Do You like book The Rope Walk (2007)?
Carrie Brown is such a fabulous writer. Every sentence is so perfected. And the story as a whole is--as I try to think of what to say here, I am actually forming my hands into the shape of a snow globe--as if I were carefully holding a beautiful, fragile thing. That is what Carrie Brown's story is. 10-yr. old Alice's inner life is so real and recognizable. It is to Brown's credit that she can remember (for she must) and recapture that in a novel. Alice's summer friend, Theo, is a wonderful character too. I highly recommend this book to my women friends--don't know how a male would find it. It'd be interesting to find out. The book reminded me, all along, of To Kill a Mockingbird, both in the feel of the telling and similarities in the story: a widowed father, race prejudice, a small town, a sensitive tomboy with a forlorn boy as a bosom buddy....and then, to my surprise, Brown has Alice reading To Kill a Mockingbird in one of the last chapters! So, maybe the connection was in her mind too?The only thing I thought was weird was the way Alice spent her time: Even though it took place in the present, with references to terrorists, war in Iraq, etc., she spent her free time only in old fashioned ways, which seemed unrealistic. One time she is facing having to go to the university with her dad and laments that she will only be able to read or color there. Um...get on the computer? These sorts of misses sort of jolted me now and then.
—Suzy
This is the All Iowa Reads book for 2009. According to the website: "the purpose of All Iowa Reads is to encourage Iowans statewide to read and talk about a single title in the same year. Libraries and other local organizations are encouraged to sponsor discussions of the title." I'm not sure why this would be a good thing, but it is a good book--I actually would have given 4 1/2 stars if it were an option, but thought the scale tipped closer to five that down to four.I thought the book started rather slow and I couldn't help thinking that the author was pretty gutsy when she made the characters so reminiscent of the great "To Kill a Mockingbird". At one point it is even mentioned in passing that the main character, Alice, is rereading "To Kill a Mockingbird", so I don't think the similarities were at all accidental. The story begins at the end of May on Alice's 10th birthday. Her mother died when she was a baby and so she lives with her father. She has 5 college aged brothers who are all preparing to be gone for the summer. An unexpected friend comes into her life and the summer unfolds in a dramatic way. Fortunately after the slow start everything about the book gets better and better all the way to the end. There's a lot to think about here that would make for a good discussion--so you Iowans, go forth to read and discuss!
—Valerie
Hold you fingers up to your eyes as if they were a camera. Snap what you see. This is what Alice, the main character in this book, does many times. It provides a zoom-in on life that is delightful....and it is the way Carrie Brown writes. The characters and the plot are wonderful, but the descriptions truly made me a fan of this author. I can't wait to read her other books.Read this book again January 2011. Just love Brown's style. The story of the 10 year old girl and her friend is delightful and heartwrenching. The two delight in such simple things, but they learn to face the reality of the real world, too. If you haven't read this yet, you really should.
—Jane
