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    Fly Away Home
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    Fly Away Home
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    Fly Away Home
    Ebook443 pages7 hours

    Fly Away Home

    By Jennifer Weiner

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    From the author of In Her Shoesand the forthcoming Who Do You Lovecomes a story of a mother and two daughters rebuilding their lives ...

    Sylvie Woodruff has spent the last 30 or so years being the ideal politician's wife and raising two daughters. When her world crashes down around her after a painful, public betrayal, she retreats to her grandmother's rambling seaside home to wait for the scandal to blow over.

    Sylvie's eldest daughter, Diana, married out of friendship and respect, not love... then years later, finds herself falling for a most unsuitable man. When the affair ends badly, she sets off in search of a new beginning.

    Lizzie, Diana's younger sister, who caused her parents such heartache as a teenager, is finally getting her life together. When a summer fling leaves her pregnant, and her charming boyfriend turns violent, she too heads out of town.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster UK
    Release dateAug 5, 2010
    ISBN9780857200686
    Unavailable
    Fly Away Home
    Author

    Jennifer Weiner

    Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books, including The Summer Place, That Summer, Big Summer, Mrs. Everything, In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and a memoir in essays, Hungry Heart. She has appeared on many national television programs, including Today and Good Morning America, and her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among other newspapers and magazines. Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

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    Reviews for Fly Away Home

    3.5/5

    39 ratings36 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      Disappointing.
    • 4/5
      Fly Away Home by Jennifer WeinerPublished by Atria Books (Division of Simon & Schuster)ISBN 978-0-7432-9427-0At the request of Simon & Schuster, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion. Synopsis (from book's jacket): Sometimes all you can do is fly away home... When Sylvia Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician's wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator. Lizzie, the Woodruffs' younger daughter is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she's trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER's exam rooms, she finds herself craving more. After Richard's extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be. My Thoughts and Opinion: This storyline was written with the old adage, "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors". But then taken a step further since the family behind those closed doors could not see what was happening. The Woodruffs were the ideal family to outsiders but each family member was living their own solitary life, each with their own secrets. The plot was relatable since it mirrored what we frequently see on the news with politicians and sports figures. I was also able to identify with the characters in this family because of a general age recognition within my family. The writing style was smooth and descriptive. Even with a serious and emotional theme, the author was able to add some humor into some of the scenes. Without including any spoilers, I found it to even include personal thought provoking questions, such as, "what would I do in this situation"?, "are we true to our self"?, are we really who we think we are"?, "who or what makes us happy"?, "are we true to our self"? This book could be put down, but not for long, because this reader wanted to know how it ends. My Rating: 4
    • 3/5
      Nice and easy, light reading. Much better than her others.
    • 3/5
      I found this book to be, although a decent read, a little superficial. The plot seemed to focus more on the daughters than the mother, Sylvie, which is all well and good, but the ending then seemed focus attention on the current marital problems between Sylvie and Richard. Since I didn't feel that this had been addressed much throughout the rest of the novel, it felt a bit odd. I enjoyed the daughter's stories much more (Diana, a doctor in an unhappy marriage and Lizzie, a recovering addict trying to rebuild a life) than the story of the politician's wife in the face of a cliched sex scandal involving her senator husband and a younger assistant. If the plot had focused more on the present relationship between Sylvie and Richard, in addition to covering their past, I think it would have felt more rounded.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this Jennifer Weiner book more than the last of hers that I read. Although my life has been very different from Sylvie's, I could relate to her and to her feelings of loss and grief and anger. After finding out that her Senator husband has had an affair which was made very public, Sylvie moves to the family beach house. It is there that she rediscovers who she is and what is important to her. The story is not only about Sylvie, but also about Sylvie's two troubled daughters - Lizzie who considers herself the "family disappointment" and Diana who has always felt the pressure of being the family's "golden girl". I was quickly captured by the story and the characters. There are definitely days I wish that I had the freedom to move to a small town, rediscover myself, and make the changes that Sylvie was able to make. I may not have made the same decision that she made in the end, but I can respect her for choice.
    • 3/5
      3.5...

      I almost put the book down after the first two pages, because there was too much description and not enough story...I guess we were just being filled in on Sylvie's life YAWN!!!! But once I got past all the description I stayed up until 2:00 am this morning to finish the book....I just had to find out what happened.

      There were many parts that I skimmed over, due to all the effluvia and I didn't want to waste my time being bored for fear I'd drop the book and not go back to it. I thought the ending to be rather weak.....

      Synopsis:

      Sylvie is the daughter of a very powerful/famous female judge as well as a Senator's wife.....a Senator who has just been caught in a sex scandal....

      Sylvie's eldest daughter Diana (the achiever) is an ER Doctor and very unhappy with things at home and she too is having an affair with a young intern....until the young man sees her on the street with her husband & son (he knew she was married but did not know she was a mother).....

      Sylvie's youngest daughter Lizzie (the problem) has just come back from Minnesota after being in re-hab....she has been living with Diana taking care of Diana's young son, Milo. Lizzie has just met a very nice man and has unknowingly become pregnant.....

      Life unravels for everyone, one by one all three women end up in the family's Connecticut beach home trying to come to terms with their lives......Sylvie learns to cook & connects with a childhood friend and all seems to be going well.... and then comes Thanksgiving......

    • 4/5
      I heard someone say that this is not your typical Jennifer Weiner book, and I think I'd agree with that. Weiner does explore some of her usual themes (mothers, sisters, daughters, food issues) and the book is humorous at times, but it still has a different feel to me.

      The novel alternates between a mother and her two daughters as they deal with the revelation that their politician husband/father has had an affair with an aide and re-evaluate their lives and life choices. With all of the recent political sex scandals, it was fun to see all the timely references to the Sanford/Clinton/Spitzer affairs, but I'm sure future readers may find some of that confusing. But I like how Weiner tries to get inside the head of a political wife and find out what she is really thinking when she chooses to stand (or not stand) behind her husband at the press conference when he confesses his sins. I also liked how realistic the book is and complicated the characters are. I found Sylvie and especially Diana unlikeable at times -- but just when I wanted to completely write the latter off, Weiner makes her sympathetic.

      p. 6-7: She could admit, if only to herself, that was bright but not terribly ambitious; that she lacked a certain something, aggression or tenacity or even just desire, that magical quality taht would have lifted her from good to great. Btu she'd found a place for herself in the world.
    • 3/5
      Simple structure, three parts, chapters alternating between the three women characters. The very obvious structure made it predictable, perhaps a little too predictable. Typical women's fiction (I think). Slightly annoying at times -- any woman character who picks up cooking as a way of redefining her life is going to annoy me. My first read by Jennifer Weiner, so I can't compare to her other novels. I'd guess they're all very similar. Not bad but not a great read.
    • 4/5
      It is a simple but enjoyable book about a mother and her two grown daughters. The three have different struggles that they are currently facing alone, but learn to share there struggles with each other in there own ways. I would have liked to see the relationships develop a bit more, but did enjoy this novel.
    • 3/5
      Another enjoyable read by Jennifer Weiner.

      This is chick lit with an edge, meaning, it is not a light and fluffy book, but its bout 3 women, mother and 2 daughters, who all 3 encounter big problems in life. We see how they cope with it.
      Maybe not her best book but I did enjoy it. Nice summer read.
    • 4/5
      When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politicians wife - her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced with tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner tha she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.
    • 4/5
      I was definitely in the mood for some chicklit when I picked up this novel. I have a bit of an issue with timely books such as this ("ripped from the headlines," books where name-brands are dropped every other paragraph, etc. - it's why I tend to stick to fantasy), but they can be fun occasionally. The relationships between Sylvie and her daughters felt pretty real and were written well. The ending was pretty cheesy, but not unexpected. Recommended to those who already know they like this sort of novel.
    • 2/5
      I really disliked this book. I found the characters to be odd and unusual (not in a good way) and their actions and responses to be completely unrealistic. The storyline was okay if a bit politician-typical. This was my first Jennifer Weiner book and so far I'm not a fan.
    • 3/5
      Found on a book exchange shelf where I was leaving a BookCrossing book. I used this as a little light reading to refresh my palate after a slew of fantasy novels. Well written, felt relatively real, especially Sylvie's life/reactions. The girls each went to extremes at times, but not beyond the bounds of belief.
    • 5/5
      Well, I am now a Jennifer Weiner fan! I really enjoyed reading "Fly Away Home". It is a family centered story that runs the full range of emotions. I think it gives some insight into the lives of some political wives.Sylvia is the perfect politcal wife. A constant dieter, always beautifully coiffed,wearing well tailored clothes, Sylvia does everything for her husband, Richard's career. Even though she hates doing them, she is forever going to meetings, fundraisng events and political functions. She has no real self, her children are taken care by someone else. Then the bomb dropped and she found herself standing aside Richard as he made a public announcement of his affair.She never thought it would happen to her!Diane, one of Sylvia's daughters is an ER physican, married with a son named Milo. She has always strived for perfect grades and tried to be in the spotlight in an attempt to get her mother and father's attention. But she feels lonely. Lizzie, the other daughter is a beautiful with a great sense of humor but she always felt inferior to Diane and she was always getting into trouble whether is was someone else or her fault. She could never be as good as her mother or her sister. I highly recommend this book to readers who love to read about family dynamics with vivid characters.
    • 3/5
      typical women's fiction. had a few flaws but really liked the characters and the story!!
    • 3/5
      I am a fan of this author - This book was about a well respected senator and what happened when an extra marital affair was discovered. One of the things I liked was how the author focused on the dutiful wife more than any other character and showing a different perspective. A perspective the public isn't privy to during such turbulant times in a marriage. There was plenty of storyline on the two adult daughters - Lizzie and Diana - but I needed more character development on the girls. Sophie's reactions and her ensuing decisions for her future are mapped out with realistic detail. I can not imagine having to avoid radio and TV so the betrayal won;t be thrown into my face on a daily basis. It wasn't my favorite book by Jennifer Weiner but I liked it.My fav would be Good in Bed.
    • 4/5
      Sylvie is a politician's wife. That's basically her job. Her husband's a senator and their daughters are adults now. Diana, the older daughter, is a doctor with a husband and son. Her younger daughter, Lizzie, is a recovering addict who's working as a nanny for Diana. Richard (the senator) just had an affair and it's all over the news.Sylvie, Diana and Lizzie have to cope with the fallout, along with some other surprises.I always look forward to new Jennifer Weiner books, although they seem to be hit and miss with me. (Hit: Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, Little Earthquakes, Certain Girls. Miss: Good Night Nobody, The Guy Not Taken. Best Friends Forever is somewhere in the middle.) If pressed, I think I would say that Little Earthquakes is my absolute favorite. I said all that to say that I really liked this one, and it may be my new favorite.I like books that are "ripped from the headlines," as they say, and I'm always fascinated at the cheating scandals that always seem to feature the disgraced politician's wife standing next to him with a big, fake smile.Fun, light read.
    • 4/5
      I'm a big fan of Jennifer Weiner but this one wasn't one of my favorities, probably because it was not as funny as her earlier works. This is a more serious novel about a political family that is disrupted when the Senator father has an affair ala Bill/Jennifer Flowers style. The adult daughters appeared very different on the outside, one was a married, ER doctor with a young son, the other a recovered drug addict with no direction. However both daughters bore some scars from childhood as they were frequently neglected by both parents in light of their father's continual political campaigns. With this past in mind, the ramifications of their father's scandal push each in different directions. The mother, in particular, escapes the marriage and starts finding the person she was before she became her father's career assistant. Jennifer Weiner did a great job exploring the question about how a wife such as this might return to a man who had betrayed her in this manner. In context of the family's life history, it made much more sense. I enjoyed the novel more as it progressed toward the end, as the secrets started to be revealed and the love and support started to play out toward the girls. But I had a more difficult time caring about the father character and the eldest daughter and her husband, who seemed emotionally detached and unlikeable for the majority of the novel.
    • 3/5
       I love Jennifer Weiner's writing, but this was my least favorite of her books. Even though I did not like the story line or the characters in this book, I still think she's a terrific author.
    • 4/5
      I thought this was Weiner's best book since Little Earthquakes. It's the story of Sylvie and her two daughters, Lizzie and Diana. Sylvie is the politician's wife who's given up any vestige of her real self, while Lizzie is a recovering addict and Diana is an ER doctor trapped in a loveless marriage. Weiner treats all of this with humor and minimal drama. The characters seemed very real. My only complaint was that Sylvie's husband was annoying, so it was hard to understand why she was so attached to him, but as Weiner points out, "Marriages are mysteries."
    • 5/5
      Fly away home is the beautifully written story of Sylvie, a politicians wife, and her two daughters Diana and Lizzie. In the wake and aftermath of scandal these three women are forced to face the truth about themselves including who they are, who they want to be and what they want out of life. The women deal with past issues as well as present. Weiner does a wonderful job of taking the serious issues of commitment, self-esteem, identity and choices and mixing them with comical moments.
    • 3/5
      Long timed married and overly devoted wife of US Senator learns quite publicly that her husband had an affair with his aide. Sound like current evvents? Well continue to read because Weiner will name several current issues along with names. Weiner has a very nice writing style and I did grow to know the characters and cities or towns but the directness and explicit sex "words" would not be my choice of books. This was a book club read that was expressed a mistake. Sex scenes are not the issue but the words chosen were.
    • 3/5
      I did enjoy this book. Kept my interest. Library book
    • 4/5
      Weiner's latest chick lit offering is her best in a long time.
    • 3/5
      I’ve been a little reluctant to read more from Weiner, because the first two books I read focused so much on the weight of the protagonist that it was a little bit of a turn-off. Thankfully, Weiner has grown as a writer and moved away from that to focus on more important issues.Fly Away Home is about what happens to a family when a betrayal is revealed in a very public way. Sylvie, the victimized wife, decides that she needs some time away. She moves to her mother’s vacation home, hoping to figure out who she is now that she’s not being the Senator’s wife. Her oldest daughter, Diana, is a busy doctor with an inattentive husband who finds excitement in the arms of another man, despite seeing what adultery has done to her parents. Her youngest daughter, Lizzie, is a recovering drug addict who is relishing the chance to be the caretaker for a change. I’d tell you more about the men, but they are rather one-dimensional.I rather enjoyed Sylvie and Lizzie’s parts of the story, but had major issues with Diana, for several reasons. First, she’s basically a bitch. From the beginning to the end, I had a hard time mustering up any sympathy for her. Weiner tries really hard to make her husband, Gary, as distasteful as possible, but the more distasteful she made him, the worse Diana looks. In fact, I felt bad for Gary, because he married a woman who obviously never loved him to begin with and only married him because she figured she might as well get that part of her life over with. Box checked. I also didn’t like the hot and cold relationship she had with her young son, who seemed so much better off with his recovering addict aunt. And finally, the event that forces Lizzie out of Diana’s house made no sense to me. It seemed like an incredibly huge over-reaction. I think we’re supposed to accept it because Diana is lashing out at someone else to assuage her own guilt, but it didn’t work.I also found the ending to be a bit disappointing. It’s open-ended, and I would have preferred at least a little resolution.I listened to this on audio and enjoyed Judith Light as narrator.
    • 4/5
      There are things I didn't like about this book and things that didn't make sense - but in the end I came to enjoy the characters and the storyline as three generations of women in a family interacted to make it through a difficult time.
    • 3/5
      This was one of my least favorite books by this author. Sylvie Serfer is the wife of a senator from New York and the brains and backbone of his operation. She organizes his life, runs their home, and manages his speeches with not much energy left for her two grown daughters. When her senator husband cheats on her, she is shattered and is forced to take time to finally reflect on what is really important in life. For her that is her two grown daughters. Lizzy is a reformed drug addict who has been through rehab and is trying to pick up the pieces of her life. Diane is an emergency room doctor in an unhappy marriage. Both girls have come to a point in their lives when they need their Mom and Sylvie is waiting in the wings to finally be there for them.
    • 5/5
      Senator's wife faced with his infidelity-one daughter recovering drug & alcohol, other daughter in loveless marriage. Very good
    • 2/5
      A quick and easy read.