The Longest Road: A Novel

True Grit combines with Grapes of Wrath in this well plotted story covering 10 years of American history from 1935-1945. A young girl from Kansas exhibits pluck and resilience as she and her younger brother fight the odds to make a better life when all they have is a harmonica, a gift of songs from a mysterious Irish Indian, and each other.In a way, this is a road novel that takes place on prairie highways and western railways. Okies in flivvers and hoboes in boxcars, con men in Packards and roughnecks covered in oil are a few of the characters who people the pages, each with dreams about what America should be. For young Laurie and her brother, Buddy, the simple dream of a loving, settled home may be unobtainable.The question is, will they remain indomitable, or be forced to take the bleak prospect of share-cropping and indenture as the only path to survival during the upheaval of the Great Depression and WW II.Williams' descriptions of Western landscapes convey the devastation of the Dust Bowl environment and symbolize the dried up spirits of the people struggling against unkind Nature and unprincipled Man. It would have been a go we, literary movement if Williams resorted less often to didactic history lessons. However, this shortcoming can be overlooked because the characters are true and sometimes magnificent.

For me this book had it all. It was a raw look at life and I grew up during that same time period and my dad was a roughneck and a driller and then formed several drilling and or mud companies in Oklahoma. I heard about his relatives that fled to California to find a way out of poverty. I related to just about every paragraph written in this book and I don't think you would have to know all about the oil field as I did to enjoy it. It had a mix of religious and moral values and just enough romance not to turn you off but just enough to make one examine their own life and remember the good,the bad,and the ugly. It is also a capsule of history that sums up events as they were happening which cleared up several things I knew about the wars we were in and how our Government handled things. Not a lot different from today but that is another book!The mention of working with nitro being used as a dangerous job in the oil field brought to mind a story my dad told of a guy and a big mule team wagon that stopped by a well he was on. After a visit the guy took the mules and nitro wagon on his way over a hill and a loud explosion sent the crew in that direction. What a sad ending to his life as his wagon must have jarred the nitro into an explosion. I loved the development of characters in this book and most of all I loved the ending! Great story!

I loved this book. When I first began to read, I had just downloaded five books. Immediately, I thought the book was going to be hard and I thought, "Uff, this is going to be tough; why didn't I go with another one?" As I read, however, I came to understand that even though the story was hard and immensely tense, I would come to love the characters and enjoy learning more about this time in American History. I was captivated by all the twists and turns of the plot and so admired the pluck of the young protagonists. How oh how are they going to survive their predicament? I had an impossible time putting the novel down because the of the tension that Ms. Williams' sprinkles liberally into her plot. Unlike many novels I read, this story will stay with me.

I enjoyed reading this story; it covered an interesting period of time, beginning with the dust bowl. The heroine was a plucky, self-sufficient young lady who had high morals, and a sense of responsibility, looking out for her younger brother through trying times. It held my interest from beginning to end. I recommended the book to a friend. I will look for more books by this author.

As a student we had to read "The Grapes of Wrath", which was very realistic for the dust bowl era, but it was so depressing, as life was then, but it left one feeling bereft. The "Longest Road" provides a clear picture of the desperate times that families an individuals endured during the dust bowl, but intermingled is the distant prospect of love and better times. Added to this is the impact that WWII had on Individuals of this country who had persevered through the earlier hard times...and now effects of the war. The resilience of the characters prevail and it is easy to love them, especially "Larry-Laurie". It would make a wonderful movie!!

I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of historical data and the story kept me wanting to read more. I almost rated it five stars but some of the things that happened were quite implausible even though they were necessary to keep the narrative moving forward. Will read more from this author.

The story takes place during the dust bowl and W2. The times were difficult for many, but the main character has bad and good things happen in her life and meets a lot of good and a few bad people. She is mature and has good judgement for someone so young. She is very likable and it’s fun to follow her ups and downs. Some parts of the book seemed a little improbable or might have rated it 5 Star.

I first read The Longest Road 20 years ago but couldn’t resist when the opportunity came for a second reading! I was entranced by the book the first time and was more than delighted the second time!The author’s ability to depict historical events within the depths of a narrative makes The Longest Road a book I could not—once again— put down. Laurie, her companions, and the devastation of the Dust Bowl and then World War II made me cheer for the noble and worthy people who emerged. Kudos to author, Jeanne Williams! Dr Pi Irwin

I was amazed at the historical content in every chapter. The author wove historical events smoothly into the flow of the novel. There is so much enlightenment about the dust bowl conditions for the land and inhabitants. The power of religion in those times was also well developed through the thoughts, actions and talk of Laurie. The kind-hearted attitude of people who had do little but shared what they had was inspiring.

Strong female character