The Year We Left Home

from Jcambridge

Having grown up in a small Midwestern town, this book really brought back memories of those years -- the family joys and tragedies, the different paths taken, the town kid/farm kid pecking order, the over and underachievers, the power of the small town banks, the role of the church...and the list...

from yourotherleft

Thompson does an admirable job of bringing the Erickson family of rural Iowa to life in such a way that even though the characters are often unlikable they are also sympathetic. First, there is Anita, who, while still young, got married to a banker and tried to make herself into the perfect stay ...

from lschiff

I really enjoyed this. The writing was powerful, the characters were recognizable and multi-dimensional. Thompson was very effective at writing from many vantage points, treating each equally and still keeping all of the personalities internally consistent. I would especially recommend this book ...

from m.belljackson

Intriguing plot carries the book. I could not connect well with characters, notably over-angst mothers, and well-just-what Ryan. Norm and Martha and Blake were cool. Description of the failure of small farmers in the U.S. was intense and well crafted. The insidious involvement of bankers was a hi...

from Juva

A powerful story about one Iowa family's children and the path they take through life. It's a very nostalgic tale about the difference between how we see our life going as children and how it actually develops as we grow up and become adults. Wrapped in the rich historical setting of the late 1...