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Without Looking Back (2009)

by Tabitha Suzuma(Favorite Author)

3.54 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0552560006 (ISBN13: 9780552560009)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fiction

publisher

Corgi Childrens

review 1: Suzuma is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors. This is the second book of hers that I have read, and although I preferred the other one a little bit more, I still utterly loved this one. The thing I really like about her books is that she deals with topics that we all know and think about, but barely ever read about - well, in teenage books, anyway. This novel was about a depressed father taking his three children away from France to Paris after he lost the custody battle with his ex-wife. From the beginning, the reader knows about them being abducted, and for the first half of the book you are just sat waiting for one of them to find out. And they do halfway through the story, just like I said - which confused me. All I could think of was, what is going to hap... morepen for the rest of the book? I don't want to spoil what happens, but I thought it was an excellent twist to what I was expecting, and the ending was fantastic - again, totally unexpected but perfect. Suzuma shows in this novel that situations like these are far more complicated than we can understand, and she shows this so beautifully. As you read, you really become attached to the characters of Louis, Max and Millie - and even their kidnapping Father. At the end I could feel tears welling up in m eyes , and I just wish there had been one more chapter, because it kind of ends on a cliffhanger. You want to find out what happens to the family - do they get caught, or do they get away with it? What does Max do when he hits sixteen? What does Louis do when he hits sixteen? However, a sequel just wouldn't be good for this book - it is so amazing and moving as it is. My praise for Suzuma is endless and I hope to read some of her other books in the future.
review 2: Without Looking Back follows the story of three French kids Louis (12), Max (14) and Millie (8) who are taken by there father to England, deeming it a "surprise" trip. This was in fact not the truth. There father had taken the children away from their mother who had won sole custody of them. After settling down their world tumbles apart. The book ends with Millie, Max and the father boarding a plane, with Louis staying behind to go live with his mum. So I finished this book today, and I am disappointed with the ending. I feel like it could have done with an added 20+ pages, to make the ending more secure/concrete. I was REALLY interested in this story when I read the blurb it sounded so great.And it was great. I just didn't love it. There were just parts I didn't understand. For example, when Max asks about his missing mobile, he only asks for it once, and then what completely forgets about it again? No 14 year old technological lover would just not ask about it again. I just feel that those kids would have asked questions more often, or noticed that something was very off. Overall I did enjoy the story greatly, and was sad to see the family part their separate ways in the end. I think that anyone should read this book, its great! I just didn't fall in love with it like i'd hoped too! And it was well written in my opinion. :) less

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