Helpful Score: 11
"This book is huge. I approached it with skepticism. Half way through the book, I wasn't wowed. Then while I was telling somebody else about it, it dawned on me how deep the characters and the story had grown. It's a coming of age story for a whole town and one young girl. Every character is so natural through the story that a rich diversity of music, politics, philosophy, and religion is subtly and radically revealed.
Mick Kelly's experiences at her "prom" and the swimming hole, her relationships with her siblings, and obsession with music provide a parallel for the life of each other person. A deaf-mute as a focus to share a secret with each character was inspired. We're all individuals in the same boat. The abrupt last sentence of Part 2 is brilliant.
It's a simple story to enjoy with plenty to discover and digest throughout."
Mick Kelly's experiences at her "prom" and the swimming hole, her relationships with her siblings, and obsession with music provide a parallel for the life of each other person. A deaf-mute as a focus to share a secret with each character was inspired. We're all individuals in the same boat. The abrupt last sentence of Part 2 is brilliant.
It's a simple story to enjoy with plenty to discover and digest throughout."
Helpful Score: 6
Set in the backdrop of the Great Depression this book lets the reader "feel" how it might have been to be poor and from the South. The novel is rich with characters that McCullers breathes life into--by the end of the book you KNOW Mick Kelly, Mr. Singer, Dr. Copeland, Portia and the others. You feel the pain that is felt over injustice, hunger, racism, and poverty. Highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 3
"....tells an unforgettable story of moral isolation in a small Georgia mill town in the 1930's. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant of various misfits yearning for escape from their lives."
Helpful Score: 3
This is a Southern Gothic classic, written when the author was only 23 years old. It is not a "fluffy" read, dealing with themes of poverty and loneliness, and treatment of some characters (such as the deaf and the mentally ill) would be questionable by modern standards, but the characters are well-drawn and make you think. Recommended.
Helpful Score: 3
A book about an interesing bunch of misfits in a small town. Each character is so very well discribed. The book shows the isolation and lonliness these characters go through as they bond with each other as best they can in their small southern town. A very good read.
