Chasing Windmills

Very well written story about 2 people who are emotionally damaged. They both manage to escape their poisoned environments and possibly find love along the way. I liked the ending of this book too as it seemed realistic and not over-syrupy/fake.

This is one of those books I couldn't imagine ever reader loving it. With a YA feel to it, Hyde puts together such an emotional read. One that is impossible to put down. A couple meets on the subway one night with instant attraction. Maria became pregnant in her teens and is currently in an abusive relationship. Sebastian is seventeen and in an abusive situation with his father. This gives them common ground and both want to escape. This desire will take them to Mojave Desert, a place of new beginnings for both of them, only it won't be exactly with they had envisioned.

I love quality coming-of-age stories and Chasing Windmills, Catherine Ryan Hyde's new novel, is first rate. Sebastian, a teenage boy, and Maria, a single mom, are kept on very short leashes by their controlling father and boyfriend, respectively. The couple may be inexperienced and naïve, but they understand something their captors don't--that they are smarter and more seditious than their oppressors. They meet on the subway, sparks fly and soon they are beginning the most important journey of their young lives. An unexpected twist leads to an ending that is surprising and yet somehow just right. Chasing Windmills is a poignant "tough love" story with a big heart.

I simply couldn't put down Catherine Ryan Hyde's Chasing Windmills. It's a terrific "coming of age" story, a wonderful addition to any avid reader's library and definitely for every young adult reader. The main characters, Maria and Sebastian, are so well drawn and believable, and the book is filled with down to earth characters, like people we know or have known--the good and the bad. The story, told in alternating points of view, Maria's and Sebastian's, allows the reader direct access into their hearts and souls. The West Side Story subtext is also tremendously effective and the urban and desert setting so accurate. If you loved Catherine's previous novels, especially Pay it Forward, Walter's Purple Heart, Becoming Chloe, or even if you're not familiar with her work, this is the book to read. If there were ten stars allowed, I'd add them.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors, so it was with great excitement that I read her most recent book. Chasing Windmills lived up to my expectations. Hyde draws Maria, an abused woman, and Sebastian (Tony), an isolated teenager with clarity. As Tony says, he's afraid of "...everything." The reader will learn that Maria is, too. The degree to which Hyde can crawl inside the minds of her characters is amazing. She made me believe every thought and action of Maria and Tony. Her minor, if there were any minor, characters in this book were real also. One gets the feeling that the old Black woman, who befriends Tony, has quite a story, too, but trust Hyde not to digress from Tony and Maria to tell it. Maybe she will someday. Tony and Maria eventually meet riding the subway to the end of the line and back. I say "eventually" because the first few times these two are only aware of each other, both too frightened of the world to even make eye contact with a stranger. Finally, they do make a strong connection and the situations they face are both heartbreaking and heartwarming.