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There are currently 41 member reviews
for The Same Sky
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Barbara O. (Maryland Heights, MO)
Heartbreaking Story
Wow, if you have never given a lot of thought to the recent news of immigrant children being returned to their Central American countries, this story just might open your eyes. This is a great book club choice. Members will have lots to discuss after reading Amanda Eyre Ward's book "the Same Sky". Her characters are well developed and you'll find yourself deeply involved and caring about these people. After reading about the plight of the children in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala you just might understand better the declaration to leave.
Couldn't put this book down until the end.
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Sally H. (Geneva, OH)
Under the Same Sky
This was my first book by this author, but after reading this I will be looking for others by her. Although there were some aspects of this story that weren't quite believable and there were a few inconsistencies in the details of the story (which hopefully will be corrected before publication), it was overall a good read. Both of the parallel stories were compelling, but I thought the characters in Carla's story were a little better developed than those in Alice's. Carla's story is especially relevant now, when immigration is an often hotly debated issue.
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Cecilia Z. (Montclair, NJ)
Deeply Moving Story of Parallel Lives
I am a big fan of Amanda Eyre Ward's novels and looked forward to this latest book. I was not disappointed. As in her earlier novels, her characters are so well-developed and the story so compelling, it was impossible to put down once I started reading it.
This is the story of two parallel lives - Alice, a young woman struggling with infertility and her dream of being a mother, and Carla, an 11-year-old girl desperate to cross the border from Mexico to join her mother in America. Told in alternating narratives, their stories initially do not seem connected, although you suspect that their paths will cross at some point. As the book unfolds, the parallels become more evident, not in the events they experience, but in their journey of self-discovery. Both experience terrible loss. How they overcome and triumph over this is the heart of the novel. It is a hopeful and uplifting journey.
I also found the story of the young immigrant especially compelling. It put a human face on the recent stories of children crossing the border illegally - the desperation and brutality they experience. It reminds us that they are children who need our compassion and understanding.
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Elizabeth P. (Lake Elmo, MN)
Great Story, Easy Read
I really enjoyed reading "The Same Sky". I absolutely loved both of the storylines that are told - one of a Honduran immigrant trying to get to her mother in America, and one of a middle class woman trying to become a mother (in America). I thought I knew where the stories were headed but I ended up being wrong - there was a twist that was very sweet. The depiction of the struggles & hardships that each woman experienced, and the ways they evolved over the course of the story, were painfully felt by the reader - in the way of a wonderfully told story. It was real and raw and I understood (felt) their struggles. There were a few moments glossed over that I felt could have been more thoroughly developed otherwise I'd give a rating of 5. This will appeal to book clubs, and anyone who loves to read of characters who evolve and find joy in spite of circumstances as they fight their inner demons.
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Sarah T. (Palmetto, FL)
Interesting read
This was a fast and predictable read. I read most of the book in one long evening. You wanted to find out how the trip to the United States was completed.
Alice's emotions regarding the desire to have a child led her to try to give support to a very troubled teen.
Once Carla was on the train I felt certain that I could anticipate where the story was going and the fact the two women would eventually cross paths.
It was amazing the many hardships eleven year old Carla experienced and was able to handle. She actually had no choice. I suffered with her when she needed to make the decision regarding her brother.
It certainly was a vivid insight into the hardships hundreds of immigrant families and single children are experiencing today in order to reach the "promised land"
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Karna B. (Long Beach, CA)
The Same Sky
Alice and Carla immediately become alive in this well-written, captivating novel about two people from very different backgrounds searching for belonging, love and family. Ward provides us with an opportunity to see the struggles of Carla as she makes her way to the U.S. on the "beast" and Alice as she tries to fulfill her life in the absence of a "family". The Same Sky is a page turner and an excellent read.
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Christine P. (Gig Harbor, WA)
The Same Sky
The Same Sky reads fast but deals with tough issues that cannot be ignored. The novel covers the lives of Alice who lives in Texas dealing with the heartache of not being able to have a child and Carla, an eleven-year-old girl, who with her brother tries to make her way from Honduras to Texas. What I liked most about these two characters is their resilience and their faith to believe that they will get what they want. They never gave up on their dream. I found Carla's story particularly compelling because it was like something ripped right from the headlines and is an ongoing and volatile issue within this country. Hope is what drives these two and with it comes the possibility of happy endings.
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