This Bird Flew Away by Lynda M. MartinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Lynda Martin displays such a great writing style in this amazing tale of heartbreak and hardship... At the beginning of the story, I had one minor issue but it quickly resolved itself. The problem was that Bria was only 9 yet thinking, in her mind, like an Oxford grad with such words that most people don't use on an average day let alone think. The girl didn't learn the style from Nancy Drew (which was what she mainly seemed to read). As I have said, this resolved itself after the first few chapters and the flow of the book took off to a very real tune.
This book contains a tale that could so easily be a true story. It's sad to think that this ficticious book could so easily have actujally happened. The way that it's told, following Bria through some of the most horrendous situations, tears at the heart of the reader. It also shows that success is possible, no matter what you have been through. Be strong and a person can move past anything...
Martin really knows her stuff and knows how to draw the reader in. I really enjoyed reading my way through Bria's life.
I'm trying to post a comment for the fourth -- or is it fifth time? My google id seems to give your system indigestion or something. Keep your fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Courtney, for this kind review, though no one ever accused me of having an Oxford grad vocabulary before. I'm thrilled -- I think.
Allow me to expand. This account is written in the past tense, which means it is a retrospective telling of the story with two woman narrators taking turns. This was the way I chose to deal with the disparity of Bria's inner dialogue and the mature reader's interest. Her spoken accounts remain true to age, but her interior is that of one looking back.
But still, in defense of "almost-ten" year old girls, in grade 5 (age 10 for me) I was reading James Michener, Pearl S Buck, Jane Austen, purloined copies of my dad's spy novels and my mother's romances, along with a heavy dollop of Nancy Drew. I don't think the vocabulary used would have been beyond my grasp. And Bria does talk of reading her auntie's books.
But the real challenge was to write from inside the character and still make it of interest to the adult reader. Interestingly, this book was reviewed by a Y/A reviewer, only fourteen-years-old, and she didn't notice any disparity.
So glad you enjoyed the read. Thank you so much, Lynda