Tess of the Road

by Rachel Hartman

Award-winning Rachel Hartman's newest YA is a tour de force and an exquisite fantasy for the #metoo movement.

"Tess of the Road is astonishing and perfect. It's the most compassionate book I've read since George Eliot's Middlemarch." --NPR

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. Tess is. . . different. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can't seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. What she's done is so disgraceful, she can't even allow herself to think of it. Unfortunately, the past cannot be ignored. So Tess's family decide the only path for her is a nunnery.

But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She's not running away, she's running towards something. What that something is, she doesn't know. Tess just knows that the open road is a map to somewhere else--a life where she might belong.

Returning to the spellbinding world of the Southlands she created in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling novel Seraphina, Rachel Hartman explores self-reliance and redemption in this wholly original fantasy.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR * BOSTON GLOBE * The Chicago Public Library * KIRKUS REVIEWS

Four starred reviews!

"The world building is gorgeous, the creatures are vivid and Hartman is a masterful storyteller. Pick up this novel, and savor every page." --Paste Magazine

• ISBN10: 0525578579
• ISBN13: 9780525578574
• Publish Date: 27 February 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 22 March 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Edition: International edition
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

When I first read Tess of the Road, I was absolutely enamored of it. There are so many subtle themes to this book that aren’t in most fantasy… but more than it all, I loved Tess. Reading a book in different formats can have different results, so I worried a little that I wouldn’t love it as much.

Absolute foolishness. I love everything Tess Dombegh and I am here for this book again and again and again. It was such a treat to come back to Tessie and experience her exhaustion and pain and hope all over again. The re-read cemented this book even more firmly into my all time favorites. It’s the type of book that I want to pick apart and discuss the minutia.

I can still appreciate how this book won’t work for everyone – it’s admittedly slow paced and the struggles internalized… which is somewhat less sensational than external struggle… but I think it’s still a beautiful, inspirational story. I chuckled and I cried and I still love this book so much.
_______________________

Original Review (1/12/2018)

This is going to be a very difficult review to write.

Tess of the Road filled a void for me that won't (I hope) exist for most people, and because of that, Tess is my soul.  I'm convinced there must be a better word in German to describe how much I love Tess Dombegh and how much I am Tess Dombegh.  I can't find it, so I will try to explain.

I have felt Tess' pain.  I have known Tess' rejection.  Although she has certainly had greater misfortune than me (and certainly greater adventure) her heart is my heart in countless ways.  I have forced myself to find the strength to let the Road carry me until the Road itself became the reason.  I love Tess Dombegh more than any other character I have ever met.

Because of this, my review is going to be skewed.  It's going to be praise through-and-through.  I am completely unable to be objective about this book because I needed it with every fiber of my being.  I have met books that I have loved, I have met books that I will forever cherish, but never before have I met a book that I felt was written for me.

1.  If you are going into Tess of the Road expecting the adventure and political tensions of Seraphina, you will be hopelessly disappointed.  Tess of the Road is a story about an individual, not a country.  It is about healing and growth.  As a reader, I love character driven books, and even if I did not relate as heavily to Tess as I do, this would not have been a problem for me.

2.  I really appreciate the rawness of this story.  Never once does Rachel Hartman glorify any experience Tess has been through.  Never once does she force an ideal upon the reader.  We follow Tess completely and watch as she untangles her own thoughts to find that medium between right and wrong.  And not a single time is that ideal pushed upon the reader, because we see Tess suffer with all of them.

3.  I really love the inclusion of the quigtl in this one.  I found them fascinating in Seraphina and wanted to see more of them (I haven't read Shadow Scale yet).  Pathka and Kikiu are great characters in their own rights, and I love seeing Tess's interactions with them, even when she does harm.

4.  Throughout the book, I kept waiting to run into Will, and I was so pleased that it didn't happen.  This may be a little bit spoilery, but I think it was so good that Hartman kept Will in Tess's past rather than weaving him into her present just because it would be an interesting twist.

5.  The emotional transformation of Tess is so subtle, and it's perfect.  I don't recall the moment when Tess stopped making her morning promise, only that I reached the end of the book and it occurred to me that she didn't need them anymore.  The handling of her grief is so true and real and perfect.  Modern society has no time for grief (I took a month for physical and emotional recovery, and I am an exception), but most people lock it away.  Tess has bottled hers for years until it shattered her.  It's almost a cautionary tale of the importance of grief and self-care.

6.  Also, lets talk about Tess for a second.  She's an incredible character.  Tess is strong, brave, honest when it matters, clever, and makes her own messes.  I love every bit of her.  She doesn't shy away from hard work and she doesn't leave a friend in need.

7.  The word "selfish" gets thrown around a lot in this book, but I think it really comes down to not being "selfless".  This is a HUGE problem in our society where self-care can be perceived as selfishness.  I loved this underlying theme because I think selfishness/taking care of ourselves is a struggle most people can relate to.  When Tess makes her decision regarding Jeanne, it's not because Tess is greedily taking all the love and attention and adventures for her own ego - it's because she can't bear another moment and knows she isn't truly needed.  Tess isn't selfish and neither are most of us.  I think a lot of us need to reflect on that word and realign our meanings.

8.  The Road is so intriguing.  How difficult it must be to leave everything behind and go only where the Road takes us?  I envy Tess' courage, and I love journey stories.  If you don't like books with a lot of traveling, Tess of the Road isn't a good fit for you.  The Road itself becomes a character in this novel, and although there are discussions and flashbacks and side adventures to be had, this book is a journey and I delighted in every step.

9.  I think that I would argue the age group of this book - while Tess of the Road definitely could be read by the YA audience, it's subject matter seems closer to an adult book.  It's mature and serious, a far cry from the fluffy relationships we see in a lot of YA.  I would trigger warn for grief, loss, elder abuse, miscarriage, still birth, and rape (though this is very subtle).  Keep in mind that all these things are addressed in a very mature manner, but they are present.

10.  This book made me cry every time I sat down to read it.  Maybe it was just because of how much I relate to Tess, but I have never cried this much during a book.  I rarely cry for books.

11.  Tess and Pathka's journey to find the World Serpents is not just a journey of healing for Tess - it becomes a philosophical and religious experience - especially for Pathka.  I adore philosophical discussions in books and religion has always been a very central part of this world (Saint Seraphina...).  This book is not just an adventure story - there are a lot of philosophical discussions about origin and belief and right and wrong that I thought were fabulous.

Tess of the Road is going to have a specific audience.  It is brilliantly written, but I also feel that a lot of the YA community will be bored by it.  And it's a shame, because if you sit down and open your mind, it's an amazing book.  Everything in me wants to start reading it over again right this very moment.  I really, truly, and genuinely loved it.  This didn't feel like a 500+ page book to me - this felt like a journey and I was bummed when it was over.  I want more, I need more.  And I need Tess to materialize into a real person so I can hug her and we can weep together.

Merged review:

This is going to be a very difficult review to write.

Tess of the Road filled a void for me that won't (I hope) exist for most people, and because of that, Tess is my soul.  I'm convinced there must be a better word in German to describe how much I love Tess Dombegh and how much I am Tess Dombegh.  I can't find it, so I will try to explain.

I have felt Tess' pain.  I have known Tess' rejection.  Although she has certainly had greater misfortune than me (and certainly greater adventure) her heart is my heart in countless ways.  I have forced myself to find the strength to let the Road carry me until the Road itself became the reason.  I love Tess Dombegh more than any other character I have ever met.

Because of this, my review is going to be skewed.  It's going to be praise through-and-through.  I am completely unable to be objective about this book because I needed it with every fiber of my being.  I have met books that I have loved, I have met books that I will forever cherish, but never before have I met a book that I felt was written for me.

1.  If you are going into Tess of the Road expecting the adventure and political tensions of Seraphina, you will be hopelessly disappointed.  Tess of the Road is a story about an individual, not a country.  It is about healing and growth.  As a reader, I love character driven books, and even if I did not relate as heavily to Tess as I do, this would not have been a problem for me.

2.  I really appreciate the rawness of this story.  Never once does Rachel Hartman glorify any experience Tess has been through.  Never once does she force an ideal upon the reader.  We follow Tess completely and watch as she untangles her own thoughts to find that medium between right and wrong.  And not a single time is that ideal pushed upon the reader, because we see Tess suffer with all of them.

3.  I really love the inclusion of the quigtl in this one.  I found them fascinating in Seraphina and wanted to see more of them (I haven't read Shadow Scale yet).  Pathka and Kikiu are great characters in their own rights, and I love seeing Tess's interactions with them, even when she does harm.

4.  Throughout the book, I kept waiting to run into Will, and I was so pleased that it didn't happen.  This may be a little bit spoilery, but I think it was so good that Hartman kept Will in Tess's past rather than weaving him into her present just because it would be an interesting twist.

5.  The emotional transformation of Tess is so subtle, and it's perfect.  I don't recall the moment when Tess stopped making her morning promise, only that I reached the end of the book and it occurred to me that she didn't need them anymore.  The handling of her grief is so true and real and perfect.  Modern society has no time for grief (I took a month for physical and emotional recovery, and I am an exception), but most people lock it away.  Tess has bottled hers for years until it shattered her.  It's almost a cautionary tale of the importance of grief and self-care.

6.  Also, lets talk about Tess for a second.  She's an incredible character.  Tess is strong, brave, honest when it matters, clever, and makes her own messes.  I love every bit of her.  She doesn't shy away from hard work and she doesn't leave a friend in need.

7.  The word "selfish" gets thrown around a lot in this book, but I think it really comes down to not being "selfless".  This is a HUGE problem in our society where self-care can be perceived as selfishness.  I loved this underlying theme because I think selfishness/taking care of ourselves is a struggle most people can relate to.  When Tess makes her decision regarding Jeanne, it's not because Tess is greedily taking all the love and attention and adventures for her own ego - it's because she can't bear another moment and knows she isn't truly needed.  Tess isn't selfish and neither are most of us.  I think a lot of us need to reflect on that word and realign out meanings.

8.  The Road is so intriguing.  How difficult it must be to leave everything behind and go only where the Road takes us?  I envy Tess' courage, and I love journey stories.  If you don't like books with a lot of traveling, Tess of the Road isn't a good fit for you.  The Road itself becomes a characters in this novel, and although there are discussions and flashbacks and side adventures to be have, this book is a journey and I delighted in every step.

9.  I think that I would argue the age group of this book - while Tess of the Road definitely could be read by the YA audience, it's subject matter seems closer to an adult book.  It's mature and serious, a far cry from the fluffy relationships we see in a lot of YA.  I would trigger warn for grief, loss, elder abuse, miscarriage, still birth, and rape (though this is very subtle).  Keep in mind that all these things are addressed in a very mature manner, but they are present.

10.  This book made me cry every time I sat down to read it.  Maybe it was just because of how much I relate to Tess, but I have never cried this much during a book.  I rarely cry for books.

11.  Tess and Pathka's journey to find the World Serpents is not just a journey of healing for Tess - it becomes a philosophical and religious experience - especially for Pathka.  I adore philosophical discussions in books and religion has always been a very central part of this world (Saint Seraphina...).  This book is not just an adventure story - there are a lot of philosophical discussions about origin and belief and right and wrong that I thought were fabulous.

Tess of the Road is going to have a specific audience.  It is brilliantly written, but I also feel that a lot of the YA community will be bored by it.  And it's a shame, because if you sit down and open your mind, it's an amazing book.  Everything in me wants to start reading it over again right this very moment.  I really, truly, and genuinely loved it.  This didn't feel like a 500+ page book to me - this felt like a journey and I was bummed when it was over.  I want more, I need more.  And I need Tess to materialize into a real person so I can hug her and we can weep together.

[Beth C.]

I started this book thinking that it might be a bit on the younger side for YA - the girl, running away, pretending to be a boy...however, I learned pretty much from the get-go that this book deals with some pretty heavy themes. Not having read Seraphina, I cannot speak as to whether that is typical of Hartman or not, but it certainly is here.

The book deals with alcoholism, rape, sexism, and the death of a child. It deals with overbearing religion, handicaps, and overall - that we are what we choose to become, regardless of our circumstances.

Hopefully the prior paragraph didn't frighten anyone away, because while the subject matter can be a bit heavy, it is all dealt with in a fashion that is appropriate to the book and enhances Tess' story rather than taking away from it. And as I said at the end of that paragraph - the overarching theme is that we are all capable of facing our demons, learning from our mistakes, and that hiding from our past only ends up hurting us in the end. And that we can all choose to be better than we were, no matter those demons or mistakes or that past. Sometimes, we just need to take to the Road.

[chymerra]

Review coming Feb 27th 2018

Merged review:

When I saw Tess of the Road on NetGalley, I was captured by the cover. But I wasn’t going to request it. Then I read the blurb and went “Hmmm“. Dragons, a subspecies of dragons, half-dragons, and a great adventure. I thought “Why not, sounds like a good read“. Having read the book, I can say with absolute certainty that this book was a disappointment. It dragged while reading it. I couldn’t keep my head in the book. I was actually bored and came to DNFing. But I have a personal vow never to DNF a book, so I finished it.

Tess of the Road did have a promising plotline. Girl strikes out on her own with her quigutl companion. She is determined to find dragons that were lost. She has many adventures along the way before resolving her quest. It was everything else that happened in the book that ruined it for me. What I was expecting was dragons, women empowerment, and adventures. I wasn’t expecting teen pregnancy, rape, and child abuse to be discussed.

I felt awful for Tess. From the beginning of the book, she was abused by her mother. She did something wrong, she got beat with a wooden spoon or locked in a closet. Her mother was a very bitter, abusive religious nut. I was not expecting to read such vivid accounts of child abuse in a book like this. Her family puts the fun in dysfunctional. So I got it when Tess ran away. If I was put down, verbally and emotionally abuse as much as Tess was, I would have done the same thing. I wish that it was mentioned why she hated Tess so much.

I did like that the journey helped Tess come to terms with her abusive past and the loss of her child. While she did act childishly for most of the first half of the book, I felt that her change came when talking about her son’s birth and death. It was after that I saw her mature and own up to her past. That was one of my favorite parts of this book. Seeing Tess grow from a selfish girl-child to a woman who was ready to take acceptance for her past and forge a new future.

I thought Pathka and Kiku were fascinating. Their relationship was very complex. Pathka resented Kiku for being born. Kiku resented Pathka for being there for her. Kiku was disturbed and vowed to kill Pathka if she got the chance. The whole race of quigutl was interesting but the author didn’t spend much time on them. Other than to explain that Pathka and Kiku were able to dream separately from the others, which made them different. I do wish more was spent explaining the quigutl’s race and why they were living among humans. Or their connection to the World Dragons. Only the barest explanation was given.

I could not connect to any of the characters. While I felt awful for Tess, there wasn’t any connection. As there wasn’t anything with Pathka and Kiku. My disconnection with the characters made the book tedious to read.

The end of the book was very predictable. I did not like what they did to the World Dragon that Tess found. I could not wrap my mind around why the author chose that route. It baffled me.

I would recommend an Adult rating for Tess of the Road. There are some very adult themes in this book that wouldn’t be right for a teenager. There are sexual situations, language, and violence. There are several scenes of verbal and physical abuse of a child. One flashback to the death of an infant. There is also a flashback to a rape scene that I didn’t see coming. These are triggers for some people and I would recommend that if they trigger you, don’t read it.

This is not a book that I would recommend or would reread. The book itself was too long. There were several lags in the plotline that I almost couldn’t overcome. I got bored halfway through the book before I wanted to put it down and not finish it. Like I said above, I had to make myself read the book to the end. It was a relief when I realized I had read the last paragraph.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Random House Groups for Young Readers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Tess of the Road.

All opinions stated in this review of Tess of the Road are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

It was a joy to be back in the world of Goredd again and I loved Tess. Her struggle to find herself and overcome a traumatic event were touching. Where Seraphina and her story is wound up in the politics of Goredd, Tess's story is tied up in personal struggles and I found it, in the end, an easier read than the Seraphina novels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tess of the Road is a travelogue of the Southlands, part of the fictional world developed by Rachel Hartman in the Seraphina duology. Ultimately, Tess of the Road is a journey of self-discovery. As the younger, somewhat infamous sister of Seraphina, Tess has a tough road ahead of her. She has been branded a troublemaker. Seemingly never able to do anything right, despite her many sacrifices to improve her family financial and social standing, Tess gives up on trying to help and please everyone and runs away. But Tess isn’t just running away from the responsibilities of finding a good match for her twin sister in the Goreddi court. Tess has a bigger secret she is running from and Hartman does an excellent job weaving this reveal into the larger narrative of Tess’s journey.

In light of the #MeToo movement, Tess’s secret will resonate with many readers. A young woman taken in by the first man to notice her for the intelligent young lady that she is when she can’t yet see it for herself, Tess’s confidence and self-worth is shaken when the young man suddenly disappears. Self-loathing and self-doubt take root in Tess’s heart and mind. As Tess shares her physical and emotional struggles throughout her journey through the Southlands, the reader will be heartbroken, but by the end, admiration prevail.

In addition to discovering the truth behind Tess’s true reasons for running away, Hartman also gives readers a bit of insight into the dragon subspecies of quigutl. Throughout the original duology and in the early pages of Tess of the Road, there is a negative feeling around the quigutls. But Tess sees them for more. When she crosses paths with an old quigutl friend, Pathka, she seizes the opportunity to become reacquainted with the quigtul culture and invites Pathka to join her on her trip. Through their adventures together, Tess discovers that she and the quigutls have something in common — neither are thought of fondly by others, especially those of their own species, and both of them have troubled pasts. Tess isn’t as alone as she thinks and she soon discovers there is more to everyone that what is presented publicly.

The craft with which Hartman layers the history and mythology of Goredd with the characters’ backstories is captivating. There are parallels between the layers that are not immediately realized at first blush. Beyond the idea of looking for acceptance of self and of others, Hartman tackles what each culture, human and quigtul, believes is a healthy parent/child relationship. As each character comes to grip with their own personal narrative and bits of truth are discovered there is release and acceptance on a personal level. (It turns out that sometimes the world at large isn’t ready to accept that legends have some truth behind them.)

This new novel from Hartman, set in the same world as the Seraphina duology, allows readers to return to the amazing world of Goredd where humans and dragons coexist in a tentative peace. Tess of the Road has heart and is a rewarding emotional journey to discover the truth of a legend and the truth of self.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

[ellieroth]

a damn masterpiece