Reviews

Bone Music by David Almond

katie_jane2021's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

amber_hastings's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

I picked this up for the gorgeous cover, and the cover remains the best aspect of this book. Unfortunately I struggled with this one. Sometimes the writing was beautiful, but I found it so slow and so heavy-handed in dealing with its themes of teen independence, troubled/lost sense of self, and eco anxiety. I found that none of the characters felt real or convincing, least of all Sylvia. She and Gabriel did not feel like modern teens. I was particularly annoyed that Sylvia seemed to be a bit of a saviour to all the lost men in her life. The absence of her dad lends a Freudian angle to the fact that she and her mum seem to spend their lives attracting and placating troubled boys. The message of environmental destruction and anxiety tended to get a bit lost. And the addition of Andreas' Nazi past felt so out of place. I'm perplexed at why there are so many wonderful five star reviews of this book as I found it difficult to along with for many reasons.

the_red_one's review

adventurous informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

nicktomjoe's review against another edition

5.0

David Almond takes his readers into the themes closely associated with Lucy Boston and Alan Garner: the deeply felt connection of place and history with the present. In doing so he does not disappoint: when the protagonist, shy, uprooted Sylvia (the woodland roots of her name indicate her mother’s past connections with the place) “dreamed that the living and the dead and the still-to-be-born danced together in the forest clearings,” we are with her as her discovery of the connectedness of pasts and the present deepen. Pasts? Yes: Sylvia discovers her new friend Gabriel’s painful history, confronts the shadows surrounding ancient Andreas, links to the changing landscapes of Northumbria - and the present, the pull of the city and friends, the frustration at not getting ‘phone signal, the urgency of youthful eco-protesters. And through it all, the mysterious music of the bone flute, Sylvia’s detailed making of her own, and the transcendent insights she gains.
There are connections to other Almond works all over - notably in the turn-but-a-stone-and-start-a-wing mysticism reminiscent of Skellig, and the water of the Kielder reservoir he explores so well in The Dam. This is David Almond absolutely on form.
Bone Music is a thoughtful book, politically mature, intriguing in what it says and what it hints at, a painful story in its discussion of grief and isolation and self-harm, a triumph of friendship, and love and music and a hope built on a community that stretches back into the past and comes out bang up to date.

annabroomfield's review against another edition

reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

ace_disaster's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

cjw's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

sunflowers_sunsets's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars
Okay, it’s fair to say that this is a pretty weird book...but it’s also actually really good. It made me think a lot, and for me that makes any book good.

tobischeurer's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing 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? No

4.0

innie11's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

This was such a cosy read