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Solace of the Road Audiobook
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(3.02) - 630 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Holly’s story will leave a lasting impression on all who travel with her. Memories of mum are the only thing that make Holly Hogan happy. She hates her foster family with their too-nice ways and their false sympathy. And she hates her life, her stupid school, and the way everyone is always on at her. Then she finds the wig, and everything changes. Wearing the long, flowing blond locks she feels transformed. She’s not Holly anymore, she’s Solace: the girl with the slinkster walk and the supersharp talk. She’s older, more confident—the kind of girl who can walk right out of her humdrum life, hitch to Ireland, and find her mum. The kind of girl who can face the world head-on. So begins a bittersweet and sometimes hilarious journey as Solace swaggers and Holly tiptoes across England and through memory, discovering her true self and unlocking the secrets of her past.
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"A really enjoyable read. Holly/Solace is a wonderful young character with a clear and endearing voice, and her gradual realisation of what really happened in her early life is quite heartbreaking. Some lovely characters met on the road too - I particularly loved Phil the vegan cheese lorry driver (you need to read it...!). And it was nice to see social workers portrayed in a positive light for a change..."
— Annie (4 out of 5 stars)
Solace of the Road Listener Reviews
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" A very good YA adult book about a young girl with a troubled past. She is finally placed in a good foster home, but her past causes her to run away. "
— Gina, 2/2/2014 -
" After loving her other books, this was a disappointment. I did enjoy the exploration of disliking who one is and creating a different persona, one who is the things one wishes one could be. There was a theme of abandonment throughout, but far too resolved at the end. When a child is abandoned, they don't just "get fixed" - it is something they deal with forever and the young woman became too normal too quickly. "
— Ryan, 12/24/2013 -
" A bittersweet story. Holly is a lovely narrator, and I liked the way Dowd ended the story. "
— Maureen, 12/16/2013 -
" I really enjoy Siobhan Dowd's writing style. The language is gorgeous. I just found this to be a bit slow at times. "
— Ricki, 10/31/2013 -
" (Actual Rating: 3.5 stars) "
— Jillian, 9/29/2013 -
" Solace hitchhikes across England to stoway on a ferry to Ireland hoping to find her mother who abandoned her years ago. Dowd is one of my favorite authors and unfortunately, this is her last book. "
— Cathy, 5/21/2013 -
" i loved this book, i will read it again one day, i will always remember it "
— Emily, 7/2/2011 -
" Good book about a teenage runaway, who finally figures out who she is. "
— Jan, 5/3/2011 -
" An interesting concept, and I really enjoyed the book. It wasn't as powerful as A Swift Pure Cry but I liked it. "
— Libby, 4/17/2011 -
" Kind of Slow but inspirational :) "
— Weezy, 2/8/2011 -
" A bittersweet story. Holly is a lovely narrator, and I liked the way Dowd ended the story. "
— Maureen, 1/27/2011 -
" One of my all time favourite books! "
— Marj, 12/22/2010 -
" It's amazing, isn't it? That even before reading the book you're in tears. "
— Cora, 8/24/2010 -
" Not a lot of action and therefore slow moving. When it gets good it's good though.<br/><br/>Also, "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics will be stuck in your head after completion. "
— Mahasin, 8/23/2010 -
" Gripping tale of a young outcast - I really couldn't put it down. "
— Jenny, 8/20/2010
About Siobhan Dowd
Siobhan Dowd (1960-2007) lived in Oxford with her husband, Geoff, before tragically dying of cancer. She was both an extraordinary writer and an extraordinary person, and she left behind two unpublished novels, the first of which was Bog Child. All royalties from her books will go to a trust created just before her death, the Siobhan Dowd Trust, a charity set up to support the joy of reading for young people in areas of social deprivation.
About Sile Bermingham
Sile Bermingham began her acting career in theater in her native Dublin before moving to New York to attend HB Studios. Theater credits include Loot, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Remembrance, A Touch of the Poet, A Woman of No Importance, and Crimes and Crimes, among many others. An avid reader and lover of stories, Sile has read the works of Maeve Binchy, Cecilia Ahern, and Joanne Harris.