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allyeb626's review against another edition
2.0
This book has a lot of poetry in it and it gets confusing at times. I wouldn't recommend it.
onetrooluff's review against another edition
3.0
I read this on my mother's recommendation, as she has it in her school library and enjoyed it. It's a touching, emotional look at the Oklahoma Panhandle - a part of the Dust Bowl - during its most tumultuous period: the Great Depression.
I liked Hesse's straightforward writing. She conveys a lifestyle and an unending struggle that most of us couldn't imagine today, and explores grief and depression without resorting to flowery or overly emotional phrasing to do so.
I don't think that the format (free verse poetry) added anything to the book for me, but it also didn't take anything away. I really think that it would have been just as effective in paragraph format, presented as a daily diary of the main character.
I'm going to follow this up with [b:The Worst Hard Time|72223|The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl|Timothy Egan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441676713s/72223.jpg|3222858], a historical account of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s which I have been meaning to read for some time. Should be interesting.
I liked Hesse's straightforward writing. She conveys a lifestyle and an unending struggle that most of us couldn't imagine today, and explores grief and depression without resorting to flowery or overly emotional phrasing to do so.
I don't think that the format (free verse poetry) added anything to the book for me, but it also didn't take anything away. I really think that it would have been just as effective in paragraph format, presented as a daily diary of the main character.
I'm going to follow this up with [b:The Worst Hard Time|72223|The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl|Timothy Egan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441676713s/72223.jpg|3222858], a historical account of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s which I have been meaning to read for some time. Should be interesting.
spydergerl's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
teresatumminello's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book (historical fiction told in prose poetry) yesterday. Then, this morning, I saw in the newspaper that the Oklahoma Panhandle (where the book is set) is experiencing a drought worse than during the Dust Bowl, the time period of this novel.
I think if I had been able to read this as a child, it would've made an even bigger impression on me. It would've stayed in my memory and I probably would've gone on to read Steinbeck's [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375670575s/18114322.jpg|2931549] when I got older. (I still need to do that!)
While the accident this family experiences is horrific, I think the image that will stay with me is the narrator and her father caught in a dust storm as they are driving to a funeral. The amount of dust (and how it gets into everything) is staggering to think about! This is the kind of thing fiction can sometimes do better than history, placing you in a world you know nothing about and causing you to feel and see what is happening around you, almost as if you were there.
I think if I had been able to read this as a child, it would've made an even bigger impression on me. It would've stayed in my memory and I probably would've gone on to read Steinbeck's [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375670575s/18114322.jpg|2931549] when I got older. (I still need to do that!)
While the accident this family experiences is horrific, I think the image that will stay with me is the narrator and her father caught in a dust storm as they are driving to a funeral. The amount of dust (and how it gets into everything) is staggering to think about! This is the kind of thing fiction can sometimes do better than history, placing you in a world you know nothing about and causing you to feel and see what is happening around you, almost as if you were there.
jigglydelight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I had never heard of this book until someone lent this to me.
This is a historical fiction set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. This book is told in verse, or a collection of poems. That being said, no one is more surprised than me that I loved this book.
It was haunting, real, and a very quick read.
Some say it is too dark for kids, I don't agree. Kids live this life, and with climate change will continue to face problems like these.
This is a historical fiction set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. This book is told in verse, or a collection of poems. That being said, no one is more surprised than me that I loved this book.
It was haunting, real, and a very quick read.
Some say it is too dark for kids, I don't agree. Kids live this life, and with climate change will continue to face problems like these.
paulawpat's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
theween's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
I needed a book for my challenge on my group. And this one turned out to be the one, and what a crap book it was. This mostly is due the way this book is written. Since people are offended when I get it wrong, I will just call it some form of poetry and leave it at that.
I don't mind poetry that much, but this kind just feels weird. Like someone wrote a complete book, with working sentences and then threw the book in the blender and mixer and continued from there. And yes, I have said so in every review about this kind of poetry. :) I just have to mention it in each review, as you never know if someone read other reviews.
I didn't particularly care about the main character, she seemed weak and strange. And I got a bit tired of her stuff about her hands. Seriously, just be FUCKING honest with people. Just tell them you can't play, that you want to, but that your hands are damaged beyond repair (or at least they make it seem like it is). Urgh. It was just pathetic.
Then we have the constant dust storm stuff. It was interesting at first, but later I was wondering why people were putting themselves through this kind of stuff. Why they stayed, why they kept trying, why they didn't just leave and find something better. Some place better to live. And yes, this costs money and all that, but I would save up money and then leave. There is nothing there but dust.
The book ends pretty boring, I had expected some great escape, something big, but instead things just continue as they always do. Nothing conclusive, nothing exciting. Bleh.
The book is marketed for kids, but I am not sure if they would like this. I wouldn't recommend it to a kid, not at all.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I don't mind poetry that much, but this kind just feels weird. Like someone wrote a complete book, with working sentences and then threw the book in the blender and mixer and continued from there. And yes, I have said so in every review about this kind of poetry. :) I just have to mention it in each review, as you never know if someone read other reviews.
I didn't particularly care about the main character, she seemed weak and strange. And I got a bit tired of her stuff about her hands. Seriously, just be FUCKING honest with people. Just tell them you can't play, that you want to, but that your hands are damaged beyond repair (or at least they make it seem like it is). Urgh. It was just pathetic.
Then we have the constant dust storm stuff. It was interesting at first, but later I was wondering why people were putting themselves through this kind of stuff. Why they stayed, why they kept trying, why they didn't just leave and find something better. Some place better to live. And yes, this costs money and all that, but I would save up money and then leave. There is nothing there but dust.
The book ends pretty boring, I had expected some great escape, something big, but instead things just continue as they always do. Nothing conclusive, nothing exciting. Bleh.
The book is marketed for kids, but I am not sure if they would like this. I wouldn't recommend it to a kid, not at all.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
2acinom_vas333's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
amyinvegas's review against another edition
2.0
I thought it was well-written but very grim and heartbreaking.