Welcome to my stop on the Torn Away Blog Tour hosted by Itching for Books . I am honored to be apart of this blog tour for this amazing read.
Torn Away
Genre: Contemporary,Realistic Fiction
Pages: 288 (Hardcover)
Publish date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316245534
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives — but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she’s sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.
In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she’s never considered before — one in which her mother wasn’t perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that’s something no tornado can touch.
Torn Away:
I received a copy of Torn Away as part of the blog tour, but it has in no way influenced my review.
I didn’t know what to expect going into reading Torn Away, all I knew was that it would be was quite devastating, and it was.
Torn Away starts off like any normal day, but then devastation strikes and I felt all the pain.
The writing style of Jennifer Brown was simply stunning. It captured me in so many different ways – the emotions that I experienced in Torn Away made it where I could not stop the tears from falling down, with the anger and the hurt. After the death of her mother and sister by a tragic tornado that hit her town, Jersey is shipped off to her biological father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. Her family, her father’s family are so frustrating and not understanding in any way. I cannot really explain how they acted in a way but let’s just they made my blood boiled. She not only had to go through the journey of grief but with people that don’t care, but people that don’t feel the same. It’s heartbreaking.
Jersey is a very interesting protagonist. She is so strong, I wouldn’t have managed the way she did. Her loss made me, most likely make other readers, realise what really is important in life. It might also re-define your priorities.
There is no physical human in Torn Away that is the villain. The only villain here is the tornado – Their damage is unstoppable, even often unanticipated. They can destroy lives in a matter of seconds.
Torn Away is a really hard book to review, not because it isn’t good, but because it is so emotionally draining that you feel so torn and broken after reading it. It tells a tale of loneliness, loss and grief, but, fundamentally, it’s not a tale of hopelessness.
We as readers go on the grief journey with Jersey. We go through the hurt, frustration and finally understanding.
The thing that hurt me the most was how Jersey dealt with the death of her sister. I have 3 siblings myself and I have no idea how I would manage in any way shape or form if they died. Jersey’s memories of her little sister are so emotional. She held onto these memories, some positive and beautiful and some negative. You felt the hurt.
I believed and felt every emotion of Jersey – The hurt, the loss, the anger. Then finally we get to see some happiness in her life.
After her not so good experience with her father and his family, she moves in with her mother’s parents. Even though she is going through the grief, she finally starts to see some light. The little moments with her grandfather were just beautiful. And the moment at the end with her grandmother brought tears to my eyes, in a good way. Then there is Kolby. He is the boy next door, he becomes Jersey’s support along with her grandparents. Jennifer Brown is talented writer who builds situations and people that are not only convincing, but appropriate too.
Overall, even though Torn Away was heartbreaking. The author reaches without much effort at all, breaks down your walls and touches you so you cry like a baby.
Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.
Check out the rest of the blog tour
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