- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (Mar 10 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0307279383
- ISBN-13: 978-0307279385
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.5 x 20.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #707,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In the simple and captivating latest from Pay It Forward author Hyde, a chance encounter proves life-changing for two lonely New York City subway riders. Four months shy of 18, Sebastian Mundt has been held a virtual prisoner by his father since his mother died: his father home-schools him and doesn't let him have outside relationships. One night, with his father heavily sedated by his sleeping pill, Sebastian sneaks out to ride the subway and locks eyes with Maria Arquette, a young mother who is caught in an abusive marriage. The two share an instant connection and take to meeting on the subway almost nightly and tentatively planning a future in the California desert town that Sebastian remembers from childhood, where thousands of windmills stretch out across the horizon. Hyde gracefully alternates between Sebastian's and Maria's perspectives with gentle nods to this New York love story's precursors (Maria obsessively watches West Side Story). It is their voices—at once utterly credible and heartbreakingly naïve—that make the book, and while this is being billed as an adult novel, its closest stylistic relative is S.E. Hinton's YA classic The Outsiders. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
“Simple and captivating. It is [the characters'] voices—at once utterly credible and heartbreakingly naïve—that make the book.” —Publishers Weekly "A sweet tale openly modeled on West Side Story . . . centering on how people come to grip with their pasts." —Kirkus Reviews“A reimagining of the classic tale of star-crossed lovers . . . but fresh and new. . . . A page-turning read. . . . The distinct voices are sweet, soul-baring, and honest. Hyde writes evocatively of the visceral nature of first love.” —School Library Journal
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chasing Windmills (Hardcover)
Seventeen-year-old Sebastian sneaks out at night. His domineering father home-schools him, makes decisions for him, and keeps an eye on him every minute of every day. Sebastian knows that only the nights are his after his father takes his sleeping pill.Maria is a young mother of two, living with an abusive boyfriend. She is riding the subway because she is too afraid to admit to Carl that she has lost her job. She knows it can't go on forever, but once she meets Sebastian it becomes impossible to imagine life without him. They met late one night on the subway. They exchanged glances and shy smiles, and finally they began to talk. Once Sebastian begins to see the real world, he begins to question how his father has raised him. His only friend, an old woman living in a neighboring apartment, gives him the love his father never shows. With her encouragement, he makes a plan to escape from his father and take Maria with him. He contacts the maternal grandmother he barely remembers and learns his father has not just sheltered him, but also lied to him. His mother didn't die. She is alive and well in the Mojave Desert where he is welcome anytime. Author Catherine Ryan Hyde tells the story of Sebastian and Maria in alternating chapters. The fear and pain of their loveless lives screams from the pages. I found myself feeling the absence of one when the chapter I was reading focused on the other. Even though CHASING WINDMILLS somewhat parallels several famous love stories of the past, it has its own unique voice and interpretation. It will most certainly touch your heart. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Catherine Ryan Hyde succeeds again,
By Sylvia Willard "retired public librarian" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Chasing Windmills (Hardcover)
Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors, so it was with great excitement that I read her most recent book. Chasing Windmills lived up to my expectations. Hyde draws Maria, an abused woman, and Sebastian (Tony), an isolated teenager with clarity. As Tony says, he's afraid of "...everything." The reader will learn that Maria is, too.The degree to which Hyde can crawl inside the minds of her characters is amazing. She made me believe every thought and action of Maria and Tony. Her minor, if there were any minor, characters in this book were real also. One gets the feeling that the old Black woman, who befriends Tony, has quite a story, too, but trust Hyde not to digress from Tony and Maria to tell it. Maybe she will someday. Tony and Maria eventually meet riding the subway to the end of the line and back. I say "eventually" because the first few times these two are only aware of each other, both too frightened of the world to even make eye contact with a stranger. Finally, they do make a strong connection and the situations they face are both heartbreaking and heartwarming. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Emotional TKO,
By Christian "Writer/Human" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Chasing Windmills (Hardcover)
It's not often that I'm so compelled to write a review of a book I've read as I am with "Chasing Windmills." Hyde, author of several of my favorite adult and young adult novels, has hit a pitch-perfect emotional note with this, her latest story.With each successive novel, Hyde creates an increasingly rich emotional backdrop against which she displays her true talent: drawing characters that are at once simple in their honesty and their flaws, and tremendously complex in the situations and emotional intensity their choices push them into. It's exciting to see a skilled writer continue to grow into her craft, as Hyde does with style and a deft heart in "Windmills." Like "Love in the Present Tense," we're presented with characters who have been marginalized in their own lives, and whom are inevitably drawn to one another with sometimes disastrous results. Using the story of Romeo and Juliet, and subsequently the characters in "West Side Story" as the melody around which Hyde constructs her word symphony, "Windmills" hits its stride about a quarter of the way in and does not slow down until the very last page. Not only was I forced to stop several times so that I could absorb the complex beauty of the story and the writing, but found myself returning to several chapters to re-read them so as not to miss a single thing. More than once, "Windmills" brought tears to my eyes. Hyde is an unfailing expert at creating a story that immediately resonates on every level, hits every emotional button, and makes me feel like a better person having read her writing. "Chasing Windmills" goes on my top ten list of favorite reads. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnetic,
By The Compulsive Reader - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Chasing Windmills (Paperback)
The only thing Maria and Sebastian have in common are sleepless nights and dull, unhappy lives. But when they're eyes meet on the subway one evening, they form an instant connection. As their relationship deepens, they plot their escape to California, and to a brand new life. But despite their intense relationship and new love, both Maria and Sebastian have been keeping secrets, and when those secrets are thrown into the light during their escape, their love will suffer the blow.Chasing Windmills is a compelling, insightful, and memorable book throughout. Sebastian and Maria are both intensely real characters and Hyde portrays them in such a manner--displaying their memories, motivations, wishes, and dreams--that readers can't help but fall for them. Hyde's use of imagery is exemplary, and her vivid scenes of bustling New York City to the wide expanses of California and its numerous windmills create a hopeful tone as Maria and Sebastian find themselves, learn how to stand alone, and trust each other. Their journey is heartbreaking, but gratifying, and ends realistically and hopefully. Chasing Windmills is another stand out novel. Cover Comments: This is the paperback edition's cover art, and I like the slightly unusual coloring to this cover. I think the greenish tinge really works well with the image, and the woman in the photo represents the Maria I pictured in my head better than Chasing Windmill's hardcover art. |
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