Official Review: Leaving Takoma Park by Eliza Godwin

[barb429]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Leaving Takoma Park" by Eliza Godwin.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Leaving Takoma Park: Lewis Bridger Book Series Volume 1 by Eliza Godwin is the first in a series about a young girl who overcomes years of abuse. While the series is based on true events, the author notes in the preface that certain portions have been fictionalized for the purpose of privacy.

This volume covers the first 18 years of Lewis Bridger’s life. We see the abuse that she endures (emotionally, physically and sexually) from her family, peers, neighbors and strangers. We see a young girl, who despite having every reason to give up on life, chooses not to. While she makes some poor choices along the way, these choices are the direct results of her life circumstances.

Each chapter of this volume covers a different season in Lewis Bridger’s life. Each season is not one filled with sadness or abuse, there are times in which Lewis was perhaps saved from a potential tragedy. This is very much a story about faith and at times divine intervention.

I found this book a bit off-putting. In the preface, the author stated that she wished to tell this story in a fable like manner. As I was reading, though, I found the style of writing to be detached. I did not feel what Lewis Bridger was feeling. While I did appreciate the fact that the instances of her abuse were not described in a graphic manner, it felt as though they were often void of emotion. I also felt as though there were gaps in the things that she experienced. Sometimes the lack of details prevented me from connecting with Lewis. I am not certain if this was an intentional on the author’s part to make the reader feel as detached as Lewis did, if so then it was effective. However, this was not a writing style that I prefer.

One of the things that I did like about this book was that at the beginning and end of each chapter the author includes a brief explanation of the impact each event would have on Lewis Bridger’s life. Godwin includes both the negative and positive implications of each instance. I did appreciate the fact that she included the events that gave Lewis the strength to survive.

I would rate Leaving Takoma Park 2 out of 4 stars. I do believe that some people may enjoy this book, since it discusses the survival of abuse without a graphic take on the instances. For me personally, though, I really felt as though it lacked emotion.

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Leaving Takoma Park
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Like barb429's review? Post a comment saying so!

[e-tasana-williams]

Thank you for the review. I agree with you that it would be impressive if the author intended to give the reader a feeling of being detached so he could better relate to the experience of the abused person. I imagine that would be a difficult thing to do on purpose. It seems that it would also be difficult to strike a balance when telling a tale of abuse, as too many graphic details could lead to the reader being too repulsed to finish the book, and too few details could lead to a detached or uninterested reader.

[Kia]

It can be a difficult thing to speak about abuse, and I feel like since this is supposed to be based on a true story, it might have been very difficult for the author to write about. Thank you for your honest review of the novel.

[Heidi M Simone]

Very well-written review, barb429! I appreciate your honesty in your review. It is true that writing abuse can be tricky, but I also agree that lacking emotion can be off-putting. I'm not sure if it's my cup of tea, but I appreciate the author's attempt in writing about such a sensitive topic.

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your thorough, balanced review. Due to the sensitive subject matter, I don't know if this book is my cup of tea. Still, the plot sounds interesting.