This book was far from perfect but I absolutely adored it. I fell in love with its quirky heroine just as fast as she fell in love with the residents of Unknown. She plans road trips to places with weird names, she wears rainbow knee socks, she talks in rhyme, she has a foul-mouthed cockatiel and develops "lady crushes" on interesting people. She's who I want to be, troubled past and all. I was sad when the book ended and I had to say goodbye to Maeve, Tuesday, Noah and the other people of Unknown. Maeve is your typical recent college graduate with a string of bad luck that she just can’t seem to shake. Everywhere she turns she manages to run into problems including on her trip to “escape” the bad luck of her past and move forward into a bright new future in sunny California. Unfortunately though, she manages to get stuck in a “no-stop light” town with a mechanic who has a knack for taking off on extended vacations. In the end this little detour ends up being just what the doctor ordered for Maeve and she even thinks she may a have broken that string of bad luck for good.Leaving Unknown was just what I needed. A story about a “real-life” girl I could connect with instantly. Her desire to fill a stroke of luck with new shoes or, in my case a new book, was just perfect. I will admit in the beginning the string of bad luck was almost getting to be a bit much, but once Maeve set out on her journey there were times I found myself laughing out loud for pages on end. Especially when her bird Oliver was involved. I couldn’t help keeping my husband up late at night while I stayed up reading and laughing at Oliver’s quirky one liners.Each of the characters in Reichs’ story were alive. They seemed to jump out of the pages and right into reality as you read. And the town of Unknown was somewhere you’d love to call home just so that you could enjoy it’s casual calm atmosphere. Not to mention the fantastic book store and its owner, Noah. I could have moved into the children’s section alone and stayed for days. Besides, watching the drama unfold between Maeve and Noah would have been so fun to watch.Not only was Leaving Unknown quite funny and romantic at times, it also had moments of tremendous sadness and retrospection, but not too much. Reichs found exactly the right balance to blend a gripping story that could help each reader find the value in living life to its fullest. No matter who you are, old or young, there is something to be gained from Maeve’s journey into the Unknown. It’s a story I will recommend over and over. I can’t wait to pick up Reichs’ other novels!
What do You think about L'épopée Du Perroquet (2009)?
THIS STORY WAS VERY CUT AND INTERESTING IT KEPT ME GLUED TO THE PAGES UNTIL I WAS DONE.
—Dani
I liked it -- had a twist I hadn't expected and some funny lines.
—sheldon
Loved, loved, loved. I would read it over and over again.
—shiralee
Great characters and relatable story of being stuck.
—Uche
