Far and Away - by Amy Poeppel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The "absolutely hilarious" (Real Simple) Amy Poeppel delights once again with a charming new novel about a house swap gone wonderfully awry.

Perfect strangers Lucy and Greta have agreed to a house swap--and boy, are they going to regret it.

Lucy's hometown of Dallas has gone from home sweet home to vicious snake pit in the blink of an eye after her son makes a mistake he can't undo. And Greta's beloved flat in Berlin is suddenly up for grabs when her husband Otto takes a dream job in Texas without even telling her. In their rush to leave town, Lucy and Greta make a deal, pack their bags, and--thanks to martinis, desperation, and some very rusty German--have absolutely no idea what they're getting themselves into.

Trading Southern charm and barbecue for European sophistication and schnitzel, the two women get a lot more than a change of scenery as they move into each other's houses, neighborhoods, and lives. Greta and Lucy's husbands are no help: Otto is winning over his colleagues, swimming laps in the backyard pool, and rooting for the Rangers, while Lucy's husband is doing a six-month stretch out west, either in a NASA biosphere or in jail, depending on who you ask. Meanwhile, Greta's daughter Emmi and Lucy's son Jack get tossed into each other's orbits, where they both discover secrets they can't ignore.

When Greta's biggest career achievement--the buzzworthy purchase of a Vermeer at auction--is thrown into question and Lucy's past with a hot Viking named Bjørn invades her present, the two women need each other in ways they never could have imagined. Through jet lag, culture shock, suspiciously nice neighbors, and scandals that refuse to be left behind, Lucy and Greta will have to decide if they can ever go home again.

Review Quotes

"Amy Poeppel is the master of smart and funny interpersonal chaos, and FAR AND AWAY is her best novel yet. Expertly woven and hilariously executed, this one gets five gigantic stars from me." --- Annabel Monaghan, best selling author of Nora Goes Off Script

"Far and Away is a story so wildly original and so riotously clever that only Amy Poeppel could have written it. When a too-trusting Dallas teen genius jeopardizes his college acceptance, his overworked mother makes a unilateral decision to swap homes with a dissatisfied Berlin-based scientist and his long-suffering wife. What follows is a hilarious, laugh-out-loud romp that is also a fresh and insightful commentary on motherhood, marriage, and the pursuit of joy. An absolutely remarkable achievement!"--- Lynda Cohen Loigman, the bestselling author of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern and The Matchmaker's Gift

"What do you get when two disparate (and desperate) families from Dallas, Texas and Berlin, Germany swap houses for the summer? A culture clash and comedy of errors so side-splittingly funny and heart-warmingly wise, it could only have been written by the incomparable Amy Poeppel. I've been searching for the words to describe how much I love this book, but the only one that keeps coming to mind is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."--- Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise

"A vivid, hilarious, beautifully humane novel of family, community, love, and two women who have to travel far and away to find themselves." --- Jenny Jackson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

"In a decidedly madcap set-up, a besieged Texas family swaps houses with an ill-matched German couple. But in Amy Poeppel's deft hands, Far and Away is both funny and wise, illuminating the complications of family, adolescence, friendship, and mid-life marriage with a deceptively light touch. Reading Far and Away is like going on vacation with your smartest, funniest friend; you not only have a rollicking good time, but you come home with a renewed appreciation for what really matters. I've loved all of Amy Poeppel's novels and this may be her best yet!"--- Karen Dukess, author of Welcome to Murder Week and The Last Book Party

About the Author

Amy Poeppel is the award-winning author of the novels Far and Away, The Sweet Spot, Musical Chairs, Limelight, and Small Admissions. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Rumpus, Literary Hub, and Working Mother. She and her husband have three sons and split their time between New York City, Germany, and Connecticut. She would love to hear from you on Twitter or Instagram: @AmyPoeppel or at AmyPoeppel.com.