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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “First of all, let me say I loved this book. I was called away from it after reading only a dozen pages, and Livy Two’s distinctive voice had already found its way into my mind. When I stepped outside, I saw the mountains that I, like Livy Two, call home, half-expecting to see one of the novel’s...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“YHBA nominee. I liked this book a lot. All the way up until the too abrupt ending. I loved the easy, conversational style of the narrator. I didn't want it to end. Questions complete.”
LauraA wrote this review Tuesday, January 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Filled with the rhythm's and music of Appalachia, this novel will soothe your soul and make you glad to be human. A beautifully told tale of a poor family struggling to get by on very little. There is a thing or two to learn from the spirit of these children.”
Julie P wrote this review Monday, June 30 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“First of all, let me say I loved this book. I was called away from it after reading only a dozen pages, and Livy Two’s distinctive voice had already found its way into my mind. When I stepped outside, I saw the mountains that I, like Livy Two, call home, half-expecting to see one of the novel’s colorful characters step out of the woods behind my house.
teenbookreview wrote this review Saturday, March 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I suppose that my experience reading this book is a little different from that of most readers, as I’ve lived most of my life in the same mountains as Livy Two. We’ve walked the same streets, breathed in the same mountain air. And Kerry Madden captured it perfectly.
Livy Two Weems is a twelve-year-old girl growing up dirt poor in a family with nine kids in the Western North Carolina mountains in the 1960s. Those mountains are her home, but she’s always wanted to see beyond them–that’s why she loves the lending library truck that comes to Maggie Valley so much. Livy Two knows the magic that books can have, taking us out of our everyday lives and off to far away places. Livy Two also has a passion for music, making up her songs about her life in the holler and strumming her guitar.
Money’s always been tight, but now life is getting even harder for the Weems family. Livy Two wants to help, but she’s not sure she knows how. Even when a terrible tragedy strikes her family, though, Livy Two has to try and stay strong, and keep singing her songs.
I loved this book. GENTLE’S HOLLER is a beautiful, hopeful, moving story that any reader will love. Starting with Livy Two, it’s full of strong, three-dimensional characters. Every one of them stands out in my mind–no easy task when just the family has twelve people (and one heroic daschund) in it. Grandma Horace with her collection of glass eyes, Louise with her paintings, Daddy with his roasted peanuts and dreams for writing a big banjo hit. Every one the characters is amazing. Livy Two’s voice is especially fresh and original and real.
Creating brilliant characters is not Kerry Madden’s only strength; the setting of the story is just as masterfully described as the characters. The mountains in the 1960s seemed just as real to me, as I read this, as those present-day hills outside my door.
Kerry Madden is an amazingly talented writer. I’m just glad there’s a sequel to GENTLE’S HOLLER!”
“i enjoyed this book alot its a happy yet sad adventure”
shoosh wrote this review Sunday, October 21 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A read to surely eliminate stereotypes about the people of the Appalachians. This is a story that draws you in, with the telling of a classic. You grow to love the protagonist and her family. I applaud Kerry Madden!”
MariaMaria wrote this review Friday, June 8 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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