| Title | : | The Journey (Northwest Passage, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 244 |
| Publication | : | First published November 4, 2012 |
Distraught and destitute, Michelle finds a job as a secretary at Unionville High, where she guides her spirited younger self, Shelly Preston, and childhood friends through their tumultuous senior year. Along the way, she meets widowed teacher Robert Land and finds the love and happiness she had always sought. But that happiness is threatened when history intervenes and Michelle must act quickly to save those she loves from deadly fates. Filled with humor and heartbreak, THE JOURNEY gives new meaning to friendship, courage, and commitment as it follows an unfulfilled soul through her second shot at life.
The Journey (Northwest Passage, #2) Reviews
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Forty-eight year old Michelle Richardson of Seattle felt she was at a crossroad in her life – her husband had recently died in an accident and with them having had no children, she felt at a loss. The next stage of her life was looking decidedly bleak. The invitation to a class reunion back in her old hometown of Unionville in Oregon felt like it was meant to be. Catching up with old school friends whom she hadn’t seen in more years than she cared to remember meant Michelle had something to look forward to.
Michelle and her three classmates fell back into their old friendships as if the intervening years had never been. The spur of the moment night tour of the long abandoned Franklin mansion was to be filled with ghostly fun. But Michelle suddenly and inexplicably couldn’t find her friends – it seemed she had somehow entered a portal in the old house and had been whisked back to 1979...
Having no idea where she was, how she had arrived or what to tell people she saw, her gradual realisation to what had happened saw Michelle devastated; when her searching to return to her own time came to nothing she was destitute. But she knew she needed to adapt to the circumstances she found herself in – she took a job as secretary at her old High School, interviewed by her old principal. But when Michelle met up with herself, the much younger Shelly Preston, things began to get complicated.
As Michelle settled into a daily routine, she felt contentment in helping the young people through their senior year – the closeness and caring between herself and Shelly was gratifying. But she wondered about changing the course of history. Her knowledge of what was ahead created turmoil within her – but she knew she was able to save those she loved from fate. What would she do? The temptation was great for this time traveller to intervene…
What a great read The Journey by John A. Heldt was! Light hearted and entertaining but also tinged with sadness, the courage and tenacity of the main character was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style and look forward to reading another in the Northwest Passage series. Highly recommended. -
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Original Rating: 4.5/5
Plot | Story
I loved the first book in this series,
The Mine, and so obviously I was expecting a lot from this one. The Journey met all my expectations and even managed to make it’s place in my favourite books. Inspite of increased expectations somewhere I had a bit of a reservation, before starting the book, thinking that how one time travel book can be different from the other one by the same author. And to my pleasant surprise, John Heldt exceeded all my reservations and this book made a remarkable read. It’s concept was totally different from the last one (which for me was totally awesome!) I love both the books so much that I can’t even pick my favourite one out of the two.
Coming back to the plot and story, The Journey started of on a great note and only after a very few pages the time-travel thing happens. The flow of the story was good and the pace was something that I call “no-nonsense pace”, where everything major happens without any unnecessary drama or twist.
I was completely absorbed in the story right from the first page till the very last one. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and I might just read it a second time soon.
This book was so awesome that I felt like:
Characters
I loved Michelle and Shelly Preston. They’ve easily become on of my favourite characters (like Joel from the previous one.) I even loved the other characters… actually, scratch that, I love all the characters.
John’s characterisation is so gripping that the reader can’t help but fall in love with all the characters, especially the main ones.
I loved the little meeting towards the end where Michelle meets Joel. That was a real treat.
Romance
There was romance in the book but the overall story was about something else. The little bit of romance between Michelle and Robert was refreshing and entertaining. It was the typical old school romance where there’s no sex before marriage and was the sweetest part. I hated it when in the end Robert suffers but well, it only shows that not all endings are happy.
Writing
Now that I’ve read two books by John Heldt, I can say without any hesitation that I’m already a fan of his writing. I can connect with his way of writing almost instantly. It’s very effective in a very simple way. He never over-exaggerates anything nor does he undermines the importance of either the plot or the characters. Also, his stories are always so much more than what the reader expects. They are very eventful and keeps the reader absorbed throughout the book. His writing is subtle and I really enjoy reading his books.
Beginning
I was absorbed in the book right from the start. I loved the beginning as it was quite eventful. I loved the time travelling thing and the way the story progressed. I even like the willingness and even the eagerness of Mitchell to start a new life for someone who time-travelled unknowingly, given her past.
Ending
Ending was a huge surprise. I had a lot of assumptions for the end but I never imagined it to be what the ending really is. I compliment John Heldt for pulling off such a drastic ending. It blew my mind and left me wondering if it really should have happened as I loved the lead a lot. But that’s the way a good ending is, so yea, I made my peace with it (not to forget Shelly was Mitchelle herself!)
Blurb
In one word, this blurb is precise! It tells the reader what there is to know. As this is not a mystery book, there’s nothing that can spoil this book except the end, so the blurb is perfect.
Cover Art
The cove art is very much in sync with that of The Mine and as a part of the same series, it’s a good thing. Keeping the theme of the book in mind, I think that the cover is good enough. It has a depth but still I feel that it could have been a teeny tiny bit better. Still I like it.
You can also read this review at
The Reading Bud -
Imagine if you suddenly and unexpectedly where thrown into your own not so distant past, and got the chance to meet and interact with your younger self. Would you begin to influence and stir your younger self into a different direction in life, knowing that doing this will undoubtedly change not just your own future life, but also the life of the people near you?
Before I started reading this book I did not really know what to expect of it. I was afraid that this was going to be one of those self-published books with 1-dimensional characters, weak plots and a massive lack of editing. You know, I was expecting this to be one of those books that give indie- and self-published authors a bad reputation,
It didn't take many pages to see that this fear and expectation of mine was completely unfounded. This book is one of the best, if not the best, (self-)published books that I have ever read so far. I put the self-bit in brackets because the standard and level of this book is so high that it being self-published really really has nothing to do with it.
The writing is solid, the characters are solid, the massive amount of research of past historical events is solid. Everything this books is is solid! Nothing in this novel is remotely predictable, especially the ending. This is definitely a recommended read! -
The Journey is the second book in John Heldt’s Northwest Passage series. All the books in this series are capable of being stand alones (in fact, the only thing books one and two are the fact that they take place in the Pacific Northwest and the main characters travel back in time). Since the premises are so similar, though, I was to see how Heldt would distinguish the second book to make it uniquely its own, and he did not disappoint.
For one thing, the first two books encapsulate the two different theories about time travel. Not to get too nerdy, but, for example, in the first book in the series, the main character’s travel through time does not change the future when he goes back to it since his time travelling had already made these changes before he went back in time in the first place. (Think Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban. Apparently, the official term for this is the Novikov self-consistency principle, but I digress). The Journey, however, is completely different in that as the main character changes things when she goes back in time, she changes how the future is written (think Back to the Future). This was something that wasn’t explored in the previous book, but I thought it was really interesting and made for some things that I definitely did not see coming.
It’s hard for me to find anything to complain about in this book. It was clever, poignant, downright heartbreaking at times. A lot of people ponder what they would tell their younger selves, and I loved how Heldt explored how this time traveling woman was able to influence the life of her teenage self and high school friends. I would definitely recommend this book and will be continuing on with the series myself. -
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BOOK SYNOPSIS
Seattle, 2010. When her entrepreneur husband dies in an accident, Michelle Preston Richardson, 48, finds herself childless and directionless. She yearns for the simpler days of her youth, before she followed her high school sweetheart down a road that led to limitless riches but little fulfillment, and jumps at a chance to reconnect with her past at a class reunion. But when Michelle returns to Unionville, Oregon, and joins three classmates on a spur-of-the-moment tour of an abandoned mansion, she gets more than she asked for. She enters a mysterious room and is thrown back to 1979.
Distraught and destitute, Michelle finds a job as a secretary at Unionville High, where she guides her spirited younger self, Shelly Preston, and childhood friends through their tumultuous senior year. Along the way, she meets widowed teacher Robert Land and finds the love and happiness she had always sought. But that happiness is threatened when history intervenes and Michelle must act quickly to save those she loves from deadly fates. Filled with humor and heartbreak, THE JOURNEY gives new meaning to friendship, courage, and commitment as it follows an unfulfilled soul through her second shot at life.My Thoughts
My mind is still racing after finishing this excellent, emotionally rich, riveting read! There is much to be said for time travel as a vehicle to allow characters to experience their lives a second time, especially when the character who does so is a very engaging female whose personality shines through so brightly and realistically that you cannot help but find yourself able to see through her eyes as you read the story.
Michelle Preston Richardson did not just leave the year 2010 and end up in 1979, she left a way of life that was so overwhelming that it had swallowed all her childhood dreams and aspirations. Being thrown back into the past the way Michelle was would have probably broken someone who was weaker,for a while it did. Michelle picked herself up however from the depths of despair and took the opportunity presented to her through the kindness of strangers and with courage, determination and hard work she carved out a life that not only made her happier than she had been in years but also allowed her to finally connect with people in ways that made a difference to them even if at the time it was not apparent.
I have always known that words have power, the power to change, the power to heal and the power to bring peace to those in turmoil. This story showcases that power admirably, it puts the reader in Michelle's shoes and allows us to search for the answer as to how much should be shared and how much should be kept secret right along with Michelle as she becomes more and more involved with the inhabitants in the community of Unionville Oregon.
The story also raises questions in my mind about how I myself would handle traveling back in time where a younger version lived, where friends and family members existed who were long dead that I could once again interact with and most of all raises the question of how I would present myself to these people. The author answered these questions handily with Michelle in a way that would allow her to most benefit from her new life and also would allow her to be a person that others were able to easily connect with as she managed to gently extricate from them what other's never bothered to be aware of. Michelle touched so many lives in one way or another and in the end of this story we are allowed to know the impact this one special woman made in a very short time.
The Journey is a story that has such depth, such wonderfully realistic characters and so much that will capture your deepest emotions that it is a read you will not want to put down and will be very sorry to see end! This is the best kind of contemporary read, it will make you think, it will make you cry, it will make you laugh and most of all it will make you take a good long look at your own hopes and dreams and maybe realize that sometimes things work out differently than we want them to for a very good reason.[Kindle copy from author in exchange for honest review]
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Michelle finds herself with a life full of regret and unfulfilled dreams after her husband passes away in 2010. When she is transported back to 1979, she finds herself in a position to influence her younger self into making better life choices. This is pure wish-fulfillment time travel. Who doesn’t wish they could go back in time to convince their young, stupid teenage self to do some things differently, even if those things are not the big decisions that Michelle’s were. I felt like it devolved into superfluity frequently and skimmed a bit here and there, but I thought the ending was great in bringing it all together.
Content wise, this has a significant amount of profanity. And lots of teenage sex, much of which is talk, but there were a couple instances of moderately descriptive hanky panky. -
I have read The Mine by author John A. Heldt, which is the first book in the Northwest Passage series, so I thought I knew exactly what to expect with The Journey. While the two books do start out pretty much the same, with the main character traveling into the past unexpectedly, that's where the similarities ended.
The Journey starts out with the protagonist Michelle trying to get on with life after her husband died. She attends her high school reunion and through a series of events ends up back in 1979 with her 18 year old self. Everything I've ever read about time travel indicates that if you were to go back in time, it would be extremely bad to change things. It would be even more risky to interact with your self - I think they call that a paradox, which I gather is a bad thing (well, it was bad on Doctor Who anyway). Michelle has these thoughts too, but that doesn't stop her from making the most of her new life and getting chummy with her younger self. She figures that if she can make some small changes back then, it might change her life for the better.
The story switches back and forth between narrators: 49 year old Michelle and 18 year old Shelly (remember, they are the same person). Therefore you get to hear Michelle's perspective about what she thinks she could have done different, and Shelly's perspective basically tells Michelle's past, while also showing how Michelle's choices are affecting history.
It really makes you think about what would happen if you were suddenly zapped back to the year you were a senior in high school, but you had to experience it as an adult with much more life experience and wisdom. Would you seek your younger self out and try to change things, like Michelle did, or would you try to disrupt as little as possible. Personally I think I would try to do as little as possible, probably move to another state and try to build a new life; it would be too tempting to hang out with myself otherwise and warn young me about the many bad choices I would go on to make.
So far I'm really loving the Northwest Passage series. Author John A. Heldt has created some unique stories that get readers to think, and while the underlying premise is the same, the adventures are very different. The Journey was just that, a journey, and I look forward to continuing the series soon.
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
If you would like to read more of my reviews, please visit my book review blog,
Lucky Devil Reviews -
The Journey (Northwest Passage #2) (by John A. Heldt)
It is Seattle, 2010 and Michelle Preston Richardson is recently widowed. Not sure what she wants to do with her life she returns to her hometown of Unionville, Oregon, to meet up with three of her old friends. When there she goes to an old abandoned Mansion, she exits and finds is back in 1979.
Michelle has no where to go, but lands a job at her old High School. There she meets up with her younger self Shelly Preston, and her high school classmates. She meets a widowed teacher Robert Land and life starts look good for Michelle. But she must be careful what she does in the past because it can affect the future.
A fantastic time travel story filled with love, friendship, soul searching and promises. I have to admit I love time travel stores, but
The Journey really touched my heart. I have always wondered what would happen if I could turn back time and go back to High School, in this wonderful story I got a glimpse of what could have been.
I Highly recommend The Journey and
The Minealso by
John A. Heldt I intend to read his other books,
The Show and
The Fire -
'The Journey' was, for the most part, a fantastic read. It was well thought out, engaging, and the characters were extremely realistic. I think the latter is the reason I have to admit I did not, at all, like the ending. Okay, that's a little harsh. No, I did like part of the ending. I liked the happy part. I liked that Shelly, Brian, and April were able to live better, more fulfilling lives as a result of the whole situation. But I did not like the ending for Michelle. I felt as though it were heart breaking, and not in a good way. I like a good sob as well as anyone else, but truth be told, I disliked that my hopes and expectations got up that she had her second chance in her second life, just for something bad to happen to her in the end. I also felt it was just too abrupt an ending.
Besides my qualms with the ending, the story was fantastic. John A. Heldt is a marvelous writer with a ton of ingenuity, raw skill, and an almost shocking attention to detail (which is my all time favorite attribute in an author). I read 'The Mine' also and must admit I am in love with his writings. I love a good historical read, and a time travel novel is even better (when written properly). I just wish the ending for 'The Journey' had been a little more like the shock-and-awe-happiness I experienced with 'The Mine.' Life is not always that way, however, and despite all that I have said about the ending, I can appreciate the genius with which Mr. Heldt was able to give his readers a realistic ending mixed with a fairy tale happy one. -
After reading Northwest Passage Book 1, The Mine, I was happy when the Author offered me the rest of the series to review. I greatly looked forward to this installment in the series and I wasn’t disappointed!
The Journey is a story about parallel universes, second chances, and a haunted house that takes unfortunate visitors back in time. The Pennington house’s latest victim is Michelle, a woman who barely has traveled thirty miles from home, finds herself traveling thirty years backward in time.
“She had the means to be an agent-of-change and not just as a pint-sized interloper leaving tiny footprints either. She had a chance to make broad and deep marks and influence people in ways that went far beyond homework help and pep talks… Michelle had an opportunity to remake lives, including her own.”
I’m not a huge fan of science fiction but I love the theme of time travel in this series. I also loved the protagonist, Michelle, and enjoyed watching her grow as a character. I also liked how she used her “future” experiences to help the people she met “in the past”, including a younger version of herself!
If you’ve ever wished you could tell your younger self what you know now, or if you enjoy books with time travel, in general, I would recommend this novel to you! Well written and whole-heartedly entertaining; I give this book 5 stars!
Full book review:
https://aprillwood.wordpress.com/2016... -
Again I must preface this review with the fact that I will give any decent time travel story a five star review. I don't know why but I am just captivated by that genre - who wouldn't want to go back in time and have a chance to re-live some of the events of your life with the knowledge you now have? This is the third book I've read by John Heldt and all three have been a part of the same series. They don't all seem to be connected (some are but not all) but they are all (so far) wonderful. Heldt doesn't spend a lot of time explaining the science behind the time travel, he just spins amazing stories that are character centered. In each of these books I feel emotionally connected to the characters and the events they find themselves surrounded by. Heldt will usually have an actual historical event happen in the story and then write his characters into that and he does it so effortlessly that sometimes you think you are reading a factual diary instead of a fictional book. This was another great book by Heldt and I think there are only five in the series but I think he needs to write more. If you like the Back to the Future series you will really enjoy these books.
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I was asked by the author to review this book and received a free copy of the book in exchange.
When I agreed to review this book, I kind of wondered where the author was going with it. Would it be a sequel? A prequel? Would it have some of the same characters as
The Mine ? Interestingly, none of the above. Although the theme is similar, this is a completely different story than The Mine.
It's similar in that the main character, Michelle "Shelly" Preston is thrown back in time. It's different in that this time, the character encounters the younger version of herself. She gets to view her life through the lens of an experienced adult who actually lived it - and wishes things could have been different.
It raises the question of whether we would change our lives if we could. Can Shelly influence her younger self and point her in a different direction - and should she?
I enjoyed the book. It's well written and well paced, and with an ending that really surprised me. (No spoilers!) -
This book was a great read from start to finish. Michelle is having a hard time coming to terms with her husbands death. When she travels to her hometown for a high school reunion her whole world changes.
Literally, From 2010 to 1979. After visiting a mysterious mansion with some old high school friends, she finds herself a time traveler. When life gets her down and sends her back she stands up and moves forward becoming a new person in an old world. She quickly begins to see her roll in the past as a way to change some wrongs.
This book was really great. It was the 2nd in this series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone. It was full of history, drama, love, high school romances, and time travel mysteriousness.
I really enjoyed it. The ending was a bit of shocker to me though. It brought so much to light and told a great and somewhat painful tale....Stormi
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I was largely disappointed with this book. I gave it three stars because it kept me coming back for more and it was well written. I liked Shelley and April, I felt for Robert Land. I love that the house was the vessel and got sooo excited when Michelle discovers the time travel pattern she has been inadvertently sucked into!
But, this is where it goes wrong for me, what happens with that? Why no elaboration? Michelle even meets with another former time traveler but they never even discuss why this is happening or if it can be stopped? How about, if it can be reversed?
The book was basically just Michelle watching her former self make different choices this time around due to the influence she gets from the "older version" of herself. I just wanted more time travel. Oh well -
First, this is a paperback book. I really enjoyed the book, The Journey by John A. Heldt. The author truly planned out the story very well, using history and his imagination to bring the story together. The ending is unexpected, well planned and proper if that's the right word to use. Though, I don't know if I could be friends with myself, if I met up with me in the past. This story is a nice, clean story with caring characters. If you want to read a 'feel good story', this is the book. I find the author's stories refreshing with mystery, romance and adventure included. The only similarity from the first book and this is the journey going back in time. The characters are different. The story is different. And, the outcome is different. I'm looking forward to reading Book 3 - The Show.
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Originally published at
Reading Reality
We went to a Bob Seger concert over the weekend. It relates to this book on two levels. The first is that sense that I get from the best of his music, like Night Moves, Against the Wind, Main Street and Like a Rock, of someone older looking back at their life with both reminiscence and regret. It truly is “strange how the night moves, with autumn closing in.”
The song Night Moves was released in late 1976, and would have still been playing on the radio, at least occasionally, when widowed Shelly Preston slips back in time from 2010 to 1979. I remember because I was listening to the radio too during the 1970s. In 1979, when the heart of this story takes place, I was 22 to the original Shelly’s 18. I made some of her choices then, and some of the choices she made later as well.
But I managed my life do-over much less dramatically than Shelly does when she goes down that dark stairwell in the old abandoned mansion and finds herself back home again, in 1979, watching herself go through the trials and tribulations of her senior year in high school. She does not “become” the young Shelly, this isn’t that kind of story. Instead, she takes a job at the local high school, becoming the adult friend and mentor that Shelly needed but didn’t have during her first go around.
The older Shelly, calling herself Michelle, does not choose the Star Trek “Prime Directive” as her modus operandi for her second trip through 1979. She is determined to do what she can to save whomever she can, and to give the younger Shelly the chance for a happier life.
That she gets to experience her own slice of happiness is a joy and a wonder. Even if it isn’t meant to be.
Escape Rating A+: Sometimes I talk about what I think about a book, and sometimes I talk about how the story made me feel. If you haven’t already guessed, this is definitely one of those reviews that’s all about the feels.
At the beginning, I actually felt too close to the older Shelly. Her reflection on her life and the choices that led her to them hit way too close to home, to the point where I actually had to step back for an evening to get some distance from those feelings.
That a story made me reflect that much and feel that deeply is a testament to the writer. I absolutely loved his first book, The Mine, when I read it back in 2012. I have all the others but never went back to his writing – caught up in the “so many books, so little time” conundrum. I will not make that mistake again. This is a writer that seriously speaks to me.
Speaking of The Mine, do not let the description of The Journey as #2 in the Northwest Passage series keep you from reading this book, whether first or second. Although Joel Smith’s and Shelly Preston’s paths do cross in The Journey, it’s a very brief meeting and has no effect on either story.
These are both time travel stories with a hint of romance, and both are very powerful stories, but they’re not really tied to each other in the way that series sometimes are.
Also the time travel in both stories is fairly simple handwavium, as it should be. The time travel isn’t the point. It’s what the protagonists do with their new lives that’s the point. And it’s marvelous and beautiful and heartbreaking.
If you’re looking for a book to sweep you up, make you reflect, and possibly even make you ugly cry just a bit, take your own trip back in time with The Journey. Bring tissues. -
The Journey (Northwest Passage) bk 2 by John Heldt Review
Starting Over and what it means!
Seattle, 2010. When her entrepreneur husband dies in an accident, Michelle Preston Richardson, 48, finds herself childless and directionless. She yearns for the simpler days of her youth, before she followed her high school sweetheart down a road that led to limitless riches but little fulfillment and jumps at a chance to reconnect with her past at a class reunion. But when Michelle returns to Unionville, Oregon, and joins three classmates on a spur-of-the-moment tour of an abandoned mansion, she gets more than she asked for. She enters a mysterious room and is thrown back to 1979. Distraught and destitute, Michelle finds a job as a secretary at Unionville High, where she guides her spirited younger self, Shelly Preston, and childhood friends through their tumultuous senior year. Along the way, she meets widowed teacher Robert Land and finds the love and happiness she had always sought. But that happiness is threatened when history intervenes, and Michelle must act quickly to save those she loves from deadly fates. Filled with humor and heartbreak, THE JOURNEY gives new meaning to friendship, courage, and commitment as it follows an unfulfilled soul through her second shot at life.
What did I like? I am well on my way to reading all the time travel books that John has written, and I have loved each one, this one is again out of the ballpark. Each has its own story but in its unique way is connected to all the books. I really loved this character and the way that she handled her journey and the ending that was stunning!
What will you like? Strong characters that you will fall in love with, a storyline that grows and grows with each page. An ending that is the best that I have read in quite a while…. I loved it! The characters display emotions of sadness, remorse, happiness plus pure joy that will rock you with the turning of the pages. A storyline that is unfathomable, grows and regrows, twists and turns, leading to the readers to enthusiasm, anger, passion, judgment and intense tears of sadness. The ending is like none of the other books but was so right for this one. I am on to the next book. -
Review originally posted on Reveries Reviews.
Title: The Journey
Author: John A. Heldt
Series: Northwest Passage, #2
Genre: Science Fiction (time travel romance/adventure)
Era: contemporary and 1979
Setting: Unionville, Oregon, United States
Publisher: John A. Heldt
Source: from the author (in exchange for an honest review)
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
THE JOURNEY BY JOHN A. HELDT
Seattle, 2010. When her entrepreneur husband dies in an accident, Michelle Preston Richardson, 48, finds herself childless and directionless. She yearns for the simpler days of her youth, before she followed her high school sweetheart down a road that led to limitless riches but little fulfillment, and jumps at a chance to reconnect with her past at a class reunion. But when Michelle returns to Unionville, Oregon, and joins three classmates on a spur-of-the-moment tour of an abandoned mansion, she gets more than she asked for. She enters a mysterious room and is thrown back to 1979.
Distraught and destitute, Michelle finds a job as a secretary at Unionville High, where she guides her spirited younger self, Shelly Preston, and childhood friends through their tumultuous senior year. Along the way, she meets widowed teacher Robert Land and finds the love and happiness she had always sought. But that happiness is threatened when history intervenes and Michelle must act quickly to save those she loves from deadly fates. Filled with humor and heartbreak, THE JOURNEY gives new meaning to friendship, courage, and commitment as it follows an unfulfilled soul through her second shot at life.
***
Wow. That was quite awesome!
Now, I did hate this book. I absolutely hated it. Why? Because I hate anything that breaks my heart.
Yep, this book is an absolute heartbreaker! I cried a little bit at the end. I just couldn’t believe [plot twist I can’t say]. I loved it for that plot twist, but I also hated it for that plot twist.
PLOT: 5/5
Oh, good glory.
I admit I’m not really a ’70s fan. Especially late ’70s. But … you know, I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would, and that was partially due to the amazing plot.
I did think it was perhaps a little slow to start, but once it got going, it was quite addictive. As I said before, there was a plot twist or two that left me breathless and heartbroken.
And the worst thing was that I was going crazy knowing that it was going to happen and yet wondering how it would not happen and … I’d better stop before I make no sense.
I will say that I find it a bit confusing that, among at the Smith-centered books, there was this random rabbit-trail. I feel like it was meant to be a standalone, not part of the Northwest Passage series.
CHARACTERS: 4/5
I felt like the characters well well-developed. I admit I sometimes had a hard time keeping the teens sorted out, but that was only at first; I eventually caught on.
I admired both Michelle and Shelly. It was odd to see how different they were. I guess growing up and living life really does change a person. It made me ask a lot of questions about myself … who I am and who I will be.
I’ve never been so happy about anything in a book as I was about how Scott/Shelly ended up. I was thinking, “YES YES YES!” at the end. The ending was just perfect for Shelly and Brian.
I admit I was a little confused about Robert Land. Wow, he sure gets over his previous romances, doesn’t he? It kind of makes me want to not like him, although he was such a nice man.
SETTING: 4/5
I know very little about the late ’70s except what my parents and grandparents have told me, so I don’t have much to say here. This isn’t an era I’ve done a lot of research on, mostly because it’s near-modern-ness doesn’t appeal to me. (And yes, I’m a crazy who calls an era thirty years before I was born to be “near-modern;” I live in the Victorian era; ignore my oddness.)
However, I do feel like Unionville of the day was represented well. I’m not at all an expert on the subject, though.
WRITING: 5/5
I say this for all of Heldt’s books, but his writing style is fun and engaging. It’s an odd mixture of matter-of-fact and humorous. His descriptions are particularly fun.
CONTENT: 3/5
Language: some language including several instances of d*mn, oh my g*d, etc.
Violence: n/a (that I can remember)
Sexual: several scenes involving teens making out in cars (SAAAAANDDDDDDDDYYYYY), none too detailed. A couple times it’s implied that (unmarried) couples may acted immorally or something like that.
Other: a suspenseful scene including the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Some drinking and drunkenness.
Though I would recommend this book for older teens (say 15+, 14+ for mature readers), it was fairly clean. The thing I’d worry about would be the sexual content, though it didn’t go too far. Most older young adults should be able to handle it.
OVERALL: 5/5
Wow, again! Definitely one of those books that I’d want to read again. As I said, sad, but still uplifting and hopeful.
~Kellyn Roth,
Reveries Reviews -
I love time travel stories and John Heldt writes some great ones! This is the second in a series but they are not all tied together (although 1, 3 and 5 have the same characters!)
I've always wondered, if you could travel back in time, would you change anything about your past? Would you disappear if something happens to your younger you? Michelle (aka Shelly) gets a chance to figure that out when she accidentally ends up in her hometown her senior year of high school. So much happened that year and not all for the best. I liked her interacting with her younger self but not revealing who she really is and spilling the beans. Michelle has a positive influence on not only her younger self, but many of the teens in the small town. It was a different time (1979-80) and kids were different than they are today.
I liked how the story wove in the future and the past and even other people that went missing the same way Michelle did 31 years in the future. The ending is a bit sad, but still had a happy ending. -
One of the best time-travel novels I've read and the best of the seven of Heldt's works I've read to date (and I intend to continue to read his books!). Although it is the second book in his Northwest Passage series, it is a stand-alone work.
The main character, Michelle, lives in Seattle and is pushing 50 years of age. She has just been widowed, but was in a loveless, frustrating marriage. A class reunion in her smaller Oregon hometown leads to her being sent back to 1979 from the present. The way this occurs is kind of hokey, but after that the book soars to new heights of self-discovery, helping others, romance, love, and drama. I read it in a couple of days and was emotionally drained at the end.
I loved the way the author has Michelle relating with her younger, teenage self, her past friends, including her future husband, and her family.
Heldt's writing is simple, but profound, and his characters spring to life. One can picture them, feel their emotions, and relate to them.
I have become a fan, Mr. Heldt! Congratulations on your writing achievements! -
The Journey
: John A. Heldt
A very interesting time travel novel. The time frame is shorter than a lot of other time travel books, gives this a fresh prespective. I remember the events of 1979- 1980, as I had just gotten married.
The interactions between the older and younger protaginst were interesting. I liked the possibilities of changing history by slight changes in the past.
Second chances, romance and suspense all rolled into a neat package. I'd like more novels like this.
The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Caroline Miller added emotion and life to this story.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. -
This lady’s husband dies leaving her at loose ends. One day she goes into the towns haunted house with her friends and never comes out.
She is transported in time from 2013 to the 1970s. She befriends her younger self and the young’s friends. She figures there is no way back so might as well embrace it and takes a job at the school then finding and falling in love with the widowed math teacher. However in her quest to protect her younger family from certain death at Mt St. Helens she does all she can to reach them to warn them to get out. She doesn’t make it. The description of her death by the blast was very well done. I had to stop and think of all that happened that day. I lived in WA at that time. wonderful book
. Wish I could be half as giving as she was. -
I received the audio as a gift from the author, but that has not influenced this review.
This is a fun series of time travel storylines set in the Pacific Northwest. The author does a great job of weaving real historical events into the lives of his interesting characters.
This book specifically was slightly less produced the the first in the series and for good reason; only the first novel was published through the mainstream. The differences show in some of the dialogue and the less skilled narration, but overall the storyline is well written and enjoyable. I didn’t see the end coming and I’m glad for it. It was quite emotional. -
Time Traveling at the right time!
This is book 2 of the Northwest Passage Series. Yes, I read "The Mine" and I loved it. The Journey was no different. I enjoyed it. It was indeed a journey of many levels. Michelle is the main character, as her high school reunion seems to be the basis for her reflection on her life. It's written in different perspectives and in different times, and emotions can run high in this book. It is a very compelling story. -
I really like these books. I’ve only ever read one other time travel book but so far all of these in this series have been really enjoyable.
The characters are just nice and you really get into the relationships. Well written and you connect with the story. Michelle travels back in time and lands in the 1980s in the town she grew up in and bumps into herself. Read about her 2nd life and all the good she does with it -
Another winner.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this second book in the Northwest Passage series. It's not a continuation from book one. The only thing similar is that they each have unexplained methods of time travel as a plot feature. Regardless, this is a good solid story with an unbelievable twist at the end.
