Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
First read in March of 2006.
on my shelf
LibraryThing link
First read in March of 2006.
on my shelf
LibraryThing link
Labels: ElizabethGeorgeSpeare, OnMyShelf
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
I had high hopes for this one. I had read other tales by Ms. Speare and had enjoyed them. My wife and eldest daughter had told me that this book was the best of them all. So I read it--hurriedly, since my youngest needed to start reading it herself for school--and it was a good book. It just wasn't great. The story is about a young lass named Kit, a native of Barbados in 1687. Her parents had died when she was young and she had been raised primarily by her grandfather. But now he, too, has died and she has to move to the wilds of Connecticut to live with her aunt, her closest relative. Well, Connecticut ain't no Barbados. In addition to the obvious differences in climate, Kit finds herself an alien among a group of some of the most superstitious, narrow-minded Puritans one has ever seen. Actually, that was part of what I felt made the book a lesser effort than, say, The Bronze Bow. The characters, for the most part, are flat. The bad Puritans are all stuck up and judgemental. You know that there's going to be a showdown between them and the independent minded Kit. The romances, also, can be seen a mile away. The whole ending is quite predictable. But even though I "knew" the ending, it was fun getting to that point. This book is certainly worth checking out.
LibraryThing link
I had high hopes for this one. I had read other tales by Ms. Speare and had enjoyed them. My wife and eldest daughter had told me that this book was the best of them all. So I read it--hurriedly, since my youngest needed to start reading it herself for school--and it was a good book. It just wasn't great. The story is about a young lass named Kit, a native of Barbados in 1687. Her parents had died when she was young and she had been raised primarily by her grandfather. But now he, too, has died and she has to move to the wilds of Connecticut to live with her aunt, her closest relative. Well, Connecticut ain't no Barbados. In addition to the obvious differences in climate, Kit finds herself an alien among a group of some of the most superstitious, narrow-minded Puritans one has ever seen. Actually, that was part of what I felt made the book a lesser effort than, say, The Bronze Bow. The characters, for the most part, are flat. The bad Puritans are all stuck up and judgemental. You know that there's going to be a showdown between them and the independent minded Kit. The romances, also, can be seen a mile away. The whole ending is quite predictable. But even though I "knew" the ending, it was fun getting to that point. This book is certainly worth checking out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut, ElizabethGeorgeSpeare
Friday, March 31, 2006
The Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
I didn't intend to devour this book, honest. But the more pages I read, the more I wanted to see what happened next. It's the tale of a young man named Daniel. He's a Jewish guy living in the region of Galilee during the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius. As the story starts, he's living in the hills with a band of robbers, having fled an unpleasant apprenticeship. Think "Robin Hood", and you'll get a picture of how the band likes to see themselves. Robbing from the rich and preparing for the day when they can throw off the rule of the accursed Romans. As the tale progresses, Daniel finds himself drawn back to the village and family that he thought he had left behind. These events and new friends challenge his views and push him in directions he doesn't want to go. It's a good tale which builds up a solid foundation of plot and characters, but then, towards the end, starts rushing along, practically wasting its potential. But I can forgive that because although the story comes to a screeching halt, it ends with a very satisfying conclusion. I'll have to make sure that this one stays on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
I didn't intend to devour this book, honest. But the more pages I read, the more I wanted to see what happened next. It's the tale of a young man named Daniel. He's a Jewish guy living in the region of Galilee during the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius. As the story starts, he's living in the hills with a band of robbers, having fled an unpleasant apprenticeship. Think "Robin Hood", and you'll get a picture of how the band likes to see themselves. Robbing from the rich and preparing for the day when they can throw off the rule of the accursed Romans. As the tale progresses, Daniel finds himself drawn back to the village and family that he thought he had left behind. These events and new friends challenge his views and push him in directions he doesn't want to go. It's a good tale which builds up a solid foundation of plot and characters, but then, towards the end, starts rushing along, practically wasting its potential. But I can forgive that because although the story comes to a screeching halt, it ends with a very satisfying conclusion. I'll have to make sure that this one stays on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
Labels: ElizabethGeorgeSpeare, OnMyShelf
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