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    Traveling Light: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Traveling Light: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Traveling Light: A Novel
    Ebook351 pages5 hours

    Traveling Light: A Novel

    By Katrina Kittle

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "Travel light and you can sing in the robber's face" was the best advice Summer Zwolenick ever received from her father, though she didn't recognize it at the time. Three years after the accident that ended her career as a ballerina, she is back in the familiar suburbs of Dayton, Ohio, teaching at a local high school. But it wasn't nostalgia that called Summer home. It was her need to spend quality time with her brother, Todd, and his devoted partner, Jacob. Todd, the golden athlete whose strength and spirit encouraged Summer to nurture her own unique talents and follow her dream, is in the final stages of a terminal illness. In a few short months, he will be dead—leaving Summer only a handful of precious days to learn all the lessons her brother still has to teach her . . . from how to love and how to live to how to let go.

    Traveling Light is the deeply moving debut novel from Katrina Kittle, the acclaimed author of The Kindness of Strangers—an unforgettable story of love, bonds, and promises that endure longer than life itself.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061877490
    Unavailable
    Traveling Light: A Novel
    Author

    Katrina Kittle

    Katrina Kittle is the author of Traveling Light, Two Truths and a Lie, and The Kindness of Strangers, which received the Great Lakes Book Award for Fiction. She lives in Dayton, Ohio.

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    Reviews for Traveling Light

    4.5/5

    63 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      My review from Amazon: Traveling Light has some great characters, Summer, Todd and Jacob in particular. I was so completely caught up in the story of Summer and her family, I finished the book the day I started it. The author explores some big ideas- the effects of discrimination, how to live in the moment even as someone you love is dying; but the details are what compelled me to keep reading. I loved the stories of life on a farm, the world of dance and theatre, the highs and lows of teaching, all the stories that brought each character to that point in time and propelled them forward. I thought this book would be sad, and parts were sad. But Traveling Light is about life not death, and about family, the family you're born with and the family you choose. It is about the daily choices one makes to live. I highly recommend this book!
    • 5/5
      I first read Traveling Light in 2002 after meeting Katrina at the Antioch Writers Workshop. There are books I have read and forgotten, but this was not one of them. Traveling Light is a five Kleenex book and this was true for me on that first read ten years ago and on the second, even though I knew what was coming next.

      It was hard to read about the harsh realities of AIDS, of Todd's descent into death. Hard to read about the judgements and the anger characters inflict upon each other. These things however harsh they are to read, ring true. They make me long for something different, for the characters in the book and for the world in which we live.

      There is beauty in the book as well. I love the quotes Todd leaves, not just because I too am a collector of quotes, but because he sends these quotes from all over the world, messages for those he loves, messages to carry on when he is gone. It is for this and for the loving way he treats all those around him that he is my favorite character. His messages carry on with the reader as well, long after the book is closed.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely worth reading. This book captured my attention had me up late into the night to get to the ending.
    • 5/5
      The review on the back said readers would close the book and say "Bravo!" - which is exactly what I said. Grabbed this book because I'm trying to 'branch out' from the fantasy genre I normally stick with, and this did not disappoint. It's a beautiful, heart-breaking tale of dreams, promises, love and above all, life. I want to share this book with everyone I know.
    • 5/5
      An excellent book. This was the first I have read from this author and right away bought her other books to read. The story moved me, it was sad but at the same time beautiful.
    • 4/5
      It's rare that a book makes me cry, but this one did. While some parts of the book were predictable, I LOVED the characters and the overall storyline. I enjoy Kittle's conversational writing style, which made the book a quick and relatable read. As an Ohio native, I also appreciated the setting, as it reminded me of home. A very enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      Summer has moved into the home with her brother Todd and his partner Jacob in order to help Todd through the final stages of AIDS. Despite the horrible moments and his sickness, Summer finds strength in helping Todd.This book takes a look at a very serious topic and makes it real. It describes all of the tragedy of a terminal illness as well as the strength of the people surrounding Todd. It also addresses the prejudices against gays and those with AIDS. The characters are so believable that at times I had to remind myself I was reading a fiction novel. I would highly recommend this book to others.