This book was a book to savor, not devour. I’m some ways Claudia reminded me of Anne Moody and in others of Maya Angelou. Her life has not been an easy life. It has been filled with pain and has been surrounded by hate. But, she has also been loved fiercely and she possesses a confidence and strength many only dream of having. The sections are titled after the men who helped define her life and the periods of her life. But Claudia is a woman who learns to live life on her own terms. She is a character that will live in the hearts of readers for decades. The only downside is the ARC I received from NetGalley is not complete. The last 5-6 chapters are not included, and now I have to wait until the book is published to find out more about Claudia’s life. Rest assured, I will buy the book to finish it once released!!

This was an eye-opening walk through history that most of us as white students were never taught. It was hard to read at times; why do people treat others differently because someone looks different on the outside! This book is a reminder that there is more history than needs to be studied than what we were handed in the classrooms. There is history still taking place that needs to stop.

The character development was really good. Each of the characters in the story jumped off of the page and had a voice. The descriptions of clothing, etc. got a little carried away but at the same time I was able to see the scenes more clearly because of that. The family dynamics were well written and made the characters easier to understand.

Since the history was the high point in this book, the sex scenes etc. detracted from the story. That's my personal opinion.

Overall, I found this book to be educational, a good read, and look forward to seeing what the final chapters have to say! Hoping that Ashley has become the man Claudia wanted him to be (I loved him at the beginning of the book).

An enthralling story about rising up during difficult times.
Claudia Fortenza is an African-American living during the 1950's .. an epic journey through living during these days, right into the Civil Rights Movement.
A story of love, pain, heartbreak and resilience.
4 men, each one of them will have a story to tell.
A historical novel mixed with romance you'll won't stop reading.
Special thanks to netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion

A quarter of the way through this novel, I’m calling it quits. Yes, parts of it are well-written. And I did like the Romeo/Juliet type story that seemed to be developing. But then the book became decidedly message-oriented and very expository. And the number of typographical errors made it a difficult read. And it’s missing the last section of the book. All that being the case, I decided to stop, believing my time is better spent elsewhere. I will not be posting this review to any other site.

This book was beautiful! I was drawn in right away. I love how Claudia's life is broken up like a book and how she has people in each part of her life that impact her and what direction she moves in for the next part of her life.

This book definitely had sensitive subjects about race and how people of color have been treated over the many years in the duration of this book.

This book is full of history and emotion, so much so that I was unable to stop reading until I found out what would happen next in the story.

This is a book that provides a perspective on what it is like to be Black in both America and Europe. The story starts with a young girl growing up in a totally Black community in the late 50s who is moved to Biloxi during the 60s by her parents in an effort to keep her and their community safe. It portrays what it was like to grow up in such a community during this time of social and political unrest. While still in a segregated college and then when married, she becomes aware of the gravity of the inequities around here and tries to work for change. After the death of her husband, she moves from the south to NYC, where she encounters discrimination and becomes involved with another man that is not willing to commit to a relationship. Realizing that, she takes a position in Italy where she encounters a previous love and forms a lasting relationship with him. I enjoyed the book but in the middle, I felt it was more of a civil rights chronology than a story. Generally, I would have liked more depth to the characters; although I did get a sense of each one. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me to review.

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.