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tarapollardyork's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this book until about the last quarter of it. No need to write about a 14 year old getting felt by a boy. Hello I have a 14 year old who rarely leaves my side and us sweet and innocent so I don't want to read about that and it ruined lt for me. And also the part about the mom at the end, ugh rewrite last part and I'd love it!
evaosterlee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
emford's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
allysonbogie's review against another edition
4.0
Shelter definitely had the "Oprah's book club" vibe, but that is fine, and it was really good. It was a sad and beautiful book. I loved the twists and turns and just the description of the girls' lives and how they went. The setting (British Columbia) was really fascinating and I enjoyed learning more about the area and the natural phenomena.
jillianwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Every now and then I find a book that I can’t put down. Equally infrequently I find a book that is painful to read, either because it is so realistic and the material is difficult for me to get through or because the book is not very well written. Shelter: A Novel by Frances Greenslade was painful for me to read and it fell into the realistic category. There is no doubt about it that Greenslade is a talented writer, but a book written about two girls who have what seems to them like a happy family that implodes within a year is gritty and you keep wanting something to change for them. There is little redemptive value or a-ha moment coming from the clouds and throughout the novel I found myself wishing that I could quit the book because it just didn’t seem fair that so much could happen to two people.
Maggie and Jenny are two sisters whose parents do not have much, but there is a lot of love in the family. Their father is a logger and dies in a freak logging accident, which sends their mother into a tailspin. In her unsuccessful attempt to keep them together, she gives them to friends of their father’s and makes some decisions that affect all of their lives forever. When she suddenly stops writing to them and sending money to their foster parents, Maggie and Jenny are left wondering what happened to her and, worst of all, was it their fault? Shelter takes us through their brief journey to discover what happened during those years and to learn where their mother went when she abandoned them. Most of all, their journey to discover why is one that is fraught with emotion. This is a dramatic novel and, with such well done writing, I found it difficult to look upon the characters with detachment. It is not for the faint of heart.
I received a copy of this book for free in order to review it on my blog. All thoughts on this book are honest and my own.
Maggie and Jenny are two sisters whose parents do not have much, but there is a lot of love in the family. Their father is a logger and dies in a freak logging accident, which sends their mother into a tailspin. In her unsuccessful attempt to keep them together, she gives them to friends of their father’s and makes some decisions that affect all of their lives forever. When she suddenly stops writing to them and sending money to their foster parents, Maggie and Jenny are left wondering what happened to her and, worst of all, was it their fault? Shelter takes us through their brief journey to discover what happened during those years and to learn where their mother went when she abandoned them. Most of all, their journey to discover why is one that is fraught with emotion. This is a dramatic novel and, with such well done writing, I found it difficult to look upon the characters with detachment. It is not for the faint of heart.
I received a copy of this book for free in order to review it on my blog. All thoughts on this book are honest and my own.
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
Shelter by Frances Greenslade
ISBN: 9781451661101
Starts out when Maggie was being told from her dad how to build a shelter. He used to work in Oregon but traveled north to BC to live off the land and avoid the Korean draft. He had come over from Ireland and had enough battles.
He knew many ways to make a shelter and she watched.
Scene at the homefront reminded me of when we first moved to the island-we had to carry our 5 gallon buckets of water up the hill 300 yards and we had no heat for the first several months, outdoor bushes for the bathroom.
After their fathers death they move to a camp where Irene, the mother cooks for those who come to camp. After summer they move in with a local woman who can do/fix anything. After a time they have to leave there and Irene puts the kids in a home with friends of the family-The Edwards while she goes to the logging camps to cook. no kids allowed but her kids will be able to attend school.
When Ted develops cancer she spends time with him in the hospital where he's on morphine for the pain. He tells her all about her father. She and her sister now work after school and their mother's last letter stated she wasn't feeling very well.
They stopped receiving money after that.
Maddie plans a weekend trip to try to find her mother, along with her sister and meet up with some crazy people while hitchhiking.
When Jennie gets pregnant from a boy who's left the area Bea makes a call and ships her out to a home for unwed mothers run by nuns.
She finally tracks down someone who knows Irene's past and divulges secrets to her in hopes it will lead her to find her mother...
Love all the descriptions about the meadows of flowers and other nature. Also learning what they used to keep the deer out of the garden, gonna have to try it.
Canasta talk is cool to read about. Quilt making and the patterns from the Indian tribe women.
ISBN: 9781451661101
Starts out when Maggie was being told from her dad how to build a shelter. He used to work in Oregon but traveled north to BC to live off the land and avoid the Korean draft. He had come over from Ireland and had enough battles.
He knew many ways to make a shelter and she watched.
Scene at the homefront reminded me of when we first moved to the island-we had to carry our 5 gallon buckets of water up the hill 300 yards and we had no heat for the first several months, outdoor bushes for the bathroom.
After their fathers death they move to a camp where Irene, the mother cooks for those who come to camp. After summer they move in with a local woman who can do/fix anything. After a time they have to leave there and Irene puts the kids in a home with friends of the family-The Edwards while she goes to the logging camps to cook. no kids allowed but her kids will be able to attend school.
When Ted develops cancer she spends time with him in the hospital where he's on morphine for the pain. He tells her all about her father. She and her sister now work after school and their mother's last letter stated she wasn't feeling very well.
They stopped receiving money after that.
Maddie plans a weekend trip to try to find her mother, along with her sister and meet up with some crazy people while hitchhiking.
When Jennie gets pregnant from a boy who's left the area Bea makes a call and ships her out to a home for unwed mothers run by nuns.
She finally tracks down someone who knows Irene's past and divulges secrets to her in hopes it will lead her to find her mother...
Love all the descriptions about the meadows of flowers and other nature. Also learning what they used to keep the deer out of the garden, gonna have to try it.
Canasta talk is cool to read about. Quilt making and the patterns from the Indian tribe women.
machadofam8's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this (thus the 4 star review.) I loved the style of writing, especially all the descriptions of the scenery, and the weather, and the smells. I thought all the characters were excellent, and even though I had a feeling I knew how it would end it still kept me interested all the way through.
seifknits's review against another edition
4.0
My SLJ review: http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/adult4teen/2012/08/16/shelter/
marcies_8's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love it, but I liked it. It was a good Canadian read and the writing was beautifully descriptive. I could picture myself in the wilds of BC, close to logging camps and pitching a tent in the woods. My problem was that I always have a hard time with stories where the parenting is less than ideal...I can't grasp the concept of leaving your children and reading about it makes me feel uncomfortable and disbelieving- just a quirk of mine!