Up a Road Slowly

Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt was a childhood favorite of mine. This past weekend I listened to it while shopping and working around the house. Wow! I can now say that Up a Road Slowly will remain on my all-time favorites list. It’s the sort of coming-of-age novel I’ve always loved. A young person grows and changes as she struggles through everyday life problems. It begins after the death of her mother when seven-year-old Julie Trelling goes to stay with her aunt in the country. She must contend with homesickness as she’s living near her father but no longer with him. Her brother, Chris, goes away to boarding school, and their older sister marries young. In the country with her aunt Cordelia, Julie survives her first romantic relationship, learns painful lessons about class differences and bullying, and even learns how to write fiction from her alcoholic uncle. The characters are flawed, yet I rooted for them. This is a book I’d recommend to anyone, regardless of age.