Book: Signed, Skye Harper by Carol Lynch WilliamsGenre: YA Contemporary
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Review, and Supporting Local Authors
From: Received for free from the publisher through Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
Short Synopsis: Winston's mom left her with her grandma when she was just four. This story gets started when she (the mom) writes home and begs them to come get her in Las Vegas. They don't have a car that works well, and so they sort of steal a motor home from their rich friends and go off on an road trip adventure to retrieve their mom/daughter. All sorts of craziness occurs and Winston does some major growing up.
My Response: What a sweet and "real" coming of age story. This girl has some issues and has lived quite the hard life. The stuff that happens in this story doesn't make things any easier either. But maybe a little. She comes to terms with some of the things she is dealing with. And there's a boy. And that helps a little too! What I mostly loved is the old fashioned southern feel it has. Loved that! (It takes place in the 70s so it's "sort of" old fashioned, right?)
Let's Talk About: What does "coming of age" really mean anyway? I'm thinking it means where a character learns something about him or herself or the world they live in that changes their view on life. It makes them think a bit more outside themselves and see things in a bigger way. It means they do some growing up and realize it's not all about just them, but other people too. It also sometimes means they have to face the hard reality of the real world. What do you think it means?
Bottom Line: I really enjoyed this one! A fast quick read both fun and thought provoking at the same time.
Other Reviews:
I can't find any other reviews at this point! If you've done one let me know!
I really need to get my priorities in order and read a little Carol Lynch Williams. This seems like a lovely book.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question about coming of age stories. We use that phrase all of the time, and I am fairly confident using it to describe particular books, but it is hard to define.
I think the change you describe is key. I also think that the character who is doing the coming of age has to be of a certain age - somewhere in the realm of YA to NA age. And that there has to be some time, in addition to the character growth, that passes.
Is this an older book? I love Carol Lynch Williams, but I've never heard of this one. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteSusan: This one came out this week. It's new!
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