Review of Away With Words

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any young adult books.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
OTrain Disene
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 627
Joined: 11 Jan 2022, 07:57
Currently Reading: Flight Quack
Bookshelf Size: 102
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-otrain-disene.html
Latest Review: Mysteries by Graham Wilson

Review of Away With Words

Post by OTrain Disene »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Away With Words" by Linda Folsom.]
Book Cover
3 out of 5 stars
Share This Review


Away With Words by Linda Folsom is a Young Adult novel about a boy called Charlie, who is dyslexic, and who tries to find himself in this fast-paced world while dealing with family drama. The author has spent many years working on television shows and films. She says this self-published book is a result of being forced to retire by the outbreak of COVID-19. This book is poignant even though it failed to make a very memorable character out of Charlie.

The book opens up with a fifteen-year-old boy called Charlie getting a tattoo. He is getting this tattoo partly to impress this girl called Tyler. Their relationship is one that started in an unusual way, so it is not surprising to see that even though Charlie is not sure whether he and Tyler are officially dating, he’s getting a permanent mark on his skin, still, to somehow prove to Tyler. When he gets home, his mother is distracted a bit. Before she can disclose what has her this distracted, she learns about Charlie getting a tattoo, and she freaks out. After calming down and having forgiven him for doing this, she tells Charlie that his father has called and wants to spend the summer with him.

Charlie has been living with his mother for so long that he is not sure what he will say when he meets his father. On the other side, his relationship with Tyler is only starting, so he thinks he can’t afford to be away from her, at least now. But he can’t help it. His mother sends him off on a bus to go to his father. His father is not there to pick him up. Charlie has to find his way to his father’s hotel. Can Charlie find his way to his father in this new, strange city? Why didn’t his father meet him? Why does his father want to spend time with him now after all these years?

These questions can be answered by reading this book. I quite liked reading this book. It was short and very intriguing. While I was reading it, one book called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon came to mind. Both Charlie and Christopher had stark similarities as characters. For one thing, they are both fifteen years old, and they both have had to do something that was totally out of their comfort zone, finding themselves challenging their limits to achieve something far greater than themselves.

Charlie, as a character, was well-built. The author paid great attention to his attributes to make sure they aligned with his dyslexic condition. Charlie always saw himself as a loser, thinking he won’t amount to anything. It was the people close to him who took the time to educate him about dyslexia, that it was not actually a barrier that he thought it was. This was a learning opportunity for me. Artists like Mark Twain and John Lennon, among many others, apparently, they too had dyslexia, but they didn’t let it define them. They managed to reach the highest heights of their stardoms.

The supporting characters, like Egypt and Roger, were also sculpted so well. Tyler, even though she was bigger than the two, didn’t play many parts in the story. Her point of view just revealed that it was she who approached Charlie because he was shy and that he hadn’t called and texted her since he went to his father. Apart from that, nothing much. The dialogue was also another let-down in the story. Charlie sometimes didn’t speak as a typical fifteen-year-old. He sometimes transitioned to sound like an adult, only to revert to his teenage self. The narration balanced this lacking dialogue with proper descriptions that weren’t filled with too many adjectives to paint the images perfectly to me as a reader. I could see myself in Charlie’s shoes. When he was talking about his father, yearning for his love and appreciation, I felt his emotions too.

The plot overall wasn’t realistic and convincing. I can’t expand much on this out of the fear of spoiling the book, but I couldn’t quite understand why Charlie didn’t call his mother when his father didn’t come to pick him up. He could have asked to use the phone from that help lady at the information booth. How the help lady handled it was unbelievable. As an adult, she should have instructed Charlie to remain there while she contacted the police so they could track his father together. I saw several errors that diluted the quality of the book. For all these reasons above, I am inclined to rate this book three out of five stars. I recommend it to teenagers and young adults.

******
Away With Words
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
User avatar
Hazel Mae Bagarinao
Posts: 3408
Joined: 20 Mar 2022, 06:53
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 148
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hazel-mae-bagarinao.html
Latest Review: The Sound of Creation by Gabriella Zielke

Post by Hazel Mae Bagarinao »

Indeed, illness can't define a person overall. Charlie, I think, would be successful. I'm intrigued if Charlie will able to meet his father since he wasn't fetched at the station. How about their relationship with Tyler? I'd like to find out. Your review is awesome!
"Less is more." ~ Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
User avatar
Laney K
Posts: 579
Joined: 07 Jul 2021, 08:15
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 118
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-laney-k.html
Latest Review: Lost in Plan Sight by Karen Magee

Post by Laney K »

This sounds like a good concept, but it's a shame the execution wasn't there.
Charles Ashinze
Posts: 64
Joined: 11 Jan 2023, 07:32
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 22
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-charles-ashinze.html
Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker

Post by Charles Ashinze »

This seems interesting and there are several themes explored in this book. However I think the storyline isn't cohesive. Also the presence of numerous errors is a big issue for me as this affects my reading experience.
Ajibola Gabriel
Posts: 205
Joined: 16 Feb 2023, 05:27
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 35
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ajibola-gabriel.html
Latest Review: The Vitality System by Kyle Gonzalez

Post by Ajibola Gabriel »

The book seems interesting enough to read but your displeasure wanes my interest in the book. I think young adults will enjoy reading this book if they don't try to make too much sense of it.
User avatar
Ben Madeley
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 390
Joined: 19 Jan 2023, 09:21
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 47
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ben-madeley.html
Latest Review: Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer

Post by Ben Madeley »

From the summary of the book it sounds like it might be very good, but if the plot is unrealistic that would be a real let down.
Fawmi FJumana
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 313
Joined: 31 Oct 2022, 01:13
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 34
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-fawmi-fjumana.html
Latest Review: Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe

Post by Fawmi FJumana »

The plot line of the book sounds interesting. But it also doesn't seem cohesive to me. And the numerous errors makes the book off putting for me.
User avatar
Jack King
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 390
Joined: 29 Dec 2022, 10:57
Favorite Book: Specter of the Past
Currently Reading: The Great Migration
Bookshelf Size: 24
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jack-king.html
Latest Review: Doctoroo & the Case of the Picnic Pirates by Dr. Rachel B. Wellner

Post by Jack King »

The title itself is a play on words very clever and makes total sense considering the main character being dyslexic.
We've longed to see the roses, but never felt the thorns
And bought our pretty crowns, but never paid the price
Find me in the river, find me there
Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare
User avatar
OTrain Disene
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 627
Joined: 11 Jan 2022, 07:57
Currently Reading: Flight Quack
Bookshelf Size: 102
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-otrain-disene.html
Latest Review: Mysteries by Graham Wilson

Post by OTrain Disene »

Jack King wrote: 14 Mar 2023, 10:32 The title itself is a play on words very clever and makes total sense considering the main character being dyslexic.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Fawmi Jumana wrote: 14 Mar 2023, 08:09 The plot line of the book sounds interesting. But it also doesn't seem cohesive to me. And the numerous errors makes the book off putting for me.
I understand why wouldn't read it.
Ben Madeley wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 00:22 From the summary of the book it sounds like it might be very good, but if the plot is unrealistic that would be a real let down.
Thank you for reading my review, Madeley.
Ajibola Gabriel wrote: 09 Mar 2023, 14:37 The book seems interesting enough to read but your displeasure wanes my interest in the book. I think young adults will enjoy reading this book if they don't try to make too much sense of it.
True that.
Charles Ashinze wrote: 08 Mar 2023, 12:12 This seems interesting and there are several themes explored in this book. However I think the storyline isn't cohesive. Also the presence of numerous errors is a big issue for me as this affects my reading experience.
Thank you for stopping by.
Laney K wrote: 08 Mar 2023, 07:55 This sounds like a good concept, but it's a shame the execution wasn't there.
Indeed.
Hazel Mae Bagarinao wrote: 07 Mar 2023, 22:25 Indeed, illness can't define a person overall. Charlie, I think, would be successful. I'm intrigued if Charlie will able to meet his father since he wasn't fetched at the station. How about their relationship with Tyler? I'd like to find out. Your review is awesome!
Thank you for stopping by, Hazel.
Post Reply

Return to “Young Adult Fiction Books”