A review by devon
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
5.0
Lately I have found myself venturing away from the type of book that I would normally read and becoming a more well rounded literature and fiction reader. Most often I have been pleasantly surprised by my selections and The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker was definitely a pleasant surprise! When I read the synopsis on the back of the book I expected something completely different from what I got from this compelling first novel. I thought that I was reading a light hearted book about a woman who read peoples futures by interpreting the songs that were in their heads and while this plot point is what this novel was centered around it certainly was not what it was about. The Song Reader, told through the eyes of fourteen year old Leeann is about how two sisters cope with the breakdown of their family, how it effects them as people and how their love for one another gets them through some particularly difficult times.
When older sister Mary Beth's song reading takes off the entire town begins singing her praises and Mary Beth feels as though she has finally found her calling. However, when she reveals a long suppressed secret involving one of the towns most beloved citizens all of her former clients turn against her and her family. Mary Beth spirals into a deep depression leaving Leeanne to pick up the pieces of their life as well as uncover the deep routed secrets of her family that may have caused her sisters depression to run even deeper than first imagined.
Tucker reveals the secrets of this unconventional family in a way that makes it almost impossible to put this book down. My only gripe was that I wished the ending were fleshed out a bit more and the reader wasn't left with so many unanswered questions, however, this is a tiny flaw in an otherwise engrossing novel, 4 1/2 stars.
When older sister Mary Beth's song reading takes off the entire town begins singing her praises and Mary Beth feels as though she has finally found her calling. However, when she reveals a long suppressed secret involving one of the towns most beloved citizens all of her former clients turn against her and her family. Mary Beth spirals into a deep depression leaving Leeanne to pick up the pieces of their life as well as uncover the deep routed secrets of her family that may have caused her sisters depression to run even deeper than first imagined.
Tucker reveals the secrets of this unconventional family in a way that makes it almost impossible to put this book down. My only gripe was that I wished the ending were fleshed out a bit more and the reader wasn't left with so many unanswered questions, however, this is a tiny flaw in an otherwise engrossing novel, 4 1/2 stars.