Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Backroads

Backroads
Backroads
Author: Tawni O'Dell
A novel of a dysfunctional family in a Pennsylvania coal-mining town. The mother is in jail for killing the father and the four children are on their own. They are supported by the eldest, Harley Altmyer, 20, who is having an affair with the mother of a friend of his sister.
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780670887606
ISBN-10: 0670887609
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 338
Edition: Unabridged
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 47

3.7 stars, based on 47 ratings
Publisher: Viking
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

FabN46 avatar reviewed Backroads on + 103 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
A wonderful, haunting drama of a young boy and his three sisters all forced to make it on their own after their mother shoots and kills their father. This story will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and you will also find yourself rooting for Harley throughout. Loved this first novel by Tawni O'Dell.
reviewed Backroads on + 23 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Synopsis
Times are tough in the Altmyer family. With the maniacally abusive Mr. Altmyer dead and Mrs. Altmyer serving time for his murder, adolescent, hormone-raging Harley has just inherited the role of caretaker for his three younger sisters. Told from Harley's point of view, this debut novel set in a rural Pennsylvania mining town tells of his experiences as a teenage father figure, a lover of an older single mother, and a primary suspect in a brutal murder.
reviewed Backroads on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book kept my attention. It is a character driven book. I had to force myself not to judge the characters. I chose to put myself in their shoes.
Read All 6 Book Reviews of "Backroads"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

RonW avatar reviewed Backroads on + 35 more book reviews
a fast-moving human drama, great story!


Genres: