My Abandonment Audiobook

" This was just a strange book. I appreciated that I knew the general terrain/setting of this book because I hail from Portland, but... I am at a loss for words on how to describe it. "

" I finished this a few weeks back and just now am getting to the review. I was intrigued because we live right next to the park that part of this is set in. It was not what I expected but still and interesting read. Not my favorite but I don't look at "homeless" girls on the street of Portland the same. "

" It's often more interesting to read books set in places that we know; this is no exception. Inspired by the story of the man and daughter who lived in Forest Park for years, this story also talks about Sisters and Portland adventures overall. Touching, sad, story about trust, independence, love, and risk. A bit reminiscent of "The Road" for me. "

" This book was selected for fall term as the "Chemeketa Reads" pick. Maybe it is because the author is local, and we'll be able to get him on campus easily... too bad, though. I was not impressed with this book. There were elements of it that should have carried it: a compelling story from local news, a concrete sampling of local geography (those parts I did like) but over all it didn't click into place. Two things particularly disappointed: the too frequent sentences where the subject/object/pronoun/verb tense agreement was really screwed up. It just came off as poor editing. Bigger, though, was the sloppy seaming together of additional real-life father/daughter in-the-news stories. I am 100% in favor of taking ideas from wherever they reside -- I can hardly be bothered to cite a source in my art work -- but taking multiple sources and laying them next to each other is no where near as interesting as layering them and adding to them and making them anew out of the dense packing of life's fodder. Will other people like it? Probably. Other people remark on "The Lovely Bones" too as if it is great literature. Bah. "

" Like nature herself - 'My Abandonment' is rugged, disturbing and ultimately a thing of beauty & wonder. "

" This author is a friend of a friend, so he came to our book group last week to talk about this book. This was a wonderful book about a 13 year old girl and her father who lived for 4 years in Forest Park in Portland. Peter is from SLC and has written several books. This is the first one I've read, but I want to read his others. He is very pleasant and talented. "

" Disturbing, riviting, tender, beautiful & strange. A young girl and her Father living in the wilderness in the city until they are discovered, changing everything. I read this in one day. Glad my friend had read it so we could exclaim, " what about that?" "

" A very interesting book about a father/daughter pair who are living in the forest at the edge of town. Beware: this is not necessarily a happy tale. "

" Kind of a cross between Emma Donoghue's Room and the movie Hanna. "

" Wow. Thank you Erica for the suggestion. Amazing writing. I listened on cd, I actually might pick up the book because I think some books are truly better read, and I think this is one of them. "

" This book created the liveliest discussion at My Book Club that I can remember. That it is based on a true story makes it all the more fascinating. "

" I wanted to like this more than I did. The prose was too distant, too removed from any actual emotions. Maybe that was the point, but by the end I was scratching my head. I wasn't thrilled with the plot turn at the end; I felt it was implausible and sensational. "

" I was prepared to give this book four solid stars until I got closer to the end - the conclusion of the story was NOT what I expected or wanted to happen! "

" I just don't know what to say.... "

" I read this book right after I read Emma Donohughe's "Room." In some ways, they are very different, but both are written from the perspective of young people growing up isolated, and creating their own understanding of how the world works. I liked Room better, but the two books make a nice pairing. "

" Truthfully, this book will require some processing, and I have not taken the time to do so. I enjoyed it. Finished in a day. Was not familiar with Peter Rock before this book. Maybe someday I will get back to writing a real review... "

" Very good, I enjoyed it. "

" I liked the authors voice and it held true throughout the story. It was an interesting tale but I was a little disappointed in the ending but would still read it again. "

" Based on a true story of a father and his daughter living for years in the woods of a city park. After they were found, they lived for a short time on a farm, then disappeared again. I didn't like the way the imaginary story of their lives was projected from there. It didn't seem real. "

" Haunting, well told, disturbing, and I'm not sure I'm glad I read it yet I couldn't put it down. "

" "squint my ears"; the strength of self-reliance and power of personal choice; emerson, thoreau, rousseauWas her "Father" really her father, or did he kidnap her? "

" Good Book. I struggled a little at the beginning as the writing it definitely like a 13 year old would write. I loved that it was set in places that I recognized and that it was based, if not loosely, on a real event. "

" nothing great. based on a true story but the ending was completely made up. from reading reviews, i am not sure if the man was the girl's real father or if he kidnapped her. either way, i'd like to of known what happened to her. "

" Riveting and disturbing. I finished this last night, and haven't been able to stop thinking about it. The end of the book leaves you with more questions than answers, certainly, but the descriptions, characters and world that is created for the reader are absolutely engrossing and deeply felt. "

" Fascinating story and appealed to the Boy Scout in me. Helped me think differently about so-called drifters and what society causes us to do. "

" It was pretty good. But not sure I liked the ending. And I'm still not completely clear on some things. "