windhover's review against another edition
4.0
Let me put it this way. I totally agree with the reviews on the back of book. It is not anything groundbreaking or genre-shifting or anything. But it made me happy. It is sweet and charming. It has lots of the things I like about literary fiction without being depressing or violent or obscene. And that was a delightful surprise.
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
Set in North Carolina during the Great Depression, this is a sort of coming of age story as 10-year-old Jim becomes aware of the wide world around him. The story is beautifully told and Jim's family and friends (especially Uncle Zeno, Penn, and Jim's long-dead father) are interesting and well-drawn. There isn't much of a central conflict and a resulting climas as it is resolved which may frustrate some readers. But if one does not mind the quiet, more poetic "climax" found on the story's final pages, this will be a worthwhile read.
phteven's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
skidiva's review against another edition
4.0
I re-read this book in anticipation of reading Tony Early's new book, The Blue Star, and found it just as enjoyable as I did the first time. A very simple story, no sex or violence, about a young, fatherless boy growing up in a small southern town in the 1920's. Very sweet. Nicely captures the innocence and confusion of childhood.
anitaofplaybooktag's review against another edition
3.0
I am very torn about what rating to give this book. The story is about a young boy, Jim, who is being raised by a single mother and her three brothers during the depression era in the South. On one hand, it is very well written. Earley has a masterful and evocative writing style. You can picture everything he describes, and his writing is very fresh. He just brings the story of Jim to life in a beautiful way. There is nothing about the story that is forced or contrived. It's a simple tale, and you can finish this book in a day or two (I know because I did, and I'm not an especially fast reader).
So why not five stars? Or at least four?
Well, I just felt like the story was a little too simple for my taste. It is a tale you could easily read aloud to a child. It could end up being a classic, but it really seems more like a series of short stories about Jim's life, and somehow the plotting was just too simple to really make me say "Wow!" at the end. The narrative does move along at a nice pace, but at the end, I just sort felt like, "oh, that was a lovely little tale.". And "a lovely little tale" just doesn't make me want to give it 5 stars.
This book is not one I'd choose, but my face to face book club is reading it as part of All Rochester Reads, where the whole town reads the same book. I just prefer more complexity to my books and characters. Jim is well developed, but no one else really is. It really just seemed like a platform to show how well Earley can evoke images without using a single stale word. Good for him! Now, if he'd just take it to another level plot wise, I'd think he was truly a masterful genius.
So why not five stars? Or at least four?
Well, I just felt like the story was a little too simple for my taste. It is a tale you could easily read aloud to a child. It could end up being a classic, but it really seems more like a series of short stories about Jim's life, and somehow the plotting was just too simple to really make me say "Wow!" at the end. The narrative does move along at a nice pace, but at the end, I just sort felt like, "oh, that was a lovely little tale.". And "a lovely little tale" just doesn't make me want to give it 5 stars.
This book is not one I'd choose, but my face to face book club is reading it as part of All Rochester Reads, where the whole town reads the same book. I just prefer more complexity to my books and characters. Jim is well developed, but no one else really is. It really just seemed like a platform to show how well Earley can evoke images without using a single stale word. Good for him! Now, if he'd just take it to another level plot wise, I'd think he was truly a masterful genius.
pattieod's review against another edition
4.0
Yankee though I am, I am a big sucker for this stuff, so I'm probably a really poor judge.
kdferrin's review against another edition
3.0
We read this for book club awhile ago and it doens't stick out in my mind as good or bad so obviously it isn't very memorable.
appalonia's review against another edition
4.0
An extremely well-written, gentle story of Jim Glass, a 10-year old boy growing up in the town of Aliceville, North Carolina during the Depression. Jim lives with his mother and three bachelor uncles after his father's death by heart failure at the young age of 23. The book explores Jim's relationship with his family, and his burgeoning awareness of the world beyond his family's property. An endearing cast of characters round out what is a good and wholesome story.