Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys



Publication: February 12, 2013

Publisher: Philomel Books



It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. 

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.


I loved Josie. She is so sweet, hardworking, smart, and determined. Josie and her mother have a very complicated relationship. Some people should not be parents, and I think her mom is one of those people.

Josie lives  by herself in an apartment in the bookshop that she works at in New Orleans during the 1950’s. Aside from that job she also cleans after clients at the house of a well-known madam.  But she isn’t satisfied with the life that she currently has. Josie wants more... She doesn’t want people to judge her based on what her mom does. She wants to attend college, get a degree, and make something of herself.

“Now don't let fear keep you in New Orleans. Sometimes we set off down a road thinkin' we're goin' one place and we end up another. But that's okay. The important thing is to start.”

What did I not like? Pretty much nothing. The story seemed to go at decent pace, and I never once felt like it dragged and I never got bored. All of the different characters like Willie, Cokie, Patrick, and even some of the other prostitutes added to the story and made it come to life.

The story is told from Josie’s POV and I thought the author did a great job of making the characters seem real. Reading Out of the Easy made me think about the choices we make in life and how those choices can shape our future. I can’t wait to try out other works from Ruta Sepetys.

I have the hard copy of Out of the Easy and the audiobook version of, but decided to try it out on audio and I have to say that I loved it. This is one of the best and most entertaining audiobooks I have listened to in a while. The narrator, Lauren Fortgang does an awesome job with all of the characters different voices/accents. Now I want to find more audiobooks narrated by her to see if they are just as good.



RATING: 5 out of 5.




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