emdowd's review against another edition
5.0
Easily one of the best books I've read all year (maybe ever?) and really, really difficult to get in the States. Have already recommended it to every library system of which I am a card carrying member.
wildc's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so good that I wanted to start it over again as soon as I finished it. The moving and very humorous perspective on life and deconstruction of adult ridiculousness by a child of Japanese descent growing up in rural Canada after the Second World War is flawless. I can only beg the author to please write another!
siobhanward's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such a bittersweet read. It's definitely a unique perspective, but it was so well-written that it was easy to relate to. It was beautifully written and my heart broke over and over again for Egg and Kathy. My biggest critique is that it almost felt like an introduction to a story - I really just got to know the characters when the book ended and it left me wishing for more.
singout's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bethany_t's review
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
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: Racism, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, and Death
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/