Private Way: A Novel (Flyover Fiction) by Ladette Randolph

Private Way: A Novel (Flyover Fiction) Reviews

• 
  Hillary Copsey

  If I didn't work for a library, if my job didn't include purchasing books and looking up random book lists, I never would have found this lovely little novel. I discovered it in the depths of the internet on a list of Midwestern literature and/or authors -- honestly, I don't remember which -- and bought it because the connection to Willa Cather intrigued me. I am so glad I did. More people should read this.
  
  Randolph has written a melancholy but hopeful story of community and personal growth. The writing is compact -- under 250 pages! -- but vivid. I felt like I was living with Vivi through her year in Nebraska. I'm sure some readers will have quibbles about characters veering into caricature or plot points being unnecessary or implausible -- some readers always have quibbles; you like what you like -- but the feelings of this story, the relationships and the way they played out, felt authentic to me.
  
  Here's who I'll recommend this book to:
  - People who love Willa Cather
  - Readers who love Celeste Ng's novels, but aren't in the mood to have their hearts broken
  - People who enjoy Sally Rooney's navel-gazing millennials, but want less bad sex and more American life
  - Readers who like spending time in Marilynne Robinson's philosophical prairies, but wouldn't mind something a little more modern
  - People looking for a short read
  - Readers looking for a good, reflective novel to end/start the year with
  - People tired of every novel being set in a large city and/or on the coasts
• 
  Rebecca Tredway

  I love a book based in my hometown featuring plot points that intimately tied to my life in years past. I’m not sure I would’ve been as engaged if the book featured a different city, but who cares? Great read for my weekend.
• 
  Kate

  I’d give it 6 stars for brilliant writing and how she captured the culture of small town Nebraska, perhaps small towns everywhere. The plot intrigued. I could never predict what would come next.
• 
  Deb Hicks

  What a great story and it takes place in Nebraska. Vivi is a quirky loner who seeks refuge in Lincoln, she reads Cather and visits The Zoo Bar and Wilderness Park and The Mill and….she discovers what it means to become part of a community and invest in relationships and places. I loved this book. Add it to your list.
• 
  Erin Flanagan

  Utterly charmed by this book! Vivi Marx is a wonderful main character--self-aware yet obtuse, quiet yet obnoxious, odd yet ordinary. All of her contradictions coexist to create an interesting, dimensional person for the reader to follow through a year of life falling apart and knitting back together with the help of Willa Cather, a sexy dog, a gardener's ghost, and the weird neighbors who make a family. Plus, pie! Totally recommend.
• 
  Lori L (She Treads Softly)

  Private Way by Ladette Randolph is a so-so tale of a woman who needs to take a break from the internet.
  
  Vivi Marx started the online community Pie, which became very successful, but with the success came conflicts. Events led to Vivi being cyberbullied and doxxed, which has brought fear and anxiety to her life. For her own mental health and safety she decides to de-grid, leaving her life, her phone, and laptop in L.A., and heads to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she had spent several summers with her grandmother who is now deceased. Vivi rents a small house for a year and meets her new neighbors on Fieldcrest Drive.
  
  There are parts of the novel where the writing is wonderfully descriptive, but the numerous problems with the plot and the flow of the novel take away from the descriptive writing that can be quite nice. Concerning the plot, events in the story line that are left unresolved became a distraction. Additionally, I really didn't care for the fact that we are told the story rather than having the action flow as an integral part of the plot.
  
  Initially, I found Vivi an unappealing character and this first impression never changed. I struggled throughout the novel to keep an open mind and try to connect with this character. There was also a disconnect with the way Vivi acts/talks and her age.
  
  Perhaps I should have left this novel as a "did not finish" because it never won me back after a few questions arose early on. Perhaps it's being nick-picky, but what is the deal about it taking 5 days to get to Lincoln, even after buying an atlas in Elko, NV (when you would be on I-80). Even daydreaming, at that point the interstate takes you most of the way with efficiency and ease. Then when Vivi is crossing the Missouri (and wondering about its depth) to get on I-80 toward Nebraska, I was shaking my head. She would have had to cross the river somewhere else in order to even approach Lincoln from the east. And then there is the ghost.
  
  Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the University of Nebraska Press.
  
  http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
• 
  DeAnn

  I read this book for the US reading challenge, this was my book for Nebraska. For the purposes of the project, this book was awesome! I got to map a lot of places and learned a lot about the culture and setting of Lincoln, Nebraska as well as the towns around it; its small town feel, despite being the capital of Nebraska.
  
  As far as the story itself goes, I'm not sure this would have been something I would have enjoyed if I was not trying to learn about Nebraska. There is not much there in the way of plot. A lot of the book we're being told what happens but we don't feel part of the action at all (show-not-tell!) and so the book read like sort of a guidebook to Nebraska and a love letter to small town life. I found some of the characters extremely off-putting, even the main character herself, which I wrote down in my journal as a selfish and cowardly person.
  
  There is also some (mild) abuse/neglect of a dog in this book, which made me hate the owner of the dog, something I couldn't get past no matter what other redeeming qualities they might have.
  
  I get that the moral of the story is that everyone has their own faults, and that small towns require discretion because everyone knows these flaws, and that people come together in a small town despite their problems with each other. It still didn't stop my annoyance at some of their actions. And I kept waiting for some kind of real conflict to happen for the story to move forward, but nothing ever really did.
  
  It was a quick read, and I don't regret reading it because I learned a lot. I just don't know how much I actually enjoyed the story.
• 
  Amelia

  When cyberbullies threaten to take away everything Vivi has worked for, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Without a word, she packs up, purchases a rental car with cash, and throws away her phone. With nothing but a physical map and a tourist guide, she makes her way to Lincoln, Nebraska and finds herself amidst a group of townies who welcome--but are wary of--newcomers.
  
  As Vivi carves out this new life for herself, the more she realizes how pleasant it is to disconnect...as well as how stressful it is to know that nobody knows where she's been for the past several months. The unfolding of her story to the townies is both immediately believable and insightful. She unintentionally creates a persona for herself, one that others don't know if they believe. Who is she, really, to these folks? A renter? A stranger? A liar? She isn't sure which one is best--but then again, nothing can compare to those tracking her down.
  
  This book offers a glimpse at what a life without tech could look like: one of community, one that doesn't tear you apart, one of struggle and inequity but understanding. One of healing, if you let it.
  
  Ultimately, I find this book an interesting and insightful read for those like me, who need to put their screens down more than they think.
• 
  Krys Vielman-Diaz

  I unfortunately had to DNF this book at around 53%. I tried on multiple occasions to get through this book but it proved to be difficult time and time again. I think the book was attempting to be quirky and modern, but instead the characters ended up being either extremely annoying or unrememberable which usually could be fine, but it doesn't seem like that was the purpose of the book. In fact, I was really struggling to understand what the purpose of the book was. I assumed it was more focused on a found family trope which I typically adore, but I don't think it was done super well here. I hope that the book picked up in the second half, though I don't think it would have been something I would have particularly ever enjoyed.
• 
  Tess

  I adored this unexpected, small but powerful book. It was surprising and delightful, and I didn't want to leave the world Ladette Randolph created for me in a little town in Nebraska. After being trolled online as a CEO of a tech company, Vivi decides to go dark and disengage from any Internet for a year by living off the grid in a small community near Lincoln. It doesn't go easy, neighbors aren't as neighborly and she would hope, and small town gossip is even worse than in Silicon Valley. But the story is touching, and moves in fantastic and meaningful directions. A must-read especially if you enjoy Willa Cather.
• 
  Shelby Stafford

  DNF at 27%
  This just felt so robotic. I felt nothing for any of the characters, things are introduced in confusing bursts and then nothing happens for a long time. I feel like there are so many situations where we see her complete mundane tasks like making a to-do list, but we don’t see her DO anything, she just tells us she did them. The Buffalo park visit, for example, feels like it should have been an impactful experience, but all we got was “yeah I went and it was great”.
• 
  Chauna Craig

  A study in civility and community, this novel is a great homage to Willa Cather's work, and it captures perfectly the outsider/insider dynamic of rural America and the rich life possible when the main character, Vivi, has to unplug from social media and her own auto-distancing from other people. And the writing is very lovely too.
• 
  Meg

  I enjoyed this book a lot! The characters were relatable and the humor was dry. Personally, i enjoy that very much in a book! I appreciated the representation of all walks of life and the need to run away for a while to settle yourself out.
• 
  David Wean

  Enjoyed parts of the book, though at several points things seemed implausible. Tied up too neatly at the end. I like the idea of unplugging for a year, but haven't done anything about it - hey, I couldn't post snarky book reviews!
• 
  Trigger Warning Database

  Trigger & Content Warnings:
  
  Threats of rape
  Cheating
  Death of a parent from a heart attack
  Animal death (rat)
  Bullying
• 
  Sidney

  Had pies in it. what more can you want.
• 
  Martha

  This was a different read but enjoyable. Vivi had a very unusual mother and in fact spent a lot of time being raised by her grandmother which was a normal period in her life. She reunites with her mother and finishes school and then she and her best friend start a business. All is going well and then it isn't. She needs an escape and winds up in a small midwestern community that is very similar to a closed in neighborhood. The developments amongst the neighbors and their stories are interesting.
• 
  Renee Goldberg

  Private Way
  
  I loved this novel about a woman escaping from her past in a town in Nebraska? Vivienne learns a lot about herself and ultimately decides to stay in Nebraska and continue her journey. I highly recommend this book. Renee Goldberg [email protected]