I can't believe it took me this long to get to this book in my TBR pile! Sad, eloquent, stunning, and different. I had to flip through some of the pageI can't believe it took me this long to get to this book in my TBR pile! Sad, eloquent, stunning, and different. I had to flip through some of the pages for upsetting descriptions, but it did not stop me from adoring this book. The ending feels a bit rushed, but I'm okay with that too, as the rest of the book is absolutely brilliant. The story told in first-person, half today, half yesteryear, is perfection. If you love literary fiction with an historical bent, and can handle some violence, you will be impressed. ...more
I was blessed to have read this book before it hit the stands. This is the story of a young woman named Kate whose life changes in ways she never coulI was blessed to have read this book before it hit the stands. This is the story of a young woman named Kate whose life changes in ways she never could have imagined when she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl with Down syndrome. She leaves her family and her other life behind, believing, at first, that she can manage it all on her own. Soon realizing that this isn't possible, she finds herself surrounded by those who love Kate unconditionally, and take her and her family under their wings. She's the Same offers the reader a chance to see that it really does take a village to raise the best children.
In my own life, having friends with these special children has been a wonderful experience for me, and reading this book is no different. I fell in love with little Bailey, just as everyone in her life does, and enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes, even when things didn't seem fair, or didn't seem manageable.
Kate's story reminds us of the beauty in all things. It reminds us that we are all perfect, no matter how we are put together: Difference, it turns out, is the most beautiful human characteristic of all....more
I try not to leave two-star reviews for authors who are still living. But for those that have passed, well, Stephen Crane's soul might be a bit sad reI try not to leave two-star reviews for authors who are still living. But for those that have passed, well, Stephen Crane's soul might be a bit sad regarding what I have to say. As a former English teacher, a published YA author, and a current private tutor, I have to offer one word to perfectly describe this 1895 novel: Boring. Yes, with a capital B. I LOVE so many classics for so many reasons. Like maybe a book was ahead of its time. Or it enlightened the reader. Or it taught the reader to be a better person. And so on. With my private students, I have re-read Bradbury, Orwell, Fitzgerald, Golding, Steinbeck, Lee, Twain, Austen, Hawthorne, Dickens, Poe, Plath, Hemingway, Capote...the list goes on and on. And the critical thinking that goes into my students' analyses is a wonder to behold. There are a lot of older classics that at least have a plot that follows the expected plot diagram. You know, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement, or some variation of that. But this Red Badge book. I'm nearly at a loss for words. I do not have one student who has enjoyed it in my 20-plus years of combined teaching/tutoring. Not one! Not my 4.5 students, not my boys who are military bound, not the ones who use books on tape alongside the book. That's a pretty sh***y consensus if you ask me. Even the teacher who assigned it this past summer has decided not to use it again. Look, I'm not a snooty intellectual who goes around spouting quotes from the tomes of world literature, but I do like to be entertained at least a little bit. Maybe this book would have been better if written by someone who had actually been a part of the Civil War. Not calling out "own voices" here, but at least give me something with a little meat on its bones. Stephen Crane did later become a foreign war correspondent, but maybe he should have spent a day with some other regiment in some other war for a first-hand perspective. And maybe he did, but he just didn't know how to convey it. While I do think he demonstrated the internal emotions of the young protagonist Henry, quite frankly I didn't care what happened to the young man because there was so much telling and very little showing. Henry does grow up through his time on the battlefield, but it is painstakingly slow to watch him do it. Anyhow, as always, this is my opinion only. Some of you may feel differently. More power to you. With so many awesome classics out there--old and new--I'd leave this one to lie in its cardboard coffin in your attic or basement....more
We are living in an age of throwing things away. Objects we don't feel attached to anymore. Cars that aren't the latest and greatest. Clothes that areWe are living in an age of throwing things away. Objects we don't feel attached to anymore. Cars that aren't the latest and greatest. Clothes that are no longer in style. Food that the kids don't want. Old people when they are deemed unimportant to society. And sadly, animals--specifically dogs. While Lily Unleashed, by JD Kloster, is not specifically about throwing animals away, this book seems to fall on the heels of our throw-away society. Lily Unleashed is about a middle school girl who must grow up quickly when a particular rescue dog, Cagney, enters her life. Cagney will not only break your heart, he will help you rejoice in ways you did not expect. I learned a lot about puppy mills, but I was also reminded that there are a lot of good people out there willing to take a chance on a dog that no one else wants. We need more Lilys in the world. We need more families willing to ignore their obsession with keeping up with the Jonses. We need dog owners to understand that the best pups aren't necessarily the ones with perfect pedigrees that only survive a few years, and just because you have a dog with perfectly colored fur doesn't mean he won't have other pitfalls (Hello, Darwin!) We need to take care of our fur babies. Like the book Shilo or even the classic Charlotte's Web, Lily Unleashed reminds all of us that animals--great or small--just want to be loved. It also reminds us that forgiveness often takes as much courage as speaking out about what we feel is just....more
This is the third book I've read by Heather Cobham. It's been really wonderful to watch her grow into her own regarding her writing; to see her develoThis is the third book I've read by Heather Cobham. It's been really wonderful to watch her grow into her own regarding her writing; to see her develop into a lyrical and trustworthy novelist. This book, Calling the Circle, is like her other two in that it deals with the stories of different women and how their lives intersect. But it stands apart because it is historical fiction, a sort of backstory to the first two, like a prequel.
I really loved visualizing the different women of the early 1900's, and especially women from different backgrounds: Indigenous, Black, White. Women who are well-off, poor, hardworking, intelligent, and on the cusp of something much bigger than themselves: the idea that women should be offered the same rights as men. I especially appreciate how these women are not stereotypes of the era. Instead, we get to know them personally. We get to know their fears, their desires, and their beliefs, even if they don't fall in line with the norm. And most of these women definitely do not conform to what society dictates! I had two grandmothers who broke through molds, so reading about other women who did the same is intriguing to me.
Cobham has done her homework here, showing the reader what it was like just prior to the passing of the 19th amendment. The historical details are spot on. But what's additionally interesting is learning about the cultural habits and lives of those who resided in downeast North Carolina. It was a different time, obviously, but it was also a different place than urban settings. Without dripping overzealous "southern charm" like so many other authors, Cobham offers a fictional story that reads like real life, while giving us a taste of what it was really like in the Southeast at the turn of the 20th century.
Hats off to a timeless portrayal of women, and a plot that keeps the reader interested all the way from the beautiful cover to the end of the story. An ending where all things come full circle....more
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