I enjoyed how this book captured both the time and spirit of a country that seems exotic to the outsider yet is anything but to the local inhabitants. I was grabbed by Rita and wanted to adopt her, yet her mother's story is even sadder. I learnt a lot about the political situation in Guyana at the time even if the tone at times seemed to detract from the story. However, the story itself is both harrowing and wonderful and well worth a read.

Book Review 💫
The Far Away Girl by Sharon Maas

This was my 4th book by the author and one that I was excited to get as an arc. The culture and history that seeps through her novels has always drawn me in. She was born in Guyana but became a woman of the world when England, Germany and Ireland helped shape her path. The connection to her living in Germany for 40 years was also one that made me pick up her novel as I remember being that new immigrant supporting her hubby’s career in a new country with a new language to figure out.

This novel was a slow build up for me. Rita (the young girl/teen) is the daughter of a mixed race background. Her father is Indian and her mother has Amerindian/Black roots that contribute to her lack of not knowing where she belongs. Her mom isn’t in the picture (no spoilers as you don’t find out till the end) and her father has remarried a woman who verbally abused Rita from the time she meets the young girl.

This book is Rita’s journey into her past and uncovering her secrets that both her Granma and Father kept hidden. I enjoyed it but if you’re going to read one of her novels, I suggest you start with one of her others as you’ll come to understand her writing. “Of Marriagable Age” was my top of the four I’ve read of hers.

The Far Away Girl was published on Tuesday and is available everywhere. Thank you @plumepublishers and netgalley for the gifted copy in return for an honest review.

This was such a wonderful book, one that will be talked about by so many and for such a long time. I was enraptured by Rita’s character and loved watching her grow, from her spunk to her liveliness, to her personality and beliefs. In fact, my favorite parts of the novel were those that were from her point of view. The history told in this novel was fascinating to me, especially told from Rita’s perspective. The author demonstrated such talent describing the scenery and characters, I could easily envision both as I was reading, as if I were watching a movie and not reading a book - that really impressed me. Examples of this are Rita’s experiences in the different locations - I can picture it easily in my mind and could feel a shimmer of the exhilarating emotion similar to what she likely felt. The characters, especially Rita, were so lively, so colorful, they have such personalities! I loved watching Rita flourish, grow, and mature, to be happy about herself inside and out. I feel like playing with the ants when she was young to being part of the release of the turtles was even symbolic. To me, the ending was perfect, I loved it.

https://www.lifeofafemalebibliophilThis is my first time reading a novel by Sharon Maas and I enjoyed it. The Far Away Girl is a mixture of Literary and Historical Fiction that follows the main character Rita as she grows up and experiences life, loss, change, and a long journey of self-discovery. Readers follow her narrative from childhood to adulthood and how life’s events shape her into the woman she becomes.

It’s a bit hard to discuss this novel without giving too much away, but I thought that it was a beautiful and bittersweet tale overall. It was hard for me to grasp the story at first since the book moves at a slower place. Once I was a quarter way into the novel significantly picked up. The time jumps were a bit unclear in the beginning but got smoother as the plot progessed. It’s packed with a lot of history that I was unfamiliar with and I was glad I got to learn more about Guyana’s background through reading it. I also liked the subtle shifts in point-of-view to give some of the other secondary characters depth.

Maas is a lyrical writer that gives detailed description to her readers. I felt the sand on my feet when Rita goes to the beach, the tropical climate of the land, and the inner turmoil of her characters. She tackles a lot of topics within the narrative such as race and prejudice. I could feel Rita’s struggle to fit in while also feeling like she has a missing piece of her. She’s different from others and it leaves her feeling conflicted at first and then stronger later in life. I like that she was confident but vulnerable, and most importantly that she never changed herself for anyone. She has an infectious spirit even though she’s dealt with tragedy and obstacles and she refuses to let anyone break her down.

The Far Away Girl is a heartbreaking, powerful, and moving story that I would recommend to those who enjoy thought-provoking Historical Fiction.

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The Far Away Girl by Sharon Maas tells the story of Rita, a young girl in Guyana who has lost her mother Cassie due to mysterious circumstances. She lives with her father Jitty and her step-mother Chandra. Rita is content with her life of taking care of stray animals and spending time alone, but Chandra turns her life upside down. The readers get to see Rita grow up and find herself, and eventually discover the truth about her mother.

I was excited to read this book because I’ve never seen historical fiction set in Guyana. In fact, finding any genre of book set in Guyana or written by Guyanese authors is rare. I have Indo-Guyanese heritage and so finding this kind of representation is important to me. I thought that the author did a wonderful job of describing the landscapes of Guyana and it's wildlife, her love for Guyana is clear and it made me feel like I was there. The way Guyana is described is reminiscent of how my own relatives talk about it, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate the first few chapters that set up the novel and introduce the readers to Guyana and it's history. I’m glad that colonialism and the system of Indian Indenture are mentioned because acknowledging them is important to understanding Guyana.

Initially, I enjoyed this book. I like Rita, and I enjoyed the concept of including her diary entries to help tell the story. I like that we get to see Rita grow up and discover her identity, but there is one particular instance of Rita learning about her heritage I didn’t like because it felt like she was giving up on that part of her identity rather than embracing it. And although we see Rita grow into a young woman, her voice doesn’t change with her. The way Rita talks and thinks when she is a teenager and young woman is mostly the same as when she was a child.

As the novel progresses we hear more from Jitty’s POV, and I lost interest. I think my biggest problem with him is that there was no character growth. He knew he made mistakes and he knew he was a jerk, but he never tried to change. His treatment of all of the women in his life is awful. A lot of his chapters included sexist remarks and I found that unnecessary. And because of the lack of growth, his chapters also felt repetitive.

There are several instances where the fact that a character is mixed race is brought up. It felt like the book was trying to comment on what it means to be mixed race but this was not done effectively. These comments never led to greater discussions about racism, they only reflected the racist thinking of the time period the novel is set in. I understand that this is historical fiction and that comments like that were (and still are) commonly said, but if it’s not going to be used as an opportunity to call out racism then why include it at all?

The big reveal about Rita’s mother is indeed heartbreaking and is one of the best written parts of the book. But it took so long to get there, I wasn’t that invested in it anymore. It just furthered my hatred of Jitty.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book and give it 2.5/5 stars. I appreciate the ways it represents Guyana and Guyanese culture, but a lot of other things didn’t work for me. I wish we had seen more of Rita’s Grandmother and Auntie Penny because Rita’s visits with them were some of the best chapters. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was only told from Rita and Cassie’s POV, and if we had learned the truth about Cassie a lot sooner.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A touching read of love, grief and family. This multi perspective story covers issues of race and class in 1970’s Guyana and is a powerful tale. I especially liked the part when Rita returns to her mother’s home and family and discovers the love and life lessons available in the simple life surrounded by loyal family and friends.

Daddy's Secret

Rita is a seven year old girl living in Guyana in the 1970's. She is happy living with her happy go lucky father and her animals. She hasn't a care in the world until all of a sudden she has a stepmother Chandra. She does not get along with her stepmother who always puts her down for being half-caste, not that she is sure what that means but she thinks it is because she has kinky hair. Then she has a little sister, she loves her sister but she is annoying at times.

Rita wonders what happened to her mother. Her father never talks about it, ever. He also never keeps any promises. The older she gets the more she wonders about her mother. She gets birthday presents from her aunts and grandmother, but when her aunt comes to visit her father slams the door in her face. Still she wonders where she came from and who her mother was, what was she like and why did she die.

This is a coming of age story about Rita. The story of her life, her loves, her young years and her teen years. About family secrets, family problems and a father that loves his daughter but is not cut out to be a family man. One day when Rita is grown she finds out the secret of her mother's death .
This is a book of forgiveness and of love. It is a book of everyday living and a family that just doesn't quite fit together. Rita forges ahead with her life and finds happiness in spite of her upbringing.

I loved the characters in the book, but most of all the vivid descriptions of the beauty of Guyana and the wildlife and rain forest. The shell beach made of shells and the turtles. The beautiful Kaieteur Falls set in the Kaieteur national park. The Golden frogs that are as small as a thumbnail. It was so descriptive I felt like I was there watching the falls and seeing the turtles hatching on shell beach.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Sharon Maas, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in return for an honest review.

Astoundingly beautiful, incredibly powerful, a powerhouse of a book. This author never ceases to amaze - book after book she stuns and beguiles with her beautiful prose and her wonderful stories. While her books are always making a point or several - this book is about racism, prejudice, self discovery, conservation, humanity- they also always tell a great, great story. This author is one of the most versatile writers I've read and yet whatever the genre her books are masterpieces. And this book! A coming of age story which also tackles racism and prejudice and environmental issues. But most of all it is an ode to Guyana. After reading this I want to go there, travel to the Pomeroon and the Kaieteur falls. This book is sheer perfection. Please read it. If you don't you're missing out.

Many thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for this advance reader copy, set for publication on 2nd March.

Based in 1970's Georgetown, Guyana, a landscape and region I'm not overly family with, Maas sets the scene beautifully. Her imagery and scene setting is like no other, telling a story like no other as we follow young Rita and her father Jitty.

Rita lost her mother at an early age, in a way unknown to Rita (which has been kept a staunch secret by her father) and has "enjoyed" a childhood where she has been allowed to run free, up until her father re-marries Chandra, a character who is not so lenient on her upbringing and is so prejudice on Rita's mixed race, personality and appearance. Whilst still a child, Rita's wise before her time and stays true to herself and her beliefs. One for no messing, watching Rita come of age throughout this novel was so eloquently and sensitively written.

The part of the story where Rita accompanies her Aunt Penny to her late mothers home and family in Pomeroon in the remote Guyanese Rainforest, were some of my favourite chapters of the book. Seeing her amongst family experiencing love that she has never felt, learning important life lessons that couldn't be taught at school, being at one with nature, living a simple life surrounded by loyalty, kindess and support, saw Rita open up in a way I didn't expect.

Despite being 450 pages in length, I devoured this book in just a couple of days. The emotion it evoked, the exquisite writing and the brilliant story telling, this book is sure to be a hit and has certainly become a firm favourite of mine. For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Vanishing Half, I'd be sure to give this one a try! 4.5 stars from me :)

The Far Away Girl is the eleventh novel by Guyana-born author, Sharon Maas. When she was five, Rita Maraj came to live at Number Seven Kaieteur Close, Georgetown, with her father and Mildred the maid. Her Daddy, having not had his own family from the age of three, didn’t know how to be a parent, so there wasn’t much discipline, but eventually Rita was happy, which was the most important thing, as far as he was concerned.

Until Doomsday arrived, Rita had been free to have her ant farm and jars of tadpoles and a menagerie of animals (she loved animals). Things in their old Dutch colonial white wooden mansion could be as messy as they liked, no one was bothered. Then Daddy brought home a wife, Chandra, who would be a mother for Rita, and everything changed: ants, animals all gone, everything had to be tidy, and a new baby…

Jitendra Maraj was always uneasy when Rita, ever inquisitive, raised the topic of her mother. She would hear whispers about her mother’s death and some would say Rita was a bastard; Jitty promised to tell her everything when she was older. Meanwhile, he discouraged contact with her mother’s family, up there in the hills near the Pomeroon.

When Rita finally met, properly, her maternal grandmother and visited the place from where Cassie Gomes had come, would she learn the truth? What was Jitty not telling?

Maas gives the reader a touching story of love and loss, guilt and grief, racial prejudice and moral judgement, as well as touching on conservation issues. Her characters are credibly flawed and most have a genuine appeal that allows the reader to invest in them, care about their fate and shed a tear or two at their tragedies.

The story is told from multiple perspectives and skips back and forth between timelines, clearly marked so there is no confusion. Entries into the diary that Jitty gives his daughter when she turns seven add to the narrative.

Maas deftly captures the era with mentions of popular songs, movies, political and world events; her gorgeous descriptive prose easily evokes her setting, giving it an authenticity only possible from one who is intimate with the place. The love that Maas has for Guyana and her people is apparent on every page. A wonderful, truly moving read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture.

The beautiful cover of this book captured my attention at first and when I read that it was set in Guyana, I knew I had to read it! You see, I know nothing about Guyana and I love to learn as I read. The best person to teach you something, is someone who has experienced it themselves. Fortunately, the author, Sharon Maas hails from British Guiana and therefore, she had a treasure trove of experiences and memories from which to draw for her story. Did you know that Guyana is in South America? It’s a country in the north, sandwiched between Venezuela and Suriname. It’s actually considered part of the Caribbean region because of its strong cultural, historical and political ties with other Caribbean countries. Maas’s novel is set against a colourful backdrop and showcases a tale of racial tension, forbidden love and family secrets.

The Far Away Girl is the saga of Rita Maraj and her family. The author invites us to delve into Rita’s past and meet her father, Jitty, who raised her from she was five years old. Although he is a fantastic father, Rita struggles to accept him after being torn from the only family she’s ever known. When he marries and has another daughter, Rita realizes that she’ll never fit in to the family. When there’s talk of them immigrating to London or Canada, Rita knows she can’t go with them. Thankfully, it’s at this point that her auntie shows up, begging Rita to come for a two week trip to meet her grandparents and extended family. When Rita agrees, she has no idea how much the visit will change her life. Finally, she gets to experience joy, love, acceptance and a sense of ‘family.’ When buried secrets come to the surface, Rita’s world is shaken. Can she accept them and move forward? Will she learn to emulate her grandmother and learn to forgive? Will she finally learn about her mother?

As Rita explores her new surroundings, it gives the author a chance to teach her readers about this country and its customs. Maas paints a vivid picture of the stately homes framed with colourful blooms against a backdrop of foliage. She has ignited in me a desire to travel and learn for myself the beauty of this country. In sharing Rita’s story, which parallels the life of a leatherback turtle, Maas reminds us of the importance of forgiveness, being accountable and transparent, and the far-reaching effects of family on shaping our future. The Far Away Girl is to be published March 2, 2021.

Thank you Sharon Maas, Bookouture and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully written story about seven year old Rita, who lives with her dad Jitty in Georgetown Guyana. She is pretty spoiled and allowed to do whatever makes her heart happy. She loves animals and nature, which often see’s her bringing home stray animals, playing wherever she likes, happy in her own little world.
But this all changes when her dad remarries and her step mother Chandra puts a stop to all her fun. Rita spends a lot of time thinking about her own mum who died when she was very young and longs to know what happened to her. This book follows Rita’s journey to adulthood and discovering the truth about her mother’s untimely and tragic death.
The front cover of this book is beautiful and colourful, it perfectly captures Rita’s personality and how she’s so at one with nature. It would definitely catch my eye in a book store.
Rita is such a well written, likeable, strong and highly intellectual character. I was really routing for her. I couldn’t help but love Jitty as well, despite everything he was a good Dad.
The book is detailed, interesting and so descriptive I actually feel like I’ve been to Georgetown, the Pomeron, shell beach etc.
Such an emotional, heart-warming, inspiring and absorbing story which was totally unputdownable.
(Trigger warnings :- sexual assault, racism)
Thanks to #netgalley #thefarawaygirl for my ARC copy

I have really enjoyed reading this book by Sharon Maas it is a lovely story and draws you in and i can highly recommend it.5*

The far away girl by Sharon Mass.
This was a good read. I loved the cover. Good characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author. 5*.

Life in 1970 Guyana is sweet and carefree for 7 year old Rita. The her father remarries and life, as Rita kew it, is over. She loses her freedom, her pets, and soon her place in her father’s heart when a new baby is born. Rita begins to obsess over her mother, Cassie, a woman she never knew and soon sets out on a quest to find out what happened to Cassie, journeying to her mother’s home in the lush Guyanese jungle. She finds love in the arms of her maternal grandmother, but also learns the truth about her father. Maas’s books are always a delight, a chance to travel to some of the most beautiful parts of the world without ever leaving your home