Ellen is an old woman in a child's body; her frail, unhappy mother dies, her abusive father alternately neglects her and makes advances on her, and she is shuttled from one uncaring relative's home to another before she finally takes matters into her own hands and finds herself a place to belong. There is something almost Dickensian about Ellen's tribulations; like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or a host of other literary child heroes, Ellen is at the mercy of predatory adults, with only her own wit and courage--and the occasional kindness of others--to help her through. That she does, in fact, survive her childhood and even rise above it is the book's bittersweet victory.

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Gripping. The reader should clear his head in order to follow the plain, yet complex progress of a young girl whose goal is to achieve a simple, normal childhood. Kaye Gibbons is by far one of today's serious authors, and her talent is demonstrated by this compelling story.

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Well, I guess I am a dissenting voice because I did not like this book at all. I understand how important the message is, but the writing style and such just turned me off. I finished the book, but only because it was so short. Otherwise, I would have given up sooner. No more Kaye Gibbons for me.

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Couldn't put it down. Short book though, so a quick read. Makes you want to read all the authors other work.

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If ;you like Kaye Gibbons~~~~~backwoods Southern with homegrown characters with homegrown philosophies, you will love this book. I did. Oprah did. It is a very short, very satisfying read. About 4 stars on this one.

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This is one of my very favorite books and has been loaned to all my reader friends and suggested to many others.
Told from the viewpoint of the little girl who was abused and impoverished. It is a very short read but a book that will stay with you a long time.

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Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons pull you into the story with her opening sentence,

" When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy."

Ellen Foster is one of my favorite books, it is compelling, the voice of the narrator of a child who has suffered abuse, it is funny, and the language so simple and heartfelt that you can not help but to fall in love with the character and the story. It is a must read.

Rose Offner

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this is a great book written in the words of an 11 yo who is dealing with a dysfunctional family andother peoples opinions.

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