I knew the 1960 edition first. I like the extra chapter in this one that the author was forced to leave out when the book was originally published. I I knew the 1960 edition first. I like the extra chapter in this one that the author was forced to leave out when the book was originally published. I think it fits and it rectifies the too large gap of time during the year. I do own both editions and treasure them. Both editions survived my recent huge book cull....more
It’s extraordinarily rare when almost immediately I know when I’m reading a 5 star worthy book. This is one of those very few books. I knew right awayIt’s extraordinarily rare when almost immediately I know when I’m reading a 5 star worthy book. This is one of those very few books. I knew right away with this book. I wish I could give this book 6 stars. It’s one of the best books that I’ve ever read.
Excellent! Well written, great storyteller, engaging, Thought provoking. Horrifying. Humorous at times. A wonderful variety of topics about the same basic subject.
I’d like to read more books by this author so I’ll look at her novels and if their stories appeal to me I’ll definitely add them and hopefully get to them and read them.
There is a list of works consulted included at the end of the book.
I thought that she might lose me in the last 10 pages but nothing could diminish the impact of the thoughts the author puts into these essays and I enjoyed even these last pages.
In spoilers because this is NOTHING to do with this book and I hate to take attention away from its contents but (view spoiler)[ the musings here reminded me that much is the same for Native Americans (re the book The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer that I read recently, and the Buffy Sainte-Marie songs I’ve known since I was 13) and other groups that have faced discrimination and violence against their peoples. (hide spoiler)]
Brilliant book and I’d like to recommend it to all readers or at least all non-fiction readers or at least all who have Jewish heritage or know anyone who’s Jewish, but really almost all readers.
The author is a LibraryThing author. I would like it if she also became a Goodreads author member.
ETA: This is the text of the first chapter and maybe my favorite chapter. I think that it's brilliant and thought provoking:
This was so good I feel like crying. One for my favorites shelf!
Charming! Engaging. Three children, siblings each with a unique personality and all enThis was so good I feel like crying. One for my favorites shelf!
Charming! Engaging. Three children, siblings each with a unique personality and all endearing. It’s a lovely story!
A page-turner!
Orphans. Check. Characters who like books & reading, and literary references. Check. Historical fiction. Check. WWII era. Check. England. Check. Check. Check. Check.
There were some upsetting things but they were made a bit less upsetting to read because of the way the kids reacted. In one particular case the fact that the children involved were as upset as I was really helped the situation feel more endurable.
Some quotes that I loved (some in context):
“It is often the case that, at times of great anxiety, when the diversion of a good story should seem most welcome, one is least equipped to focus one’s mind on reading.”
“Fibs, you must know, are entirely acceptable when they serve the purpose of getting one to the library.”
“The librarian chuckled. “I suppose there are rather a lot of orphan stories out there.” “Why do grown-ups write so many of them?” William asked. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” Mrs. Müller confessed. “Perhaps they think children fancy the notion of living on their own, without adults to tell them what to do. It’s quite daft, if you think about it, isn’t it?””
““Besides which, I really ought to send her a book instead. Though she’s not much of a reader.” She paused. “Evidence as to her character.””
“The librarian took this all in, standing by the fire and observing the children for a while, letting the silence be. Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward, the way silences often do. Perhaps librarians are more used to quiet than most.”
There are two pages at the end with the list of books read by the children in the book, presented as book recommendations from William, Edmund, and Anna, the three children.
The two pages Acknowledgements section was touching.
Recommended for: all the usual suspects!!! I will be sending out recommendations. I suggest NOT reading the book description field before reading the book. *sigh* It’s not as though there are major spoilers but as I was reading I noticed that I wished I had gone into the book more blind than usual about what would happen. Not too far in it’s predictable what will happen at the end but it was lovely being absorbed in the story and waiting and seeing as events unfolded.
ETA: There is some wonderful humor also! I loved the vegetable gardening too. I’m so determined not to give any spoilers that I don’t want to say too much. Some readers might not appreciate the predictability that is there but it was fine with me....more
This is a beautifully written book and a brilliantly told story. It’s an extraordinary book and I’m putting it on my favorites shelf.
This is a childrThis is a beautifully written book and a brilliantly told story. It’s an extraordinary book and I’m putting it on my favorites shelf.
This is a children’s book about an almost 13 year old girl, narrated by her. I was completely invested in her character and her story and also in the stories/lives of some of the other characters in the book. As an eleven or twelve year old this book would have been lifesaving for me and I’d have loved it at ages nine and ten too.
This would have been a one day/one reading session book except that I started reading very late the evening before the day I finished it.
I cried at the end and felt like crying many times throughout the book. It’s a fantastic book for children ages 9-13. Adult alert: sensitive children and young children (under age 11) and the children who could most benefit (with experiences at all similar to the narrator) from reading this story or having it read to them, their adults might want to consider if its power would be helpful or detrimental. I would personally err on the side of recommending this book to most children. It would make a wonderful read aloud, both one to one and with groups.
We eventually learn the girl’s real last name but not her first name and that was fine, even though I wanted to know. I liked how the future is left open ended. I believe that this story is nearly perfectly told. At least I cannot think of anything different that would have improved the book. It is a terribly sad story but one that’s also funny and charming and hopeful and endearing. I love the brief on the train relationships and how meaningful and powerful they are and how they significantly impact everyone involved.
A top notch children’s book that most adults should be able to thoroughly enjoy.
I have positive feelings for trains. I was predisposed to enjoy this book. I loved riding trains when I was young. I rode the California Zephyr several times from Northern California to Chicago and back, a different route than the Southern California to Chicago this girl rides. I also rode other routes. This book inspired me to finally add a “trains” shelf and I don’t know why I hadn’t created a “trains” shelf before now. One of my first ever favorite books was The Little Engine That Could and I’m sure I’ll find plenty of books that belong on my new “trains” shelf.
“The best kind of people are people who feel, and who hold hope in their hearts. Even if it sometimes means being hurt and disappointed. Even if it always means being hurt and disappointed.”
“Lots of things that are worth seeing aren't happy things.”...more
This sequel starts right up where book 1 left off; the 2 books make up 1 story. I think it keeps getting better and better. I do think it’s important This sequel starts right up where book 1 left off; the 2 books make up 1 story. I think it keeps getting better and better. I do think it’s important to read book 1 before reading book 2.
I stayed up very late to finish reading. All the way through it was a hard book to put down. It’s a page-turner.
I’m considering adding it to my favorites shelf. It’s definitely a solid 5 star book for me. How often is a sequel even better than the first book?! Here it is, and I also gave the first book 5 stars.
It’s a masterfully and beautifully told story.
It has an incredibly appealing voice in the main character narrator Ada and a writing style that I love.
All the characters are brought vividly to life. The plot and its pacing is perfection.
I loved the newly introduced character Ruth and enjoyed the increased depth to many other characters, particularly the adults.
I continue to love Susan, a nearly perfect natural therapist and mother and appreciate how she’s shown as flawed and not actually perfect. I loved how one thing about her past was resolved.
Ada is a great character to root for and I did. This account shows a healing from trauma that is realistically shown, optimistic but not at all unrealistic.
The single page author’s note at the back talks about two aspects of WWII that were a bit cryptically woven into the story and was a welcome addition. It’s a must read additional page.
This book is intense but always stays appropriate for middle grade readers (and young adult readers) despite the sometimes heavy subject matter, including WWII and its causalities and the realities of civilian life during the war, the Holocaust, child abuse and neglect, traumatic loss, adult sexual and romantic relationships (far off the page), and other such things. It might not sound like a children’s book but it is, though unlike the first one I think it is also a young adult book, although it’s one that I think can be enjoyed by all ages. Both books are all ages appropriate and I think will appeal to some adults who don’t normally read books for younger readers.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy any of the following: coming of age stories, stories about WWII especially as it impacted England and the Jews, horse lovers, cat lovers, family stories including atypical family stories, orphan stories, and stories where both child an adult characters grow and change in a realistic way.
I loved so many parts in this book. I found so many things meaningful. One fun and creative thing I thoroughly enjoyed (bottom half of page 294/second page in chapter 47 in the U.S. hardcover edition) was (view spoiler)[ I loved how Ada realized the black outs did not have to be gloomy black on the inside and how the kids painted the insides to match how the outside of the house(s) looked without the black outs on, bringing nature/the outside/light back into the house and making the rooms look much more cheerful. (hide spoiler)]
I’ve added some other books by this author to my to read shelf and hope to get to them. I’m a fan....more
Wow! I could not put this down. I read it over 3 days, 2 days really. I’d started a (wonderful) book of non-fiction short essays first and had assumedWow! I could not put this down. I read it over 3 days, 2 days really. I’d started a (wonderful) book of non-fiction short essays first and had assumed I’d finish that book before this one, but once I started this I did not want to stop reading.
This is a quotable book. I “liked” many quotes and liked a whole bunch more. Here is just one I loved: “Anybody can look at you. It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see.”
I adore this author’s teenaged characters. They’re smart and deep thinkers/philosophical, just as my friends and I were and just as most teens I’ve known in real life have been, much more so than most teens in many other young adult novels. I loved Aza, Daisy, Davis, and Aza’s mother, particularly those four, but others also.
This is a lovely friendship story, a great friendship story. Great! Special! It’s one I’ll remember.
Yes, there is some of the obligatory teenage romantic relationships but they go in unexpected directions, which I greatly appreciated. I always wonder why in almost every young adult novel the main teen characters are put into mature romantic relationships. I suppose to interest readers in that age group? I liked how the different parts of the story all came together. Yes, as part of the story is a bit of a teenager’s (or anyone’s!!!) fantasy, but even that ended up being handled and resolved well.
I appreciated the mix of humor and pathos is this story. There was a lot of humor, thankfully. Aza’s story was so powerful and the ending packed a wallop of a punch for me. Loved it!
Highly recommended to teens suffering from mental health issues, particularly OCD and other anxiety disorders, and to all teens, and to most adults who can enjoy young adult novels.
5 full stars and at least for now a new one for my favorites shelf!...more
I adored this book. It’s a new addition to my favorites shelf. The downside is that I have the worst book hangover I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine beinI adored this book. It’s a new addition to my favorites shelf. The downside is that I have the worst book hangover I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine being as satisfied with my next book as I was with this one.
I read this for a seasonal read (my nomination choice) with my favorite Goodreads group (so far no discussion but I hope for one) and also as a buddy read with my Goodreads friend Laura. When she saw I was starting it she offered to reread it with me; she’d very recently read it. We exchanged some wonderful emails about it and I had so much fun reading it with her. It was actually a difficult book to read as a buddy read for an unusual reason: there was too much on nearly every page to discuss, too many times to remember when I laughed out loud or almost did and wanted to share, too much to talk about on most pages. I don’t remember ever having that frustration with previous buddy read books, at least not to this extent.
At some point I didn’t want to stop reading until I finished it but I dreaded getting to the end. It was that riveting.
The story is simultaneously laugh out loud hilarious and tragically sad, and it really works.
I don’t understand why so many readers have shelved this as chick lit. Even though there is a major shift in tone/content halfway through, though it never loses its sense of humor, from the start it’s easy to tell through the humor that Eleanor’s life and background have been tragically sad and the story does go deep in its way. I’d love a sequel and I’d have loved even more (though I was surprised how satisfied I was by the end and therefore by the book as a whole) but for me the story is perfect as it is. I will be rereading it. It is one that will be fun to read already knowing everything that will happen.
Eleanor is a unique and incredibly memorable character. She is quirky but entirely believable. I found her to be very endearing, even when I cringed and found her exasperating. She is the way she is for a very good reason. Raymond is a great character too, and there are other interesting characters as well, including one non-human character who makes an appearance fairly late in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Glasgow Scotland setting and the many included British English words.
It’s well written and it’s such a quotable book. The problem was I wanted to include many dozens of quotes, many long passages and one entire page. Not possible. I also didn’t want to stop reading long enough to write down quotes I loved. (Here are just a couple: “When the silence and the aloneness press down and around me, crushing me, carving through me like ice, I need to speak aloud sometimes, if only for proof of life.” and “You can’t have too much dog in a book.” and also something about happiness feeling like “swallowing sunshine” – but there were many dozens of passages I wanted to get down as part of my GR review, some even better than these, though some would have needed context to fully understand why they’re so good.)
It’s such a special book. It’s a brilliantly told story. I love how Eleanor’s story slowly unfolds. Nothing rang false to me. I guessed almost right away everything the reader was meant to guess, except for one thing revealed near the end that I didn’t at all see coming. Perhaps I should have but I didn’t. I appreciated it though and I have no significant criticisms of the book as a whole. The ending, the beginning, even the entire story seems perfect, now that I know the reasons for the plot inclusions. Nothing in the book is a contrived device; there is a compelling reason for absolutely every word in it. It’s an incredibly skillfully told story.
I loved this book from the first couple lines to the very end. (Some readers say it took them a few chapters to start enjoying it but that wasn’t true for me. I laughed out loud for the first time on page 5. Some readers don’t like the end and I worried that I also wouldn’t the entire time I was reading, but I don’t think I could have chosen a more perfect resolution.) There was one part of the story I didn’t enjoy that much as I was reading it (the musician) but even that ended up being handled incredibly skillfully.
I hope this author writes many more books. I’ll be on the lookout for her future books!
This is a really great discussion book, at least for readers that enjoy this book’s humor and those who like character studies with a psychological focus.
I desperately want to recommend this book to so many people I know but I would feel badly if they didn’t love it at least half as much as I did. That’s all that would be necessary since I adored it.
A few big spoilers to be read by those who’ve read the book, especially those who would like to discuss it. (view spoiler)[
I am not sure why some do not like the ending. I think it was perfect and psychologically sound.
I had wondered whether Eleanor has talked to mummy every Wednesday from age 10 on or whether those phone calls started after care or during university or when.
I think Eleanor and definitely Raymond are heroes. Raymond is the most wonderful guy. Though his smoking did drive me crazy. I’d like to think he will quit. Eleanor certainly made major changes so perhaps he can make that change. Yes, I feel as though these characters are real and I care about them.
I think Eleanor and Raymond will end up together but I admire how the author left that relationship open for future development. As far as children, I can see there being at least a 50% chance. I can see it working.
I love how Raymond presented Glen the cat to Eleanor, not asking, just bringing, but also giving her an out saying his mother could take her.
I loved page 294. The real Eleanor is likeable!
Such smart hints. I will have to read it again to know everything about Eleanor’s mother. Gosh everything makes so much sense by the end. Including going from 1 to 2 times a week with the therapist, another character I really liked.
So much to talk about re Eleanor as a child and as an adult, Raymond, Maria the therapist, Raymond’s mother, mummy & Marianne, Sammy, though there wasn’t as much of him in there as I’d expected, Laura, Keith too, and Eleanor’s boss and coworkers. (hide spoiler)]...more
So here’s a another book I can’t adequately review because I adored it too much. But I want to get down something in writing.
I hadn’t been enthusiastSo here’s a another book I can’t adequately review because I adored it too much. But I want to get down something in writing.
I hadn’t been enthusiastic about reading this book, even though it was for my book club and just about everybody I knew who’d read it was pushing it. I’m so glad that I didn’t miss reading it! I loved it. I’m considering it for my favorites shelf and had no quibbles about giving it a full 5 stars.
I enjoyed it from the start yet it was slow going for me for a while, and then the more I read the harder it was to put down.
Right from the start, reading only the hardcover edition, I could hear all the Irish accents from the way the Irish characters worded what they said. I loved that.
It’s an exceptionally good book. It’s a masterpiece. A real saga of one man’s life from conception to death, following him every 7 years, a structure that works beautifully here. The story goes from 1945 to 2015, 70 years. (Reading the beginning sections I thoughts of the documentary series 7 Up, a movie series I have loved but this story was better. Not true but it felt true.) I also loved the “bookends” aspect of the story at its beginning and its end. The ending was incredibly satisfying.
The characters seemed like real people. It read as much like an autobiography as it did a novel. I grew to care deeply about quite a few of the characters.
While there are so many sad parts, I did not find it at all depressing. And there were so many times I laughed or chuckled out loud. It has so much humor in it and is very, very amusing. It was tough reading at times but 100% worth it and overall I was so engrossed that I relished the entire book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the settings Dublin and other parts of Ireland, Amsterdam, and NYC. The events in those places and times juxtaposed with the life of one man made for a rich reading experience. Since I’m only 8 years younger than the main character a lot of societal things felt familiar.
This story is deftly and cleverly told. There are so many coincidences that might be laughable, ridiculous or simply unbelievable in a lesser work, but they are worked perfectly here, for me. (It’s a small, small world…)
I wasn’t wild about the last chapter but I think most readers will love it. I attributed certain aspects of it to one character’s imagination and experience with illness and medicine for it but I have a feeling the author meant me to take the experiences at face value. But I find I often do that when I read fiction: make my own interpretation. Here it was a bit difficult because of the way things played out and the reader it left to assume how they will play out. If this book doesn’t make my favorites shelf it is because of how something goes in that last chapter but I would never consider less than a 5 star rating for this book. And I’m probably quibbling unnecessarily.
It usually bothers me when historical fiction books take real events and real people and fictionalize portions of them, but with this book I barely minded at all when that happened and overall I enjoyed it.
I do think a very few period details might be off? Secondhand smoke wasn’t that much of a thing in 1966 in the U.S. so I doubt that it was in Ireland. And unless what was meant was only that one hospital ward or only the treating physician’s patients, there were so many more AIDS patients in NYC that their numbers imply. But almost everything in the book felt genuine.
One thing I took from the book is to define yourself and not let others define you and to not hide yourself but be true to yourself.
I went in with not too high expectations but even if I’d gone in with high expectations, I don’t think they’d have been too high. I loved this book. I am gushing. It’s a rare book that can make me laugh so hard and feel so much as I read.
I highly recommend this to almost all readers. Definitely pick it up and read it if you enjoy reading any of the following: history/historical fiction, sociology, coming of age stories, books about orphans, books about friendships, love stories, books with quirky characters, Ireland, Amsterdam, NYC, biographies because while this is fiction it felt like a biography, books with an abundance of both humor and sadness, LGBTQ books. I want to recommend this to everyone I know who hasn’t read it yet. That’s how much I loved it.
Perfect book for book clubs and buddy reads!!!...more
Full disclosure: One of the authors, an online friend since 2007 at Goodreads and elsewhere too, gave me a copy of the book. Also, I was interviewed aFull disclosure: One of the authors, an online friend since 2007 at Goodreads and elsewhere too, gave me a copy of the book. Also, I was interviewed as a participant for the book as it was being written.
I recommend this book for all vegans, especially those who have shamed others or been shamed for anything other than optimal health, all those who believe in end of life planning, all feminists, all disability activists, all caregivers and those who need the help of caregivers, all those who fear illness or death or want some guidance about how to deal with them regarding themselves or others. In other words, most people, though I’ll be actively recommending it mostly to vegans who either feel a vegan diet is a cure all or feel uncomfortable when they discover it isn’t and also to those who want a book that gives some useful tips on steps to take during end of life planning. I consider it a must read book for all vegans.
I will admit that I came to this book with feelings of excitement and high expectations, but it didn’t disappoint at all. It’s a superb book. It’s broader in scope/topic(s) than I’d anticipated and that makes the book even stronger than I thought it would be.
It’s an excellent addition to the genre, and for me maybe the best vegan book I’ve read in a long time, and that’s saying a lot since I’ve read dozens of great vegan books in recent years. This one is so timely and important though and is sorely needed.
The vegan movement needs this. And because of the topic, any reader can benefit, vegan or not. The authors are a wonderful team and they heavily utilized the wisdom and knowledge and experiences of many people. Engaging voices, friendly and non-judgmental, fun to read despite its sober subject, a perfect mix of issues and science/philosophy and personal stories. While it’s a mostly enjoyable read, the parts about mourning brought up painful feelings. Luckily they were presented in such a kind and helpful manner that I felt as supported as I did sad, and even if I was in acute grief I think I’d find comfort along with experiencing the painfulness of the subject.
So many in the vegan community act as though being a healthy vegan will keep them healthy forever, and fat shaming, disease shaming, etc. of other vegans is running rampant over at Facebook and in real life too. It's driven me crazy for years, even prior to the internet. I first noticed it in force and directed at me at a vegan convention 2 decades ago. Also this is an end of life, and caregiving, and dealing with disease, and showing compassion book for everyone, so really 90% of it is applicable to all readers. I’m sure I’ll be posting about it every time I think a vegan or a group of vegans need a reality check.
At times I wanted to cry it addressed these issues so well. That’s not to say I don’t think vegan eating is healthy because I do, but I’m an ethical vegan, 100% for the animals and also for the environment on top of that. I never went vegan for my health nor could I be a 100% vegan eater for my health. That said, I know what I’d be eating if I was still a lacto-ovo vegetarian or omnivore and I know I’d be much more unhealthy (maybe dead) if I hadn’t been eating vegan for so many years (decades.) I never expected my health or longevity would improve by eating vegan though, but it probably actually has helped, though I can’t know for sure, even though I’m not always a health food vegan. Still, I never make false promises about following a vegan diet, nor do I blame anyone who has health problems. As this book points out so well, there are usually multiple and often unknown reasons for developing many health problems, and everybody dies. We don’t have complete control over our health and no control over our mortality. Vegans who fat shame, disease shame, feel invincible don’t help the non-human animals or their fellow humans, and veganism doesn’t need hyperbole to make it a convincing choice. Veganism isn’t about human health anyway, at least for me it’s not. I know for some that vegan eating is about their health and that’s fine too, but no living being is indestructible no matter how well they live their lives.
I like how the authors stress the compassionate part of veganism and also the goal of being compassionate with those who are sick or dying, including being compassionate with ourselves.
I appreciate some of the big, thought provoking ideas brought up and some of the connections made about vegans & animals & health/mortality.
As far as the end of life planning sections, my mother died when I was 11 and death, including my own death, has been at the forefront of my mind since then. So I’ve already thought a lot about and done many of the suggestions that are given in this book. I’ve had a will since childhood and since my teens everyone who’s known me well knows what I want done and not done medically. Even so there is more I’d like to do and revise, and reading this has given me the motivation to update some of my paperwork. I believe it will be well worthwhile to get my affairs in even better order.
And I want to state that this book makes a very good guide for end of life planning, no matter what your age or state of health and whether vegan or not. Whether or not readers have given much thought about this issue, this book provides a gentle way to read about and think about it and take the actions that will ease the process.
The contents are a perfect ratio of philosophy and information and personal stories. What’s presented is scientifically sound, including being honest about what we don’t yet know about diet and health. These are pro-vegan authors so they do cover what is healthy or likely healthy about following a plant based diet.
Even though I’m a slow reader I did finish it in less than 48 hours. For many readers this will be a book they can read in one sitting.
This book is a book pusher. I added many books to my to read list that are mentioned in it.
What most thrilled me about this book is the takeaway of what I can do with my own vegan advocacy and support work, and I’m so glad I have this book to recommend to vegans who aren’t inclusive of others or who believe vegan eating is a magical cure all.
Contents outline: Foreword Introduction: Facing Your Own Mortality Can Enhance Your Life and Advocacy Part 1: Vegan Health: The Myths and Realities 1. Even Vegans Get Sick… 2. How Shame and Blame Affect Our Health and Advocacy… Part 2: Caregiving as Vegans 3. A Vegan Ethic of Care… 4. When Someone You Love is Seriously Ill or Dying… Part 3: A Vegan’s Guide to Death and Dying 5. When You Have a Terminal Illness… 6. Mourning… 7. Protecting Your Legacy of Kindness: Wills, Trusts, and Other Legal Protections… 8. Last Words, Organ Donations, and Resting Places… Afterword: A Vegan Understanding of Death – We Are Animals Who Will Die Acknowledgements Sources and Further Reading Index About the Authors About the Publisher
And as someone who’s struggled with weight issues I love this quote the authors provide and think that it’s a good guideline re weight: “The Canadian Obesity Network defines your “best weight” as whatever weight you achieve while living the healthiest lifestyle you can truly enjoy.” (page30)...more
I love this book. It’s feeling really challenging to try to start my next (any) book because I doubt I’ll enjoy it as much as I liked this one. I haveI love this book. It’s feeling really challenging to try to start my next (any) book because I doubt I’ll enjoy it as much as I liked this one. I have added this one to my favorites shelf.
I’m so grateful that my book club agreed to read this for our March book. For me it was the perfect book at the perfect time. In fact, some of my book club members were having a hard time getting a copy, so I quickly finished the last couple of chapters so that they could read my library copy before its due date. That was easy to do. This book was easy to pick up and hard to put down. My preference when reading books is to stop reading at the end of chapters or at least at the end of mid-chapter marked breaks, but with this book I was happy to read until I had to put the book down to do something else. Finishing a sentence was enough for me. I didn’t want to stop reading until I absolutely had to stop.
Beth Harmon is an amazing and memorable character. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her life and reading this amazing coming of age story. I loved both the character and the story.
The secondary characters are also very well drawn out, to just the right amount, in my opinion, and they all also contribute to making this story great.
I don’t even play chess and there is so much in this story that is play by play during chess games, and I had no idea what was going on with the relaying of chess pieces moving on the board or what they meant, yet the descriptions completely held my attention; I was riveted. I was hooked for start to finish. I think if I knew the game of chess I might have gotten even more out of the story, though I have no complaints reading it not knowing the game.
I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy reading about Beth as much when she aged (age 8 to age 19) but I found her always interesting. In fact, even though the book ended in a satisfying way, I’d read a sequel if there was one. Unfortunately, this book was published in 1983, the author’s seventh book, and he died in 1984, so this is his last book.
The book is a really fast read; it has 243 pages and 14 chapters, some long. The story took a few unexpected turns in the last couple of chapters. I appreciated the twists in the storyline.
This is a story about a girl who’s a chess prodigy but if I had a thrillers shelf I’d use it for this book. It did read like a thriller, especially parts in the middle and the end.
I wouldn’t say that the language is gorgeous, and it’s not a particularly quotable book, but I think that it’s beautifully written. The characters, particularly the main character, are completely believable. It’s a brilliantly constructed book. Though it isn’t a long book and the events take place over only 11 years, it felt like an epic to me.
I’ve always wanted to learn to play chess, though I think the fun would be playing at an advanced level. At this point I doubt I could learn to play past a beginner level, and I certainly don’t have the aptitude to play the way the best chess players can play. It seems as though it would be a thrill to be able to play at a top level. I got a bit of vicarious satisfaction from “watching” Beth play the game. This book made me even more curious and interested in the game. If I had read this as a teen or young adult I’ll bet I’d have made an effort to learn and play chess games.
Highly recommended. Particularly recommended for those who enjoy coming of age stories, orphan stories, those have an interest in chess, physical fitness, addiction, mentoring, and feminism....more
I was fortunate to read a fully finished paperback edition in advance of the official publication date. The author is an online acquaintance of mine aI was fortunate to read a fully finished paperback edition in advance of the official publication date. The author is an online acquaintance of mine and I basically asked for a copy. He obliged, in exchange for an honest review. And unlike some authors who put on some pressure, however slight, Mark made clear all he asked for was an honest review.
Darn it! Yet another vegan book I wish I’d written! I think that it’s a brilliant and important book.
Because I loved this book so much it is very hard for me to review, true of most of the books I’ve loved. For some I’ve written only review blurbs or nothing at all. Particularly for this book, the stress I feel to write something worthwhile is intensified because I want readers to read this book. And I’d love to discuss these issues with those who’ve also read the book. I know that I cannot do it justice, but I will try. Anyone who reads this review and wants to know more about the book, or has any kinds of questions, please request that I elaborate or explain, and I’ll be happy to do so. I suspect I’ll be able to be more articulate and eloquent responding to people than I can be in this review proper.
I first have to say that I’ve read extensively about the subjects in this book, especially ethical veganism. I’ve been an ethical vegan for 28 years, since 1988. Since then I’ve read many books, articles, blog posts, etc., including dozens of vegan theory books and hundreds of vegan cookbooks. I’ve also had innumerable discussions with others about the topic. (I’ve also been an activist, for social justice since my teens in the late 60s and also for animal rights, most of the ar work done between 1988 and 2004. I’ve tapered off since then, regrettably, though I still do some online work and try to help and mentor individuals, and I do write reviews of vegan promoting books. This book has inspired me to try to always do more to help non-human animals and human animals and the ecosystem.) But, even before 1988, starting in about the early 1970s I was reading books about the environment and about animal rights and about health, and I did become a vegetarian in 1977, eleven years prior to going vegan. When I decided to go vegan, it was because I read a book and that book is the only book on my lifechanging shelf. Being a vegan is the best decision I’ve ever made and so that book was a seminal moment for me. As I read this book, I was thinking it might be the second book I’d put on that shelf. I’ve felt this way about just a few other books I’ve read but I eventually decided they didn’t merit that shelf. I’m still deciding about this book and it will take some time. It depends on what changes I make in living my life because of it. Even though none of the general information presented was brand new to me, the way it’s presented in its narrative is incredibly effective, and I did learn some factual details. Most importantly, it got me deeply thinking and I discovered some things about myself, and while not a completely comfortable experience, this is welcomed by me. I do feel changed by having read it.
Even though the book is packed with a lot of information and philosophy (interesting autobiographical stories, seamlessly woven into the account, and others’ personal stories, well researched facts, and cogently argued opinions from activists in multiple spheres) and in a way could be called comprehensive, it’s a slim book, and an enjoyable to read, so I hope that will encourage people to read it.
Every time I was afraid something I considered important about veganism or social or environmental justice wouldn’t be covered, I eventually found it in the book. In fact, one of my few quibbles is that perhaps I’d have preferred that readers be steered only (and they are) to vegan R.D.s and other books and websites for specific information about nutrition, partly because there is no way to adequately cover the subject in this type of book but mostly because what is “known” changes so frequently. (For instance, there are now certified vegan vitamin D3 supplements.) I’m conflicted about this though because I see the value for some (new vegans and those curious about vegan eating) to learn about some basic information in a book about veganism, especially because there are still so many misconceptions among so many.
Most vegans I know need to read it, and so do any who are vegan interested or who know vegans, and I will be recommending it to several of my vegan friends. It’s a perfect primer for new vegans or those thinking about veganism. It’s also an important book for single-minded vegans who care about only animal rights. It’s also important even for seasoned animal rights activists and long term vegans who are already also social and environmental justice activists.
I actually think that it’s just as important for non-vegans to read it, especially if they are activists or advocates for social justice and/or environmental causes. That’s one of the few potential flaws I see about this book: I’m afraid that its title will dissuade non-vegans from reading it, and that would be unfortunate. This is a great book for anyone who cares about any cause, who cares about others, who cares about the world.
My favorite line from the author is something I’ll use in many areas of my life, in my continual struggle regarding perfectionism: “Adopt the ‘practice makes progress’ approach.”
There were so many quotes I thought I’d want to put in this review, but by the time I listed all the pages that had text I wanted to include, I realized if I did, it would qualify as plagiarism; so many passages were ones I wanted to share and to remember.
I do want to include one more, from page 101, something said by Norm Phelps, because its truth hit me hard, and it will be appreciated by all ethical vegans: “speciesism is the one form of oppression whose oppressors consist of members of every other oppressed, non-vegan group. Consequently, while other injustices serve to divide humanity into groups (privileged/White/male/heterosexual versus marginalized/Black/female/LGBTQ, for instance), speciesism unites people. Nonhuman animal exploitation offers a veritable smorgasbord of human “benefits” – food, clothing, entertainment, scientific research, you name it – and rare is the person who doesn’t see these as enhancing the quality of her/his life. Eating and wearing animals are the reality for most people.”
The crux of this book is that compassion (for all) is important, and that the best way to improve things for all is for us to build coalitions between those who care about various causes, and to work together, and that doing so will help everyone’s causes. This thesis is so encompassing and I think the most effective approach.
I already believed this, but as I read I realized that while I am not a single issue person, that I don’t care only about farmed animals, or the environment or foster children, or whatever the many things that are meaningful to myself and others, that I almost but not 100% of the time have bought fair trade chocolate and avoided consuming palm oil, that I have a hybrid car, etc. etc. etc., I recognize that I do have my “pet causes” and that I am not always as inclusive as I’d like to be, so now my brain is definitely going at full steam, as is my heart, and hopefully my actions will come even more fully into sync. Activism that is effective is crucial. As I read, I thought about what I was reading and, even as I embraced the ideas presented, I was embarrassed to discover that some of what I came up with shows I’m part of the problem. I’m definitely inspired to work more on myself. I appreciate books that are both thoughts and feelings provoking.
While this is a book about serious issues, I also feel it’s a celebration of the vegan ethic and an optimistic book. I felt as much joy as I did sorrow and anger while reading it, and after reading it.
I loved the sections in the back, particularly the Q & A, actually the last chapter proper, and yes I’ve been asked all those questions and given similar answers, and the Quotations, and their backgrounds, some of which were new to me. I love quotes. The resources listed are far from complete (that would be impossible in any book) but there are many worldwide readers will find useful.
Because I see no place so far that lists the contents of this book, I want to give potential readers information about what the book covers: Contents: Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter 1 - On Animal Rights; Chapter 2 - On Veganism; Chapter 3 - On Human Rights; Chapter 4 - On the Environment; Chapter 5 - On a More Compassionate World; Chapter 6 - Q & A; Appendix A: Ten Ways You Can Help Animals; Appendix B: Ten Ways to Make Veganism Easier; Appendix C: Ten Ways You Can Encourage Someone Else to Go Vegan; Appendix D: Ten Ways You Can Help Humanity; Appendix E: Twelve Famous (and Not-So-Famous) Quotations; Appendix F: Resources; Notes; Select Index; About the Author; Other Changemakers Books by Mark Hawthorne
This is the author’s third book. I admired this author’s first book, and I’d like to also read his second book. I enjoy this author’s writing style his engaging way of storytelling.
This is a stellar book, a valuable contribution to the field, and I want everyone to read this book or have it read to them or to have its ideas presented to them, and to have everyone discussing it and the issues it addresses. I particularly recommend it to all vegans, all environmental advocates/activists, all human rights and social justice advocates/activists, feminists, people of color, peace activists, the privileged and the less privileged, all who care about any of the following: speciesism, sexism, racism, classism, ableism, bullying, colonialism, heteronormativity, etc., anyone who’s felt oppressed in any manner, and anyone who cares about reducing suffering and decreasing incidents of injustice. ...more
While still reading, I reserved the sequel and intend to read it soon. I was emotionally invested in this story and its many characters.
This is a briWhile still reading, I reserved the sequel and intend to read it soon. I was emotionally invested in this story and its many characters.
This is a brilliantly done middle grade novel. It’s a page turner! It is an extremely well deserved Newbery Honor book. I’d have been happy had it won the Newbery Award.
Ada is a great character! She’s smart and resourceful and brave and caring and loyal and observant, and inspiring. She’s also been horribly traumatized and is dealing with the ramifications of her experiences and her situation. It’s a pleasure to watch her progress.
I love Susan Smith! I might even like her better than I like Ada. She’s a natural therapist, a wonderful (foster) mother, and she is also dealing with past losses. I appreciated how her grief over her housemate and best friend Becky’s death is described but while it was obvious to me as an adult reader and might be to today’s children (but not to children when I was a child) that those two had a sexual relationship, that Susan is a lesbian, but because nothing sexual about the relationship is delved into, it’s not the focus at all, and is conveyed in a way that will go over many readers’ heads, and that’s fine. Because even though this story is about Susan and about Ada’s brother Jamie, and about quite a few other interesting characters, primarily this is Ada’s story.
I also loved the cat character and the pony character. I was worried for a while that I wouldn’t like the way the pony was treated, but it ended up okay for me. (Even though I’m an outlier and like it when dogs and cats and horses are treated as friends and not used in any way. Of course here, riding the pony was not for financial gain at all. As far as other owners & horses included in the story, they’re not a main part of the plot, and I was also very aware of the sensibilities of this time and place.)
Ada’s and Jamie’s mother was horrible, yet believable. I thoroughly enjoyed how things ended regarding her and her children.
This was also an excellent historical fiction story. It touched on WWII including the Blitz and the bombings in Kent, the area of England closest to the fight on the continent. My heart sank when the airfield was constructed where it was.
This is a fine book for ages 9 and all the way up. It does get intense at times around issues of war and child abuse, issues of abandonment and neglect, but I think it manages to stay a solid middle grade novel that can also be enjoyed by adults and teens. The two main children go from age 10 to 11 and from age 6 to 7.
Highly recommended for fans of books that include: historical fiction, coming of age novels, foster care, child abuse, physical disability, childhood trauma, cats, horses, country living/small town living, issues of poverty, WWII English history, books that show characters overcoming obstacles, and stories about characters caring for one another in various ways.
This will be enjoyed by independent readers but it would also make a great read aloud book parent or older child to one or more children and also for teachers/classrooms and other group settings....more
I had 3 ½ weeks to read an almost 800 page book and I was worried, but I did it, with a few days to spare. I’m so grateful to my book club for gettingI had 3 ½ weeks to read an almost 800 page book and I was worried, but I did it, with a few days to spare. I’m so grateful to my book club for getting it off my to-read shelf, the fact that we uncharacteristically hadn’t chosen our next book and two members at our last meeting were currently reading this one, so we made it our next book. I shudder to think how it could have languished forever unread. It has had such an impact on me.
The premise appealed to me but I had no idea how much it would speak to me, how deeply I would love it. Of course, that makes it extremely difficult to review.
I think that I might need my own paperback copy to eventually reread. I read the hardcover edition from the library, yet another musty, unpleasant library copy, but this time at least it was readable.
I think that this is a masterpiece. It’s brilliant.
Gorgeous writing. Complex: complex people, complex story. Smart: So smart, about people, relationships, loss, attachment, trauma, PTSD, depression, suffering, courage, friendship, love, so much.
What it mostly was for me was emotionally affecting. The tone and mood throughout are incredibly powerful.
I do wonder if this story will be most understood by readers who have had early trauma and/or loss. Maybe I’m underestimating people but I can see those who haven’t had these experiences not being as able to as fully understand the characters.
The story really gets what it feels like to lose a parent when one is still a kid, especially children who’ve been buffeted about. Not so much with the very worst and best things that happened, but with many of the middle things I could very much identify. Theo losing all of his mother’s things was one of them, even though the specific details were very different.
So many characters are so well drawn, and I felt for them every which way. The characters are memorable. I can’t stress enough how much I loved Theo, Hobie, Boris, who is a hoot and wonderful, though there were times I wanted to throttle him, and most of the characters, even the minor ones, made a huge impression on me. I adore the main character’s voice; I just love it!
I was afraid I’d lose interest as Theo grew up, as I was so enjoying the child narrator, but my interest diminished not one bit. I was surprised and pleased. Often, I lose interest in books and in series after the main characters that start off as kids undergo the transition from child or teen to adult.
I appreciated how much research was done, particularly about art and art and antique furniture restoration, but also about other things such as the experiences of being a drug addict, withdrawal from drugs, being alcoholic, being a compulsive gambler, and none of those addictions were depicted in ways that made them seem appealing, at least 99% of the time. I felt as though I learned a lot. I was interested throughout, including in subjects about which I’d had no or little previous interest.
The story is a serious one but there is plenty of humor. There were so many times that I chortled with laughter, sometimes coinciding with the most painful parts. Such a great reading experience!
So much was packed into this story. So much happens. It truly felt like a roller coaster ride, over and over. There was a lot of suspense. I saw certain things coming, but much took me by surprise, just as in real life. It’s a skillfully told story. It never lets up but none of it is just for show. Everything and everyone included has meaning.
There was a section toward the end when I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to give this book 5 stars, but only 4, and I was fairly sure it wouldn’t after all make my favorites list, not the very end which some readers don’t seem to like as much as I did, but some events a bit earlier, but for me it worked out okay and I can’t give this book any less than 5 stars, and while I might have to revisit the choice, I’m happy for now to add it to my favorites shelf.
Orphans, art, great cities (well I certainly don’t mean the latter for the Las Vegas section, ha ha) – along with these characters and this story, made this tailored for my tastes.
I appreciated that there were a couple of vegetarian characters, one verging on vegan, especially since I was fond of the main vegetarian character.
I love long books when they’re wonderful. This one needed all 771 pages; I wouldn’t have wanted even one word cut.
There were times when reading that I knew I’d immediately want to reread it, and now that I’ve finished it I would like to reread it. I might reread it at some point but I have my next 6 or so books scheduled and I haven’t the time now to reread it.
It was the perfect book to read for my book club. I think it’s a great choice for any book club or book group because there is so much that can be discussed. I’m looking forward to discussing the book with my book club, and I’ve been enjoying discussing the book with Goodreads friends who’ve read it. Now that I’ve finished the book and written my review I can go read more of their reviews.
I’m often sad that when I export my books I lose the comments and the quotes. Yes, I export my quotes but they don’t stay connected with their books. The comments being left out make sense because they are from other members, and they might not want their posts exported, but the quotes are chosen by me, so I’m going to include them, and might do the same for other books I read in the future. While there are many other lines and sections I could have easily included, here are the quotes (in no particular order) that I liked from this book:
“Caring too much for objects can destroy you. Only—if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? And isn’t the whole point of things—beautiful things—that they connect you to some larger beauty?”
“But sometimes, unexpectedly, grief pounded over me in waves that left me gasping; and when the waves washed back, I found myself looking out over a brackish wreck which was illumined in a light so lucid, so heartsick and empty, that I could hardly remember that the world had ever been anything but dead.”
“A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are.”
“good doesn't always follow from good deeds, nor bad deeds result from bad, does it? Even the wise and good cannot see the end of all actions.”
“For humans-trapped in biology-there was no mercy: we lived a while, we fussed around for a bit and died, we rotted in the ground like garbage. Time destroyed us all soon enough. But to destroy, or lose, a deathless thing-to break bonds stronger than the temporal-was a metaphysical uncoupling all its own, a startling new flavor of despair.”
“To understand the world at all, sometimes you could only focus on a tiny bit of it, look very hard at what was close to hand and make it stand in for the whole; but ever since the painting had vanished from under me I’d felt drowned and extinguished by vastness—not just the predictable vastness of time, and space, but the impassable distances between people even when they were within arm’s reach of each other, and with a swell of vertigo I thought of all the places I’d been and all the places I hadn’t, a world lost and vast and unknowable, dingy maze of cities and alleyways, far-drifting ash and hostile immensities, connections missed, things lost and never found, and my painting swept away on that powerful current and drifting out there somewhere: a tiny fragment of spirit, faint spark bobbing on a dark sea.”
“We can’t choose what we want and don’t want and that’s the hard lonely truth. Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us. We can’t escape who we are.”
“...not to look back or feel sad about things, that home is wherever I am.”
“When we are sad...it can be comforting to cling to familiar objects, to things that don't change.”
Apologies if I haven’t been completely coherent or as organized as I could have been. The hardest books for me to review are those I’ve loved the most....more
First I have to say: Thank you John Green for not letting me down. I was so afraid the end, or even the middle, would greatly disappoint me, but it waFirst I have to say: Thank you John Green for not letting me down. I was so afraid the end, or even the middle, would greatly disappoint me, but it was close enough to perfect.
Hilarious! Love the humor! The writing style and storytelling is so engaging. The book was very hard to put down.
I love that Hazel is a vegetarian for animal suffering reasons, and that her family celebrates ½ birthdays as I did and do for kids (and I share a birthday with Hazel, and I love sharing birthdays with book characters), and that she is intelligent and articulate, is philosophical, and has a fabulous sense of humor, and that she is honest. I really love Hazel.
I also enjoyed so many of the other characters, major and minor, virtually all of them.
I was worried at some points because it seems as though in every young adult book the main teen characters have to have not just a love interest, but a fully formed, too adult relationship. Here, it turns out, I ended up enjoying the relationship. It felt real for these characters, and it worked.
Most of the book takes place in Indiana and I have a good friend there and have been there and so I enjoyed the setting. Amsterdam and the Anne Frank House make an appearance too, and I loved vicariously visiting; it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go.
I did hate that the Support Group was so Christian, so religious; maybe those kids didn’t mind, but it sure didn’t seem inclusive, and I found myself wondering whether there were alternative support groups available. (Yes, these kids and their situations seemed that real.) I did appreciate the philosophizing about religious matters that Hazel and Gus do.
One thing I admired so much about this book is that it doesn’t glorify cancer or leave out its suffering. To me, that’s crucial when writing about cancer, whether the account is fiction or non-fiction. And it often doesn’t happen.
This book should be on all teen hospital units. I know that those units carefully screen which books they shelve and I have a sinking feeling many might deliberately exclude this one, but that would be a huge mistake. The kids would enjoy reading this book, and anyone who felt like reading it would not be harmed by it.
I always like cancer stories, fictional and non-fiction, so I knew this book would probably be my cup of tea. (This is a mastery issue: ever since I was 11, and saw my mother die from cancer, I have dreaded nothing more than getting cancer, and would not find my own cancer story one bit entertaining. I've since learned to be justly terrified of ALS too, but cancer remains my biggest fear. And fire, but the latter would be a quick story.)
A note: I loved how in the acknowledgments in the back of the book he mentions the book The Emperor of All Maladies, a book I started a while back and am enjoying, though for quite a while I’ve been on page 250 of 571.
ETA:
I want to add some thoughts, some posted in the comments below but that I want in the review proper:
I did see one plot point coming from afar but another I thought would come did not, and I was grateful for that!!!
Yes, it's hilarious, but no, I am not callous. It's also tragic and sad and powerfully emotional. I felt so many emotions, including infuriated.
I read this book for the first time when I was nine, and unlike many books I loved back then I believe I read it only once or twice. I just reread it,I read this book for the first time when I was nine, and unlike many books I loved back then I believe I read it only once or twice. I just reread it, finishing on 2/25/11, for a March 2011 discussion for the Children's Books group’s Fiction Books Club, one of the months chosen to read a classic vs. contemporary book. I’d remembered enough to give it 5 stars but not enough to review it, though I recalled the gist of the story well enough. I’m so glad I reread it now, nearly a half century after my first reading!
I have no idea which library edition(s) I read as a child. I own a nondescript paperback edition. I bought the Norton critical edition but didn’t have time to read it for the group discussion. This Tasha Tudor illustrated edition was the book I was able to borrow from the library so this is the edition I read for my reread, the first in decades. And I did enjoy the illustrations.
I should probably have thought more carefully and waited at least a short time before I wrote a review, given that I’ve already waited nearly a half century, but I felt like writing a bit down when the reading experience was fresh in my mind.
I’m in danger of waxing rhapsodic. It’s not my favorite book/children’s book, but it’s a comfort read for me and I enjoyed it enough for it to make my favorites shelf.
Despite some anachronisms, a last chapter that doesn’t impress me as much as I would have hoped, this remains an almost perfect book for me, and therefore I’m ill equipped to write a decent review.
It’s a very well written story.
I feel great fondness for Mary, for Colin, for Dickon, for Susan Sowerby (Dickon’s mother), Martha, Ben Weatherstaff, and even Dr. Craven. I don’t think I appreciated any of them as a child as much as I do now.
I particularly loved the robin, and I did also when young. I was used to seeing them from my bedroom window and around the neighborhood and liked them at least as much as I did the hummingbirds.
I’d forgotten how there is not just flora therapy but fauna therapy too, and I was smitten with all the animals. Vivid memories from childhood came to mind as I was reading; I think most children who have access to it (I did) are often attuned to the natural world.
While it’s not unique to tell a story of healing (emotional and physical) through nature or through tending to and caring for others/plants/animals, this story does so in such a lovely way, with such immediacy I sometimes felt as though I was right there, within its pages.
What’s not to love, at least for me?! Secrets, gardens, nature, animals, friendship, hope, self-determination, nurturing, and some intangible qualities, so much that seems to leap off the pages of this book.
It’s funny but during this reading I noticed some of what could be considered current new age thinking and beliefs, and those usually drive me up the wall, but here, it’s believable and soothing and exhilarating and magical. I love how Colin uses the word “Magic” and how it’s understood and accepted by those around him. I appreciate how this book shows that the most simple things and joys are extraordinarily ordinary, and necessary for humans to flourish.
I think I appreciated the whole book even more now that I am an adult. It touched me enough that I put it on my favorites shelf. It doesn’t surprise me a bit that this classic has survived and thrived....more
It’s a phenomenal book, truly astounding. It’s one of those books that touched me so deeply, I felt like burying myself inI am in love with this book.
It’s a phenomenal book, truly astounding. It’s one of those books that touched me so deeply, I felt like burying myself in it and not coming up for air.
I adore Mr. C’mere (also known as Mr. C) and Zoë and Henry, and so many more characters, including a couple that ended up surprising me, which was just lovely. The characters are incredibly memorable.
This is yet another book I’d give anything to have written; it’s another one of “my” books.
It reminds me a bit of The Green Glass Sea, another book I loved, and Zoë reminds me quite a bit of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, and I don’t have much higher praise than that. This story says profound things about trust and love and, yes, as befitting the book’s title, wild things.
The story, told by Zoë, with passages from the viewpoint of Mr. C’mere, is simultaneously hilariously funny and devastatingly sad.
This book is so deserving of my top-100 shelf, a shelf I’ve kept at significantly fewer than 100 books, because I don’t want to have to choose which books to remove when I find yet another gem such as this book. I want to thank the Children's Books group for alerting me to this book. It was one of the nominees for the Fiction Book Club for December, and I started reading it without knowing or caring if it would be the book selected for group discussion.
On the acknowledgments page at the end of the book, the author-illustrator (yes, there are some illustrations in this book, all of them of a cat) thanks a cat who was an important companion in her life, and a photo of the cat is included, which is a nice touch.
There is so much more to this story, so many layers, so much else I could say, but no matter how much material I included, I couldn’t do the book justice, so I won’t try. I’m delighted that Clay Carmichael is a Goodreads author member because otherwise I’d be making a huge effort to get her to join. I’m that much of a fan....more
this “review” is simply notes to myself, not much of interest to anyone but me, and not containing much in the way of spoilers given how cryptic the nthis “review” is simply notes to myself, not much of interest to anyone but me, and not containing much in the way of spoilers given how cryptic the notes are, but just in case:
started reading late 7/30/11, 7/31/11 UK time and finished reading 10/4/11, taking much longer than I’d expected, but thoroughly enjoying the experience, and more convinced than ever that this is a brilliantly told story
This is the first time I’ve read the paperbacks in the box set. I also own and have read the hardcover American editions. I’d already read books 1-6 twice (book 1-3 maybe more often?) but book 7 only once. I reread books 1-6 shortly before book 7 was published 4 years ago, but this reread of all 7 books is my first reading in over 4 years. It’s the first time I’ve really gotten to read all the books in a leisurely manner; the other times I was reading as fast as I could before I could overhear any spoilers.
do a (view spoiler)[ … (hide spoiler)] even though no major ones, but for those who haven’t read the 7 books and don’t want to know names, my reactions, any details whatsoever…These are mostly notes to myself as my (not so great) reviews are at the individual books’ pages.
book 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
I’d forgotten how funny book 1 is. I love Hedwig.
I’m so glad I’m reading books 1-7 all at once for the first time, and getting the books back in my head and the movies out; I love the movies but I’m even more fond of the books, and I know I’ve forgotten a lot. I haven’t read any of the books for 4 years, since book 7 was first published.
So glad to be back reading the books and getting to all the material that was left out of the movies, things I’d forgotten.
Fun to read knowing what I know after having read all the book, but even though much that portends, this first 1/7 of the story is still in so many ways so innocent and simple and light.
Great friendship and loyalty story, great quest story, with fabulous suspense and humor and with terrific pacing, and with some nice surprises including the one at the end. Great to see characters and know of their development and how important a role they will play. Yes, she did “know” all seven books at once and it’s obvious by how well crafted this book is/these books are.
quotes!!!:
“Ah, music…A magic beyond all what we do here!”
“… it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”
“to have been loved so deeply, even though the person is gone – still will give some protection forever”
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
I always thought this was my least favorite of the seven books, despite having probably my favorite quote from the whole series in it, but I’d forgotten how funny the beginning is and we’re introduced to Dobby and Lockhart and Fawkes and the Weasley’s the Burrow and Floo powder and Howlers and squibs and mudbloods, and then there’s the flying car, and Colin Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchley, although I still think the (what felt like more than one) dénouement is not my favorite and some of the stuff related to it and other stuff that comes earlier, but readers find out much more about Voldemort and this part of the story moves the seven book story along beautifully.
I love how it shows how kids (12 years old & thereabouts) often don’t confide in adults, even those they admire and trust, and even when they should; very smart.
But, at the crucial moment: Tell someone first!!! It always drives me crazy when that isn’t done.
I definitely enjoyed my third time reading this one better than I did my first two times. I no longer have a least favorite book in the series. And, it’s also so funny; the humor in these books is brilliant, and needed given their dark parts.
This is one of my very favorite quotes in the series:
"It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
These 7 books are one story but (along with the brilliane of tying it all together in 7 and my fondness for 1) this is my favorite book/part of the story:
the time travel!!! and who saves who by the lake is one of the best parts of the Harry Potter story and
the dementers = depression – she got down at least part of it perfectly…, and I made sure I had chocolate candy on hand for when I read this book!!! ;-)
Harry’s patronus and patronuses in general
the marauder’s map, Honeydukes, butterbeer, Buckbeak the Hippogriff, boggarts,
Sirius Black and Professor Lupin are two of my favorite characters
with the subject of divination being an opportunity for talking about critical thinking (in a fantasy book!)
and so much else wonderful about this book 3. It’s when things get serious but before they get overly serious and dark.
Quotes:
especially
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
and
“You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?”
book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
So many good inclusions are introduced in book 4: Aurors, the pensieve, Rita Skeeter, Mad-Eye Moody, the Wesasley’s Grandfather clock, portkeys, the dark mark, S.P.E.W., Cedric Diggory, the unforgivable curses: Avada Kedavra & Imperious & Cruciatus, more Dobby, learn more about Hagrid
I love the obvious message that courage definitely doesn’t mean a lack of intense fear.
The death in this book got to me so much more than it did the first two times I read it. I don’t know why for me that third time was charm, but I definitely felt the devastation this time.
quotes:
“it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be”
“…the truth is generally preferable to lies…”
book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
aurors, the prophecy, Delores Umbridge, Luna Lovegood, Nymphdora Tonks, Kreacher, Dumbledore’s Army & the Order of the Phoenix, St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the House of Black, the Room of Requirement, the Ministry of Magic, thestrals, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Sirius
The death in this book got to me more than any other, which is saying a lot, given how many of the deaths I found highly disturbing.
quote: “…thoughts can leave deeper scarring than almost anything else…”
book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
the unbreakable vow, horcruxes, learning to apparate, more about Draco, and Snape/and so much more to learn about Snape, and Fleur & Bill, and Tonks & Lupin, Fawkes!, Dumbledore!!!
the death in the 6th book got to me the most this time, the one in 5 before this rereading, but 6, 5, 4 all more than ever
I’m glad this book did not have a too abrupt ending.
I loved 6 more than I did the first 2 times, and that goes for 4 & 5 too.
I now appreciate the movies less (though I still like them) and have the utmost high regard for all the books/the story. I’d forgotten so much of the books because of the movies.
quote:
“Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth.”
book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
have to be a bit of a Gryffindor to read this book…brave…
Hedwig!, Mad-Eye!, Kreacher and the locket!, Dobby!!!, Snape!!!, Dumbledore!!!, Fred, Tonks & Lupin, Neville!/Neville & Nagini!
As I read this book, I vacillated between saying to myself “well, duh!” and then thinking it was an exceptional book, one where this subject has neverAs I read this book, I vacillated between saying to myself “well, duh!” and then thinking it was an exceptional book, one where this subject has never been written about before in this exact way. It’s a slim book but it contains a lot of food for thought.
I felt as though I were back in a college psychology class because my mind was being stimulated in just the way it was during some of those classes. It’s written in a very reader friendly manner and even though there’s a lot of terminology that might not be familiar to all readers, it doesn’t use a lot of jargon, it’s written so that any unfamiliar words will have a clear meaning with the reading of them.
Melanie Joy has coined the word carnism and I really like that the word is now in the vernacular.
The book is definitely written for and directed at the carnists, the vast majority of the population who accepts the dominant paradigm; those living as omnivores. However, vegetarians and vegans can also learn a lot from this book.
Unless I’m reading for a class of some sort, I rarely take notes when I read books for pleasure or edification, but I took many notes here. I’m going to leave most of them out of this review. I don’t want to just regurgitate the book’s contents here. I want readers to read the book for themselves.
This is a psychology and philosophy book and the author’s musings and hypotheses were what interested me most. I cared less for the material about the atrocities committed against farmed animals. However, I because I do believe the author was writing for those who’d maybe never questioned they way things are, that information might be necessary to put what she is saying into context, and it actually makes up a rather small part of the book. I really do love her though!: She specifically says that once we know the full extent and all the details of the suffering of animals, we no longer need to continually expose ourselves to graphic imagery in order to work on their behalf. Thank goodness! I’ve been reading what’s what for over two decades and sometimes it’s just too painful for me to put my focus on the specifics of what goes on.
I love the one or two quotes that start off each chapter; they’re so apt. I liked them so much so that I put a few of them in my Goodreads quotes.
For Americans who truly cannot care about the 20 billion animals killed for food in the U.S. every year, or even care about the devastation caused to the environment, the 300 million (human) animals might get their attention. I love how the author refers to these 300 million as the collateral damage of carnism: the factory farm workers, those who live near factory farms, and those who eat animal flesh.
Most people like to believe that they make their own choices, and that they’re in control of how they act. I’d like to challenge them to read this book because the author talks about how the pervasive and violent ideology of carnism is the norm, how most believe without questioning, how the system is set up so that much of the truth is hidden from the population, and how this system is so entrenched that it’s just the way things are, and most aren’t even aware of their philosophy or aware they even have a philosophy. Vegetarianism has been named because those people are doing something different. Carnism was never named because those people are just doing what everybody does. It’s invisible, legitimized, and unnamed until now.
The author writes about how every aspect of society, not just those making money off the killing of animals, goes along with this ideology of carnism, including the legal system and the news media. The system depends on its invisibility, on myth, on conformity, on objectification, deindividulization, dichotomization of the animals, and on confirmation bias, where people get fed what they already believe.
She contends that most people feel better if they attain integration, a state where their values and practices are in alignment, that most people are actually disgusted by what they think of as moral offenses, that in order to do what they’re doing as carnists dissociation and denial are widespread, because while society believes eating meat is normal, natural, and necessary, those aren’t really facts.
Studies have shown (she uses Stanley Milgram’s experiments as an example) that people will sometimes not obey their own consciences but will cede to those in authority. Joy encourages her readers to question that external authority and question the status quo, and pay attention to their own internal authority.
The book ends on a very hopeful note. The author believes that not only can we change and that the time is right for change, but that the vast majority of people would be more comfortable with their values and actions matching. So she believes that people can change and will want to change when they learn the truth. She gives some of those truths in this book. The reader can decide for herself/himself what to make of the information.
At the end of the book there is a list of useful resources, notes, a bibliography, and an index.
The way I figure it, even those people who are certain that they will want to eat animals their whole lives will appreciate this book. The ideas she proposes here can be generalized to all sorts of subjects, at least some that every reader will find beneficial to contemplate....more
First I have to say that A Wrinkle in Time has been my favorite or among my very favorite books since I was nine years old, and I’ve never been able tFirst I have to say that A Wrinkle in Time has been my favorite or among my very favorite books since I was nine years old, and I’ve never been able to write a true or worthy review for it; I can’t even try.
There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of books I wish I’d written. Occasionally, I come across a book I should have written. This is a book I definitely should have written. It touched me to the core in that incredibly familiar way that seems to come from within, not the outside. Some details are “off” of course, but the gist is precisely what I would have written had I thought of it first.
I inhaled this book and read it in one day, which is highly unusual for me, but used to be more typical when I was much younger. It was a joy to read. If I’d read this when I was 10, 11, 12, I suspect I’d have loved it even more.
The time travel part was exquisitely done, New York too, 1979 also, the kids were completely believable, as were the adults. Memories of mine surfaced, never forgotten but powerfully brought to the present. This might not be a perfect book, but I had a near perfect experience reading it. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with Miranda. I felt a deep emotional involvement, which I love feeling when I read a book.
And I sure wish I had Miranda’s gift book!
It also has the most lovely and meaningful dedication page I’ve seen in ages.
I emailed a childhood friend, who also has always loved A Wrinkle in Time, the second I finished this book, to insist she has to read it.
I do think readers who haven’t read and enjoyed Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time can enjoy this book, but I would suggest reading L’Engle’s book before picking up this one; it will mean so much more.
This was a wonderful day, thanks to this book.
Edited the next day to add:
Many parts are very funny.
Unlike many cross genre books, readers don't have to appreciate all the genres; one will suffice: realistic middle school fiction or science fiction & time travel; either will work. Also, recommended for those who appreciate friendship stories and family stories. Really, if you know the book A Wrinkle in Time, add this book to your to-read list. If it's already on your list, bump it up. It won the Newbery and this is one of the times when the book is deserving of the award!...more
Oh help! I was so eager to read this book in advance, and thanks to a fellow Goodreads member, I received and read a hardcover edition more than two mOh help! I was so eager to read this book in advance, and thanks to a fellow Goodreads member, I received and read a hardcover edition more than two months before the official publication date. I had great fun reading it early and I’m grateful for the opportunity, but now the problem is that I’ll have an even longer wait for the publication of the next two books in the trilogy. I’ll feel the suspense until I know the whole story. This book is a fine self-contained book, although if I hadn’t been aware that there were two upcoming sequels, I’d have thought that it ended too abruptly.
I loved this book. I was completely entranced. Suzanne Collins does a marvelous job of not only creating a fully developed alternate world but of making me feel as though I was right there, and there are so many memorable characters, especially the main character who tells the story in first person, a sixteen year old girl named Katniss. One small quibble I have is that Katniss was possibly just slightly too articulate and perspicacious given her background (she has attended school but must work hard to support her family and lives with inadequate nutrition in dire poverty in the most destitute of 13 areas of her nation) but that’s a minor quibble, especially since her story telling is so enjoyable.
I would recommend this book for only those who are 12 years old & up, and not for younger kids, because of the type of violence and the ages of those in danger of dying: 12-18, and because of the general dark theme. ...more
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