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Review Date: 1/21/2011
Helpful Score: 8
While I didn't expect the author to top her previous book, The Glass Castle, I was wrong. I LOVED this book! It's the true-life story of the author's grandmother, who grew up in the early 1900's. It coveys a strong sense of what life was like in rural America at that time, and I loved the main character's spirit and determination. The author has a wonderful writing style, including just the right amount of detail to convey a feeling of the time and place without weighing down the story.
Review Date: 1/21/2011
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this book was a bit slow to get started, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I think there were too many characters in the beginning, but once the story focused on the four main characters (okay, maybe there were five or six), it was a delightful journey back in time. The author was able to convey a lot of historical information about what was going on in America (and elsewhere) during that time frame, which really made the story come to life.
Review Date: 8/10/2011
Helpful Score: 1
Wow, I liked this book much more than I had expected. It was an historically accurate depiction of Frank Lloyd Wright's life during this period of time (about 1903-14). But the book was also a thought-provoking novel about a woman's role and the impact of her choices on others. I appreciated the fact that the author portrayed the main characters as flawed human beings. None of them was all good or all bad, but simply people who did their best with the choices they had at the time.
Review Date: 1/21/2011
I loved the voice of 10-year-old Sally O'Malley, a smart, imaginative, loyal little girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. The author managed to convey nostalgia for times gone by without painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the past or detracting from the intriguing plot line that involved some serious issues facing these two young girls. The ending was a little too "made for TV movie" for my taste, but overall it was a nice read.
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