A bleak book with a sympathetic protagonist.
A debut novel about the trials and tribulations of a gifted, sensitive boy growing up in the bleak, unforgiving environment of the Virginia Mountains.
Samuel, or “Sammy,” is a very kind, sensitive boy growing up near Oreville, Virginia, in the middle of the 20th century. His family is poor, and a slew of troubled characters affect his life, including his cruel, hateful grandfather Luke and his alcoholic, racist uncle Earl. Despite the family’s difficult circumstances, Sammy is a sympathetic, understanding child who’s better able to recognize peoples’ feelings and desires than most adults in his world. Holmes’ novel chronicles the story of Sammy growing up and explores his quest to win affection and attention from people who are supposed to love him—particularly his dad, Red, who’s especially put off by the odd, artistic little boy. It also relates the story of the boy’s eventual bonding with his maternal and paternal grandmothers, who recognize that there’s “something more than special about him, way, way more than special” and help him see that he has his own worth, as well as a future. By the end of the book, Sammy is finally able to physically escape Virginia and attend art school in New York City, but the author leaves readers questioning whether he can ever really transcend the terrible, haunting trauma of his past. Ultimately, Holmes creates a very likable character in Sammy, who’s tender and compassionate to everyone in the world around him. He also crafts vivid, lifelike villains who are easy to hate but also recognizable as humans with flaws. However, despite the plethora of well-developed characters, the book suffers from being overwhelmingly depressing. In the end, the story simply feels like a catalog of terrible things that happen to a kind, young man throughout his life, rather than one with logical twists and turns, which makes for a disheartening read.
A bleak book with a sympathetic protagonist.Pub Date: May 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4809-1872-6
Page Count: 292
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Paulsen recalls personal experiences that he incorporated into Hatchet (1987) and its three sequels, from savage attacks by moose and mosquitoes to watching helplessly as a heart-attack victim dies. As usual, his real adventures are every bit as vivid and hair-raising as those in his fiction, and he relates them with relish—discoursing on “The Fine Art of Wilderness Nutrition,” for instance: “Something that you would never consider eating, something completely repulsive and ugly and disgusting, something so gross it would make you vomit just looking at it, becomes absolutely delicious if you’re starving.” Specific examples follow, to prove that he knows whereof he writes. The author adds incidents from his Iditarod races, describes how he made, then learned to hunt with, bow and arrow, then closes with methods of cooking outdoors sans pots or pans. It’s a patchwork, but an entertaining one, and as likely to win him new fans as to answer questions from his old ones. (Autobiography. 10-13)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-32650-5
Page Count: 150
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
A familiar but heartfelt romance for easygoing readers.
In O’Gorman’s YA debut, two best friends try to fool people into thinking that they’re in love—and then discover a new facet of their relationship.
Sally Spitz is a frizzy-haired 17-year-old girl with a charming zeal for three things: Harry Potter (she’s a Gryffindor), Star Wars, and getting into Duke University. During her senior year of high school, she goes on a slew of miserable dates, set up by her mother and her own second-best–friend–turned-matchmaker, Lillian Hooker. Sally refuses to admit to anyone that she’s actually head over Converses in love with her longtime best friend, a boy named Baldwin Eugene Charles Kent, aka “Becks.” After a particularly awkward date, Sally devises a plan to end Lillian’s matchmaking attempts; specifically, she plans to hire someone to act as her fake boyfriend, or “F.B.F.” But before Sally can put her plan into action, a rumor circulates that Sally and Becks are already dating. Becks agrees to act as Sally’s F.B.F. in exchange for a box of Goobers and Sally’s doing his calculus homework for a month. Later, as they hold hands in the hall and “practice” make-out sessions in Becks’ bedroom, their friendship heads into unfamiliar territory. Over the course of this novel, O’Gorman presents an inviting and enjoyable account of lifelong friendship transforming into young love. Though the author’s reliance on familiar tropes may be comforting to a casual reader, it may frustrate those who may be looking for a more substantial and less predictable plot. A number of ancillary characters lack very much complexity, and the story, overall, would have benefited from an added twist or two. Even so, however, this remains a largely engaging and often endearing debut.
A familiar but heartfelt romance for easygoing readers.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-759-7
Page Count: 340
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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