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The Center Of Everything (2004)

The Center of Everything (2004)

Book Info

Rating
3.66 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0786888458 (ISBN13: 9780786888450)
Language
English
Publisher
hachette books

About book The Center Of Everything (2004)

The Center of Everything, by Laura Moriarty, is one of those rare books that readers devour, then are sorry when the last word appears. Moriarty, transplanted to Kansas as an adult after a lifetime of living in various places in the United States, illuminates the Kansas character and the Kansas landscape in a way few people have done before. She does so with loving, witty language, telling the story through the voice of a young, wise, yet naïve narrator. Evelyn, whose story this is, sees all and questions all, but often doesn’t quite understand what it “all” means. As the story progresses, however, her understanding matures and her world widens beyond the small Kansas town that is her home.As with all the characters, Evelyn’s mother, the beautiful, but beleaguered and poverty-stricken Tina, is developed as a person full of contradictions and surprises. Among the minor characters, Moriarty includes teachers as sometimes flawed but good people who do what good teachers do—help students realize their highest potential. Those of us who grew up in Kansas will see the landscape with new, more appreciative eyes. I have long loved driving through the rolling Flint Hills between Wichita and the Lawrence-Kansas City area. The hills change with the seasons, each season having its own unique beauty. Moriarty recreates these scenes in the book, scenes that may be surprising to those who think of Kansas as flat and boring. One person compared Evelyn to Huck Finn and the comparison is apt. Evelyn doesn’t take a raft downriver, but nevertheless, her life is an expedition of discovery as she grows from a grade school kid to a young woman on her way to college. Those of us who have lived through the recent history of this state will appreciate the wry humor inherent in the scenes depicting the debates over evolution, politics, and religion. Yet, Moriarty never violates the dignity of the characters involved in these debates.The only way to do justice to this book is to read it then share it.

I picked this up back in high school, one of many I mass-ordered by signing up for the various book-of-the-month by mail clubs. I used to do all of 'em. '10 books for $1! Just pay shipping.' You know the ones. The little blurb in the catalog sounded interesting, so I got it... and then never read it for 10+ years. Finally, it was picked for me for the 2nd Quarterly Pick-It-For-Me deal in Bookworm Buddies. I was late getting to it, like every other dadgum book I've read this year, but it's done now, so yay! Another one down, too many more to count left to go xDThis book, the author's way of writing, was very readable, interesting. Drew me right in and before I knew it I was one-third through already. Time flew while I was reading it, and that was good. I liked the narrative voice, and the way the story just flowed along. I was curious to see where the characters were heading, and interested in where they were at in their present. It ended up being a different sort of story than I think I was expecting, like, sometimes didn't go the way I thought it was going to go, things like that, but it was not bad. The writing I liked.The characters though, some I liked, some not so much at times. The narrator, Evelyn, who starts off as a 4th grader in the beginning, was likable here. I liked her mom, Tina, as well. She was quirky, and definitely had her own way of doing things, but hey, who doesn't? Being a single mother was tough on her, but she was making it work as best as she could, and I liked her. And if I may say, and maybe I shouldn't, but I'm gonna. I liked Mr. Mitchell too, at first, least until he (view spoiler)[ran away with his wife, tail between his legs to greener pastures and left Tina to deal with the consequences of their affair... like no job, no car, no money, and a bun in the oven that turned out more complicated than anyone could ever have expected. (hide spoiler)]

Do You like book The Center Of Everything (2004)?

Everyone is saying this has the distinct voice of To Kill a Mockingbird and it really is very similar. The story is not really like Mockingbird but the narrative perspective is told in the same way by Evelyn Bucknow. The book covers eight years of Evelyn's adolescence--from 10 years onto her graduation from high school. Her mother is constantly trying to make ends meet financially, and she loves Evelyn deeply. There is a great schism in the family because Tina, Evelyn's mother, had her out of wedlock. Tina's parents are extreme fundamentalists that will not let her forget her past. When Tina becomes pregnant again with a married man's baby, the problems start all over again, and Evelyn's grandmother, Eileen, is the only family that will talk to them.Evelyn's brother, Samuel, is born prematurely and it is soon obvious that he is mentally handicapped. Tina's role in the book changes to constant caretaker of Samuel, and Evelyn moves into her teenage years nearly alone. Her grandmother begins taking her to church, and Evelyn finds some answers there... yet she struggles with questions when one of her favorite teachers in school, Ms. Jenkins, becomes the target of a smear campaign by the fundamentalists for teaching evolution to the children. Evelyn's struggle to decide whether to side with her grandmother and the "nice people at the church" or her teacher shows exactly how Evelyn is certainly in the center of everything.The Center of Everything brings together many situations that Evelyn must confront--and she is a strong girl who has a very wise voice for someone so young.
—Lauren

I was told to read this by a BFF and she was so right! You will love this coming-of-age book told through the eyes of Evelyn, growing up in smalltown Kansas with her single Mom, Tina. Evelyn is bright, real, and the way she interacts with the variety of people who touch her life make this novel one you will have a hard time putting down. I love how interested she is in school- the way she describes her classes, teachers, and the learning material was a refresher course for me. I relearned and remembered so much subject matter because of the fascination Evelyn has with the world around her. She is a girl who will not fall into the trappings of being poor, the temptation and ease to skip school, teen pregnancy, etc.....I found myself cheering for this girl, even when she makes some not-so-smart decisions. But she learns from them.I also loved the writing of Laura Moriarty; for example, "...the ball of muscle in his arm sliding down like the bulge of a mouse inside a boa constrictor." If this is not a thoughtful, creative, vivid, descriptive sentence I will eat my very large sunhat.This was the first book I have read by Laura Moriarty and it will not be the last.
—Jennifer

Have you ever read a book wherein words simply cannot suffice to describe your thoughts and feelings? This is one of those books.It is incredible, absorbing, emotionally ladened, spot on with perception, strong in character development, terrifically written, endearing, warm, sad, yet joyous and, at times, humorous.This is the debut of Laura Moriarty and I'll be sure to read her next books.Ten year old Evelyn Bucknow lives smack dab in the center of the United States in Kerrville, Kansas. Analogous to a tornado destructively spinning n the heartland of the Midwest, as she tells her story, immediately the reader is sucked into her tumultuous life.As events beyond her control seem to rapidly spin, kicking up unwanted debris and tragically whizzing on by, while at times smacking her face down in the ground, Evelyn's clear perception of her life is so wonderfully told that I wanted to read the book from cover - cover in one sitting.Packed with many themes, the author poignantly tells the story of a young girl wise beyond her age, forced to live with a mother whose selfish and unintelligent decisions spill into the lives of others, causing Evelyn to be the adult and parent.As Evelyn grows, she has clothes and shoes that don't fit and a mother who doesn't notice or care. Living in low income housing, Evelyn is consistently bullied by those richer than she. With little support, this feisty, spunky girl learns who to trust and how to fend for herself.When her mother's relationship with a married man results in a child who is challenged; when her mother's stubbornness results in the inability to hold a job, when the only person Evelyn trusts is stolen away by another friend, Evelyn finds inner strength and fortitude to push forward.Intelligent and bright, Evelyn has keen observations and insights about people, about life, about right wing religion that judges instead of helps and about what society can do to those whom them deem less fortunate.I loved this book! Highly recommended.
—Linda Lipko

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