Reviews

Cracked Pots by Heather Tucker

elle_loves_reading's review

5.0

What a joy it was to catch up with Ari's story in Cracked Pots, the sequel to The Clay Girl!
With the same poetic and lyrical writing style, Heather Tucker continues the unforgettable and compelling story of a young woman's survival against all the odds. This tale is full of hope among the trauma, neglect and abuse the female protagonist faces in her young life. If you haven't read The Clay Girl yet, I suggest you do so, in readiness for Cracked Pots, which is out today!!

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for this ARC to read and review.

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

 The Clay Girl and Cracked Pots follow the life of Ari Appleton from the age of 8 through her late teen years. She has a very dysfunctional family including an incestuous pedophile father who took his own life in front of his children, and an emotionally abusive mother with addiction problems. A physically and emotionally abusive step-father later enters the picture. At some level her life seems to be one tragedy, setback, or trauma after another. And yet Ari is kind-hearted, intelligent, incredibly resilient, imaginative and creative, a delightful character, who may be bowed but never beaten. She’ll stand up for herself and those she loves and refuses to take any BS - although she plays a mean long game. In some ways she’s a less saccharine, steelier and more street-smart version of Anne Shirley, more suited to life in the 1960s and 1970s. She’s a character who will steal your heart, have you rooting for her while railing against the people and systems that repeatedly fail and harm her.

I was interested in the factors which made a difference in Ari’s life, which saved her from the many negative outcomes which might be expected. Her indomitable spirit, rich imagination and creativity clearly helped sustain her. So too did some strong sisterly bonds, a step-father who loved her as if she was his own and provided much needed stability, two very special Aunts and the wonderful wisdom they shared, some encouraging and understanding teachers, a few close friends, and her relationship with Jake.

Ari’s story was really lyrically told. The metaphors involving clay and pottery which ran throughout the books were strong and effective. I also appreciated the way Ari used animal metaphors to understand people and their needs. Jasper the sea horse was a delight.

Ari was a quirky character. So too was the way her story was told. And I got a little tired of it. The books felt overly long with a lot of repetition, and I think could have been significantly reduced in length without any detriment to the story or atmosphere.

If you like distinctive storytelling and an unforgettable character give these a go. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Rape

marisatn's review

4.0

I enjoyed this book but some parts were so brutal I kind of wanted to quit. I know the idea of the series is overcoming hardships and breaking so you can grow, but some of the hardships felt excessive. However, I enjoyed watching Ari and the other characters on their journeys.

bookaddictpnw's review

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

novel_infatuation's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.75

shelleyann01's review

4.0

I didn't know this was book two in a series but I didn't need to read book one to enjoy this. I loved reading about my home town, Toronto. There are lots of sensitive subjects dealt with in this book, such as child abuse and addiction, but the author handles it with such a tender hand. I really felt for Ari and her siblings. My heart ached for all of them. Even though the subject matter was brutal at times, with a bright light at the end, this is a beautifully told story by a very talented, Canadian author. I will be adding the first book, The Clay Girl.

Thanks to Netgalley, Heather Tucker and ECW Press for the ARC.

katrina_c's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

yetanothersusan's review

3.0

Once again, Ari and her very extended family and friends welcome us in to their world. I love the lyrical prose that dances across the pages, somewhat like how Ari's seahorse companion Jasper dances through her thoughts. And the analogy of kintsugi, the creation of something beautiful from something broken, resonates solidly throughout the story. What I did struggle with was the untethered storyline. I never felt a story arc. Instead I would read and find several places that I thought perhaps would have made a possibly good ending. But the story continued to ramble on. While I enjoy spending time with Ari, I think this could have either been condensed with a more defined storyline or instead broken (cracked?) into two books that gave more focus and detail to the events all cobbled together in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.