What readers think of The Same Sky, plus links to write your own review.

This is the story of Alice and Carla, both of them on a journey, but very different journeys they are. Their stories are told alternately, until their lives finally intersect. This is a story of motherhood and childhood. It is a story of longing for family. It is a tale of loss, hope, faith, and love. I loved the characters as they found the courage to determine their own futures. This is a timely story also, bringing to life the realities of the plight of many immigrant families trying to come to the U.S. In the hopes of a better life. I really liked this novel.

For the first fifty pages or so of "The Same Sky' by Amanda Eyre Ward I was struck by how similar to the daily stories of separated families, possible death in crossing the border into the USA and all the heart-wrenching news reports we read every day. Seemed to me the book was cobbled together from the headlines. Then as I read on I realized the deeper story within. The heartbreak of childlessness and a near baby having a bay. How all this colors the lives of those who are experiencing this, as well as, us the bystanders who have a large enough heart to want to help. The novel is not talking about the faction of society who is swimming in flat screens, iPods, WiFi, designer clothing and are limo driven. These are individuals who want to come here and be able to buy a plate of beans, have a pair of shoes, experience the love of their parent, not be afraid every minute of the day and night. Go to school. Take advantage of what is possible here with a lot of hard work. This little girl, age ten, is sitting on top of a moving train, traveling from a Latin country to Mexico and is exposed to all a cruel, uncaring world is dumping on her. If nothing else, after reading this novel we are forced to look around us and say "Thank You".

The Same Sky is the story of two people trying to make sense of their lives in what appears to be a parallel universe. Alice and her husband are successful restaurant owners trying to reconcile their inability to have a child and the heart breaking ups and downs of failed attempts to adopt that have left them emotionally drained. Carla, a young Honduran, is longing for her mother to return from El Norte and help take care of her little brother. When it becomes too dangerous for them to stay in their home by the dump, Carla begins the journey to be reunited with her mother.
Alternating chapter by chapter Ward's depictions of both lives is captivating. Alice and her husband operate a successful BBQ restaurant in Austin yet the need to have a child is creating an emotional roller coaster for them both. Their attempts to adopt have been unsuccessful, the last one especially heart breaking. Enough so they unwittingly take on a foster child, again with fairly disastrous results. Though their relationship starts strong all the emotional upheaval around trying to become parents begins to take its toll.
In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Carla's mother left her with her grandmother and headed north hoping to find a way to provide for the family from afar. When grandmother dies Carla is left to fend for herself and her little brother. Although she is fairly content in her home by the dump, she sees her little brother descend into another world as he sniffs glue to stave off hunger. Recognizing that no one she knows has returned from that world she decides to take him El Norte, find their mother and become a family again.
The Same Sky's plot is reminiscent of T.C. Boyle's Tortilla Curtain. I found Ward's prose succinct and easily read. The short chapters, alternating voices and stories kept the pace rapid. Ward waits until the last few pages to reveal her intent, which made reading that much more enjoyable. The Same Sky is a reminder that however we are different in circumstances and environment we are all under the "same sky". Highly recommended, especially for Book Clubs.

Carla is an unforgettable character. I struggled to remember she is only eleven years old. She is wise beyond her years due to her life experiences,but at times her innocence shines through. Alice's story was less interesting to me and I wish the book had told Carla's mothers story instead of Alice's. Makes me appreciate how fortunate I am to have been born and raised in the United States.

I really enjoyed reading The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward. It was a quick read and very engrossing. Alternating chapters between the 2 main characters Carla and Alice was a great way of telling their stories. However it did become obvious how their lives would intersect. I am going to recommend this book to my book club as it would make for a great discussion on many topics including immigration, infertility, and dealing with loss.

While told in two voices, the story of Alice and Carla tells the same story, a tale of love and loss, of hopes and dreams. Alice is trying to make a life for herself and her husband that centers around starting a business and dealing with the heartbreak of infertility. Carla, as an adolescent, lives in desperate poverty with her younger brother and grandmother in Guatemala after her mother illegally immigrates to the U.S. in order to provide for her family. Their lives will eventually intersect as they are tested to limits that will define and shape the reality of their dreams. The author skillfully draws the reader into both lives as she weaves the story line around their trials and joys. The topic of illegal immigration is given a face and a story readers won't soon forget.

I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down and read it in one day. I usually do not like books that move back and forth between storylines but this one really worked. I think the short chapters helped keep the pace quick and the reader engaged. I had anticipated a different ending and expected the two stories to intersect much earlier in the book. That being said, once I realized the direction the author was going in I guessed how she would wrap up the book. I like happy endings so I didn't mind the predictable ending.

Too often an author struggles to make a two-strand plot come together successfully. In "The Same Sky,"
Amanda Eyre Ward avoids that problem in two ways. First, she balances each major character's story by alternating chapters devoted to each so readers can watch them develop equally. Second, it becomes obvious early that their lives will somehow intersect. Thus readers become involved equally in both stories. I liked this way of moving the story even though I knew where Ward was going.

We can believe the details of Carla's life in Honduras because we have read about the US border problems and are familiar with undocumented immigrant issues. Ward uses Carla's story to flesh out those issues. Alice's thread is also one that many readers who struggle with the fertility/infertility issues can identify with her. Both of these characters became real to me.

I would have no trouble recommending this novel to my book club members knowing that the issues it develops would stimulate a lively and worthwhile discussion.