What do readers think of How Far Is the Ocean from Here by Amy Shearn? Write your own review.

This was a fun read. The book included the humor of the movie Little Miss Sunshine. I could really picture the desert and the people on the big screen. Then there was the pathos of a collection of dysfunctional but likable characters. I could commiserate with Susannah's conflicted feelings about surrogateship and the people she could effect with her behavior. The most interesting part was the relationships developed between this divergent group of strangers.


I hope that my book club will choose this book. We are a collection of teachers, counselors, and parents of special needs children. We might need sleeping bags before we can finish relating all of our thoughts and opinions. I just could not give that fifth star because it was not one of the BEST books I have ever read.

I loved this book! This is a tale of ambivalence. What makes one a mother? What is "normal"? Who am I? Susannah, Julian, Frankie, Kim, Dicey, and Tim all deal with how they are perceived with others and how they experience themselves. The setting is remarkably described; I felt I was truly in the desert with them. This will make a great film.

I thought the book was good. A little hard to follow at times. The ending was disappointing. The Author seemed to be in a hurry to finish the book.

I would recommend watching out for future works by this author, but I can only halfheartedly recommend this book.

The author's use of language is poetic and compelling, especially regarding a sense of place. However, I never really felt like we got to know the runaway surrogate mother, Susannah, even though we tagged along with her halfway across the country. The tension of wondering what she was thinking kept me from losing myself in her misadventures.

I also had a sense that, as John Irving sometimes does, the author tried to pack too many quirky characters into one place. I will still watch for Amy Shearn's next work.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. Not only did it introduce me to eight uniquely, different people, but it also made me realize how our decisions, thoughts and actions can impact the lives of the people around us. I liked the way Ms. Shearn was able to make me feel like I was right there, with everyone, instead of reading a book about them. I also agree that this book would make an excellent book club selection.

This is the first book about surrogate motherhood that I have ever read. How Far Is the Ocean from Here is very well written and thought provoking. The author captured, for me, the real feeling of the desert and the feeling of isolation within Susannah. I enjoyed this book very much although I was frustrated and sympathetic at the same time (confusing for me!) with most of the characters! It would make for a great book club discussion.

How Far Is The Ocean From Here was a different, yet interesting read. Susannah, a somewhat lost and impulsive young surrogate mother, flees to Thunder Lodge to contemplate her situation. There, she meets a cast of offbeat and quirky characters that added plenty of humor and took the story into interesting directions. I can't say I truly liked Susannah. There were times when her actions baffled me. But I do think the author did a good job with this story. I'll keep an eye out for her next novel.

A beautifully written story about a surrogate mom who just wants to see the ocean. Leaving her life behind, Susannah sets of for nowhere, anywhere, wherever the road leads her just weeks before the baby she is carrying for Kit and Julian is due to arrive.

Although Susannah's thoughts aren't always clear, the reader can understand the wonderment and uncertainty she is feeling about turning over this *stranger* once he finally arrives. We see the deals she makes with herself throughout the book, if she makes it to the ocean, she'll keep this baby, if she doesn't Kit and Julian were meant to have him. It's truly a roller coaster ride of emotions for both the reader and all the characters involved.

We as readers get to peer into the lives of these characters: Into the road trip Susannah feels the need to take, Feeling the fear and uncertainly Kit and Julian experience not knowing what is to come. And of course the thoughts and feelings from the rest of the cast of characters who we are introduced to as the story progresses.

How Far is the Ocean From Here is a delightful book filled with a few questions, some answers and a whole lot of entertainment!!