Solace of the Road

By: Siobhan Dowd

Narrated by: Sile Bermingham

Holly’s story will leave a lasting impression on all who travel with her.

Memories of mum are the only thing that make Holly Hogan happy. She hates her foster family with their too-nice ways and their false sympathy. And she hates her life, her stupid school, and the way everyone is always on at her. Then she finds the wig, and everything changes. Wearing the long, flowing blond locks she feels transformed. She’s not Holly anymore, she’s Solace: the girl with the slinkster walk and the supersharp talk. She’s older, more confident—the kind of girl who can walk right out of her humdrum life, hitch to Ireland, and find her mum. The kind of girl who can face the world head-on.

So begins a bittersweet and sometimes hilarious journey as Solace swaggers and Holly tiptoes across England and through memory, discovering her true self and unlocking the secrets of her past.©2009 Siobhan Dowd; (P)2009 Listening Library

Critic reviews

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2009:
"A last gift from Dowd."

Starred Review, Booklist, October 1, 2009:
"With rare, raw honesty, Dowd writes about the legacy of abandonment, memory's comforting tricks, and the painful, believable ways that love heals."

Excellent Listen!!

I love a good book set in a distant location and Solace of the Road does not disappoint! Beautifully told with an almost poetic voice at times, Solace welcomes the listener into the thoughts of a young girl as she imagines, remembers, and realizes her journey through life. Will definitely listen again. And, as a bonus, Sheila Birmingham is my all time favorite narrator! I'd listen to her read the phone book!