crystal_reading's review
4.0
I loved the great way the author created a sense of place. It helped that I used to live near Houston, TX so it was really fun to hear about the tupelo trees, bayous, post oak treey, and piney woods. It was especially great to get into the creepiness of cottonmouths and alligators.
She did a great job with the big themes too. There were some pretty tough "adult" type ideas, but she kept them tame for the younger readers.
Excellent book!
She did a great job with the big themes too. There were some pretty tough "adult" type ideas, but she kept them tame for the younger readers.
Excellent book!
penguin_horowitz's review
5.0
This book is spectacular. This book beautifully melds poetry and prose into a magnificent tale of determination and love.
Plot:
Ranger, an abused dog kept beneath a drunken, abusive man's house in the bayou near Texas. One night, a pregnant cat, fascinated by the blues he is singing, and in need of shelter from the rain, finds him and keeps him company. She births twins, and Ranger treats them as his own children. But when the abusive man, 'Gar-face' finds out, all three are in danger. Intertwined with this modern day anthropomorphic tale, is an older one, of a snake species that can become human. As the past is revealed, its characters in the present, and the consequences of their actions long ago slowly become clearer.
Conclusion:
This book is a page turner and its characters, though animals, feel very real. The world Appelt creates is fascinating, and the conclusion did not disappoint. I would recommend this to almost anyone, but especially to animal lovers and people fond of poetry.
Plot:
Ranger, an abused dog kept beneath a drunken, abusive man's house in the bayou near Texas. One night, a pregnant cat, fascinated by the blues he is singing, and in need of shelter from the rain, finds him and keeps him company. She births twins, and Ranger treats them as his own children. But when the abusive man, 'Gar-face' finds out, all three are in danger. Intertwined with this modern day anthropomorphic tale, is an older one, of a snake species that can become human. As the past is revealed, its characters in the present, and the consequences of their actions long ago slowly become clearer.
Conclusion:
This book is a page turner and its characters, though animals, feel very real. The world Appelt creates is fascinating, and the conclusion did not disappoint. I would recommend this to almost anyone, but especially to animal lovers and people fond of poetry.
luke_from_the_ritual's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pagesofpins's review
1.0
The story of an abandoned cat and abused dog who make friends and hide the cat's kittens under the porch of the meanest man in the bayou. Interwoven is the story of some magical beings with ancient family grudges. The reader has a good sense of pacing and the ability to voice most of the animals well. The story contained lyrically written prose full of rich description and a thorough examination of love and bitterness, but overall I didn't enjoy it. I felt like there was too much emphasis on the animals and descriptions, and I wanted more plot. However, I would still recommend it to animal lovers and children who I think would enjoy this style of writing. A well done book, but not for me.
sandraagee's review
3.0
I just didn't care for this book. I gave it three stars only because I have to acknowledge that the writing is mostly solid. But here are my beefs with this book:
1) The every synopsis of this book makes it sound like the story is about these cats and the dog. But really, they get only a very small amount of page time. The story is really about Grandmother Mocassin and her crabbyness - that's where all of the character development and interesting plot twists were found. I guess this isn't a bad thing, but the book just wasn't really focused on what I expected it to be focused on.
2) This book was super-repetative. Seriously, if I see the phrases "A thousand years ago" or "If you ask the trees" again, I just might kill someone. I really felt like this book could have been condensed by getting rid of a few unnecessary, repetative, boring chapters, cutting its length in half.
3) Lord, it was depressing. Not a single good thing happens in this whole book, I swear. Oppressively depressing, like the kind that just makes you want to shoot yourself in the foot.
4) I have absolutely no idea who I'd give this book to. Maybe to some kid who's really looking for something sad and is desperate for a cry. But that's it.
1) The every synopsis of this book makes it sound like the story is about these cats and the dog. But really, they get only a very small amount of page time. The story is really about Grandmother Mocassin and her crabbyness - that's where all of the character development and interesting plot twists were found. I guess this isn't a bad thing, but the book just wasn't really focused on what I expected it to be focused on.
2) This book was super-repetative. Seriously, if I see the phrases "A thousand years ago" or "If you ask the trees" again, I just might kill someone. I really felt like this book could have been condensed by getting rid of a few unnecessary, repetative, boring chapters, cutting its length in half.
3) Lord, it was depressing. Not a single good thing happens in this whole book, I swear. Oppressively depressing, like the kind that just makes you want to shoot yourself in the foot.
4) I have absolutely no idea who I'd give this book to. Maybe to some kid who's really looking for something sad and is desperate for a cry. But that's it.
jmooremyers's review
4.0
favorite passages:
"Grandmother, who had spent a thousand years in a jar, had finally chosen love. She had seen it, pure and simple and clean, seen it in the small beings of two gray cats and an old dog. Love in all its complexity and honor made a circle around them all. She had interfered with love before and caused only sorrow. That, she knew, was the price. this time, she did what she could to help it along." (p 308)
"For trees, stories never end, they simply fold one into another. When one begins to close, another begins to open, so that none are ever finished, not really." (p 310)
"Write what you think you can't." (from acknowledgements)
"Grandmother, who had spent a thousand years in a jar, had finally chosen love. She had seen it, pure and simple and clean, seen it in the small beings of two gray cats and an old dog. Love in all its complexity and honor made a circle around them all. She had interfered with love before and caused only sorrow. That, she knew, was the price. this time, she did what she could to help it along." (p 308)
"For trees, stories never end, they simply fold one into another. When one begins to close, another begins to open, so that none are ever finished, not really." (p 310)
"Write what you think you can't." (from acknowledgements)
laurenordner's review
5.0
This is a great book! I really enjoyed it. It's sad, though. My favorite character is Ranger! This book deserves 5 stars! The author, Kathi Appelt, came to my school!
trudilibrarian's review
1.0
Didn't like it ... at all. Just could not get swept up into the narration -- story reads like a dreadful combination of a clumsy, ineffectual parable and an over-the-top Bible passage. The sheer cruelty inflicted upon the animals in this book made me angry because it seemed to happen for no greater purpose than to establish evil. Hated Grandmother Moccasin and that entire subplot that was supposed to illustrate something so much greater about the enduring quality of love... but failed miserably as far as I'm concerned. Adults may love this story and obviously chose it as a National Book Award Honor (and god forbid if it gets the Newbery!), but I remain unconvinced that the story has anything to appeal to a child's heart and sense of wonder. This is not Charlotte's Web, The Incredible Journey, The Yearling or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. If you cherish any of these classics I recommend you avoid The Underneath.
shaychestnut's review
5.0
From what I've read in other reviews you either love this book or absolutely hate it. I love it! When I first heard that it was a book about a cat and dog, I thought it was going to be really stupid. But there's so much more to it than a survival story. There's a love story, a myth, and everything is told from lots of point of views. I loved the way Kathi Appelt wrote it. It was almost like reading poetry when she talked of the trees and of Grandmother. The imagery was absolutely wonderful as well. It was all very different from anything I've ever read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.