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jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
Piper Whitman is a stay-at-home mother devoted to raising her 9-year old son, Fred. When circumstances force her to face the reality that her son’s “quirkiness” may be something more, Piper has to come to terms with him being on the autism spectrum. Soon after, her emotionally abusive father suffers a debilitating heart attack that leaves him brain damaged, requiring care in her home for the unforseeable future.
Piper’s world seemed to have changed in an instant but the truth is her experiences as a child growing up with an emotionally cruel father shaped a lot of the decisions she made as an adult, including her overcompensation for her son and her communication issues with her husband. This could be anyone’s story and the author skillfully provides an insightful narrative that is at times highly relatable and vexing at others. Piper is the main voice with points of view provided at key moments from Fred and her father, Lance. While I learned a lot about higher functioning autistic behavior, that wasn’t the gist of the story. How Piper evolves is enlightening as she’s forced to do so when the father who raised her wasn’t the man she brought home to care. The bond that developed between him and her son created a chance for forgiveness and self awareness.
This is a tough, interesting and relevant story that I had to absorb in small bits. I experienced a range of emotions, often empathizing with Piper but also being highly annoyed with her behavior at times. She’s so very real, reacting true to character at all times. It doesn’t have the traditional perfect ending but it was perfect for the characters and the story. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this book, one that was not on my radar and might not have selected on my own. It changed my thinking in so many ways.
(I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
Piper’s world seemed to have changed in an instant but the truth is her experiences as a child growing up with an emotionally cruel father shaped a lot of the decisions she made as an adult, including her overcompensation for her son and her communication issues with her husband. This could be anyone’s story and the author skillfully provides an insightful narrative that is at times highly relatable and vexing at others. Piper is the main voice with points of view provided at key moments from Fred and her father, Lance. While I learned a lot about higher functioning autistic behavior, that wasn’t the gist of the story. How Piper evolves is enlightening as she’s forced to do so when the father who raised her wasn’t the man she brought home to care. The bond that developed between him and her son created a chance for forgiveness and self awareness.
This is a tough, interesting and relevant story that I had to absorb in small bits. I experienced a range of emotions, often empathizing with Piper but also being highly annoyed with her behavior at times. She’s so very real, reacting true to character at all times. It doesn’t have the traditional perfect ending but it was perfect for the characters and the story. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this book, one that was not on my radar and might not have selected on my own. It changed my thinking in so many ways.
(I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
maxgotthebooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Very emotional but I felt very connected to all of the characters involved. The part about it that I disliked was the main character, the things she did were very frustrating sometimes but maybe that means it is just more realistic.
lorieno's review against another edition
5.0
5 enthusiastic stars! Only rarely does a book resonate with me down to my core. This is one of those rare occasions. The plot, characters & themes all struck a chord. This would be a fantastic book club choice. So many discussions could be had! I look forward to more of her writing!
meghanmarion's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book free via Goodreads Giveaways.
This was a wonderful book. Yes it talks about the impact of an autism diagnosis on a family but it is so much more than that. Highly recommend!
This was a wonderful book. Yes it talks about the impact of an autism diagnosis on a family but it is so much more than that. Highly recommend!
kelsomimi's review against another edition
5.0
This was a tough one for me but SO worth it. I related so much to Piper, a stay-at-home Mom, deeply comnected to her son. Upon learning of her son's new diagnosis of Autism she is then dealt with taking care of her abusive Father after a heart attack leaves him with brain damage. This book was raw, from Pipers marriage, to her feeling like a failure as a Mother and being a dutiful daughter. She was me so many times during the many years of getting our owns son's diagnosis. Feeling the need to apologize for your child's behaviors, explaining his idiosyncrasies, just wanting answers and the overwhelming need to makes things okay for Him, for him to have every opportunity to succeed. And then acceptance that despite his disabilities, he's still your Boy and that won't change. I will carry this one with me, one of my top reads of the year.
"This was not our Fred; this was my child who had been branded as different, lesser, lacking. This was the fruit of all my love and labor's, marked with a scarlet A for autism."
"It was a small moment, only a second out of years and years of us, but it marked a recognition that our togetherness was a thing that could be tossed about by the rough waves of life."
"This was not our Fred; this was my child who had been branded as different, lesser, lacking. This was the fruit of all my love and labor's, marked with a scarlet A for autism."
"It was a small moment, only a second out of years and years of us, but it marked a recognition that our togetherness was a thing that could be tossed about by the rough waves of life."
vgmsonnet's review against another edition
2.0
This novel came highly recommended, but I couldn’t connect with the overly navel-gazing and neurotic mother, Piper. I liked her father and her son as characters...but her husband and her mother were not as fully fleshed out as they might have been.
Maybe because I have a son with some medical issues, I also found this psychologically difficult to read...I put myself too easily in Piper’s situations but then vehemently didn’t identify with her choices.
Worst of all (though no spoilers) the ending felt like a huge cop-out.
Maybe because I have a son with some medical issues, I also found this psychologically difficult to read...I put myself too easily in Piper’s situations but then vehemently didn’t identify with her choices.
Worst of all (though no spoilers) the ending felt like a huge cop-out.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
Piper is a member of the "sandwich" generation with a young son at home and an elderly parent to care for. Her situation isn't that simple and that is why it takes over 300 pages to tell the story. I liked that the book is told from all three perspectives: Piper, her son Fred, and her father Lance. I like that the book felt like you were having a conversation and listening to each individual in their own place. I loved Fred and the simple, honest, truthful things that came out of his mouth. "I say Dad, truth is a word and it lies flat on the paper and cannot have two sides." I liked that the characters weren't perfect but grew during over the course of the book. I only wish it had ended earlier. There was a moment after Fred's birthday party that would have been where I would have liked the book to end. The remaining 30 or so pages took time to tidy everything up and we know I am not a fan of the neat and tidy. The story had already gotten the characters and the reader where they needed to be. The rest was extraneous. I am excited that this is Ms. Brown's first book and I hope there are future ones to enjoy.
A copy of this book was provided by Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review.
rebecca_isreading's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for a free advance copy of this book!
Rebecca L. Brown has done a really nice job telling a story about a mom living through a really difficult life season- right as her son is getting an autism diagnosis, her emotionally abusive father suffers a heart attack and brain trauma leaving him a different person- and in her care. Piper has to fight to get her son the help he needs while struggling with her sense of responsibility to the father she's been, at best, ambivalent to over the years. She's overwhelmed and tested, and her struggles are honest and real. Readers also get the perspective of Fred, her son, whose take on situations the family is encountering is enlightening, and Lance, Piper's father, who is piecing back together his memories of his life before his incident and struggling with his realization about who he was. A solid look into an incredibly difficult, defining year in this family's life.
I was really excited to find that this book's setting was local to me (Madison, WI), and that this was a local author- that's always a bonus to a good story!
Rebecca L. Brown has done a really nice job telling a story about a mom living through a really difficult life season- right as her son is getting an autism diagnosis, her emotionally abusive father suffers a heart attack and brain trauma leaving him a different person- and in her care. Piper has to fight to get her son the help he needs while struggling with her sense of responsibility to the father she's been, at best, ambivalent to over the years. She's overwhelmed and tested, and her struggles are honest and real. Readers also get the perspective of Fred, her son, whose take on situations the family is encountering is enlightening, and Lance, Piper's father, who is piecing back together his memories of his life before his incident and struggling with his realization about who he was. A solid look into an incredibly difficult, defining year in this family's life.
I was really excited to find that this book's setting was local to me (Madison, WI), and that this was a local author- that's always a bonus to a good story!
theraykay's review against another edition
5.0
Flying at Night focuses on the life of Piper, a stay-at-home mom, whose whole life has been tied to her nine year old son, Fred. Her world is turned upside down as she deals with the autism diagnosis her son receives at school, just as her abusive father suffers brain damage after a heart attack.
Weaving through the three points of view of Piper, Fred, and her father, Brown pulls together a story about the difficulty of life. What Piper has thought about her life, her son, and her father are all challenged as she has to come to terms with moving forward from her pre-conceived notions of who her family is.
The conflict comes through in Brown’s reflective writing style, posing the reader to really think about who they are and who those around them really are. There is a reflection on emotion that comes with reading this well-developed story with realistic characters – having the three points of view helps achieve this goal.
Weaving through the three points of view of Piper, Fred, and her father, Brown pulls together a story about the difficulty of life. What Piper has thought about her life, her son, and her father are all challenged as she has to come to terms with moving forward from her pre-conceived notions of who her family is.
The conflict comes through in Brown’s reflective writing style, posing the reader to really think about who they are and who those around them really are. There is a reflection on emotion that comes with reading this well-developed story with realistic characters – having the three points of view helps achieve this goal.
maxwelldunn's review against another edition
5.0
What a delightful surprise! I received this book in my first box from Bookcase.Clubt (#notspon) and had heard nothing about it before. Maybe going in with few expectations was good, but I also think this book is strong in many aspects which ultimately led to my great enjoyment of it.
The novel follows Piper, the mom of Fred and daughter of Lance, as she navigates a particularly difficult year in her life. We read from all three characters' perspectives throughout the novel, though mainly from Piper's POV. Through these narratives, Rebecca L. Brown explores the truth and what we choose to see, struggles with empathy and re-building human connections, and much more.
It's a tender, beautiful novel that had my heart racing at times and my eyes welling with tears at others. I grew to love Fred and even reluctantly felt for Lance, who isn't very likable at the start. Piper's actions are at times frustrating and understandable, which makes this novel very real. You can tell the author poured her heart into this book, and it shows. I'd highly recommend this book for fans of Fredrik Backman. Anyone looking for a novel on a small scope but big in heart and grappling with tough themes with empathy will surely find something to like about this one.
The novel follows Piper, the mom of Fred and daughter of Lance, as she navigates a particularly difficult year in her life. We read from all three characters' perspectives throughout the novel, though mainly from Piper's POV. Through these narratives, Rebecca L. Brown explores the truth and what we choose to see, struggles with empathy and re-building human connections, and much more.
It's a tender, beautiful novel that had my heart racing at times and my eyes welling with tears at others. I grew to love Fred and even reluctantly felt for Lance, who isn't very likable at the start. Piper's actions are at times frustrating and understandable, which makes this novel very real. You can tell the author poured her heart into this book, and it shows. I'd highly recommend this book for fans of Fredrik Backman. Anyone looking for a novel on a small scope but big in heart and grappling with tough themes with empathy will surely find something to like about this one.