Tess of the Road

by Rachel Hartman

[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.
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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.