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In the Path of Falling Objects
Jonah and his younger brother, Simon, are on their own. They set out to find what¡¯s left of their family, carrying between them ten dollars, a backpack full of dirty clothes, a notebook, and a stack of letters from their brother, who is serving a tour in Vietnam. And soon into their journey, they have a ride. With a man and a beautiful girl who may be in love with Jonah. Or Simon. Or both of them. The man is crazy. The girl is desperate. This violent ride is only just beginning. And it will leave the brothers taking cover from hard truths about loyalty, love, and survival that crash into their lives. One more The brothers have a gun. They¡¯re going to need it.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2009
22 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Smith
19?books1,707?followersAndrew Smith is the author of Winger, Grasshopper Jungle, The Alex Crow, 100 Sideways Miles, and Rabbit & Robot, among others. Exile from Eden: Or, After the Hole, the long-awaited sequel to Grasshopper Jungle, is coming from Simon & Schuster on September 24, 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
March 16, 2015
My friend Kelly made me read this one, she even involved Queen songs. I like Freddie Mercury so I gave in pretty easy.
This book is listed as Young Adult in my library. I think this might should have a shelf called Young Adult after dropping a line of acid. This was some jacked up stuff.
Simon and Jonah have been abandoned by their man-leg-humping mom and their older brother is off at the Vietnam war, so they decide to take the horse and go to Arizona to find their dad after he gets out of prison.
The horse dies.
So they decide to keep on going. Simon sticks his finger out when a car with a bearded guy and pretty lady is passing by. (I would have broken that finger off and shoved it somewhere)
Maybe smart ass teenagers that think they can hitch-hike should read this book.
Anyways, Mitch and Lily pick up the boys. Lily is a pregnant sixteen year old and Mitch is a crazy asshole.
But the greatest thing about this book? ROAD TRIP!
I'm like Kelly about road trips, there is something about them in books/movies that just draws out the Thelma and Louise in me and I love them.
There is a lot of violence in this book, so if that's something that bothers you be warned. I ate that shit up like pancakes. This book moves fast and I read it in one afternoon. I would have done my review then but I got pissed off about some stupid shit on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and had to make myself go to time-out.
This book is listed as Young Adult in my library. I think this might should have a shelf called Young Adult after dropping a line of acid. This was some jacked up stuff.
Simon and Jonah have been abandoned by their man-leg-humping mom and their older brother is off at the Vietnam war, so they decide to take the horse and go to Arizona to find their dad after he gets out of prison.
The horse dies.
So they decide to keep on going. Simon sticks his finger out when a car with a bearded guy and pretty lady is passing by. (I would have broken that finger off and shoved it somewhere)
Maybe smart ass teenagers that think they can hitch-hike should read this book.
Anyways, Mitch and Lily pick up the boys. Lily is a pregnant sixteen year old and Mitch is a crazy asshole.
But the greatest thing about this book? ROAD TRIP!
I'm like Kelly about road trips, there is something about them in books/movies that just draws out the Thelma and Louise in me and I love them.
There is a lot of violence in this book, so if that's something that bothers you be warned. I ate that shit up like pancakes. This book moves fast and I read it in one afternoon. I would have done my review then but I got pissed off about some stupid shit on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and had to make myself go to time-out.
March 17, 2015
Find all of my reviews at:
ALL THE STARS!!!!!!
Like many of my selections, I picked up The Path of Falling Objects from the library without even reading the synopsis. Andrew Smith has been kind of a miss, then a hit, and then an even bigger hit for me so when I saw this on the shelf I grabbed it. A few days ago I had a bad experience with a road trip story, so upon starting this one I was a wee bit leery ¨C but when I realized this was going to be a road trip story from Hell my attitude turned around a bit . . .
After finishing this book I¡¯ve determined I¡¯m officially Andrew Smith¡¯s biggest fan. (Might wanna go ahead and change your locks, Mr. Smith) . . .
The story begins with two brothers (Jonah and Simon) who have been abandoned by their dirty whore of a mother (as a mother I¡¯m allowed to call it as I see it) and are left with no choice but to hitchhike their way to Arizona in order to meet their father upon his release from prison. (In case you didn¡¯t figure it out, this ain¡¯t a feel good story, kids.)
The boys also hope to reunite with their older brother, Matthew, who has been fighting in the Vietnam war and whose letters not only promise he will meet them in Arizona, but make it crystal clear that he is not a soldier who loves the smell of napalm in the morning . . .
The duo get picked up in a 1940 Lincoln Cabriolet by Mitch and Lilly who are en route to California. It¡¯s obvious from the start that Mitch is a bit . . . ¡°off.¡± At first the brothers think it¡¯s just because he¡¯s a damn dirty hippie . . .
but then they are introduced to a giant tin man statue named ¡°Don Quixote¡± in the backseat, and Mitch starts bragging about his ability to count objects with just a glance, and some other weird shit. It doesn¡¯t take long to figure out Mitch is less like this . . .
and more like this . . .
That¡¯s when things get really interesting . . .
This is labeled as YA, and I¡¯m not one who is opposed to the label. I will note, however, that this is some gritty YA. There is violence, and sex, and drugs, etc., and I¡¯d definitely steer the younger of the young adult population clear from this selection. This is YA for grown-ups. For all the thrillers I read, this was about the most edge-of-my-seat/shitting my pants story I¡¯ve come across in a long time. I was a nervous wreck. There was no way I wasn¡¯t going to finish this thing in one day. I never would have been able to sleep if I hadn¡¯t!
How a guy can write nothing but coming of age stories, but make them all so different from each other and fill each with characters you just want to know, and love, and fix, and hug is beyond me. But he does it time and again and I think he does it better than anyone else. This book has like NO ratings/reviews. Why? Read it. Everyone. In the entire universe.
ALL THE STARS!!!!!!
Like many of my selections, I picked up The Path of Falling Objects from the library without even reading the synopsis. Andrew Smith has been kind of a miss, then a hit, and then an even bigger hit for me so when I saw this on the shelf I grabbed it. A few days ago I had a bad experience with a road trip story, so upon starting this one I was a wee bit leery ¨C but when I realized this was going to be a road trip story from Hell my attitude turned around a bit . . .
After finishing this book I¡¯ve determined I¡¯m officially Andrew Smith¡¯s biggest fan. (Might wanna go ahead and change your locks, Mr. Smith) . . .
The story begins with two brothers (Jonah and Simon) who have been abandoned by their dirty whore of a mother (as a mother I¡¯m allowed to call it as I see it) and are left with no choice but to hitchhike their way to Arizona in order to meet their father upon his release from prison. (In case you didn¡¯t figure it out, this ain¡¯t a feel good story, kids.)
The boys also hope to reunite with their older brother, Matthew, who has been fighting in the Vietnam war and whose letters not only promise he will meet them in Arizona, but make it crystal clear that he is not a soldier who loves the smell of napalm in the morning . . .
The duo get picked up in a 1940 Lincoln Cabriolet by Mitch and Lilly who are en route to California. It¡¯s obvious from the start that Mitch is a bit . . . ¡°off.¡± At first the brothers think it¡¯s just because he¡¯s a damn dirty hippie . . .
but then they are introduced to a giant tin man statue named ¡°Don Quixote¡± in the backseat, and Mitch starts bragging about his ability to count objects with just a glance, and some other weird shit. It doesn¡¯t take long to figure out Mitch is less like this . . .
and more like this . . .
That¡¯s when things get really interesting . . .
This is labeled as YA, and I¡¯m not one who is opposed to the label. I will note, however, that this is some gritty YA. There is violence, and sex, and drugs, etc., and I¡¯d definitely steer the younger of the young adult population clear from this selection. This is YA for grown-ups. For all the thrillers I read, this was about the most edge-of-my-seat/shitting my pants story I¡¯ve come across in a long time. I was a nervous wreck. There was no way I wasn¡¯t going to finish this thing in one day. I never would have been able to sleep if I hadn¡¯t!
How a guy can write nothing but coming of age stories, but make them all so different from each other and fill each with characters you just want to know, and love, and fix, and hug is beyond me. But he does it time and again and I think he does it better than anyone else. This book has like NO ratings/reviews. Why? Read it. Everyone. In the entire universe.
February 16, 2013
I have a sneaking suspicion that Andrew Smith reads my reviews.
Actually, OK, that¡¯s definitely a lie. That probably¡ fine definitely doesn¡¯t happen.
But all I¡¯m saying is that it¡¯s a massive coincidence that he knows all the things that I harp on about wanting to be featured more in YA books and writes stories about them.
He must have seen all the not-so-subtle pleadings I¡¯ve had with authors to write books about road trips (and not just ones girls take with a mysterious boy in a leather jacket who has a past) and siblings.
Seriously, if his next book is about dinosaurs¡.
Um.
This book is astounding.
I bought it a while ago, quite soon after I finished (a book that I adored and wholly recommend to anyone), but it¡¯s taken me a while to actually read it. I don¡¯t know why. I kept going back to my book shelf and having a peek at it though because that cover is gorgeous, isn¡¯t it?
Normally I get a bit eye-rolly when it comes to covers with people on them but this one is perfect. The sepia, the way they're holding each other¡ it¡¯s flawless. And it fits with the story so well. I think I¡¯d probably go as far as saying that it¡¯s one of the most fitting covers for a book I¡¯ve ever seen, especially after reading the story.
And what a story.
I¡¯m not actually going to tell anything about the story because of spoilers but whoosh, what a mental ride. From the first chapter (actually, the epilogue), I was captivated, horrified and enthralled right up until the end. I think this was the only book that made me tempted to sneak a peak at the last few pages, just to check it was going to be a happy ending.
Because it got pretty dicey a few times.
Mr Smith¡¯s story is raw and powerful. There seems to be a lot going on: psychopaths, tragic women, tin men, dusty bars, letters from Vietnam, but there¡¯s really only one focus of this book. And that¡¯s the brothers. The relationship between Jonah and Simon was beautifully depicted and was the driving force for this book. When these two were on the page, everything else was just peripheral.
Their relationship was all snipes, bloody lips, petty squabbles and unwavering love and it was fantastic. It¡¯s one of the most well-written depictions of brothers I¡¯ve ever read.
But let¡¯s talk about that peripheral stuff, because it¡¯s pretty important too. Without spoiling the twists and turns, I¡¯ll say that this book was deliciously unsettling. I had such a bad taste in my mouth for most of these chapters and my face was probably fixed in the most unflattering grimace. But if a book can¡¯t challenge you like that, then what¡¯s the point?
It is violent and a lot of people don¡¯t make it to the last chapter (I think the last death count was a billion and two). So if you don¡¯t think you can stomach that, then perhaps this book isn¡¯t for you. This book reminded me a lot of No Country For Old Men¡ but probably only because I cast Javier Bardem as Mitch¡ but with better hair. That should give you a bit of a clue of the tone of this book.
But it¡¯s a story about two brothers and their journey together, after the world and pretty much everyone has turned their back on them. I loved how there were no easy answers and how even though the ending was happy (well, in comparison to the rest of the book), you could almost hear Mr Smith cracking his knuckles, leaning back in his chair and saying ¡°Happy¡ for now.¡±
This book ended in the perfect way, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the ending of Jonah and Simon¡¯s story because I don¡¯t believe that Jonah¡¯s map is finished just yet. In the Path of Falling Objects tells the story of how far Jonah and Simon have come, but it also hints at how far they¡¯ve still got to go and how much they¡¯ve still got to conquer.
But I reckon they¡¯ll get there eventually.
God, just read this book, OK?
You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.
Actually, OK, that¡¯s definitely a lie. That probably¡ fine definitely doesn¡¯t happen.
But all I¡¯m saying is that it¡¯s a massive coincidence that he knows all the things that I harp on about wanting to be featured more in YA books and writes stories about them.
He must have seen all the not-so-subtle pleadings I¡¯ve had with authors to write books about road trips (and not just ones girls take with a mysterious boy in a leather jacket who has a past) and siblings.
Seriously, if his next book is about dinosaurs¡.
Um.
This book is astounding.
I bought it a while ago, quite soon after I finished (a book that I adored and wholly recommend to anyone), but it¡¯s taken me a while to actually read it. I don¡¯t know why. I kept going back to my book shelf and having a peek at it though because that cover is gorgeous, isn¡¯t it?
Normally I get a bit eye-rolly when it comes to covers with people on them but this one is perfect. The sepia, the way they're holding each other¡ it¡¯s flawless. And it fits with the story so well. I think I¡¯d probably go as far as saying that it¡¯s one of the most fitting covers for a book I¡¯ve ever seen, especially after reading the story.
And what a story.
I¡¯m not actually going to tell anything about the story because of spoilers but whoosh, what a mental ride. From the first chapter (actually, the epilogue), I was captivated, horrified and enthralled right up until the end. I think this was the only book that made me tempted to sneak a peak at the last few pages, just to check it was going to be a happy ending.
Because it got pretty dicey a few times.
Mr Smith¡¯s story is raw and powerful. There seems to be a lot going on: psychopaths, tragic women, tin men, dusty bars, letters from Vietnam, but there¡¯s really only one focus of this book. And that¡¯s the brothers. The relationship between Jonah and Simon was beautifully depicted and was the driving force for this book. When these two were on the page, everything else was just peripheral.
Their relationship was all snipes, bloody lips, petty squabbles and unwavering love and it was fantastic. It¡¯s one of the most well-written depictions of brothers I¡¯ve ever read.
But let¡¯s talk about that peripheral stuff, because it¡¯s pretty important too. Without spoiling the twists and turns, I¡¯ll say that this book was deliciously unsettling. I had such a bad taste in my mouth for most of these chapters and my face was probably fixed in the most unflattering grimace. But if a book can¡¯t challenge you like that, then what¡¯s the point?
It is violent and a lot of people don¡¯t make it to the last chapter (I think the last death count was a billion and two). So if you don¡¯t think you can stomach that, then perhaps this book isn¡¯t for you. This book reminded me a lot of No Country For Old Men¡ but probably only because I cast Javier Bardem as Mitch¡ but with better hair. That should give you a bit of a clue of the tone of this book.
But it¡¯s a story about two brothers and their journey together, after the world and pretty much everyone has turned their back on them. I loved how there were no easy answers and how even though the ending was happy (well, in comparison to the rest of the book), you could almost hear Mr Smith cracking his knuckles, leaning back in his chair and saying ¡°Happy¡ for now.¡±
This book ended in the perfect way, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the ending of Jonah and Simon¡¯s story because I don¡¯t believe that Jonah¡¯s map is finished just yet. In the Path of Falling Objects tells the story of how far Jonah and Simon have come, but it also hints at how far they¡¯ve still got to go and how much they¡¯ve still got to conquer.
But I reckon they¡¯ll get there eventually.
God, just read this book, OK?
You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.
September 27, 2021
The always, always compelling Andrew Smith goes a little more normal than usual in this 1970-set road-trip story.
Two dirt-poor teenaged brothers set out for Arizona in search of their missing older brother. Too bad they hitch a ride with a Starkweatheresque and his Dangerous Blonde Jailbait Sidekick. This may not sound like the natural setting for a Vietnam story, but Older Brother's much-read letters from 'Nam ring utterly, achingly true.
Don't skip the author's afterword, where he shares which parts are based on personal experience.
Two dirt-poor teenaged brothers set out for Arizona in search of their missing older brother. Too bad they hitch a ride with a Starkweatheresque and his Dangerous Blonde Jailbait Sidekick. This may not sound like the natural setting for a Vietnam story, but Older Brother's much-read letters from 'Nam ring utterly, achingly true.
Don't skip the author's afterword, where he shares which parts are based on personal experience.
August 26, 2014
This book was good but didn't by any means blow my mind.
After I finished it, I closed the cover, sort of just shrugged to myself and thought "meh".
I loved Andrew Smith's novel 'Winger', so I was overly excited to read 'In The Path of Falling Objects'. After reading it though, all I feel is mostly disappointment.
'Winger' had such funny, well thought out characters that reminded me of some of the guys I was friends with in high school. It was witty and well written and gave me high expectations of Andrew Smith. 'In the Path of Falling Objects' didn't bring forth the sort of emotional roller coaster that I expected in a suspense novel of this kind.
I felt like Lilly's character was underdeveloped. She was kind of just this beautiful girl that used everyone and was unremarkable and slightly irritating. An empty shell that was used for the love interest and to bring complications to the story.
Jonah annoyed me as well, I felt like the story would have been better if told from Simon's point of view. Simon was more diverse and I found him more likeable. Maybe the letters from their older brother, Mathew, could have been revealed as though Simon was sneaking them out of the pack without Jonah's knowledge and finding out what happened. Jonah just lacked depth for me, and he said he loved Lilly after, like, two days, which annoyed me. He knew hardly anything about her.
Mitch was a perfectly psychopathic, I liked the suspense he brought to the story.
Overal I did enjoy the novel, I just think it was lacking. It just didn't quite do it for me.
After I finished it, I closed the cover, sort of just shrugged to myself and thought "meh".
I loved Andrew Smith's novel 'Winger', so I was overly excited to read 'In The Path of Falling Objects'. After reading it though, all I feel is mostly disappointment.
'Winger' had such funny, well thought out characters that reminded me of some of the guys I was friends with in high school. It was witty and well written and gave me high expectations of Andrew Smith. 'In the Path of Falling Objects' didn't bring forth the sort of emotional roller coaster that I expected in a suspense novel of this kind.
I felt like Lilly's character was underdeveloped. She was kind of just this beautiful girl that used everyone and was unremarkable and slightly irritating. An empty shell that was used for the love interest and to bring complications to the story.
Jonah annoyed me as well, I felt like the story would have been better if told from Simon's point of view. Simon was more diverse and I found him more likeable. Maybe the letters from their older brother, Mathew, could have been revealed as though Simon was sneaking them out of the pack without Jonah's knowledge and finding out what happened. Jonah just lacked depth for me, and he said he loved Lilly after, like, two days, which annoyed me. He knew hardly anything about her.
Mitch was a perfectly psychopathic, I liked the suspense he brought to the story.
Overal I did enjoy the novel, I just think it was lacking. It just didn't quite do it for me.
Shelved as 'on-hold'
February 6, 2018I am listening to this one, and I am not sure if I am going to be able to continue. The reader on the audiobook is driving me a little crazy. He reads every sentence with unnecessary dramatic emphasis. It is extremely distracting, and I find myself repeating each sentence in my head using more appropriate emphasis rather than focusing on the story.
Well, I persevered for awhile with this one, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, so I opted not to finish it.
Well, I persevered for awhile with this one, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, so I opted not to finish it.
March 26, 2016
I HATE books like this! Stories that grab you by the throat practically on page one and don't let go. Stories that squeeze and squeeze, incrementally increasing the pressure until you realize that you are not breathing. Stories about good kids stuck in sad, tragic lives with few alternatives. Oh lord. What brilliance.
August 31, 2010
Book 58 for 2010. Andrew Smith's books have a way of making me have to turn the pages to see what's going to happen. I loved THE MARBURY LENS (Nov. 2010) and am equally impressed with this one. Highly recommended for boys and girls, upper middle school and up.
March 16, 2018
I see this classified as YA, but it's pretty dark for YA. That's okay, though--I like dark. And I liked this. Two brothers growing up in poverty in an abusive environment, abandoned by their mother, they're broke, hungry, and alone. They set off to reunite with their dad who is due to be released from prison, and their older brother, who has been writing them letters about his plan to go AWOL in Vietnam and escape back home. On the way, Simon (very unwisely) flags down a car containing Mitch and Lilly, and their real adventures begin.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
I think this is a great story, and the writing is lovely. Like I said, this book deals with some dark issues: Lilly may have been a hooker and is pregnant; Mitch is obviously mentally ill but also dangerous and basically holding them all prisoner; Mitch kills several people in cold blood (one of them after we have gotten to know him somewhat); we read several horrifying and gory tales from the front in Vietnam through Jonah's letters from his older brother; Lilly dies, and we find out at the end that Jonah and Simon's older brother, whom they are going to meet up with, has hanged himself. Despite all that darkness, it is a gripping tale and it does end on a positive note. Jonah and Simon end up with a good family that will take them in.
I think this is a good coming-of-age story that teaches some important lessons. Lesson #1--DON'T HITCHHIKE! I have this in my classroom library, but I'll just drop a little warning into the ear of anyone who checks it out--just to avoid any parental complaints!
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
I think this is a great story, and the writing is lovely. Like I said, this book deals with some dark issues: Lilly may have been a hooker and is pregnant; Mitch is obviously mentally ill but also dangerous and basically holding them all prisoner; Mitch kills several people in cold blood (one of them after we have gotten to know him somewhat); we read several horrifying and gory tales from the front in Vietnam through Jonah's letters from his older brother; Lilly dies, and we find out at the end that Jonah and Simon's older brother, whom they are going to meet up with, has hanged himself. Despite all that darkness, it is a gripping tale and it does end on a positive note. Jonah and Simon end up with a good family that will take them in.
I think this is a good coming-of-age story that teaches some important lessons. Lesson #1--DON'T HITCHHIKE! I have this in my classroom library, but I'll just drop a little warning into the ear of anyone who checks it out--just to avoid any parental complaints!
February 27, 2014
This review will have spoilers, which is something I don't normally do, but I feel it's necessary to explain my thoughts about this book, so warning's ahoy.
I'm kind of conflicted about this book. The truth is I wanted to give it a higher rating. It was a book I thought I would be too forgiving of, or too generous with when it came to my stars. The reason for this is that I absolutely love Andrew Smith's style of writing. I like the light touch, the way he peppers his work with onomatopoeia and these threads of ideas that blend together. I loved the heart of this story, which is two brothers try to get somewhere and hitching a ride with a pair of mysterious folks that turn out to be much more than they bargained for. But I feel like the threads that were begun didn't come together in time, or at all, and the characters had been set up like fireworks but weren't ever lit.
I'll start by saying that I think the light touch was a little too light for this book. The heart of this story is majorly character driven, and so I feel like we needed to see more of what was going on in each character's head and heart to ultimately see the whole picture. For example, the beginning of the book was quickly building tension between Jonah, our main character, and Mitch, our antagonist. The two characters butt heads over Lily, as well as Simon, but there's no heat under their words. I feel like we got to bare minimum for what they were feeling, when really that emotion and heat should have been fueling the story. In some places, the emotions and motivations for the characters were drawn out beautifully. For example, Mitch's hatred towards the brothers wasn't random, and it became achingly apparent that it was fueled by jealousy, since the brothers got so close to Lily. But on the other hand, I felt like I didn't know enough of what drove Simon, and made him so fully embrace Mitch and his ways.
Which brings me to a big reason as to why the rating sunk so low, and that was Lily. I really liked her and the dynamic that she introduced. She caused a lot of tension between Simon and Jonah, poked and prodded at Mitch and kept things interesting, but at the the end of the day she was nothing more than an object. I was excited by her and what her character could bring about (for example, I was surprised at the suddenness of which she crawled into bed with Jonah, and loved the sudden shake up of it all). She was the reason why the boys got into the car with Mitch, she was the main reason Mitch hated and even wanted to kill the brothers, in a way, she was the one who began the road trip with Mitch, since it was revealed she was asking him for a ride to California before Jonah and Simon came into the picture. She was the reason and the cause of all these plot points, but she was SUCH a passive character. She didn't so anything, barely made her own decisions, and even when she did, we were kept in the dark about a lot of her history to make her more 'mysterious' but it only left her motivations seriously lacking. I wanted to learn more about this character. The brothers were convinced she was "messing" with them, but I saw no evidence of this, nor any clarification as to what she was actually doing.
Now, I knew Lily was going to die. It became pretty apparent by mid book, but even still I wasn't upset by this. I expected her to take action before the finale, perhaps take a bullet for Jonah, but I was sorely mistaken. Lily grows weaker and weaker after she and Simon escape from Mitch until, wait for it, SHE DIES. That's it. They put her to bed, she's sweating and obviously ill, and the boys decide she needs help. They run out to the truck, (avoiding Mitch who is hiding outside somewhere hunting them). They make it to the truck, get the gun, and then RUN BACK TO THE HOUSE. You see my confusion here? They didn't even bother to drive the truck back to the house and grab her so they could actually get her help. And why didn't the author bother with this? Because when they run back to the house, Lily has already "stopped breathing" due to some mysterious pregnancy illness. I literally balked at the page. I couldn't believe how Andrew Smith had so blatantly disregarded a character, used her as an object and then tossed her away without so much as an explanation to her death. I was absolutely flabbergasted. She started this book as Mitch's possession, made little to no effort to establish herself as her own character outside of things pushed on her by the brothers (running away wasn't even her idea, nor did she express much want for it), we learned next to nothing about her history or her motivations, and then she died to make the antagonist a little more angry and to drive tension up a notch. I was thoroughly unimpressed.
More so, what dropped this rating even lower was some of the style choices the author used. The story was written in first person through Jonah's POV, but we continued to jump from POV to POV, while keeping Jonah in first person. This was ridiculous, in my opinion. The story called for third person with multiple POVs, and it felt like the author was clinging to first person for whatever reason. It dragged the story down and, in my opinion, came across as highly amateurish. First person can be a great way to tell your story, if it's used properly.
The second style choice that made me see red was the choice to switch between present and past tense, often between Mitch's POV scenes and the rest of the story. I understand why some authors choose to do this, but there should be a damn good reason to mix tenses like that. It should be apparent, so when a reader starts on a passage that has switches tenses/POVs, they understand the reason for it. It felt like the tenses and POVs were chosen and thrown out at random, again really making this feel like a teenager's first book. Which is such a bummer, because I mean it when I say I really like Andrew Smith's style and the overall story here.
I'm kind of conflicted about this book. The truth is I wanted to give it a higher rating. It was a book I thought I would be too forgiving of, or too generous with when it came to my stars. The reason for this is that I absolutely love Andrew Smith's style of writing. I like the light touch, the way he peppers his work with onomatopoeia and these threads of ideas that blend together. I loved the heart of this story, which is two brothers try to get somewhere and hitching a ride with a pair of mysterious folks that turn out to be much more than they bargained for. But I feel like the threads that were begun didn't come together in time, or at all, and the characters had been set up like fireworks but weren't ever lit.
I'll start by saying that I think the light touch was a little too light for this book. The heart of this story is majorly character driven, and so I feel like we needed to see more of what was going on in each character's head and heart to ultimately see the whole picture. For example, the beginning of the book was quickly building tension between Jonah, our main character, and Mitch, our antagonist. The two characters butt heads over Lily, as well as Simon, but there's no heat under their words. I feel like we got to bare minimum for what they were feeling, when really that emotion and heat should have been fueling the story. In some places, the emotions and motivations for the characters were drawn out beautifully. For example, Mitch's hatred towards the brothers wasn't random, and it became achingly apparent that it was fueled by jealousy, since the brothers got so close to Lily. But on the other hand, I felt like I didn't know enough of what drove Simon, and made him so fully embrace Mitch and his ways.
Which brings me to a big reason as to why the rating sunk so low, and that was Lily. I really liked her and the dynamic that she introduced. She caused a lot of tension between Simon and Jonah, poked and prodded at Mitch and kept things interesting, but at the the end of the day she was nothing more than an object. I was excited by her and what her character could bring about (for example, I was surprised at the suddenness of which she crawled into bed with Jonah, and loved the sudden shake up of it all). She was the reason why the boys got into the car with Mitch, she was the main reason Mitch hated and even wanted to kill the brothers, in a way, she was the one who began the road trip with Mitch, since it was revealed she was asking him for a ride to California before Jonah and Simon came into the picture. She was the reason and the cause of all these plot points, but she was SUCH a passive character. She didn't so anything, barely made her own decisions, and even when she did, we were kept in the dark about a lot of her history to make her more 'mysterious' but it only left her motivations seriously lacking. I wanted to learn more about this character. The brothers were convinced she was "messing" with them, but I saw no evidence of this, nor any clarification as to what she was actually doing.
Now, I knew Lily was going to die. It became pretty apparent by mid book, but even still I wasn't upset by this. I expected her to take action before the finale, perhaps take a bullet for Jonah, but I was sorely mistaken. Lily grows weaker and weaker after she and Simon escape from Mitch until, wait for it, SHE DIES. That's it. They put her to bed, she's sweating and obviously ill, and the boys decide she needs help. They run out to the truck, (avoiding Mitch who is hiding outside somewhere hunting them). They make it to the truck, get the gun, and then RUN BACK TO THE HOUSE. You see my confusion here? They didn't even bother to drive the truck back to the house and grab her so they could actually get her help. And why didn't the author bother with this? Because when they run back to the house, Lily has already "stopped breathing" due to some mysterious pregnancy illness. I literally balked at the page. I couldn't believe how Andrew Smith had so blatantly disregarded a character, used her as an object and then tossed her away without so much as an explanation to her death. I was absolutely flabbergasted. She started this book as Mitch's possession, made little to no effort to establish herself as her own character outside of things pushed on her by the brothers (running away wasn't even her idea, nor did she express much want for it), we learned next to nothing about her history or her motivations, and then she died to make the antagonist a little more angry and to drive tension up a notch. I was thoroughly unimpressed.
More so, what dropped this rating even lower was some of the style choices the author used. The story was written in first person through Jonah's POV, but we continued to jump from POV to POV, while keeping Jonah in first person. This was ridiculous, in my opinion. The story called for third person with multiple POVs, and it felt like the author was clinging to first person for whatever reason. It dragged the story down and, in my opinion, came across as highly amateurish. First person can be a great way to tell your story, if it's used properly.
The second style choice that made me see red was the choice to switch between present and past tense, often between Mitch's POV scenes and the rest of the story. I understand why some authors choose to do this, but there should be a damn good reason to mix tenses like that. It should be apparent, so when a reader starts on a passage that has switches tenses/POVs, they understand the reason for it. It felt like the tenses and POVs were chosen and thrown out at random, again really making this feel like a teenager's first book. Which is such a bummer, because I mean it when I say I really like Andrew Smith's style and the overall story here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2019
Student Name: Josh Halat Date Submitted: 5/28/19
Book Title: The Path of Falling Objects Lexile: 840
What I think: I think the book The Path of Falling Objects is a great book that describes every scene very well. It was very fun to read and to understand what is can be like to ride with someone that you don't know.
Plot: This book first starts with two brothers walking down a long road. The two brothers make rules, and the narrator tells us where they came from and where they are going. They go for about two days and they find a car going past and they try to get a ride. The driver stops and, they drive for a long time and make different stops but some of them get in a fight and it grows from there and they know that getting in the car was a bad idea.
Recommendations: I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books about a journey. This is also a good book for people that like road trips and to read about the people having heated conversations.
Book Title: The Path of Falling Objects Lexile: 840
What I think: I think the book The Path of Falling Objects is a great book that describes every scene very well. It was very fun to read and to understand what is can be like to ride with someone that you don't know.
Plot: This book first starts with two brothers walking down a long road. The two brothers make rules, and the narrator tells us where they came from and where they are going. They go for about two days and they find a car going past and they try to get a ride. The driver stops and, they drive for a long time and make different stops but some of them get in a fight and it grows from there and they know that getting in the car was a bad idea.
Recommendations: I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books about a journey. This is also a good book for people that like road trips and to read about the people having heated conversations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2019
This book was very suspenseful and I really enjoyed reading it. However, I think some of it was very stretched out and did not make much sense. If you are looking for a good suspenseful read for someone in middle school/ high school, I would suggest this book.
July 30, 2018
3.5/5
May 9, 2013
In the Path of Falling Objects made me feel, in a word, dusty. Not the itchy-dust kind of dusty, but the kind of dusty where one feels like they are in a desert, in the presence of miles and miles of sand. With the hot, burning sun on their back. That¡¯s the kind of dusty I felt when I was reading this. The genuine, realistic kind of dusty. Does that make sense? I hope so.
This is a story following the journey of Jonah and his younger brother, Simon. The boys are on their own and had run away from a home they are no longer wanted in. After only a bit of time into their journey they find a car with a man and a beautiful girl driving inside. They are invited to ride with them. And thus began the two brother¡¯s long, hard journey.
Andrew Smith seemed to put his whole heart and soul into writing this story. As I read this book I couldn¡¯t help but marvel the obvious effort the author put into every page of In the Path of Falling Objects. It really shows. The story radiates excellence, rawness, and power.
The characters in In The Path of Falling Objects are very well rendered. I thought that I could feel them at times. It was as if they had their own heartbeats. I could feel the insanity and evil that Mitch contained. I could feel Simon¡¯s anger and his strength. I could feel Jonah¡¯s love for his brother, his determination, and his need to protect Simon. I could feel Lilly¡¯s desperation. I could feel everything about these characters. They were powerful, tangible.
Smith¡¯s prose gets the job done well and I really don¡¯t have anything to complain about it. He writes the point of view of a male character realistically and Jonah never sounded feminine. I really wouldn¡¯t expect Jonah to sound femimine since Andrew Smith is a dude, but I thought I needed to compliment him on writing a good male POV.
The sandy atmosphere is also crafted wonderfully well. I could vividly imagine the sand beneath my feet, finding its way between my toes. I could also vividly imagine the thirst that the dryness of the desert would cause and had to get up and grab a cup of water a couple of times. If that doesn¡¯t convince you that the atmosphere isn¡¯t good then I don¡¯t know what will.
I will also applaud Smith for writing one of the best sibling relationships I have ever read in a YA novel. Jonah and Simon¡¯s sibling relationship isn¡¯t laid back and happy. It is actually filled with angry looks, irritation, punches, and arguments. But these two brothers love each other and when they need to show it they do. They had each other¡¯s backs.
I feel that I should warn readers that this book is considerably violent. There is a lot of death. There will be flying bullets, bloody bullet-holes, and the occasion metallic flash of a knife. If you can¡¯t handle the thought of that than I really can¡¯t recommend this to you as much as I would want to.
Trigger pulling. Those two words could describe this book perfectly now that I think about it¡
I adore In the Path of Falling Objects. It was dusty. Sometimes it felt so dusty that I had to take a break from it every ounce in a while, but that shouldn¡¯t keep you away from this book. This is a great thriller and one of my favorite books that I will definitely keep on my shelf and treasure. I haven¡¯t read any of Smith¡¯s other novels but if the others are as good as this one than I think I might have found a new favorite author. I am now eagerly looking out for Stick which is by him.
This is a story following the journey of Jonah and his younger brother, Simon. The boys are on their own and had run away from a home they are no longer wanted in. After only a bit of time into their journey they find a car with a man and a beautiful girl driving inside. They are invited to ride with them. And thus began the two brother¡¯s long, hard journey.
Andrew Smith seemed to put his whole heart and soul into writing this story. As I read this book I couldn¡¯t help but marvel the obvious effort the author put into every page of In the Path of Falling Objects. It really shows. The story radiates excellence, rawness, and power.
The characters in In The Path of Falling Objects are very well rendered. I thought that I could feel them at times. It was as if they had their own heartbeats. I could feel the insanity and evil that Mitch contained. I could feel Simon¡¯s anger and his strength. I could feel Jonah¡¯s love for his brother, his determination, and his need to protect Simon. I could feel Lilly¡¯s desperation. I could feel everything about these characters. They were powerful, tangible.
Smith¡¯s prose gets the job done well and I really don¡¯t have anything to complain about it. He writes the point of view of a male character realistically and Jonah never sounded feminine. I really wouldn¡¯t expect Jonah to sound femimine since Andrew Smith is a dude, but I thought I needed to compliment him on writing a good male POV.
The sandy atmosphere is also crafted wonderfully well. I could vividly imagine the sand beneath my feet, finding its way between my toes. I could also vividly imagine the thirst that the dryness of the desert would cause and had to get up and grab a cup of water a couple of times. If that doesn¡¯t convince you that the atmosphere isn¡¯t good then I don¡¯t know what will.
I will also applaud Smith for writing one of the best sibling relationships I have ever read in a YA novel. Jonah and Simon¡¯s sibling relationship isn¡¯t laid back and happy. It is actually filled with angry looks, irritation, punches, and arguments. But these two brothers love each other and when they need to show it they do. They had each other¡¯s backs.
I feel that I should warn readers that this book is considerably violent. There is a lot of death. There will be flying bullets, bloody bullet-holes, and the occasion metallic flash of a knife. If you can¡¯t handle the thought of that than I really can¡¯t recommend this to you as much as I would want to.
Trigger pulling. Those two words could describe this book perfectly now that I think about it¡
I adore In the Path of Falling Objects. It was dusty. Sometimes it felt so dusty that I had to take a break from it every ounce in a while, but that shouldn¡¯t keep you away from this book. This is a great thriller and one of my favorite books that I will definitely keep on my shelf and treasure. I haven¡¯t read any of Smith¡¯s other novels but if the others are as good as this one than I think I might have found a new favorite author. I am now eagerly looking out for Stick which is by him.
August 16, 2012
..."Our brother fell apart in the war.
Mother fell apart after that.
Then we had to leave."...
I don't think that Andrew Smith can write a novel that I wouldn't love. He has a unique writing style that is all his own. In The Path of Falling Objects is Andrew Smith's 2nd novel that I've read to date.
In the very beginning of the story we get a huge shocker, then we are left to let it digest for a little bit. I think Smith likes to wow us with an introduction like that. The kind that just kind of sneaks up on you and POW! Then nothing. No explanation until he feels the need to give us one. He's smooth and in total control of what he writes.Then we're introduced to the brothers. Jonah is 16 and Simon is 14.
Jonah vows to take care of Simon, always has. Simon has always resented Jonah for this very reason or because Jonah was trying to take on more of a paternal role than a brotherly role.
Smith describes in detail the destitute situation the boys are left in. They have nothing. Only each other.
Their brother Matthew had been sent to Vietnam to serve in the Army. Their father was in prison.
"Their mother had gone off with one of her men friends for Georgia, or Texas, or someplace, and Simon and Jonah had been left behind, alone in the crumbling shack of a home. The electricity had been gone for days."
They had a destination. They began their journey walking to Arizona to hopefully find Matthew once again. Taking with them the very few items they could carry in a backpack including all of the letters that Matthew had sent to Jonah from Vietnam and a notebook that Jonah would draw in daily.
Never would the brothers believe the road trip from hell they are about to embark on. Accepting a ride from the most beautiful girl on the entire planet, Lilly, and sociopath, Mitch was the worst thing they could have done on this adventure from New Mexico to Arizona to find the rest of their existing family.
There were so many great things about this book. One was the multiple viewpoints. Even though there are multiple viewpoints, the alternating viewpoints are still being told by Jonah. Every now and then you get a sneak peak inside Mitch's head and that is a very disturbing place to be.
Another thing are the letters written from Matthew to Jonah. You could see how his mental state slipped, how hard it must have been for him. The descriptions that Smith gave in the letters were so real...
The letters for me meant a great deal.
Also, the relationship between Jonah and Simon. Obviously, just like brothers they are going to fight and argue, but when you are left with only each other, you're love is stronger than nothing else. Smith really was able to show that blossom - in a manly (boyish) sorta way.
I'm not going to give away the ending and or what happens to any of the characters because I want you to buy the book and read it, so I'm ending my review here. I hope I was able to give this book some of the justice that it deserves.
Mother fell apart after that.
Then we had to leave."...
I don't think that Andrew Smith can write a novel that I wouldn't love. He has a unique writing style that is all his own. In The Path of Falling Objects is Andrew Smith's 2nd novel that I've read to date.
In the very beginning of the story we get a huge shocker, then we are left to let it digest for a little bit. I think Smith likes to wow us with an introduction like that. The kind that just kind of sneaks up on you and POW! Then nothing. No explanation until he feels the need to give us one. He's smooth and in total control of what he writes.Then we're introduced to the brothers. Jonah is 16 and Simon is 14.
Jonah vows to take care of Simon, always has. Simon has always resented Jonah for this very reason or because Jonah was trying to take on more of a paternal role than a brotherly role.
Smith describes in detail the destitute situation the boys are left in. They have nothing. Only each other.
Their brother Matthew had been sent to Vietnam to serve in the Army. Their father was in prison.
"Their mother had gone off with one of her men friends for Georgia, or Texas, or someplace, and Simon and Jonah had been left behind, alone in the crumbling shack of a home. The electricity had been gone for days."
They had a destination. They began their journey walking to Arizona to hopefully find Matthew once again. Taking with them the very few items they could carry in a backpack including all of the letters that Matthew had sent to Jonah from Vietnam and a notebook that Jonah would draw in daily.
Never would the brothers believe the road trip from hell they are about to embark on. Accepting a ride from the most beautiful girl on the entire planet, Lilly, and sociopath, Mitch was the worst thing they could have done on this adventure from New Mexico to Arizona to find the rest of their existing family.
There were so many great things about this book. One was the multiple viewpoints. Even though there are multiple viewpoints, the alternating viewpoints are still being told by Jonah. Every now and then you get a sneak peak inside Mitch's head and that is a very disturbing place to be.
Another thing are the letters written from Matthew to Jonah. You could see how his mental state slipped, how hard it must have been for him. The descriptions that Smith gave in the letters were so real...
The letters for me meant a great deal.
Also, the relationship between Jonah and Simon. Obviously, just like brothers they are going to fight and argue, but when you are left with only each other, you're love is stronger than nothing else. Smith really was able to show that blossom - in a manly (boyish) sorta way.
I'm not going to give away the ending and or what happens to any of the characters because I want you to buy the book and read it, so I'm ending my review here. I hope I was able to give this book some of the justice that it deserves.
April 28, 2009
I am still thinking on this one...It was like driving past a tragic car wreck and not being able to look away. You know you shouldn't look. You know you shouldn't put those tapes in your head. And afterwards, you just keep going back to it and back to it, rewinding the tape over and over again...And replaying the tape doesn't feel good. The book had the same flavor as the movies "Traffic" and "Pulp Fiction," about which I felt the same.
Since I read an advanced copy, I will say that I really did not like the first line - it doesn't flow. It feels like it should stop after the word "there." I had to read it over and over to get the pause to come after the word "is." And I think some kids will not persist past the first couple of lines, sadly enough. Once I got past that, the book took off. The first two pages were shocking! When I booktalk this book, I will read these pages out loud. There will definitely be an audience for that.
Again, as in "Ghost Medicine," Smith's characters are unforgettable. I can't get Jonah, Simon, Lilly, and Mitch - even Matthew, Walker, and Dalton - out of my head. Beautifully crafted!
My only concern about the book is the lack of hope in it all - not that that is a prerequisite for a good book. But you invest in the characters - and want the best for Jonah, Simon, and Matthew - and then when they hit the end of the road, there is no satisfying resolution - Matthew has killed himself. All they have is each other - after all of the hell they have gone through. No brother, no dad, no mom, no Walker, no Lilly. So what was it all about? Growing up? Maybe finding a new family? Man, that is pretty costly "coming-of-age."
The book was masterfully written, but it made me feel like crap...
Since I read an advanced copy, I will say that I really did not like the first line - it doesn't flow. It feels like it should stop after the word "there." I had to read it over and over to get the pause to come after the word "is." And I think some kids will not persist past the first couple of lines, sadly enough. Once I got past that, the book took off. The first two pages were shocking! When I booktalk this book, I will read these pages out loud. There will definitely be an audience for that.
Again, as in "Ghost Medicine," Smith's characters are unforgettable. I can't get Jonah, Simon, Lilly, and Mitch - even Matthew, Walker, and Dalton - out of my head. Beautifully crafted!
My only concern about the book is the lack of hope in it all - not that that is a prerequisite for a good book. But you invest in the characters - and want the best for Jonah, Simon, and Matthew - and then when they hit the end of the road, there is no satisfying resolution - Matthew has killed himself. All they have is each other - after all of the hell they have gone through. No brother, no dad, no mom, no Walker, no Lilly. So what was it all about? Growing up? Maybe finding a new family? Man, that is pretty costly "coming-of-age."
The book was masterfully written, but it made me feel like crap...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2021
Personal Response:
I liked this book because it had many twists and turns during the book. The author was amazing at keeping me in suspense during the whole book. I also liked how I, as the reader, could see the changes in the characters because of what was happening during the book.
Plot Summary:
The book is about two brothers named Simon, who is 14, and Jonah, who is 17. They were abandoned by their mother in Los Rouges, which is in the middle of the desert in Texas. The brothers were going to Arizona on foot to find their dad, who of which is in prison, and see if their older brother, Matt, is back from Vietnam. On their trek to Arizona, Simon and Jonah get picked up by a man named Mitch, who is 19, and a young girl named Lily, who is 16. Lily is pregnant and Mitch is kind of odd, but what Simon and Jonah do not know is that Mitch has killed many people. Mitch loses all of the kids, the boys never find their father or brother, and Lily gets an abortion for her kid.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction, suspenseful books, or conflict. I say that because the book has all those elements in it. I would recommend this book to guys and gals alike.
March 28, 2009
From page one, Andrew Smith's new novel IN THE PATH OF FALLING OBJECTS takes the reader by the throat and holds on tight. Maybe that's an exaggeration. And maybe it implies reading the book is not a good experience, which isn't true. So let me rephrase. Smith's new novel hits the ground running, thanks to the vulnerability of his protagonist Jonah (and his younger brother), and the brutal intensity of the story's psychotic villian, Mitch (who looks, in my imagination, like Charlie Manson, perhaps thanks to the novel's Vietnam era setting).
Some of its early readers have called the book creepy, and it is definitely filled with mayhem and danger. But it's more than creepy. It's thoughtful and thought provoking -- full of emotional twists and turns.
GHOST MEDICINE, Smith's first book, was beautifully written but came to a boil very slowly. ...FALLING OBJECTS proves the new novelist has more than one trick up his sleeve. It makes me eager to see whatever might come next.
A MUST for anyone shopping for a book for reluctant male readers. A real page turner, all the way around.
Some of its early readers have called the book creepy, and it is definitely filled with mayhem and danger. But it's more than creepy. It's thoughtful and thought provoking -- full of emotional twists and turns.
GHOST MEDICINE, Smith's first book, was beautifully written but came to a boil very slowly. ...FALLING OBJECTS proves the new novelist has more than one trick up his sleeve. It makes me eager to see whatever might come next.
A MUST for anyone shopping for a book for reluctant male readers. A real page turner, all the way around.
February 20, 2013
An engaging read that suffers from a lack of organization. In the end, I had to wonder how some of the elements of the story contributed to the overall brothers' journey/coming of age story. Smith's writing is lush and beautiful throughout; there are so many lyrically beautiful sentences that the book is worth reading just for them. However, it's hard to see by what right the narrator was able to wield those sentences. Loner poor kid/artist I get, but too often, what could have been emotionally impactful fell flat because it wasn't clear how the narrator's thoughts and emotions connected with the beauty of the language.
The thing about Andrew Smith's books is that even with these issues, I will keep reading them because they are so beautiful. It's interesting to see the patterns that emerge through the course of all his books, and I look forward to what's next.
The thing about Andrew Smith's books is that even with these issues, I will keep reading them because they are so beautiful. It's interesting to see the patterns that emerge through the course of all his books, and I look forward to what's next.
April 29, 2016
This was a really good coming of age story for teenage boys. Simon and his brother Johan have always argued and the summer they decide to take to the road is not exception. But with their mother abandoning them, their father in prison, and their oldest brother in Vietnam there is no reason for them to stay and every reason for them to leave. They both know that they only have each other to depend on and the things they will run into along the way will either bond them together or break them apart.
This book does contain a fair amount of violence so to be warned. These boys run into a character in their travels that is one very bad dude. But other than that, I found the book was pretty clean. Content was a little heavy but that is to be expected for the YA genre now. This is one of Andrew Smith's earlier novels and I found this one a real treat.
This book does contain a fair amount of violence so to be warned. These boys run into a character in their travels that is one very bad dude. But other than that, I found the book was pretty clean. Content was a little heavy but that is to be expected for the YA genre now. This is one of Andrew Smith's earlier novels and I found this one a real treat.
January 10, 2017
It is not true that it took me two years or so to finish the book. I kind of have it in my Kindle ever since only to completely forget about it until today. This book is absolutely the better part of Andrew Smith's writing. I hated his Winger and some other novels that I just want to skip out on recalling, mainly because the irrational and very annoying infatuation his main characters often have for girls. This book, however, managed to stray away from that tendency and was more condensed, more straightforward, better paced. So thankful so the length. I just resent the rambles in his books so so much. I especially enjoy Simon and Matthew's characterisation. They are clear-cut, well-depicted, and relatable. Jonah is weak in comparison, but not like he is the (only) main one, so passable.
September 12, 2013
I love Andrew Smith. His writing is smart and poignant. he's got a way of pulling a reader, at least this reader, into a book making it impossible to set the book aside-- even when threatened with motion sickness on the bus. Read this book. Recommend this book to young men in particular, though I think a voracious reader of any gender will enjoy it. I think most anyone who has experienced a deep bonding with their siblings as young person will appreciate this title, especially those who have had unreliable parental interactions. Some gore and violence, though nothing as graphic as Marbury Lens. Enjoy!
January 22, 2010
I stayed up until midnight for three days in a row, reading this book. (This is the ultimate compliment from me - I treasure sleep.) The night I finished it, I was sitting straight up, reading as fast as I could to find out what happens to Jonah and Simon. This is one beautifully crafted, creepy-as-all-get-out, book.
May 17, 2010
This is a short review...kind of a non-review. I'm not sure how to rate this one. Technically it is a four or five star. It is a very dark, gritty, and creepy book. And it is a very well written novel. But this is not for the faint of heart. A coming of age story set in 1970 - two brothers on a journey that goes very wrong and how they survive it.
January 18, 2016
Maybe brothers need to do that, to deal with the most horrible things, just so they can see what they're are really made of, what's really between them. Because sometimes, I think that's a force that's more powerful than all those other things we can't do anything about.
February 12, 2016
this book was on of the best books I have ever read I really think everyone should read this book it does have some words and scenes I shouldn't approve to children under the age of 10 I love how it gives a twist in the middle.
June 26, 2014
There's something about the characters that Andrew Smith writes that just sticks with you. I find myself thinking about the people in his novels long after I finish them. This was another win.
March 27, 2018
¡®Roadtrip to hell¡¯
I have read the book ¡®In the Path Of Falling Objects' by Andrew Smith.
The book is really thrilling and it grabs your attention throughout the whole reading time. You really want to keep reading although it's really late at night because you want to know what's going to happen next.
The novel is written in a special way. On top of the page there's always the name of who is talking or who is thinking the things you read under the name. That gives you a specific view on the characters and you really get to know them well. All of them have their own character and it's all different, this makes it interesting to read because they all react differently in certain situations.
The two brothers in the book go on a roadtrip and they catch a ride from a couple that isn¡¯t as innocent as they look. The relationship between the two brothers is unique because they fight a lot and it seems like they can not be around each other, but you can still see the love between them. The story is really well invented and I am crazy about how things can change really quickly especially when you don't expect it. It was absolutely cool when the author described the location with so many details as a result that I could clearly imagine in my head what the place would look like. It is pleasant how he uses non-daily situations in the story for example a teen mom, parents that abandoned you or a brother that's in the army fighting for his country. The novel was written in very easy English¡®Roadtrip to hell¡¯
I have read the book ¡®In the Path Of Falling Objects' by Andrew Smith.
The book is really thrilling and it grabs your attention throughout the whole reading time. You really want to keep reading although it's really late at night because you want to know what's going to happen next.
The novel is written in a special way. On top of the page there's always the name of who is talking or who is thinking the things you read under the name. That gives you a specific view on the characters and you really get to know them well. All of them have their own character and it's all different, this makes it interesting to read because they all react differently in certain situations.
The two brothers in the book go on a roadtrip and they catch a ride from a couple that isn¡¯t as innocent as they look. The relationship between the two brothers is unique because they fight a lot and it seems like they can not be around each other, but you can still see the love between them. The story is really well invented and I am crazy about how things can change really quickly especially when you don't expect it. It was absolutely cool when the author described the location with so many details as a result that I could clearly imagine in my head what the place would look like. It is pleasant how he uses non-daily situations in the story for example a teen mom, parents that abandoned you or a brother that's in the army fighting for his country. The novel was written in very easy English so I understood almost all the words. I only had to look up two difficult words.
I was really happy that the book had a good ending that's always nice to end the reading with. The cover of the book seemed really mysterious and dark so that really made me want to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes to read thrilling books and can't concentrate long because this novel has it all. I was amazed by how fast I finished the book because mostly if I read a book I get bored, but this one surprisingly grabbed my attention the whole time. It¡¯s one of the best books I¡¯ve ever read and it¡¯s definitely worth the reading.
so I understood almost all the words. I only had to look up two difficult words.
I was really happy that the book had a good ending that's always nice to end the reading with. The cover of the book seemed really mysterious and dark so that really made me want to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes to read thrilling books and can't concentrate long because this novel has it all. I was amazed by how fast I finished the book because mostly if I read a book I get bored, but this one surprisingly grabbed my attention the whole time. It¡¯s one of the best books I¡¯ve ever read and it¡¯s definitely worth the reading.
I have read the book ¡®In the Path Of Falling Objects' by Andrew Smith.
The book is really thrilling and it grabs your attention throughout the whole reading time. You really want to keep reading although it's really late at night because you want to know what's going to happen next.
The novel is written in a special way. On top of the page there's always the name of who is talking or who is thinking the things you read under the name. That gives you a specific view on the characters and you really get to know them well. All of them have their own character and it's all different, this makes it interesting to read because they all react differently in certain situations.
The two brothers in the book go on a roadtrip and they catch a ride from a couple that isn¡¯t as innocent as they look. The relationship between the two brothers is unique because they fight a lot and it seems like they can not be around each other, but you can still see the love between them. The story is really well invented and I am crazy about how things can change really quickly especially when you don't expect it. It was absolutely cool when the author described the location with so many details as a result that I could clearly imagine in my head what the place would look like. It is pleasant how he uses non-daily situations in the story for example a teen mom, parents that abandoned you or a brother that's in the army fighting for his country. The novel was written in very easy English¡®Roadtrip to hell¡¯
I have read the book ¡®In the Path Of Falling Objects' by Andrew Smith.
The book is really thrilling and it grabs your attention throughout the whole reading time. You really want to keep reading although it's really late at night because you want to know what's going to happen next.
The novel is written in a special way. On top of the page there's always the name of who is talking or who is thinking the things you read under the name. That gives you a specific view on the characters and you really get to know them well. All of them have their own character and it's all different, this makes it interesting to read because they all react differently in certain situations.
The two brothers in the book go on a roadtrip and they catch a ride from a couple that isn¡¯t as innocent as they look. The relationship between the two brothers is unique because they fight a lot and it seems like they can not be around each other, but you can still see the love between them. The story is really well invented and I am crazy about how things can change really quickly especially when you don't expect it. It was absolutely cool when the author described the location with so many details as a result that I could clearly imagine in my head what the place would look like. It is pleasant how he uses non-daily situations in the story for example a teen mom, parents that abandoned you or a brother that's in the army fighting for his country. The novel was written in very easy English so I understood almost all the words. I only had to look up two difficult words.
I was really happy that the book had a good ending that's always nice to end the reading with. The cover of the book seemed really mysterious and dark so that really made me want to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes to read thrilling books and can't concentrate long because this novel has it all. I was amazed by how fast I finished the book because mostly if I read a book I get bored, but this one surprisingly grabbed my attention the whole time. It¡¯s one of the best books I¡¯ve ever read and it¡¯s definitely worth the reading.
so I understood almost all the words. I only had to look up two difficult words.
I was really happy that the book had a good ending that's always nice to end the reading with. The cover of the book seemed really mysterious and dark so that really made me want to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes to read thrilling books and can't concentrate long because this novel has it all. I was amazed by how fast I finished the book because mostly if I read a book I get bored, but this one surprisingly grabbed my attention the whole time. It¡¯s one of the best books I¡¯ve ever read and it¡¯s definitely worth the reading.
January 9, 2021
"And now I know why Simon was so angry with me until the day we met up again on that dirt road by the mesa. Because he knew I was trying to keep him fooled, like he was the little boy, when, really, it was me who was fooling myself into thinking we'd find something- just because I wanted it to be there." (Smith 323).
The story had a very certain feel to it the whole time. Hot summer days (in general, not the movie or anything), sweating in the desert, cacti, tumbleweeds, scorpions, a scary twiggy man covered completely in black soot, bleeding from self-induced cuts slashed along his ribs, sternum, arms, neck, and stomach while laughing maniacally and rubbing dirt and filth into his scabbing, bleeding wounds, gripping a murderous weapon all the while. Yeah. I'm not sure what inspired Andrew Smith to write this man but it was all just very... strange. Not bad, just very, very different. I will tell you one thing- I've never read anything quite like this except for Smith's other batshit crazy book, The Marbury Lens. I picked up on a few similarities between the two novels.
I'm still not 100% certain about Mitch's motives. He killed his dad to run away with Lily since his dad didn't approve of him or something, and suddenly it started his murderous and psychopathic streak? I don't really get it. I think Mitch was a bit one-dimensional. He's just a literally clinically insane person I guess. Lily is just a victim (the whole thing felt a bit misogynistic there... Lily, the only girl character in the entire story save Mrs. Scott and their mother who is only talked about in a bad light and- oh yeah- is also just "a slut", is seen as the perfect angel- a one-dimensional character frequently called "the girl" or "the slut"... I know the "slut" thing was really just to show Mitch's horrible character but still... it was so unsettling and uh well, sus, to read. Not to mention she dies in the end anyway with her unborn child still in her. Damn.). Maybe I'm just spoiled with Andrew Smith books and because he's written so many amazing other books, this one doesn't really meet their standards in my eyes.
Well, spoiler alert, but here are a few scenes I think I will never forget: Mitch killing Chief while Simon is in the bathroom. Simon and Jonah walking down the blazingly hot, sunny road and hearing that ominous sound of the gravel crunching as Mitch's Lincoln rolls past them. Jonah frantically getting his pistol from Mitch's trunk while they're stopped at the Indian teepee hotels and it's pouring rain and he's shaking from fear (I think he was, anyway. Maybe it was just me who was shaking. That was some heart-racing shit right there!).
Just thought I'd wrap up some memorable scenes- there are definitely more, but those stick out to me a lot for being very emotional. Matthew's letters were pretty memorable too, especially towards the end. It all really started to tie in together, which Smith always does a great job of- those ah-ha moments.
As for the similarities with Marbury Lens- I noticed this weird recurring theme of the bad guy always wanting the victim (usually teen boy) to ask for permission to be able to do things... uh kinda strange but I just noticed that in both of those books like how the doctor wanted jack to ask to pee and stuff and I think Simon/Jonah had to do the same exact thing for Mitch. Straaange. But cool that I picked up on that similarity ngl. There's a lot of interesting easter eggs to pick up on in the Andrew Smith-a-verse if you really look. Weird easter eggs, but easter eggs nonetheless. I also just felt like the overarching theme of trauma being the driving force of character development for the main characters was pretty consistent within Marbury Lens and In The Path of Falling Objects.
The story had a very certain feel to it the whole time. Hot summer days (in general, not the movie or anything), sweating in the desert, cacti, tumbleweeds, scorpions, a scary twiggy man covered completely in black soot, bleeding from self-induced cuts slashed along his ribs, sternum, arms, neck, and stomach while laughing maniacally and rubbing dirt and filth into his scabbing, bleeding wounds, gripping a murderous weapon all the while. Yeah. I'm not sure what inspired Andrew Smith to write this man but it was all just very... strange. Not bad, just very, very different. I will tell you one thing- I've never read anything quite like this except for Smith's other batshit crazy book, The Marbury Lens. I picked up on a few similarities between the two novels.
I'm still not 100% certain about Mitch's motives. He killed his dad to run away with Lily since his dad didn't approve of him or something, and suddenly it started his murderous and psychopathic streak? I don't really get it. I think Mitch was a bit one-dimensional. He's just a literally clinically insane person I guess. Lily is just a victim (the whole thing felt a bit misogynistic there... Lily, the only girl character in the entire story save Mrs. Scott and their mother who is only talked about in a bad light and- oh yeah- is also just "a slut", is seen as the perfect angel- a one-dimensional character frequently called "the girl" or "the slut"... I know the "slut" thing was really just to show Mitch's horrible character but still... it was so unsettling and uh well, sus, to read. Not to mention she dies in the end anyway with her unborn child still in her. Damn.). Maybe I'm just spoiled with Andrew Smith books and because he's written so many amazing other books, this one doesn't really meet their standards in my eyes.
Well, spoiler alert, but here are a few scenes I think I will never forget: Mitch killing Chief while Simon is in the bathroom. Simon and Jonah walking down the blazingly hot, sunny road and hearing that ominous sound of the gravel crunching as Mitch's Lincoln rolls past them. Jonah frantically getting his pistol from Mitch's trunk while they're stopped at the Indian teepee hotels and it's pouring rain and he's shaking from fear (I think he was, anyway. Maybe it was just me who was shaking. That was some heart-racing shit right there!).
Just thought I'd wrap up some memorable scenes- there are definitely more, but those stick out to me a lot for being very emotional. Matthew's letters were pretty memorable too, especially towards the end. It all really started to tie in together, which Smith always does a great job of- those ah-ha moments.
As for the similarities with Marbury Lens- I noticed this weird recurring theme of the bad guy always wanting the victim (usually teen boy) to ask for permission to be able to do things... uh kinda strange but I just noticed that in both of those books like how the doctor wanted jack to ask to pee and stuff and I think Simon/Jonah had to do the same exact thing for Mitch. Straaange. But cool that I picked up on that similarity ngl. There's a lot of interesting easter eggs to pick up on in the Andrew Smith-a-verse if you really look. Weird easter eggs, but easter eggs nonetheless. I also just felt like the overarching theme of trauma being the driving force of character development for the main characters was pretty consistent within Marbury Lens and In The Path of Falling Objects.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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