Review by Dottie: The Traveling Man by Jane Harvey-Berrick

The Traveling Man

Traveling Series #1

By Jane Harvey-Berrick

Genres:

Contemporary Romance

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Teasers

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Synopsis

I was ordinary. Nice. 

He was extraordinary. And he wasn’t always nice. 

Moody and difficult, brilliant and beautiful, Kes scared me and he protected me. He could be incredibly hurtful and incredibly thoughtful. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for me. He challenged me, he took me out of my safe little box and showed me the world could be magnificent. He was everything I wasn’t." 

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Aimee Anderson is ten when the traveling carnival first comes to her nice little town. She doesn’t expect her world to change so completely. But meeting Kestrel Donohue puts her life on a different path. 

Even though she only sees him for the two weeks of the year when he passes through her home town, his friendship is the most important of her life. As a child’s friendship grows to adult love, the choices become harder, and both Kes and Aimee realize that two weeks a year will never be enough...

Star Rating

Review

This was my first Jane-Harvey-Berrick book but I didn't realize I've actually got a couple other books by her on my To Be Read list. I had seen a couple of teasers for The Traveling Man on-line and had pre-ordered it. I was delighted to find it on my Kindle when I opened it a couple of days ago.

The Traveling Man is Kes. The book begins when 10-year old Kes meets Aimee as she drags her family to the local carnie to celebrate her 10th birthday. Kes spots her and dares her to follow him to the back "stage" area of the carnival where he introduces her to his world. He befriends her and teaches her what his world is like, traveling with a carnie and performing in shows all over the country. She, in turn, teaches him what it means to have his first real friend. But then the show must move on. But he comes back next year for two weeks, and the next, and the next.... Kes and Aimee form the type of friendship that transcends distance and time; they both look forward to those two weeks each summer with fervor. 

Aimee's family lives next to the field where the carnies returns each year. She watches for the fliers saying they're coming and then climbs into the huge hickory tree in her yard to get her first glimpse of the caravan of trucks each year. As she grows from child to teen, her heart grows with love for Kes. But every year, once the two weeks are up, a little part of that heart breaks too. Loving a boy who leaves her each year was hard; loving a man who does the same can be even harder.

"You want it easy? You want everything served up to you on a silver platter?" He shook his head. "Kes will never be easy, and the person who loves him won't have it easy. But if he loves you back, it'll be worth it, because he'll love you with every part of him." He looked down. "You're lucky." "I'm not sure about that," I said sadly. "Sometimes I think so, but at other times..." Zachary looked at me knowingly. "Trust me: you're lucky."

I found myself easily picturing the world of the carnie and all of the people and animals and environment as I read this book. I could practically smell the hotdogs cooking and the cotton candy spinning. I could feel the hot summer air hanging over the field. Ms. Harvey-Berrick made the story come alive flawlessly. 

There were times when I wanted to ring each of their necks; both of these characters can be hotheaded and reactionary to their perception of what is growing between them. But the love between them is also the stuff dreams can be made from:

...I felt Kes's breath on my neck as he spoke,"I've dreamed of this so many times, I can't believe it's real - that you're real. You were always there, just out of reach, and I'd wake up and find my bed empty. But now you're here." His voice was gruff from sleep and an emotion that came from deep inside him..."Better than my dreams," he whispered.

I very much enjoyed this book and it is being placed in my favorites collection. It was very well written and not only interesting, but made it easy to invest emotionally in these two people (along with some other carnie characters). I felt heartbreak along with them whenever their two weeks were coming to a close and it was time for Kes to move to the next location. I felt their joy at coming back together each time. This book definitely has ups and downs emotionally.

The love between these two volatile people was fun and yet a little painful to watch grow.  And then...a cliffhanger ending - gah!!!! I realized at one point I was at about the 90% point when I realized there was no way this could wrap up in the next 10% and glanced up only to realize this book is a number one of a series. The second book in this series is due out this Spring (2015) and is called The Traveling Woman. And I will be jumping right on that book as soon as I am able!! I enjoyed this coming of age book very much and recommend it to our readers; I hope you enjoy it too!      

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