Product Description

Two very different women from two very different worlds meet by accident...literally.

Collier Ann Torrington, a blue-blooded southern Californian, is running from her family, their money and her father's ruthless political ambitions. Meri Margaret Donovan lives on a Blue Ridge Mountain farm and refuses to see the world beyond her back gate. Their dramatic meeting is only the first of the tests that knock both women way out of their comfort zones. Just when it seems like Collier and Meri might find détente, the intrigue and destructive manipulations of Collier's family threaten her independence and Meri's way of life. There is only one way to survive the onslaught: together. But Meri's own shadows of the past threaten her ability to believe in any kind of future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #380621 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 196 pages

From the Publisher
Bella Books is proud to introduce the talent and unique voice of Claire Rooney to readers everywhere.

Customer Reviews

Far Beyond My Expectations
This is a wonderfully written story going far and beyond my expectations of a first novel. The author takes you on a journey with her characters while delicately blending in many issues, trials and triumphs. She masterfully weaves many elements of life, choices, love and a harsh upbringing in to a well detailed story. The story is emotionally satisfying and the characters are well developed while we watch them grow as women and partners.

A sweet romance
Full disclosure: The author of this book and I struck up a friendly acquaintance during a writers retreat.

As Far As Far Enough is a sweet romance with a wrapped-up-tight happy ending, but it's no cotton candy (thin, fluffy, saccharine). It's a French confection, intricately made. The plotting is much better than in most lesbian romances, especially first novels--there are frequent twists that kept me turning the pages steadily. First I thought, "OK, this is going to be a 'road' novel," but the main character's cross-country journey is covered in a few sentences. Then I thought, "OK, this will be the story of how the two women get together," but that's settled by page 42.

Rooney does romance well, but she has more than that up her sleeve. The main character, Collier, embroils herself and others in a scary jam that this reader, at least, could see no way out of. The story is mainly about how Collier and her new friends resolve the problem in a believable, thoroughly satisfying way--a nice change from lesbian romances that never get beyond the woman-to-woman relationship. This book is not formulaic lesbian fiction, yet never fear, the sex scenes come early and often.

It was interesting to meet an heiress who's genuinely burdened by her connection to big money. I do think the book breaks down too neatly along the lines of wealthy-people-inept, farmers-kind-and-competent (although Collier is handy with motorcycle repair). I hope Rooney will explore mixed-class relationships in more depth in her future work, because they obviously spark her imagination.

There are many fun and tender moments in this book, such as with Sargeant the horse, who drives the action (in a horse-like way) at crucial times. It's easy to see why Bella Books writes that it is "proud to introduce the talent and unique voice of Claire Rooney." I happen to know that Rooney has already written 2 other novels, and I await them eagerly.

Vivid and layered, an excellent first novel that falters a touch in the middle, but brings it all together in the end
I'd say this was an excellent first novel. This author has a real flair for language and description, and her ability to engage the senses, particularly sight and smell, through her prose was unanticipated and very welcome. Particularly when setting the initial scene and establishing the characters I was captivated with her skillful use of words, and imaginative set-up.

I thought that the writing wasn't particularly tactile, though, and perhaps this explains why at times I felt a certain detachment from events. This could also be due to Collier/Bea's detachment from proceedings herself. There are some plot twists that are surprising, and some turns that require a bit more suspension of disbelief than I possess. Particularly given Bea's intelligence and evident political smarts, I find it hard to believe that she didn't harness the media sooner, once she landed and discovered something worth fighting for. But these hang-ups mostly happened in the middle, and once things got moving towards resolution, I was satisfied with the proceedings.

I probably had the hardest time believing that no one would make a Mayberry reference, though.

The supporting cast was interesting and distinct, as were the main characters. Sergeant the horse was quite an amusing plot device in and of himself. Once again we get what seems like a depiction of rural America that rings true.

There were enough good things about this novel to outweigh the minor missteps, and I look forward to what this author can do with a little seasoning to smooth out the transitions in the narrative, and harness her remarkable way with words.