bananas_books's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
slow-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
3.75
scorpstar77's review against another edition
4.0
Ada Franklin has a rare gift for actual faith healing, or powwowing, until something happens during a barn fire that seems to take her gift away and cause her to doubt herself. Will Burk has been finished with church and God since he was 12 years old, perpetually angry about any God who would have chosen to take his mother away. Cicero is a raven that Will found injured and nursed back to health, who understands far more about the world than a bird has a right to. Told through these three perspectives, this is a story of a small community in Pennsylvania in the '50s, about faith and love and pain and healing, and quite literally about fire.
An interesting look at a form of folk medicine or faith healing that I didn't really know anything about - this is not the holy roller, stand up in front of the church with much singing and clapping and loud praise that I know about from my Southern upbringing. This is quiet and private. The book never answers the question of if it "really" works, but the point is that Ada believes in it, and Will comes to accept it in some way. The meat of the story is really their relationship, and how people have to accept one another as they are for a relationship to flourish. And how love heals all wounds. It's not groundbreaking stuff, but it is a nice story.
An interesting look at a form of folk medicine or faith healing that I didn't really know anything about - this is not the holy roller, stand up in front of the church with much singing and clapping and loud praise that I know about from my Southern upbringing. This is quiet and private. The book never answers the question of if it "really" works, but the point is that Ada believes in it, and Will comes to accept it in some way. The meat of the story is really their relationship, and how people have to accept one another as they are for a relationship to flourish. And how love heals all wounds. It's not groundbreaking stuff, but it is a nice story.
annikabeck06's review against another edition
5.0
Only picked up this book because of its wonderful cover art, but fell in love with the community and the story in a comfortable, nostalgic way-Definitely one of my favorite books I’ve ever read and a underrated find
sarrie's review against another edition
2.0
2.5*s
Going by Goodreads definition 2 stars is 'Just Ok' and I think that's pretty spot on with this one for me.
I initially really liked this, but I expected a bit more than the simple love story we got so as it progressed I got more bored. I also got quite a bit frustrated with our main female protagonist who didn't seem to have any agency outside what the story needed her to do. She was upset when it moved the story and fine when it wasn't needed, with no clear reason for either. She knew the 'why' of what was upsetting her for quite a while, yet she remained melodramatic about it, and her 'resolution' in which she stopped being upset was about half way through and then she was done, the story switched mainly to Will and focused on him, no more Ada seemingly needed.
The best part was Cicero, though the little surprise twist in that narration wasn't really much of a surprise by the time it came around.
Overall just 'Ok' for me. It was a fast read and the setting was strong, but those characters left something to be desired.
Going by Goodreads definition 2 stars is 'Just Ok' and I think that's pretty spot on with this one for me.
I initially really liked this, but I expected a bit more than the simple love story we got so as it progressed I got more bored. I also got quite a bit frustrated with our main female protagonist who didn't seem to have any agency outside what the story needed her to do. She was upset when it moved the story and fine when it wasn't needed, with no clear reason for either. She knew the 'why' of what was upsetting her for quite a while, yet she remained melodramatic about it, and her 'resolution' in which she stopped being upset was about half way through and then she was done, the story switched mainly to Will and focused on him, no more Ada seemingly needed.
The best part was Cicero, though the little surprise twist in that narration wasn't really much of a surprise by the time it came around.
Overall just 'Ok' for me. It was a fast read and the setting was strong, but those characters left something to be desired.
timothylgrills's review against another edition
4.0
"A man of courage is also full of faith." - Marcus Cicero
When a young woman named Ada loses her ability to powwow, a form of spiritual healing that is channeled through the belief in her God, she is thrown into a series of trials and tribulations that test the very faith that she has always believed in. Then, she meets Will Burk, a loud and slightly obnoxious boy who admires her crooked teeth and phoebe voice. As the chapters alternate between the two characters, some interesting characteristics of the two comes to light. Ada is a healer and Burk is able to tame a raven. that he names Cicero; some chapters are light and come from the perspective of the raven.
Minick, the author of the book, obviously put a lot of time and effort into the book. There is a lot of heart in the words that are splayed upon the page and each word was crafted in a way that it shows relatablility to the characters and the events that take place. As a reader, it's hard to distinguish, sometimes, where the characters are or what the locations that they are at look like. Sometimes, readers might even have difficulty distinguishing one character's speech from another. I think the biggest weakness of the book, however, comes from the assumption that anyone who reads the book is going to be a far-off Appalachian reader. This is an Appalachian book, yes, but it's also important to describe what something looks like to readers who might be reading this who are from more urban locations.
Still, the way Minick puts so much detail into the conversations between characters is extremely realistic; some of the conversations I found myself rereading because of how real they seemed. The heartbreak Ada goes through because of her lost healing, in particular, I found to be extremely upsetting on a personal level. Minick KNOWS how to tug at the heart strings and he does so in a particular way. On a character level, the only thing that bothered me was the character of Ada's brother, in which I expected something in particular to happen with, but nothing ever came of the shapeless character. We get mentions of him, but nothing more. Still, because of the amount of effort (fifteen years!) and the realism of the conversations in the book as well as the sometimes HILARIOUS monologues from Cicero's perspective, I HAVE to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It is too well-crafted to ignore.
When a young woman named Ada loses her ability to powwow, a form of spiritual healing that is channeled through the belief in her God, she is thrown into a series of trials and tribulations that test the very faith that she has always believed in. Then, she meets Will Burk, a loud and slightly obnoxious boy who admires her crooked teeth and phoebe voice. As the chapters alternate between the two characters, some interesting characteristics of the two comes to light. Ada is a healer and Burk is able to tame a raven. that he names Cicero; some chapters are light and come from the perspective of the raven.
Minick, the author of the book, obviously put a lot of time and effort into the book. There is a lot of heart in the words that are splayed upon the page and each word was crafted in a way that it shows relatablility to the characters and the events that take place. As a reader, it's hard to distinguish, sometimes, where the characters are or what the locations that they are at look like. Sometimes, readers might even have difficulty distinguishing one character's speech from another. I think the biggest weakness of the book, however, comes from the assumption that anyone who reads the book is going to be a far-off Appalachian reader. This is an Appalachian book, yes, but it's also important to describe what something looks like to readers who might be reading this who are from more urban locations.
Still, the way Minick puts so much detail into the conversations between characters is extremely realistic; some of the conversations I found myself rereading because of how real they seemed. The heartbreak Ada goes through because of her lost healing, in particular, I found to be extremely upsetting on a personal level. Minick KNOWS how to tug at the heart strings and he does so in a particular way. On a character level, the only thing that bothered me was the character of Ada's brother, in which I expected something in particular to happen with, but nothing ever came of the shapeless character. We get mentions of him, but nothing more. Still, because of the amount of effort (fifteen years!) and the realism of the conversations in the book as well as the sometimes HILARIOUS monologues from Cicero's perspective, I HAVE to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It is too well-crafted to ignore.
clwvtclw's review
4.0
Delightful! Great story, great characters and excellent writing. A pleasure to read.
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