The Woman Who Ran Away From Everything | By Fiona Gibson

My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

The story of The Woman Who Ran Away from Everything reminded me of The Undomesticated Goddess barring a few fundamental differences. This is more about the self-discovering journey of a woman who finally learns to take up her space.

The narrative alters between first person and third person. While Kate’s chapters are told from a first person perspective, Vince’s are from a third person. I cannot tell if that is a reason we feel a disconnect with Vince’s character or it is just because he is supposed to be an unlikeable character.

Characters and Conflicts

The beginning of the book felt like the perfect setting for a suburban thriller where murder ensues in this posh uptight community. Thankfully, Kate runs away before anything like that could happen.

I’ve always enjoyed reading about a second innings in people’s life. Kate seemed like she was on a journey of a lifetime. However, in an attempt to be realistic, Kate is shown to have a back and forth when it comes to her decision to leave. While that might be realistic, it dragged the plot a bit. It meandered towards where you keep wondering if something big would happen.

The book could have been shorter if the final conflict wasn’t extended too much.
Also, towards the end, the way Kate treated Fergus and the way it resolved felt unrealistic. It seemed like one of those cases where the ideal male lead would never question the intentions of the female lead no matter how reckless she behaves.

Conclusion

Overall, this was an easy read. The first half was definitely better than the latter half. However, if you are looking for an entertaining light-hearted journey of a protagonist’s self-discovery in the countryside, give this one a try. For me, it was a onetime read.

About the Author

Disclosure: I received an e-ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.