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bethany_t's review against another edition
5.0
How can dead be forever? She forgets sometimes and has to remind herself that dead is a hole in the ground. Dead is Mama raising Jesus in a baptism of whiskey and Papa in the ostrich barn and he won’t come out. “Olly olly oxen free.”
This book is everything to me. The first chapter is an emotional gut punch. I felt sad and sick (but in a good way, if that makes sense) as the story progressed. I teared up so many times throughout Chapter 1. For some reason, the part where the main character, Egg, takes one of her sister Kathy’s book just because she “likes to hold it” made me cry. Likewise, in Chapter 2 when Egg ponders the life and loneliness and tragedy of Anne Frank after Kathy begins reading her “The Diary of a Young Girl,” and Egg thinks that if Anne Frank were there in that moment that she’d share her rock candy stick with her... I’m not crying, you’re crying! Also, Kathy's retellings of “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Diary of a Young Girl” to avoid letting Egg know the sad endings. I was sobbing. This author knows emotion and was so successful in capturing and evoking it in these pages.
This book had a vise grip on my heart from start to finish. I just wanted to wrap Japanese-Canadian Egg up in a hug as she dealt with grade-school bullies, racism in 1970s Alberta, and the fallout of her brother Albert’s death. I was heartbroken over Egg’s complicated feelings as her family mourns, questioning why her being alive wasn’t enough to bring them some happiness. And within those larger emotional moments, the bits of humor and the matter-of-fact descriptions of the world through the eyes of an 8-year-old made me chuckle and laugh out loud. I have never been as quickly captivated by story as I was by this one.
Verdict
Going right to my favorites shelf. This book was beautiful.
So, who would enjoy this book?
Anyone who enjoys general fiction. Probably anyone who loved “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman. There are some tough topics tackled by the author, so I’d advise caution for those who are sensitive to reading about abuse, violence, racism and homophobia, and things that wander into the territory of suicide/self-harm.
Note on audiobook: Narrated by the author herself, it is a delight! She has joined my list for top narrators.
This book is everything to me. The first chapter is an emotional gut punch. I felt sad and sick (but in a good way, if that makes sense) as the story progressed. I teared up so many times throughout Chapter 1. For some reason, the part where the main character, Egg, takes one of her sister Kathy’s book just because she “likes to hold it” made me cry. Likewise, in Chapter 2 when Egg ponders the life and loneliness and tragedy of Anne Frank after Kathy begins reading her “The Diary of a Young Girl,” and Egg thinks that if Anne Frank were there in that moment that she’d share her rock candy stick with her... I’m not crying, you’re crying! Also, Kathy's retellings of “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Diary of a Young Girl” to avoid letting Egg know the sad endings. I was sobbing. This author knows emotion and was so successful in capturing and evoking it in these pages.
This book had a vise grip on my heart from start to finish. I just wanted to wrap Japanese-Canadian Egg up in a hug as she dealt with grade-school bullies, racism in 1970s Alberta, and the fallout of her brother Albert’s death. I was heartbroken over Egg’s complicated feelings as her family mourns, questioning why her being alive wasn’t enough to bring them some happiness. And within those larger emotional moments, the bits of humor and the matter-of-fact descriptions of the world through the eyes of an 8-year-old made me chuckle and laugh out loud. I have never been as quickly captivated by story as I was by this one.
Verdict
Going right to my favorites shelf. This book was beautiful.
So, who would enjoy this book?
Anyone who enjoys general fiction. Probably anyone who loved “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman. There are some tough topics tackled by the author, so I’d advise caution for those who are sensitive to reading about abuse, violence, racism and homophobia, and things that wander into the territory of suicide/self-harm.
Note on audiobook: Narrated by the author herself, it is a delight! She has joined my list for top narrators.
mugofsnails's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
gorgeous whimsical book set in the perspective of a young girl struggling to fit in all while dealing with grief.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Racism, and Lesbophobia
kilmeny's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. This book touches on so many themes (racism, sexuality, grief, resiliency) in a way that makes it a true gem of a read. Really appreciated the audiobook version read by the author.
caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Prairie Ostrich by Tamai Kobayashi is not a bold book. It is not a quick read. It is not an action-packed book. It is not explicit. For these reasons, and more, this first-time novel is one of the most powerful I’ve ever read.
Kobayashi, who was born in Japan and raised in Canada, has crafted one hell of a mesmerizing novel. It’s the kind of fascinating that you might miss, though, if you try to read it too fast; it would be too easy to miss the subtle, quiet power of this novel. So take your time! For one thing, it takes a while to sink into the setting of Prairie Ostrich, which is an historical novel set in rural Alberta in the 70s. Your angle on this small town called (significantly) Bittercreek is not what you might expect: eight-year-old “Egg” Murakami is the limited perspective you get. Egg is having a rough time. Her teenage brother Albert died last summer, and her family are all grieving in their own way. Her dad has secluded himself away in the barn with the ostriches he raises. Her mother drinks whiskey at all hours of the day. Her older sister Kathy—in grade twelve—is trying to hold the family together, and is the only one really present for Egg, who is not only trying to make sense of her brother’s death but deal with the bullies at her school....
See the rest of my review here: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/quiet-subtle-power-on-the-prairies-a-review-of-tamai-kobayashis-novel-prairie-ostrich/
Kobayashi, who was born in Japan and raised in Canada, has crafted one hell of a mesmerizing novel. It’s the kind of fascinating that you might miss, though, if you try to read it too fast; it would be too easy to miss the subtle, quiet power of this novel. So take your time! For one thing, it takes a while to sink into the setting of Prairie Ostrich, which is an historical novel set in rural Alberta in the 70s. Your angle on this small town called (significantly) Bittercreek is not what you might expect: eight-year-old “Egg” Murakami is the limited perspective you get. Egg is having a rough time. Her teenage brother Albert died last summer, and her family are all grieving in their own way. Her dad has secluded himself away in the barn with the ostriches he raises. Her mother drinks whiskey at all hours of the day. Her older sister Kathy—in grade twelve—is trying to hold the family together, and is the only one really present for Egg, who is not only trying to make sense of her brother’s death but deal with the bullies at her school....
See the rest of my review here: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/quiet-subtle-power-on-the-prairies-a-review-of-tamai-kobayashis-novel-prairie-ostrich/
exurbanis's review against another edition
4.0
(Fiction, Canadian, Literary)
From an Amazon reviewer:
“Bookish, [Japanese-Canadian] eight-year-old Egg Murakami lives on her family’s ostrich farm in rural, southern Alberta. It is the end of the summer, 1974. Since her brother’s death, her Mama curls inside a whiskey bottle and her Papa shuts himself in the barn. Big sister Kathy — in love with her best friend, Stacey — reinvents the bedtime stories she reads to Egg so that they end in a happily ever after.
Confronted by bullies and the perplexing quirks of the adults around her, Egg watches, a quiet witness to her unraveling family as she tries to find her place in a bewildering world.”
Don’t read this if you require happy endings.
4 stars
From an Amazon reviewer:
“Bookish, [Japanese-Canadian] eight-year-old Egg Murakami lives on her family’s ostrich farm in rural, southern Alberta. It is the end of the summer, 1974. Since her brother’s death, her Mama curls inside a whiskey bottle and her Papa shuts himself in the barn. Big sister Kathy — in love with her best friend, Stacey — reinvents the bedtime stories she reads to Egg so that they end in a happily ever after.
Confronted by bullies and the perplexing quirks of the adults around her, Egg watches, a quiet witness to her unraveling family as she tries to find her place in a bewildering world.”
Don’t read this if you require happy endings.
4 stars
tsipi's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written. Touching and heart-rending. I think I identified with this MC to a completely irrational degree. Then again, it completely makes sense.
More from this author, please.
More from this author, please.
silhouettenkind's review against another edition
4.0
The metaphors in this book are really good. Egg is one of the best protagonists I've come across in a long time.
xan_van_rooyen's review against another edition
5.0
What an absolutely stunning read (or in my case, listen)!
The audiobook was such a treat because it was read by the author lending it authenticity and greater poignancy.
This is the story of 8yr old Egg trying to understand a sometimes dark, sometimes scary world as her family deals with the grief of losing a loved one while being the only Japanese-Canadian family in their tiny prairie town in 1975.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a unique perspective on powerful themes including racism, homophobia, and alcoholism as well as grief, of course.
The audiobook was such a treat because it was read by the author lending it authenticity and greater poignancy.
This is the story of 8yr old Egg trying to understand a sometimes dark, sometimes scary world as her family deals with the grief of losing a loved one while being the only Japanese-Canadian family in their tiny prairie town in 1975.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a unique perspective on powerful themes including racism, homophobia, and alcoholism as well as grief, of course.
tyaspuspo's review against another edition
5.0
what a powerful book. I like all the subtle messages conveyed through 8 y.o's innocent, inquisitive viewpoint where the world does not make any sense.