We suspect that the designer of this cover designs optometrists’ eye charts in his spare time — The  font of the author’s name is massive, dominating the top half of the cover like the big bold letters . Meanwhile, the title Far From Home is much smaller, almost an afterthought, and “A Novel” is so tiny it might as well be a secret. We’re tempted to step back five fee,cover our right eye, and see if we can still read it.

Then there’s the title: Far From Home. Really? That could apply to half the books ever written. A quick Google search confirms this—there are a lot of Far From Homes out there.  Geoffrey Chaucer originally wanted to call his book “Far From Home,” but even back in 1392 it was played out, so he went with Canterbury Tales.

So the title’s generic, but at least the image on thecover is… equally generic. A woman in 1940s or 1950s attire leans against a tree, staring across a field of flowers at a distant building—maybe a church, maybe a college. Her oddly craned neck suggests concerned, but we have no clue about what. The whole thing has a pulp-romance feel, but there’s no tension, no intrigue, no hint of drama. And no romance.

So what would make us pick this up? If you’re a die-hard Danielle Steel fan, you don’t need a reason—you’re grabbing it anyway. But for the rest of us? There’s just not enough here to draw us in.

Based on the Cover, We Think This Book Is About…
A young woman is far from home. Are we close?

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)