have to stand up and admit guilt for actions taken by other people.


Then there is this problematic, very feminist, statement Claudia makes:

“I’ve lived long enough to know that men regardless of their color or race will stick together to keep a woman regardless of her race in a subordinate position.”

That’s just not true, obviously. Even though Claudia wants to get married, the general vibe of this book is pretty negative towards males. And they’re basically all womanizers.

The only oppression happening to women in the United States today is sexual and goes hand-in-hand with the ‘sexual freedom’ everyone thinks they want.

All that to say, Claudia’s character went through a lot in her life. She says this about what has driven her to leave the US and become an activist:

“What I am is a fierce Black sister willing to cross an ocean to get what she has been denied in the country of her birth. And I’m tired, Ashley. Tired of watching the news and holding my breath because I’m waiting to hear about another assassination.”

“I have a right to be cynical, Giancarlo. I was exiled from my hometown at twelve, denied a position with a white bank because of my color; my life was threatened by a White man belonging to a terrorist group because of my voter registration activity, and warned by my Black boss to stop signing up people to vote because he feared his bank would be bombed.”

And you can’t really blame her.


Other Randos

Full disclosure: the version I was reading was an early copy of the book so things may have changed before it was actually published but there were also some writing things that distracted and frustrated me.

There were a lot of spelling and grammar errors. I believe these will be fixed. But there were also weird section breaks. There would be a character asking a question and then there’s space and a section break and then the text just continues right where it left off. I’m not sure the point of those.


There are a lot of deaths in this book, which is fine, but the way Alers writes them is so abrupt. Just out of nowhere in two sentences someone is dead and we kind of move on. There is no warning or lead up. And some of these are really important relationships to Claudia. Even her own husband’s death is like a paragraph.


There is some swearing but not as much as it could have been, but also there were a lot of n-words. They’re used in the context of the 50s when that’s how people would talk, but as a reader, I didn’t like having to read them.

It must have been difficult for Alers to write those sections. I wonder if we could still understand the emotion and gravity of the situations if she had opted to leave the n-words out? I don’t know. But familiarity takes the punch out of words and I wonder if it would have been better to write that someone used a slur instead of actually writing it out every time?


I liked the addition of a discussion guide at the end of the book with questions that can be used if you were to choose this for a book club.


Recommendation

This book had potential, but I don’t think I would recommend it to many people. The biography of Claudia’s sex life is not a good enough plot line.

There’s probably some historical value to reading it, but not enough for me to put up with the other stuff.


**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

[Content Advisory: 12 f-words, 26 s-words, 22 n-words; forms of the word sex is used 40 times- see also sexual content section above; rape]

Take the Long Way Home tells the story of a Claudia, a black woman, from her youth in a segregated Mississippi to her adult years in New York City and Italy, and the four men that have influenced the path in her life. This book very heavily focused on specific historic events during tumultuous times in US history in the 50s and 60s. The civil rights movement is not just the backdrop, but it is heavily interwoven within the plot and dialogue. Also of secondary importance to Claudia was womens' rights during this time, and the importance for Claudia to feel she had every right as a man to live the life she wanted, that she wasn't anyone's possession, and she was the creator of her own destiny.

In premise, I thought I would really love this book, given the strong elements of important US historic events and the focus on Europe in this coming-of-age book. I did enjoy the book, but there are certain aspects that leads me to my 3 star rating.

The type of language used in the book: the occasional profanity did not bother me, but I felt the descriptions of some intimate scenes a bit awkward, and sometimes there were things characters said or slang they used that I really don't think was used back in that time.

The very detailed writing: the author includes a lot of details in the thought process of the main characters, as well as in their dialogue. Sometimes I even wondered, is this necessary conversation to the plot? Often there were things repeated/restated, such as decisions a character made, and the reason showed up again in the next few pages or chapter. Details about food, details about hair and clothes...it could have helped this book shave off several pages, because it is a loooong book.

The book is unfinished: I didn't realize this when I started reading, but there are chapters missing, so I don't know how the story even ends! I invested many hours reading the 550+ pages and then I don't even know how it ends, so that was disappointing. There were also many spelling errors or words missing in this pre-release version. But I am 100% sure those errors will be fixed in the final published version.

I understand the title, in that Claudia had a long journey to find her peace in life and love in an unfair, uncertain, and unequal world. But I also found the title to be maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek/ironic, because the story is very long, longer than it needed to be to still tell the same story. (And I don't even know the ending yet!).

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this e-ARC.

Thank you net galley for giving me this opportunity to read this book.
I have to say that I thourougly enjoyed this book it touch every emotion that a person could have.

It takes place in Mississippi in the early 1950's on through the present.
Claudia is a young girl on the cusp of puberty. Claudia is walking home from school with her friend and hears a cry for help, her friend runs off home and Claudia goes to see what/who is crying. She finds a caucasian boy badly beaten up, she then runs to her grandmother's house to get help for him. Claudia's grandmother takes him to her house and nurses him back to health. The boys' nam is Denny Clark and would complicate her life for years to come.

Claudia is older and is off to college and is introduced to her roommates' cousin Robert Moore. Both Claudia and Robert graduate college then get married right after their graduation. Robert is a lawyer and Claudia working in banking. Soon, Claudia becomes involved with the Civil Rights Movement with dire consequences yet to come.

Claudia moves out if Mississippi and to New York city. Claudia meets Ashley Booth a Wall Street exec. She accompanies Ashley to outings and meets a man who recognizes her abilities and offers her an overseas assignment.

Claudia has arrived in Rome and meets up with Giancarlo Pasquale Fortenza fro her past when she lived in Paris with her aunt. They begin a relationship as she is now older and eventually marry.

Like I said at the beginning of my review I had every emotion going. I really felt for Claudia as what she had to endure just because of the colour of her skin.

This one is a hard one to review, first, I want to be honest, I did not finish it. If you have a problem with that, please stop reading my review.
I realized just as I was starting that the ARC is not a complete book, it is a preview of the first 43 chapters, but that didn’t stop me.
Now to the book, I read many of the reviews and I was surprised that few mention the sexual encounters, some are a bit disturbing, one in particular. And the language, there are multiple instances of profanity. That was the deciding factor for me. I read for enjoyment, there is enough bad stuff in the news and the world I don’t need to voluntarily get stressed out.
Hopefully a lot of people can overlook my opinion and will thoroughly enjoy the story. The pros were I did really like her grandmother and Claudia had a kind heart.
This one was just not my cup of tea. I was provided an uncorrected ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books for a voluntary review if I so wish, I thank them. 3 stars.

A beautifully crafted historical novel spanning 70 years and multiple continents as we follow Claudia, a smart, strong driven African American woman along her journey. From 1940’s-1950’s Mississippi where the town she lived in was in theory safe, but wasn’t as the KKK was never far and always dangerous and regularly lethal to Biloxi, where she gets a wonderful education, but wants more. Then off to NYC, where she is more than surprised that she still encounters a lot of prejudice and isn’t sure if its because of her skin color or that she’s a smart educated woman or a combo of both. She’s met some wonderful people, but is again disappointed by love so when an opportunity to use her business education, expand her horizons she heads overseas to Italy and there is so much more. Her life’s journey is amazing. She experiences prejudice, hatred, sexism, discrimination, love, loss and many other ‘ism’s along the way. I enjoyed each and every moment of this book, even the really hard ones as so much of what happened “then” is still what is relevant and happening today. Another wonderful book from this author that should not be missed.

Book: Take The Long Way Home
Author: Rochelle Alers
Format: Digital
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Places Featured: Mississippi, United States, New York City, United States, Rome, Italy, Paris, France
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: Claudia Patterson, a black woman born in Mississippi in the 1940s when things were still very much racially divided, reflects back on her life and the four men who influenced it the most–a young white boy raised within the KKK, an eager and hopeful Civil Rights activist, an up-and-coming Wall Street Executive, and an Italian automobile mogul twelve years her senior. Alers does an amazing job of bringing each character and each location to life. She also sprinkles in so many historical references that I found myself often researching the real-life events and people, because, admittedly, there were some I didn’t know about. It’s an emotional read about love, family, choices, and life as a Black woman…which came with specific challenges (and still does).

This is the story of Claudia Patterson about her life growing up in Mississippi during the civil right movement, You get to see history through Claudia eyes from the love and loss she experience. You also get to explore France and Italy along with Claudia. She is the true strength of a woman and how with love and faith, we can survive anything.

Take the Long Way Home is a beautiful story. It shows the experience of Black women in America during the 60’s and gives great commentary of the expat life. It was hard to put down once I started!

This was a fascinating and educational read! At a time when books containing black history are being banned in so many areas of our country, it is imperative that works historical fiction such as this be lifted up. Rochelle Alerts has presented the life of one woman and in doing so, shares the social changes that have occurred over time. Thanks #NetGalley

I can see many people loving the mix of romance and historical fiction! Between the unique setting, relatable journey and strong female MC, this book will be a big hit. I wish I knew there were multiple chapters missing, but I can't wait to finish once it is released! Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

Take the Long Way Home is an interesting twist on the tale of race-based discrimination in the southern US that merges with Europe mid-century. Alers paints a vivid picture of the racism and the impact that had on the entire population in a unique voice.

Take the Long Road Home is a story about racism, bigotry, discrimination, and segregation growing up in Mississippi in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was interesting to follow Claudia’s journey from a young child into adulthood, witnessing prejudice first hand. This advanced reader’s copy is unfinished and I look forward to reading the rest of her story!

I really struggled to get into this book and then I realized that it wasn't even the complete story. I couldn't be bothered to "finish" a book that doesn't even have an ending.

I have read a number of Rochelle Alers’ books and always know I’m in for a detailed and complex book. This foray into historical fiction is well written and a powerful and emotional look at segregation, racism, civil rights, and relationships. It was odd not having the final chapters of the book included, so I look forward to finishing the story.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author, Rochelle Alers, for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review of "Take the Long Way Home.” I was interested in this novel for it’s historical fiction value. “Take the Long Way Home” is a mix between historical fiction and romance. While Rochelle Alers is a prolific and well loved author this is my first exposure to her work. I appreciate the opportunity.

“Take the Long Way Home” is a valuable piece of historical fiction. The story begins with the main protagonist, Claudia Patterson, traveling home to visit after living the largest portion of her life in Italy as an Italian citizen, and takes us through several phases of her life. The sections of the book are titled after the four men who helped define Claudia's life.

Claudia was born in 1940 in the all-Negro town of Freedom, Mississippi, during a time when to be Black was to be unsafe due to racial tension and the violence forced on the Black community by Whites in general and and especially the KKK. Her family was unique in that her parents were the successful owners of a barber shop and beauty salon, and her maternal aunts have chosen unconventional lives, choosing not to marry. We are quickly brought back to the beginning of the story where Claudia and her grandmother save the life of a White teenager who grows up to be a leader in the KKK organization. Denny Clark has been beaten and left for dead by his father and Claudia’s grandmother nurses him back to health. Even though her life has been somewhat sheltered living an an all-negro town Claudia becomes unsafe because of the complexities brought on by her connection to a White boy.

Claudia leaves her rural community and goes to live with one of her aunts who is a teacher who teaches her multiple languages and takes her to visit the other aunt in France. Claudia goes to college, marries, and brings her husband home to Mississipi where he is killed due to his work as a civil rights attorney. Claudia then leaves the south and we follow her through her life as she makes her way to New York and then Italy. Opportunity presents itself due to the multiple languages taught her by her aunt.

At times the story is unrealistic but Claudia is a lovable character and Rochelle Alers does a good job of telling the story of her life while weaving in a variety of racial US history.

I have read a lot of Rochelle Alers romance novels and loved them. This I believe is her first go into historical fiction and it was fantastic! If you are a historical fiction reader, you need to pick this one up.