Member Reviews

I really enjoyed The Lauras. It is a bit hard to read emotionally, especially if you have a special connection with your mother but also have a fear of her leaving you one day. Watching Alex grow up during the two years they are on the road, travelling cross country, is very enveloping. Seeing Alex learn about their Mom through her stories, and visiting people from her past, is both exhausting and intriguing. The writing is a bit flowering, and something hard to weave through, but ultimately it's a beautiful book and a great coming of age story.

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This book was riveting and very moving. I found it confusing whether Alex the 13 year old narrator was a girl or boy and did that really matter? The only reason it mattered was because I kept thinking about it. Otherwise I really liked this book. I look forward to reading other books by Sara Taylor

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I enjoy a good coming of age story. That is basically what The Lauras is. However, there is a twist as the protagonist, Alex, is a teen who has embraced the idea of gender neutrality.

Alex is taken from bed one night after hearing parents fighting. Alex's mother has decided to leave Alex's father. They begin a long journey across the United States. If funds were unlimited, the actual 'journey' would have taken a few months. However, Ma does not have unlimited funds and therefore must take the time to work in different locations and save up the money.

The whole gender neutrality thing was an interesting twist. Alex has sexual urges, but you never are told flat out if Alex is a boy (with homosexual tendencies as there is an attraction to a guy in one part) or a girl. Rather, Alex doesn't want to be put into a box as to do so would force the choice of which parent Alex most aligns with.

The other part of the story which is so nicely told in the pages is how there comes a point when you learn a parent isn't just your parent. They had a life before you including dreams for what they wanted which might not have come to pass. Sometimes those things remain a secret forever. Other times, a parent will share as their child matures and can handle seeing behind the curtain. It is during the long journey that Alex learns some (but probably not all) of Ma's secrets.

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This was a coming of age type story about a character named Alex, and it is not clear if the character is a male or female. It was definitely intentional and an interesting take. I didn't identify very much with the character although he or she was in a tough situation - the story follows Alex and the mother moving around the country and explaining the mother's backstory. I recommend if you like stories about disconnected families getting to know each other.

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Tingling down your back, restlessness, itchy arms, these are the symptoms of being in one place too long and needing to hit the road. Doesn't matter if it's in foot, hitchhiking or by ferry, bus or car when the urge hits, you have to go.
Alex has been with his mother from i.e. side of the country to another. She has things to do and places to go to and people to see. These are all part of who she is, and that makes it a part of Alex too. As they travel she tells him stories, her life stories. The Laura's are people she knows and stepping stones in her life.
Alex has to decide what is important, het story or his.
Wonderful story line, great characters.
5 Stars

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I wasn't sure what rating to give this book. It wasn't earth shattering. It doesn't rock your world. It doesn't make you overthink anything. It's just an interesting story. A good tale. It moves along nicely and sustains your interest throughout. And maybe ...maybe that's really all you need in a decent read.

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What to say? I really struggled to connect with the characters. I didn't really want to go on this journey with them but here I was. That said, there were some poignant components of the book and I did finish the journey.

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I would like to thank Sara Taylor, Crown Publishing and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
I was super excited when I saw Sara Taylor had a new novel! I loved her last novel The Shore that I was like “heck yeah” when I saw The Lauras on netgalley! These two books are incredibly different but they echo Sara’s amazing story telling and her amazing style of writing!
The Lauras is told by Alex, who is a 13 year old who doesn’t live by one gender or the other. Alex is woken up in the middle of the night by her/his parents fighting, this isn’t new for Alex but this fight Alex’s mom storms into Alex’s room and grabs him/her and they run away from the home. The rest of the book is Alex and his/her mother’s journey together across the country. This journey takes place over several years, and it is remarkable to read about a mother and her child. They are on the run yet the conversions, the adventures and challenges these two faced was very interesting to read. Since Alex doesn’t identify with a specific gender they question of gender roles is tacked as well as what home really means.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Sara Taylor!

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There are moments in the book when a skilled writing hand comes through. Those seem to be lost, however, among long, drawn-out sections of repetition and/or gratuitous vulgarity.

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After yet another argument between his mom and dad, Ma and Alex leave with only a backpack, their "papers" and a little money. Alex thinks it is for the night, but they keep going. Days turn to weeks. Ma has a plan but doesn't tell Alex more than necessary about their destinations or the purpose for each stop. As they travel, Alex slowly learns about his mom through her stories and through the places they go and how she handles each situation. Alex, who does not relate to either gender, struggles with puberty and the awkwardness of dealing with other teens that have difficulties accepting Alex as a person without knowing what lies below. It is never confirmed which gender applies, and I think this is the author's choice to respect Alex's rights to privacy. There were a few things that seemed to hint to me one gender versus the other but I think that is still debatable. In reality, it doesn't matter. It is the experiences, the mother-child relationship, the mind of a pubescent teen that make this book a winner. Certain subject matter may make some readers uncomfortable, but it is realistically presented. Negative foster care experiences, dangers of hitch-hiking, drugs, cross dressing, child abuse, same-sex relationships, cult activities and other situations that may be seen as offensive by more sensitive readers are broached. Not a book for the faint of heart but definitely a worthwhile read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read an Advanced Read Copy of this book for an unbiased review.

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This book was slow, boring at times, vague in so many ways and had no ending. I would it recommend this book and rate it a 2!

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I did not finish this book as I did not engage with the story or the characters.

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I flew through this book but the ending just left me disappointed.. I think the author is a good writer but the full story just left me unaffected although parts of the story were very sad but since I just could not suspend belief the book just left me cold.

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This book was very well done. I loved that the character was agender and the way the story unfolded over time, piece by piece. It was great to see a complex representation of a mother-child relationship and to see a mother character portrayed with such a full life. It was a bit wordy in places but I cannot fault the author's descriptions, which were very well chosen.

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I'm afraid, I struggled through the first half and then gave up. I couldn't really see where the story was going and wasn't interested in the mom's journey to look for people from her past. I liked the main protagonist but just didn't connect with the mom. I figured she killed the dad, but that still didn't really motivate me to keep reading just to find out if she did or not. However, the writing was good and I liked the tone and pace a lot. I would picked up another book by the same author.

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This was an interesting coming of age story. I liked the characters and their stories. Some parts were a bit slow. Overall I enjoyed the read.

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I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In parts, this review might be a little too honest…

The Lauras by Sara Taylor took me a long time to read. For such a fairly small book, it was hefty and slow moving. I found myself dreading each encounter with it, but would get sucked in just for a little bit when I did pick it up, leading me back for seconds and thirds. I took it on a vacation, hoping that during the 48+ hours of cumulative travel time I would be able to finish the last half. Instead, I dozed. Now I realize that The Lauras is like the “Sleep With Me podcast” - rambling, sweet and monotone.

For some readers this would be the draw. Taylor has a knack for language, her style is poetic and pretty. Her topics are current, her characters laden with enough angst and mystery to appeal to both teenage and adult readers. The Lauras is about Alex of unknown gender, who is taken by his/her mother on a spontaneous cross-country road trip to rediscover her difficult past. While driving from one location to the other, stopping and living in various towns, Alex’s mother tells her the stories of her parents, her foster homes, and the different Lauras that she had met during that time. Alex goes along with this because he/she is swept up by her bigger-than-life mother, all the while struggling with his/her worrying thoughts of identity, sexuality and worry about the father and husband that they had left behind.

Alex is a sympathetic character. He/she is over-shadowed by her mother’s needs, regrets and dreams, and for the first part of the book Alex’s voice and identity is almost non-existent. The further they go, the older Alex gets, the more we learn about his/her personality, mostly through sexual experiences and thoughts. As a formal teenager, I could relate to what he/she was going through in that sense, and yet, I could not connect to him/her. There is no other way that I can describe Alex but as a rag. I wanted to hear more from Alex, and though I understand that this lack of voice is the whole point of the novel, but his/her inability to do anything but follow his/her mother without question to the point of avoiding conversations such as “Where are we going?” and “What are we doing?” was frustrating. Alex’s mother often dismissed her with “I’ll tell you later” and “You’ll find out” but for me, as a reader, those answers did little but make me dislike the characters and the book. Which is why I really could not care about Alex, his/her mother, or the Lauras.

I think that Alex’s mother’s character was supposed to be this larger-than-life, hurt-your-eyes-if-you-stare-too-long woman, who is selfish, wounded, full of secrets, who played with bisexuality, gave a daughter up for abortion, sold her body, worked too much to care for her remaining child, and yet that’s all she seemed to be – just a collection of stories and characteristics that are supposed to make her fascinating, edgy. Who am I to say that people like that don’t exist? She could easily be featured on /r/raisedbynarcissists on Reddit.

I did not realize how much I disliked this book until I started jotting down ideas for this review. It would explain why I dreaded it so much, even on the long plane ride. Despite Taylor’s obvious talent, I found this novel to be just a tad too whiny and melodramatic, filled with too much emotional drivel for any of it to be truly meaningful. One of the only reasons that I kept on reading is because I was hoping that the reason they ran away so quickly and quietly in the middle of the night is because Alex’s mother killed her husband. I think that would have made for a better twist at the end than a long-lost dying lover.

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Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟    

Wow! I have just finished reading the final page of THE LAURAS and I can already tell you that this book is going to be on my list of the BEST BOOKS OF 2017.

Although this book will not be officially released until August, I urge everyone that reads this review to put the date on your calendar and not to miss out.

This is one of those extremely rare books that is worth standing in line for  - at midnight, on the eve of its release. Yes, IT IS THAT GOOD.

THE LAURAS is a tale that will take readers on a journey of dual-discovery. It is a tale of a mother and child who set out on a cross country trip during which the mother makes multiple interesting side-trips.

These trips could last a day, a month, or even several months. They could be boring (in Alex's opinion), they could be strange, and sometimes they were even downright terrifying.

Alex is a child (less due to her age, and more due to her limited life experience) when this story begins, but as the cross-country Odyssey continues Alex grows into a young adult. Thanks to the fact that Alex is the narrator, readers are brought along on Alex's unique journey into the perils and delights of becoming the person who was always meant to be. And, trust me - this is a coming of age story unlike any other.

I wish there was a way to give more than 5 out of 5 stars, because this book is a masterpiece of fiction and I have no doubt that it will win many awards and will end up on Bestseller Lists everywhere. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

THE CHARACTERS:

How do I describe Alex's mother? It's a dilemma, but perhaps I will let Alex  describe her since that expanation will be so much better than mine.

"Ma's mood had perked up; I could see the happy on her face and the weight was rolling off her shoulders like stones ... and it looked like she might start singing at any moment. If she'd been the kind of person that sang. Really, she'd be more likely to start spontaneously handing around shots of tequila as an expression of happiness, but singing sounds better."

Some people might think that having a Mom like that would be fun - and maybe it would be; for a little while, anyway. But, a parent is meant to take care of their child, not act like a child herself.

Alex is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. When the reader learns more and more about Alex's life and personality, it is impossible not to root for this interesting and inscrutable character. Readers will find themselves second guessing what they think they know about Alex and this mystery remains until the very end of the book.

MORE...

This would be a terrific book to feature in a Book Club setting since there is just so much in it that readers will want to talk about.

I also think that this book just might have some people questioning their own stances on many issues. I would love to say more here, but I refuse to ruin this story for anyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE:
"But I didn't have the child's blind trust in the omnipotence of parents anymore: I had eaten the apple, knew that Ma was no different from me, that she probably didn't know what to do right now anymore than I would, that her only advantage was a rapidly narrowing gulf of experience."

IN CONCLUSION:

ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR TBR (TO BE READ) LIST AND MARK AUGUST 1st, 2017 ON YOUR CALENDAR. You will be glad you did.

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Thirteen year old Alex is pulled from bed and taken on a cross country road trip when his mom decides to leave his father. The novel tells the story of how Alex's mother revisits her past, along with the several Lauras that were in her former life as she makes stops along the way to make amends and make her peace with her past. Taylor plays with naming here both in the repetition of Lauras and in the questioning of Alex's gender. I especially enjoyed the way the author both tied up the story of the road trip and left open the future wanderings of Alex.

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I received this e-book for free to read and review The Lauras by author Sara Taylor. This is the first book I have read by author Sara Taylor. This book was not a favorite of mine, I wanted to quit a quarter of the way through but once I start a book I finish it no matter what. The book did get better halfway through but not by much. I thought it was wordy and over explained somethings. I understand the point of the book, but thought it was very drawn out. At times subjects or events were over explained to the point it was boring and dull. I do think the mother and child did bond, which is part of what the book is about. I think another part of the book was self discovery for the child(Alex). I think the self discovery was started but not really finished and I think in periods of the self discovery especially in the beginning there was to much talk about the child self discovery. If you our a reader with an open mind about a lot of things then this book would be for you.

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