Every book by Catherine Hyde is a treasure of character development---you get to know her characters so well in the way Hyde presents their thinking, in this case, first Sebastian (Tony), and then Maria....back and forth. And the story....fascinating how she comes up with a new one in every single book! ( )

4.25 stars

Sebastian was raised by his father after his mother died when he was 7. He is now 17 and has been home-schooled. Not only that, his father doesn't allow him to have any friends or even be outside, except for the doctor-ordered walks he can take for his health. On these walks, Sebastian has found one friend, Delilah, an older woman who lives in the same building as he does. 22-year old Maria is living with Carl and they have two kids. When she loses her job, she doesn't tell Carl so that she can get out of the house for a while when she's supposed to be at work. Mostly she just rides the subway. One night, Sebastian and Maria see each other on the subway and the attraction is instantaneous...

I really liked this. It drew me in immediately and it moved very fast. Almost too fast at times, I thought, though. I also enjoyed the narrators (I listened to the audio), especially the narrator for Maria; there were two – one for Maria and one for Sebastian – as the story went back and forth between each of their viewpoints. I also really liked Delilah's character. ( )

Hmmm! This certainly wasn't one of Catherine Ryan Hyde's better books. It was supposed to be a modern take on "West Side Story", but it didn't really work. The two main characters, Sebastian and Maria, were fairly bland their dialogue always felt stilted. Also, I didn't believe their insta-attraction and I was uncomfortable that a 22 year-old woman was willing to sleep with a 17-year-old boy. Then there was the ending. I can see why the author finished it the way she did, but it basically just fizzled to nothing.

Even though this book was about self-growth and identity, I don't think the writing was strong enough to can the message successfully. However, I did love Delilah, who was a true friend to Sebastian, and I liked the constant references to "West Side Story" but, overall, a fairly uninspiring story. ( )

‘Chasing Windmills’ is told from the perspective of two very different young people, both of whom are spending hours each evening travelling around on the underground in their city. Sebastian is seventeen, and has been brought up by a very controlling father. He’s a likeable and intelligent young man who is beginning to make a push for independence.

Maria lives with an equally controlling boyfriend, Carl. They have two small children. Maria recently lost her job but she hasn’t told Carl. So there's tension early in the book as Sebastian and Maria meet and begin to make friends, both terrified of being found out.

The story is a bit slow-moving in the early chapters; but the time I was by half-way through, I could barely put the book down. It’s a powerful story, well crafted and very readable.

Recommended for those who like hard-hitting women’s fiction. ( )

Maria and Sebastian find one another riding the subway in the middle of the night. Both are escaping. Their story is one of finding courage and freedom, even when things don't quite turn out as you might hope. At times it is heart-rending and painful to read.

Very enjoyable and hard not to find out what the next chapter leads to. ( )