Rush Home Road

By Lori Lansens

Lori Lansens became one of Canada’s most sought after writers more than a year before her internationally heralded first book, Rush Home Road, would see publication in April 2002. So immediately and passionately was her novel embraced that it was already front-page arts news back in April 2001. Knopf Canada was the first publisher to buy this extraordinary debut novel, but just before the 2001 London Book Fair, Little, Brown US bought the rest of the world rights for a major six-figure sum (for Rush Home Road and the author's yet-to-be-written second novel), and rights have now been sold in numerous countries.

The Globe and Mail reported the record-breaking news with full, front-page coverage, and Little, Brown International Rights Director Linda Biagi found herself talking of nothing else in London; she sold Rush Home Road to a further 9 territories with the manuscript still unedited. Biagi likened the book to some of the most important literary achievements of our time, saying, “It’s as if John Irving had written The Color Purple.” Louise Dennys, the Executive Publisher of Knopf Canada, describes it as “a novel of startling beauty and great heart that will immediately find a place within that small, special tribe of books beloved by readers the world over.”

The untold story of the descendants of the Underground Railroad

Heartbreaking and wise, Rush Home Road tells the life story of Adelaide Shadd, who finds redemption in old age, and Sharla, a five-year-old mixed race girl abandoned to Addy’s care by her white mother. Born in the first decade of the 20th century in Rusholme (inspired by the real town of Buxton), in southwestern Ontario, an all-black community settled by fugitive slaves, Addy Shadd is raped as a teenager and forced to flee the family home. She makes her way on foot to Detroit, where she becomes the housekeeper for an elderly man and his grown son, both of whom develop a crush on her. When misfortune strikes again, she sets off to make a new life for herself in Canada. Thrown off the train at Keating, not far from her birthplace, she meets and eventually marries the train porter, the wonderful Mose, with whom she has a daughter. But when tragedy strikes, Addy is left alone.

Now an old woman, she lives a quiet existence in a trailer park near Chatham. Her whole world changes when a young mother asks her to babysit her daughter, as it soon becomes clear that the mother is never coming back. Addy is glad of the company, but not sure if she’s up to the job of mothering this sweet, awkward five-year-old. Nor is she sure how much longer she’ll be around to do so. How she manages is part of the story of this brilliantly captivating novel.

Written with verve, grace and unflinching emotional acuity, Rush Home Road is an epic story that explodes our notions of identity, justice, and heroism, penetrating one of our darkest periods with profound insight and humanity. Addy Shadd is a protagonist like no other -- full of quiet, steely bravery and tenderness of heart. This spellbinding novel will leave no reader untouched.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 24, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307371287

Lori Lansens

Lori Lansens is the author of Rush Home Road, which was translated into eight languages and published in eleven countries, and The Girls, which was sold in thirteen territories and featured as a book club pick by Richard & Judy in the UK. She was born and raised in Chatham, Ontario, and now makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

Reviews for Rush Home Road

[sharn_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought it was wordy in places and felt as though it didn't need to be so long. I also issue with all the ghosts. Maybe it could've been told a little different but yea, the ghost thing doesn't always work for me.With that said, this was a great book. I've never read a historical fiction that had so many twists in it. The characters were well developed and I believe I liked and didn't like them accordingly.Definite recommend.

[bookishjojo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another re-read. I am really looking forward to this one!!

[klburnside · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I just couldn't decide if I should give this book four stars or three. I decided to give it four starts because I think maybe I just wasn't focused enough to appreciate it. But then I decided to give it three because I'm not postive I would recommend it to people. It was not as good as The Girls, the other book I just read by this author.

This book was about a young girl, Sharla, being raised by her elderly neighbor, Addy, after her mother deserts her. It alternated between the present and the story of Addy's life. I love books that altenate between stories like this, but I found that these stories alternated a little too quickly for me. I was just starting to get into one story when the author switched to the other.

The book was well written, and the characters were very likable, but for some reason I just never got completely into it. I seemed to be very tired every time I read it and kept falling asleep, so that could have had something to do with it.

Anyway, I can't really decide if I'd recommend it or not. Maybe someone else should read it and let me know if I should recommend it.

[janismack · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book alot. You really experience time and place. Characters were interesting and well developed.Highly reccomended.

[christineellei · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have a new author on my favourites list and this book was AMAZING! In my little world three stars out of five means it was a pretty good read … this book I would give six!

The book is set in the Detroit-Windsor-Chatham corrider of Southern Ontario (as are most of Ms. Lansens books) and tells the story of Sharla Cody and Mum-Addy. Sharla is a five year old who has had a tough go of it already and Addy is a 70 year old who had a tough go of it all her life. Addy agrees to look after Sharla for the summer so her real mother can “get her life together” … which in reality meant “take off in the middle of the night with her boyfriend". Having a young child in the house brings back memories of her own upbringing and causes Addy to go down memory lane a little more frequently than usual. Moving seamlessley from the present to the past, Addy’s story is the book.

Ms. Lansens manages to incorporate a lot of Canadiana into the book, from Canada’a role in the anti-slavery movement, the underground railway and prohibition, but does so in a way that weaves well into the story. She also looks at the seedier side of children’s lives when they do not have strong and loving parental figures. Although uplifting in the case of little Sharla, it makes me wish every needy child had an “Addy” in their lives.

Addy is a character I quickly came to love, and that feeling kept me turning the pages to find out more about her remarkable life. A must read for anyone who likes a good story with (spoiler alert) a little bit of a tear-jerker ending.

[smits_52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. the story of a 70 year old woman's journey through her past which was filled with sorrow and hardships and how a abondoned little girl brings her back home to Rusholme.

[nanditapeebles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting twist - had me "hooked" right through.

[bohemima · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fantastic novel from a novice writer! The author explores the meaning of family through the story of Sharla, a young girl abandoned by her mother to the care of a quite old woman whom the mother hardly knows. The development of the relationship between Sharla and Addie is beautifully and touchingly told, without any of that dread preachiness so often found in stories of this type. A second aspect of the novel is Addie's own story, told in alternating chapters with Sharla's. As Addie becomes more and more attached to Sharla, she remembers her past vividly, and we see how she has come to be the patient, kind, understanding and loving woman she is.An especially striking element in this novel is the author's use of language. In the first couple of chapters I was unhappy with the language used, but as I got further into the story, I saw that Lansens deliberately used that language because that was the language that Sharla heard. It's an interesting technique, and I thought she was very successful in her use of it. As the story moved on and Sharla became more influenced by Addie, the coarse language disappeared. In addition to the two stories, Lansens provides a setting that was completely new to me: a Canadian town inhabited mosty by blacks. The background information was provided painlessly and greatly added to my pleasure in reading the book.I highly recommend this book.

[matke-261098 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fantastic novel from a novice writer! The author explores the meaning of family through the story of Sharla, a young girl abandoned by her mother to the care of a quite old woman whom the mother hardly knows. The development of the relationship between Sharla and Addie is beautifully and touchingly told, without any of that dread preachiness so often found in stories of this type. A second aspect of the novel is Addie's own story, told in alternating chapters with Sharla's. As Addie becomes more and more attached to Sharla, she remembers her past vividly, and we see how she has come to be the patient, kind, understanding and loving woman she is.An especially striking element in this novel is the author's use of language. In the first couple of chapters I was unhappy with the language used, but as I got further into the story, I saw that Lansens deliberately used that language because that was the language that Sharla heard. It's an interesting technique, and I thought she was very successful in her use of it. As the story moved on and Sharla became more influenced by Addie, the coarse language disappeared. In addition to the two stories, Lansens provides a setting that was completely new to me: a Canadian town inhabited mosty by blacks. The background information was provided painlessly and greatly added to my pleasure in reading the book.I highly recommend this book.

[didishoo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I just finished this book today and it left me with better feelings then when I first started reading it a few days ago. In the begining of this book I was not real fond of some of the language used but after getting past that I started to get interested in the story. I felt that the author did a wonderful job of telling two stories within the book. When I started reading I had formed the opinion that 6 year old Sharla's story was going to be what most of the book was going to be about and that Sharla's story was going to be the most heartbreaking, and sad. As the story progressed I found myself wanting to read on and on to learn all about Addy's life of 70 years and the many twists, turns and heartbreak of her life. The last chapter was by far the best and the ending twist was enjoyable and sad all at the same time. I feel that the author did an excellent job of telling an interseting story and really made the characters come to life on the pages so that you could really get to know them.

[puckrobin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It took me a little while to get into this Lansens offering, but once you do enter into the world of Rush Home Road, you find the people and places somehow familiar. Lansens does a wonderful job of capturing the voice of her narrator, and the reader easily falls into the rhythm of the story. It is particularly interesting that Lansens so eloquently captures a voice and history so far from her own experience. Interestingly, Larsens other novels, The Wife's Tale and The Girls, are set in the same fictional community in Southwestern Ontario, so reading them becomes to some degree like running in to an old friend on the street.

[mazda502001 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a stunning, wonderful read. I couldn't put it down. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking - superb!Back Cover Blurb:Adelaide Shadd was born in southwestern Ontario in the first decade of the 20th century in an all-black town settled by fugitive slaves. Forced to flee her beloved Rusholme as a teenager, the place will call to her for the rest of her life. Now an old woman, she lives a quiet existence in a trailer park not far from her birthplace, until her whole world is turned upside down when five-year-old Sharla Cody is abandoned on her doorstep. Sharla helps Addy to open a door to her past, find forgiveness, and finally make the journey home again.

[jo2son · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The touching story of an elderly African American woman who cares for an abandoned five year old child. We also learn the story of the woman's early years as she grew up in a small town near Chatham, Ontario.

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great read. Lori Lansen's first novel, the story of a 70 year old woman's life. Her saving of an abandoned child, brings her sad, rich history and forgiveness back to her. Wonderfully written.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lansen's tale is set in southwestern Ontario, a community rich in history of the underground railroad and small sleepy towns settled by fugitive slaves.Five year old Sharla Cody is abandoned by her near-do-well mother and given away/dropped at the doorstep of 70 year of Addy Shadd. Feeling most unprepared to take in this neglected child, Addy finds her heart is larger than her physical and financial abilities.In accepting and loving Sharla, Addy opens her heart anew to love and thus is able to look back on her life and examine very painful memories. The reader travels with Addy to her own experiences of abandonment, heartbreak and betrayal as little Sharla struggles with these same issues.An amazing woman begins to love and accept an amazing little girl as together their love defines the nature of forgiveness and the power to survive what could be insurmountable obsticles.This is a book that examines ways in which our past both weakens and strengthens, both haunts and motivates, both brings bane and blessing. This is a book that shows when the heart is broken, while there are scars, the ability to heal is an incredibly powerful force.A must read! Highly recommended!Rush to obtain a copy of this book. While I've read many excellent, wonderful books in 2009, this one is at the top of the list.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Five year old Sharla Cody is sent to live with seventy-year old, Addy Shadd. Addy is in no way related to Sharla but she is the first person who answered her door when Sharla’s mother, Colette knocked and offered to take Sharla for the summer. Addy lives in a trailer park. She is all alone, so when Colette is looking for someone to take Sharla; Addy agrees. It will be nice to have someone to talk to again. Sharla and Addy will teach each other things despite their age differences. Ok let me first get this out of the way by say this “Oh My Gosh”. I did not realize how much this book was going to affect me. The reason is that Lori Lansens has such a distinct, prolific writing style that Addy and Sharla just came alive for me. It was like I was living in that trailer park along with Sharla and Addy. The friendship that Sharla and Addy formed with each other was precious and one to be treasured forever. I started reading this book last night and in a matter of only a few hours I had finished reading Rush Home Road. For being Lori Lansens first novel as well as the first one I have read by this author, I give it a perfect ten! Rush Home Road just became one of my new favorite books. Lori Lansens is one author to watch out for. A true powerhouse.

[caymil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rush Home Road is a fantastic story. It pulls you in quickly and makes you smile, laugh, and cry. Before you know it the weekend is over and you haven't moved from the couch.

[nwreader_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unlovable & dirty 5 year old Sharla is abandoned & left in the care of 70-yr. old Addy, a black woman living in an Ontario trailer park. Sharla and Addy heal each other's wounds & her memories of childhood in Rushholme, an idyllic community settled by runaway slaves in the 1800's. Poignant tale- strong, believable characters & vivid sense of place.