Ruta Sepetys

Josie, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

Out of the Easy

“A haunting peek at the life of a teenage girl in 1950s New Orleans.”--Entertainment Weekly 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.

Out of The Easy

Mel 

3.5 stars 

Not my favorite by Ruta Sepetys but still very good!

Naiya

Melissa Palmer

Book #73 Read in 2013
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

I loved this author's first book and her second was no sophomore slump. I loved this one even more.

Josie is the daughter of a New Orleans prostitute mother and a unknown father. At the age of 12, Josie begins working in a bookstore and the nice owner lets her stay in the apartment above the store to get her away from her mother. Between him, Willie (the madam with the heart of gold) and others, Josie begins to dream of going to college and escaping life in the French Quarter. Then a man is murdered and both Josie and her mother are connected to him and questioned by the police. Her mother's bad connections are catching up to Josie--will she be able to get away?

Sepetys writes a wonderfully intelligent character in Josie. She is book smart, street smart and courageous. Readers will root for Josie to be able to make more of her life and to come out a winner. This book had a well-written plot, with elements of mystery, romance and humor woven into it. I highly recommend it.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Jenny Vuu

My whole way through reading I was just hoping that Josie would finally make it out. Josie's mother, Louise, was really such a pain to Josie that I really wanted to shake sense in her. And who wouldn't love Jessie ! He was definitely a fav charactor of the book for me. Unfortunately I got bored at certain parts of the novel which is why I gave it 3/5 stars

Beatrix Haase

Fabulous. Like all of Ruta Sepetys's books.

xoxo,
Bebe

alexandra

no because this book has me sobbing in the middle of the night, I literally felt like I was going through everything.

Adio, New Orleans

alex

Emelie

Rutas writing style is just so beautiful! However, this book is the one i like the Least so far! Dont know why, probably because of the plot, i dont know! Oh well, it was still a beautiful book and i really loved some of the characters!

Isabela H 

Ok, I read Salt to the Sea and absolutely cried my eyes out, I think Ruta Sepetys is going to become one of my favorite authors where I know that I'm going to like whatever she reads. Out of the Easy definitely didn't have the same emotional impact as Salt to the Sea did (but I'm going to attribute that to Salt to the Sea's subject material being much heavier to begin with) but I still very much enjoyed my read. There were many aspects of the main character that I didn't much care for, but I fell in love with basically all of the other characters. I did get very emotional as things happened, but I felt that there were some missed opportunities in terms of character development.

Gisela Ayala 

Ruta Sepetys probably just became one of my favorite authors, and I've only read this one book. Could it be the fact that this book is historical fiction? Or maybe the beautiful and mysteriously sinful setting of New Orleans? Or possibly the mob and politics? Or perhaps that it is set in the 1950's, after World War II and everyone is pretty much disillusioned? I think a combination of those and much more. 

Ruta has charactered such a band of rich characters and I experienced so much through each of them, but more so with the main character Josie. She frustrated me, but in a good way... or maybe it was her situation that got me so angry. If anything bad could happen, it would happen to her. Josie definitely stayed true to herself, which is one of my favorite things in a character. Despite what happened to her, she had a clear goal and knew what she wanted. I also loved that she had such a passion for literature (cough cough... but probably because that reminded me of myself). 

New Orleans is such a magical place and the author really brought everything to life. I felt like I was there and experiencing the sights and smells. All the details were pristine, but not overly exaggerated which can happen sometimes with historical fiction. Some people might think the book is a bit predictable, but I found it endearing and is easily becoming something I will come back to when I need to read a good story. I'm packing my bags and going to New Orleans now...

Lauren Tabor

*3.75
I loved the setting and the characters and how her writing always gives me such a clear picture of what’s happening. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as her other books, but still good. It was quite different as it was set in New Orleans in the 50s. I loved reading about this era and the challenges our main character went through.

Leah Patton

So good!!! One of my favorites!! I've decided to read Between Shades of Grey even Though I usually dont read anything like that because Ruta Sepetys has such wonderful writing

Stefanie Sugia

"My mother's a prostitute. Not the filthy, streetwalking kind. She's actually quite pretty, fairly well spoken, and has lovely clothes. But she sleeps with men for money or gifts, and according to the dictionary, that makes her a prostitute."
Josie Moraine is fatherless and her mother is a prostitute. She was seven years-old when her mother, Louise, went to a house on Conti Street to meet Willie Woodley - the madam of the brothel. Josie escaped when she was ten, when her mother started beating her up for no reason. She hid in the office of a bookshop owned by Charlie Marlowe and his son Patrick. On her eleventh birthday, the office was transformed into a small apartment for Josie - and without spoken agreement, she started working in the bookshop in exchange for the lodging. As a seventeen-year-old, Josie is a smart and intelligent girl who wants something bigger. She doesn't want to keep cleaning the brothel for Willie every morning; she wants to go to college and get out of The Big Easy...

Read the full review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2014/0...

Ruth Lykins 

Wonderful first 150ish pages, but became too dull toward the end. Not my cup of tea. Didn't finish.

Nadine 

An interesting departure for the author from war related books but well written and researched as always

KADY BURNS

Read this for a book club. It was fine, but I honestly didn't really connect with this one
Not much of a plot and too many characters.

Laura Luchian

A good story, realistic one too! Not everyone has the guts to fight what seems to be their fate; not everyone can pull themselves out of the spin of their seemingly "life with no future". It is about strength, character, dreams and belief.

Maria

я может чего не понимаю, но где история? дочь проститутки очень хочет в колледж, хочет-хочет, всю книгу хочет, и тут в конце получает наследство - победа! серьезно, так можно было? и за это у нее четыре звезды совокупного рейтинга?

Becky

Why did I wait? This is an absolute favourite with a full review to follow but boy does this book make you want to go to New Orleans.

Chrissy

I loved Ruta Sepetys other works so I'm not surprised I loved this one. Taking place in 1950's New Orleans, Jo is trying to make a life for herself and not let her mothers choices hold her back. Jo's mother, a prostitute who only cares about money and does not care for her daughter at all has forced Jo to hide in a bookshop at age 11. The book shop owner cleans up an upstairs room for her to stay in and shes never left. Jo is described as a book worm who's very smart and wants nothing more than to go to college. Unfortunately her mother has dragged Jo into her drama.
I liked Jo's character, who wouldn't relate to a girl who works in a bookstore and plays a game of guessing what each costumer is going to purchase; thriller, romance, cookbook? Who is portrayed as the underdog and wants nothing more than to get away from New Orleans and out of her mothers shadow. Shes sweet and hardworking and persistent but also scared and has very relate-able fears. 
This book makes you fall in love with morally gray characters with Jo's relationship with the brothels madam. It has a different take on love triangles but in a realistic way.
I laughed, i cried, I loved this book.

Cerys

Ruta Sepetys has an uncanny ability to make me love everything she writes. In comparison to her other novels, this looks at something very different but just as heartwrenching. I love a found family story, and this is one that is unlike any I have read before. The dynamics that can be seen with the characters are flawlessly done and shows that sometimes people are not blessed with caring parents and family but there are two types of family the one we are given and the one we can choose. I would definitely recommend this book like I would for any other book written by Ruta Sepetys. Also I would like to state that I would die for Sadie!

Josie Moraine, la protagonista de esta historia, sueña con un mundo muy distinto al que la rodea. Inmersa en los bulliciosos bajos fondos del Nueva Orleans de la década de 1950, ansía escapar y labrarse un futuro mejor. Vive en un entorno muy particular, entre el burdel en el que trabaja su madre y la librería donde trabaja ella y en cuya trastienda duerme, en el colorista Barrio Francés. Josie encuentra en los libros el refugio donde albergar sus sueños, y la lectura se convierte para ella en la puerta a un mundo diferente. Además, los personajes tan variopintos que la acompañan, como Willie, la resuelta dueña del burdel, dura pero con un corazón de oro, Cokie, el jovial chofer mulato, o Patrick, su mejor amigo e hijo del propietario de la librería, hacen de esta novela una historia que, ante todo, infunde optimismo e ilusión por la vida.

Una Joven Alza El Vuelo Gracias a La Inspiracion De Los Libros

El color de los suenos

Emir Andrés Ibañez

Una novela simpática, sencilla y un tanto triste pero con muchos mensajes para ofrecer.

Las novelas históricas nunca fueron mi prioridad, pero cuando leí los primeros capítulos de esta novela me quedé enganchado. No tanto por la historia en sí, sino por la sencillez con la que estaba narrada y con el ritmo dinámico que tenía. Cada párrafo, cada capítulo, la historia avanza sin cesar, no se detiene y no tiene momentos de relleno.

Y lo más loco es que, al final del libro, no se trata de la historia en sí, sino de lo que quiere transmitir. En pocas palabras, y por más que suene cursi y cheesy, esta novela incita a que persigas tus sueños, que tengas fe en vos mismo y que, si bien las cosas nunca llegan del modo en que vos querías, en algún momento llegan.

Los personajes son demasiados queribles, todos. Bueno, excepto la madre de Jo, que me enervaba cada vez que aparecía en escena. Pero Willie, por ejemplo, es un personaje estupendo. Y la protagonista, Jo, es una de esas personas de las que me gustaría ser amigo.

La prosa no es para nada densa ni descriptiva como suelen ser la mayoría de las novelas históricas. Está narrada en primera persona y abundan los diálogos; esto lo hace muy llevadero y entretenido.

En fin, esta novela fue una grata compañía en estos días de lluvia y a pesar de que tiene sus momentos tristes, la fortaleza y optimismo de la protagonista te dejan una sensación de alivio y bienestar. Me gustaría mucho que hicieran una película, creo que podrían sacar provecho de la historia.

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Tanner Evans

** spoiler alert **
           Oh, how I love this book. Whether in novels or television, New Orleans provides a setting like none other. Sepetys introduces characters that are just as unforgettable as the Big Easy itself. Josie, Willie, Jesse, Patrick, Willie's "nieces," Cokie...even Louise and Cincinnati. 
Josie is trying to find out who she is, but being the daughter of a prostitute who does everything she can to make Josie's life harder, makes it that much hard to get out from under her shadow. But it is because of her mother that Josie meets the people that will shape her life in a positive way. Despite there being a murder in the novel, it doesn't center around trying to find out who did it. We all know. However, it is how Josie handles the murder of a stranger she attached herself to and how she strives to be accepted into a prestigious East coast college, despite her upbringing, that make this novel great. 
The wrap-up of some of the characters and the novel itself felt a bit rushed. However, in Patrick's case, I have to remember that this is the 1950s and he probably wouldn't advertise that he is gay, so his send off does seem appropriate. The last few chapters did seem rushed, but it was still a very satisfying ending that doesn't change how I feel about the novel.

Out of the Easy

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