Reviews

The Tongue She Speaks by Emma Grae

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yochananvered's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

booksbybindu's review against another edition

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5.0

Emma very kindly gave me a #gifted ebook as I had read and reviewed her last book ‘Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy’! I was super excited to pick her new book up, especially on the back of her winning Scots Book of the Year for her debut.

Cathy O’Kelly is finally making her way to the big school and she can't be happier. After year's of sustained bullying she had been homeschooled for a few years but is now returning to school. Cathy has got spunk. She is determined to become a writer and more than anything she wants to write in Scots. If the Bard can do it why can't she?! Only some of her teachers aren't that encouraging and Cathy desperately wants to get a spot in that coveted top set of English. It doesn't help that she is sat next to a wordsmith, someone who can create stories written in English. And he is the teacher's pet!

I get the impression that there is a lot of Emma herself in wee Cathy. For those that don't know, Emma is a passionate campaigner on the Scots language - determined to see it more assimilated into Scottish culture! A very worthy aim and it shows parallels with Cathy’s experiences in the book. She is definite that Scots is a language and is going to show everyone that she is correct. Everyone around her growing up talks that way so why can't she write that way? Plus, there is a more varied vocabulary in Scots, it's more evocative of how she sees the world!

The scenes in the Catty made me laugh - I used to work there whilst at uni and unders was the worst shift going! It was a riot and full of drunken twats. So Cathy got a much nicer experience than I can remember! I resonated with Cathy trying to find her way in life though, as it was that period and in these locations that I was trying to do the same! Try to decipher all these new emotions, events and relationships. Emma’s writing is spot on here. Also, I had totally forgotten about Bebo! Thanks for a memorable trip down memory lane.

It is the relationships in this book that touched me though, especially with her mother. It's clear they don't have a lot of money but it shows that despite obstacles they have a solid and supportive one. But it's Cathy’s relationship with herself that is the most striking. She finds it hard to fit in, make friends and even understand her sister. She has PTSD from the bullying and Emma’s portrayal of this is again spot on. I felt many of the fears that goes through Cathy’s head and I think that teenagers reading this book will definitely walk away from reading this and feeling as if they have been seen!