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Hula
Hula
Author: Lisa Shea
For two young girls in the 1960s, the family backyard is both playground and prison. Among the bushes and brambles, it offers places to hide from the rages of their war-scarred father, places that also become secret gardens of the imagination. Told over the course of two hot Virginia summers, Hula presents a child's-eye view of a family drama pl...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780393321302
ISBN-10: 0393321304
Publication Date: 7/2001
Pages: 160
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 4

3.4 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Norton
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

L avatar reviewed Hula on
Helpful Score: 2
This was an odd book. The premise was excellent, but it falls short on so many fronts. The writing style is simplistic, but it's told from the vantage point of a ten year-old girl, so you would expect it to be a bit simple. Each chapter is a story in itself, of sorts, but all pertain to the girl and her sister, and how they cope with their lives. There are scenes of violence against animals which I found gratuitous and unnecessary - the point being made could have been made in another manner. The violence really detracted from what could have been an excellent book.
reviewed Hula on + 293 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I did enjoy this but it left me hanging. I wanted a real ending and it didn't have one. A story of two sisters, growing up with a father who is having mental issues due to war.
L avatar reviewed Hula on
Helpful Score: 1
This was an odd book. The premise was excellent, but it falls short on so many fronts. The writing style is simplistic, but it's told from the vantage point of a ten year-old girl, so you would expect it to be a bit simple. Each chapter is a story in itself, of sorts, but all pertain to the girl and her sister, and how they cope with their lives. There are scenes of violence against animals which I found gratuitous and unnecessary - the point being made could have been made in another manner. The violence really detracted from what could have been an excellent book.
Read All 7 Book Reviews of "Hula"

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L avatar reviewed Hula on
This was an odd book. The premise was excellent, but it falls short on so many fronts. The writing style is simplistic, but it's told from the vantage point of a ten year-old girl, so you would expect it to be a bit simple. Each chapter is a story in itself, of sorts, but all pertain to the girl and her sister, and how they cope with their lives. There are scenes of violence against animals which I found gratuitous and unnecessary - the point being made could have been made in another manner. The violence really detracted from what could have been an excellent book.
Sara618 avatar reviewed Hula on + 7 more book reviews
This book was just too disjointed for me. There just wasn't enough of a story for me to connect to it. The writing is beautiful, but I found it hard to read - it was much more like a series of short essays than a novel.
reviewed Hula on + 19 more book reviews
Much of this book revolves around how two pre-teen sisters are growing up and coping with a war haunted father and an emotionally unattached mother. The book is sometimes surreal, drawing the reader into the imagination of the sisters as they make the emotional and physical transition from children to teenagers. There are some scenes containing sexual or violent content.


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