Item: The Way to Remember
Rating: 4.5
Author: Gina

The Way to Remember by Martha Reynolds

Book Review | Blog Tour | Giveaway

Coming of age in 1976 New England.

Book Blog Tour sponsored by iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to Martha & Lauren for providing me the information for this tour and sponsoring the generous giveaway listed at the bottom of this review.

The Way to Remember by Martha Reynolds
Published by Independent on June 30, 2020
Genres: Family Life, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Literature
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 238

Set in New England at the time of the American Bicentennial, The Way to Remember is the poignant story of a displaced young woman struggling to figure out who she is within the context of her hometown and the carefully masked dysfunction of her family.

"Everything can be fixed by writing a check." Words to live by for Robin Fortune's wealthy father, until he can't buy her way back into college after she's expelled for dealing pot. Now he chooses not to speak to her anymore, but that's just one of the out-of-whack situations Robin's facing.

At nineteen, she feels rudderless, working in a diner by day and sleeping with a buddy from high school by night - all so strange for her because she was always the one with the plan. While her college friends plotted how to ensnare husbands, she plotted a novel, which she scratched out into a series of spiral-bound notebooks she hides in the closet. But now, there's nothing.

No vision, no future, no point. In fact, the only thing she feels she has to look forward to is that her favorite author, Maryana Capture, is paying a visit to the local Thousand Words bookstore. Robin surmises that if she can convince Maryana to help her get her novel published, she'll finally get herself back on track. Except that life never takes a straight path in this intensely satisfying coming-of-age novel.

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Content Rating: PG-13 +M. There are a few swear words, and sex is more suggested than explicit, but there are one or two moments that are provocative.

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My thoughts on The Way to Remember by Martha Reynolds

The Way to Remember by Martha Reynolds is a coming of age story that touched my heart. You see, I was also a young woman from that era. I can relate to the difficulties of maneuvering the changing morals of that period and trying to stand on your own two feet while besieged with doubts. All that is difficult enough for a young person to achieve without doing it in a small town where everyone knows your business almost before you do.

The author is true to the period the book represents. Her knowledge of the mid-seventies shines through her words. The pacing was perfect, keeping the plot moving forward while tossing in a few surprises to keep you riveted to the pages. The multi-dimensional characters were exceptionally vivid. I could feel Robin’s confusion about the direction of her life and romances. I ached for Jenny’s fatigue and overwhelm. George feels like the gruff but kind-hearted soul he proved to be, including his stoic manner of facing racism.

I would have loved to have had more mentions of music in the book. It was a significant aspect of the times. The small asides about future items such as cell phones were a fun touch.

I highly recommend this book to all readers looking for a brilliant coming of age story that delves into family dynamics. I will certainly look for more from this author.

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The Way to Remember by Martha Reynolds

About Martha Reynolds

Award-winning and Amazon #1 bestselling author of fiction

Martha Reynolds was born and raised in Rhode Island, and spent a year of college in Switzerland, the memories of which inspired her debut novel, Chocolate for Breakfast, and its sequels, Chocolate Fondue and Bittersweet Chocolate.

She is the author of nine novels, including the Amazon #1 bestsellers Chocolate for Breakfast and Bits of Broken Glass. Her novel Villa del Sol was awarded the 2018 Book Prize in Literary Fiction by the Independent Publishers of New England.

She now writes full-time and has set a personal goal of releasing a book a year until she dies. Her writing has appeared in Magnificat magazine and her very short poem was read by journalist Connie Schultz during NPR's Tell Me More poetry challenge.