Take the Long Way Home
By: Rochelle Alers

4 stars

First off, I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. I wanted this book because of the history, and I am so glad I found it because I got that and so much more.

Claudia is an African American female living in the deep south during some of the most turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement. This is about her journey from Deep South Mississippi as a young girl to the Rome Countryside as a young woman. This book is as much about her as it is the 4 men who helped shape her. Denny. Robert. Ashley. Giancarlo. Each played their own special role in who she was and who she would become.

This was such a good story. It was written well. The characters were realistic and easy to love. From the historical side, you see deep into the south and the Civil Rights Movement. The powerful images that are portrayed were a jarring reminder of a very turbulent time in our history. Some things I knew, some things I did not. So if I learned something new and I enjoyed the story, well, I call that a win.

Aside from the historical side, which can be seen in a more realistic view, we had the romance side. This story was such an amazing tale of romance in a time when women were growing by leaps and bounds. Gaining the vote, being able to get contraceptives. It made Claudia, a modern "historical" character, to me, and it made me love her even more. She never faulted in her own thoughts. She always stood her ground. A woman who was powerful and amazing in her own right. The men bring her pain and love. Heartbreak and security. Each one is different.

This was all around a good story. It was written well. It kept me engrossed. If you love a good mix of historical, drama, and romance. This is the book for you.

STORMI

I would like to thank Kensington Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I want to start out with a concern. I requested this from Net Galley thinking that it was a complete book. No where did it state that it was unfinished or a "sample". Indeed,it was not until I finished chapter 42 that I saw the words to be continued, and the note that the last 5-8 chapters would not be done until April. I wrote to Net Galley, but they could not be of much assistance. They did say they would try to get the completed book, but I am not holding out much hope. I am , however, questioning the reasoning behind releasing 42 chapters , and not the rest. Are we ARC readers meant to be guinea pigs to determine the ending of the book?- the prologue pretty much gives hints as to the ending, so I think not. I am really stymied by this .
Ok, on to the review. The book is about Claudia Patterson a Black woman who we first meet as 12 year old in Mississippi in 1952. She has parents who dote on her and a loving grandmother. A chance encounter with a white teenage boy changes her life forever. We see her later in France , where she lives with her aunt and meets another man who will change her life- Giancarlo. We see her at college where she meets her first husband ( no spoilers, this is all in the prologue), Robert Moore, and in New York in the late 60's where she meets Ashley Booth. All 4 men have a profound influence on her . She is also heavily influenced by her mother and aunts- her mothers sisters. Her aunts do not marry, but live life as independent women, one in Mississippi and one in Paris, France. She is also deeply influenced by the changes in America in the 50's, and 60's. She is a Black woman, and is deeply affected by segregation, and the subsequent Civil Rights Movement.
It is a well written book. It is part romance, part historical fiction and partly a history lesson. It is a bit ponderous at times, but over all a good book. I just wish I was able to read the rest!

This book is a read that makes you think and feel. The research and understanding about the topics discussed in the book really proved what a wonderful author Rochelle Alers is. Seeing life in America from a BIPOL point of view was very powerful. I look forward to sharing this read with our readers, thank you Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington books for the free e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is the story of Claudia Peterson, a young black woman, who is growing up in the segregated South during her formative years and but for a bad encounter with a white boy, lives an eventful life abroad. This wonderful book focuses on Claudia and the 4 men impacting her life, all set against the history of segregation both in the US and abroad.

The story begins with Claudia taking a brief visit to her family's graves in Mississippi later in life on her way to visit her daughter and grandchildren in North Carolina. A brief encounter with the white man who caused Claudia's life to take a different course triggers the retelling of her life's story in Freedom, Mississippi, an all black town. Of the 4 men who impacted Claudia's life, the story begins really with Denny Clark, the white boy whose life Claudia saved; Robert, the one she married; Ashley, the one who could not commit, and Giancarlo, the Italian man with whom she has a family.

I found the comparisons to the lack of segregation in europe quite interesting. The characters were well developed and the journey of growth in Claudia and other characters was well done. The emotions of love, fear, hate, and passion are palpable throughout the story.

Highly recommend!!!

I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure. Rochelle Alers has proven to be a creative and brilliant storyteller. Claudia Patterson, Robert Moore, Ashley Moire, Giancarlo Pasquale Fortenza, and Denny Clark are memorable characters who stand out in this outstanding story that is rich with history. It is also a sweeping tale of relationships.
TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME is a winner!

While Taking the Long Way Home has promise I feel like it could do with quite a bit of content editing (as well as the normal proofing editing, where some of the errors were quite distracting). This is an unfinished ARC, which I wish I had known at the beginning, but I felt like it often dragged in places and some of the historical context, well important, took away from the storytelling aspect by getting a bi dry and bogged in detail. I would like to see a more cohesive tie in between the direct action plot and historical references.

Loved the book! This was a fun and easy read. Rochelle made all the love interests so lovable I had a hard time letting go of the attraction from the first to the next plus the detail of the experiences in each of the timelines had me fully immersed in Claudia's life. What a beautiful rollercoaster.
Summary of my review from my blog;
"This is a love story from a life well lived. Claudia has experienced love with 4 different men, from a white man in the south, a classy black man in New York, a sensual French man who opens her up to her needs 😜 to the dashing Italian man who becomes her husband of 50 years and shows her a world that only few women ever get to experience.

I got this book as an ARC book for review and planned to complete it within 2 weeks but completed it in a day!😅. The book will be out in October 2023 so prepare yourself to get this sure to be bestseller coz from what I’ve read, I wish I could experience even half of what Claudia has lived through 🥰.

The best part about this book is the fantastic world building. Rochelle’s description of Mississippi in the first few chapters of the book had me cancel my weekend plans to go out.

This books makes me sincerely wish it was already out so I can tell you where to get it and get to experience it but… well😊. Keep this review in mind and make sure you get the book when it is out🤩.

I think it is unfair of publishers to send out pre-readers that are unedited. It doesn't do the author any favours.
This is a beautifully written book but badly needs an edit and is missing the last 5-8 chapters.

Usually after I finish a book, I immediately know whether I enjoyed it or not…I’m not so sure with Take the Long Way Home. I understand the author’s desire to educate the reader and give the historical context for Claudia’s character, but the passages felt more like a history lesson and pulled me away from the story. I’m assuming the additional 5-8 chapters will wrap up Claudia’s life with her last husband and reveal to the reader how she ends back up in the States, and I’ll probably look for it once it’s available so I can see the piece to the end.

I loved the history running through this story. The struggles of Black people in the States as well as the strong female characters.
I felt certain parts of the story dragged on yet other important parts it seemed to move on too quickly.
I can't wait to read the final ARC on this book.

Take the Long Way Home by Rochelle Alers is an exceptional read. It not only is a romance novel but a history book as well! It is fascinating to follow the life of Claudia and all the things and challenges she had to face and go through from childhood to adulthood. She endured racism in the United States before moving, living and thriving in a foreign country. Can't wait for the completed version of this book to finish her love story!

This is a very emotional story. There are a lot of situations that happen that have sensitive content. Be prepared with tissues and make sure your heart is ready for the tragic ride you are about to embark on. The writing is lovely and the story is very moving. A great book for historical fiction fans!

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

The history of US apartheid and segregation we must all confront, is skillfully woven into the novel, Take the Long Way Home. We watch protagonist, Claudia, encounter racism as a girl in Mississippi. As an adult, Claudia grapples with higher education, political assassinations (Malcolm X, Dr King), civil rights, as well as workplace and social circle issues around being Black in America during the 1960-1970's (with references to before and after). I enjoyed the pre-publication novel immensely. Many grammatical and spelling errors distracted me at times.

This book is very rich in history and it covers a vast number of topics. I found it a little too heavy handed, information wise, at times and the relationships too quickly developed, but the story was very interesting and I definitely learned something, which is always a great thing. Claudia is a strong, independent woman and I enjoyed getting to know her.


Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books, Delfina for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

This book is like a sacred offering to those with willing ears and thoughtful minds. It is an invitation to walk in the shoes of a young black girl named Claudia, tracing her way into adulthood. How she lived and endured in a pro-active, Martin Luther King, Jr sort of way against blatant, hard core racism in the 1960's in the Mississippi region and beyond.

There were so many levels of racism exposed in a range from the outright, up front, in-your-face to the insidious and underhanded; either way, it is horrendous and has been a huge eye-opener for me. Yes, I know racism is, very unfortuately, alive and well but "living with Claudia" over the past few days of reading has helped me see, to a small degree, what it is like to be on the receiving end of harassement, threats and injury all because of one's skin color.

This book comes in four parts. Each one from the angle relating to a specific boy or man in Claudia's life. The big thing I didn't like was the acceptance as a societal norm of pre-marital sex, as something not to fuss, fidget or flinch about. What I did love was Claudia's loving family and support group. All in all, it has been quite a walk of extra miles for me that, although I had to take some breaks to ponder on the evils of racism, I believe it will keep a reader riveted to the end of this romance and historical fiction chronicle.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

February 2023

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Since this is in an early ARC, I will try to forgive the huge amount of errors that I assume will be caught in the editing process, but it did make reading especially difficult. The story line takes place in a variety of settings which was a little overwhelming at points, although I did enjoy the Paris and Rome settings. I like the use of foreign languages woven into the story to remind me that the characters were speaking in that language. The story did move slowly and some details were more than was needed to convey the emotions of characters. A few less historical references and less graphic sex scenes would have shortened the story and helped the reader focus on the character development. I look forward to reading the additional chapters that I hope will bring the main character's journey around the world to a fulfilling ending to this story.

The first chapter of Claudia’s life brings a riveting, heart, wrenching story to the reader. The following chapters, as we follow her life, takes us out of Mississippi into New York and Paris, with her trials, and tribulations and significant men in her life. I found the overall Story a page Turner, and loved watching how Claudia navigates her life with the help of her to aunties and mom. I admire her independence, self-care, and confidence at such a young age. The turbulent times of her life and the world and the south kept me riveted with anticipation. Her reuniting in Paris the second time caused me to stay up and read into the wee hours of the night. Just as the reader wonders which direction she will choose, and what important event will happen next, the story ends, and the author informed that there will be 3 to 5 chapters added when the book is released in two months. . my choice remains feel disappointed in this version or wait two months and read the last 3 to 5 chapters at the author includes. What an unusual quandary after reading 455 pages of a well written novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this historical fiction.

Take the Long Way home is about a young Black girl finding her way in the world amid racism and violence, interwoven with the love of her family, international travel, finding her career, and three important men she meets in various times along the way.

As this was an unfinished eARC, I'm left wondering where the story is going and how it's all going to tie up. I'd very much like to find out! Overall, the book was good but not amazing. I found it quite long, and quite history-lesson-heavy, although I can understand why the author wanted to put so much of it in, as the historical events are so influential to who Claudia is and how/why she makes the decisions she does.

I enjoyed my journey with Claudia. To read of a middle class black woman in the 1950's and 60's was very appealing to me. This portrayal of life in America was beautifully done, peopled with strong female characters. I was given an ARC , with more chapters to come, so this review is incomplete. However, what I have read so far was entertaining and enlightening for an Australian reader. My only quibble is that we are constantly seeing how beautiful Claudia is, as if that is the most important thing about her, yet her other qualities are immense, and does it matter if someone is not physically perfect? And gosh, this makes me think about race in America and in Australia……we haven’t got very far yet! Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC,, I am looking forward to the final chapters, although if you re-read the beginning you can work out a fair bit.

Many thank to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read Rochelle Alers book. I love it. I think it's an important story and beautifully written.