Helpful Score: 29
This book brought a host of memories rushing back for me, and most of them were sweet and precious. This is a very vivid and powerful novel that reads like a memoir. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction, though the author did base many characters on people in her life (including her 10 year old self) as a child in 1959. Not only is this a wonderful book about two girls growing up in a less than secure and healthy time, but it is also a mystery that kept me guessing. I felt I knew the characters in this book as my own friends, and I was very disappointed to let them go at the end of the book. I was deeply touched by this book, and even though it has been nearly three days since I finished the book, I am loathe to start another because Sally and Troo are still living in my head and in my heart.
Author Lesley Kagen wrote this book at age 57, and though it is her first, I dearly hope it isn't her last book. Her website is http://www.lesleykagen.com
Author Lesley Kagen wrote this book at age 57, and though it is her first, I dearly hope it isn't her last book. Her website is http://www.lesleykagen.com
Helpful Score: 20
This book is written through the eyes of 10 year old Sally who details the summer of 1959: one that would be like no other. Her sister Troo reminds me of mine so much, and I think made it more endearing. It reads like a memoir and captured me from the first chapter. The author actually based some of the details loosely on her own life. It very much reminds me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, and it is not at all as dark as As The Crow Flies, by MacDonald, for those who have read those books. I do hope this author has more books planned. A great read & very highly recommended. 4.5/5
Helpful Score: 17
I loved this book. It took me back to the 50's. I was about the same age as the main character in the book st that time. I like the way she spoke as a 10 year old. It was very belivable. There was alot of suspense and a good ending too.
Helpful Score: 12
Whistling in the Dark was a wonderful story told by Sally O'Malley about her and her sister's adventures one summer in the 1950s. The story was very intriguing and unique. I could imagine everything as the author described it and found myself devouring the pages and seeing how the story would unfold. It was a great depiction of how life used to be, before we locked our doors. Highly recommended book, I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
Helpful Score: 12
A beautifully written and engrossing book! I absolutely loved it. The characters were real and you truly cared for the; the voice of the narrator (a 10 year old girl) was believable. I highly recommend this one!
Helpful Score: 11
Excellent book. I love how it is written from a child's perxpective and while you are reading it you are constantly wondering if her suspisions are founded.
First book out for this author and its a hit! Easy read,makes you laugh, cry and thought provoking from a child's view. I can't wait for her next book!
Helpful Score: 7
A very charming, beautiful story. Sometimes it can be haunting and sad, and then it will be warm, beautiful, and funny. The story is very well-written. I not only cared about the characters, but felt like I was with them. Highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 6
If you read one book this summer, this should be it. I loved the story, when I though I would cry, I found myself laughing, with subtle humor that is perfectly placed. The characters breathed all around me as I enjoyed this book. I hated to put it down once I picked it up and was sorry to see it end. I look forward to more from this author.
Helpful Score: 3
I love the "voice" of the main character, Sally, in this book. Her spunk and naivete make this book a delightful read. Sally's imagination takes the reader through a charmingly depicted tale set in 1959 from a ten year old's point of view. The mystery of two murdered children is part of this story as well as some family skeletons rattling in the closet. It's a quick read, but I highly recommend it.
Not bad. Kagen captures sibling relationships well, but the children in the novel also tend to come across more as caricatures than as real people. A quick read.
Helpful Score: 3
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE JUST ONE MORE PAGE THAN I'LL PUT IT DOWN,BUT YOU CAN'T BECAUSE YOU CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT WHATS GOING ON,TERRIFIC READ,ENJOY IT ALOT.
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book It was really great! I enjoyed reading about the 50's and how life was back then. The book is very well written and had me guessing till the end. I would recommend this for anyone who likes a good read! It just flows so naturally.
Helpful Score: 3
This book is written from the viewpoint of a 10 year old and is an amazing story of survival, hope, love and fear. It is set in the 1950's and brings the innocence of that era to life.
Helpful Score: 2
Ten-year-old narrator Sally O'Malley will enchant you with her account of the summer of 1959. Nostalgia might say this was a simpler time, but the issues facing the characters in this story are anything but simple. Unwed mothers, an affair, murder and molestation of young girls, the loss of a parent and guilt all combine in this coming of age-mystery tale. Sally's colorful description of her neighbors and her "understanding" of the adult conversations she overhears make for a fun and memorable read.
Helpful Score: 2
i loved this book because the neighborhood sounded just like our old neighborhood that I grew up in . I like the way Ms Kagen made you feel for the charecters and how you might have done it at that age and she made you care about these charecters . I found this a great read and did not want to put it down and wow what a surprise ending . I want to read more from this author .
Helpful Score: 2
This book brought a host of memories rushing back for me, and most of them were sweet and precious. This is a very vivid and powerful novel that reads like a memoir. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction, though the author did base many characters on people in her life (including her 10 year old self) as a child in 1959. Not only is this a wonderful book about two girls growing up in a less than secure and healthy time, but it is also a mystery that kept me guessing. I felt I knew the characters in this book as my own friends, and I was very disappointed to let them go at the end of the book. I was deeply touched by this book, and even though it has been nearly three days since I finished the book, I am loathe to start another because Sally and Troo are still living in my head and in my heart.
Author Lesley Kagen wrote this book at age 57, and though it is her first, I dearly hope it isn't her last book. Her website is http://www.lesleykagen.com
Author Lesley Kagen wrote this book at age 57, and though it is her first, I dearly hope it isn't her last book. Her website is http://www.lesleykagen.com
Helpful Score: 2
I am not normally a mystery fan, but this book is not only mystery but a heart rending story of two young girls left to fend for themselves, with a mother in the hospital and a step father drunk or out with the ladies. It's an easy read but the story as well as the language used kept my attention and touched both my heart and my funny bone. You won't be sorry you've read it.
Helpful Score: 2
Very touching book about the deep love between two sisters. I liked that the book was written with Sally (the young girl) point of view. It added an honest innocence to the story. My heart ached for Sally and Troo and I wanted to scoop them up and take them home with me!
Helpful Score: 2
There is a lot of family dysfunction in this book told through the eyes of an innocent child. I think many of us can relate.
Sally and Troo are characters that will stay with me for a long time.
Sally and Troo are characters that will stay with me for a long time.
Helpful Score: 2
Wonderful story - told from a child's point of view. The O'Malley sisters are quiet a pair. A completely different perspective of a time when society was painted as "picture-perfect" and families were portrayed as all American models! Although somewhat of a mystery, the story line is much more. Loved this book. Didn't want to put it down. Troo & Sally along with other neighborhood characters kept me wondering what next!!. Will definitely read more from this author.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a great book written in the mind of a child. There is a mystery to solve and Sally's imagination mixed with facts leads to a great who done it. This is a very well written fast read.
Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book! I could see the two girls and the small town of the fifties. The way Sally talked and what she believed brought back so many memories of my own childhood in the fifties. I smiled; I laughed; I just thorougly enjoyed this book. It's a keeper!
Helpful Score: 1
Good book! Loved the characters.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book, real page turner, I kept thinking "Okay, just one more chapter...." As told by a 10 year old girl the author speaks just like my children, long run-on thoughts, full random thoughts and unrelated information - it took me a chapter or two to get used to it but it was well done. As others here have said it is a quick read, and the characters will stay with you for awhile.
Helpful Score: 1
I read this in two days! Written from the young child's view,so real.
Helpful Score: 1
Didn't put this one down. Reminded me of growing up in the 50s could be hometown anywhere (mine was Houston TX westend). The mystery keep you hooked till the end.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book - with a few reservations-all of which I'm sure are my own pickiness:
I felt there was inconsistency of idiom,a greater need for suspension of disbelief than I like to find in a story of this nature- I found the younger sister particularly disjointed in the jumping around between adult behaviour & attitude far above that of a 9 yr. old (her amorality seemed particularly egregious and out of place to me-- again my personal pickiness). I also figured out the villans and relationships in the first third of the book and then had to wade along longer than my boredom level was happy with waiting for my conclusions to appear on the page-- which they finally did in the last few chapters.And admittedly that is a problem of mine which makes most mystery/who-done-it books nearly impossible for me to thoroughly enjoy these days--age & cynicism at work...
All that aside, however, this IS a good story and one which did a good job of stirring memories of my own childhood in the Midwest of the 1950's with nostalgic descriptions of music,clothing,furniture, the sounds of a summer night and its accompaniment of fireflies and fragrance. And the well-observed 10yr. olds experience of the physical and emotional sensations during a pivotal summer of her life. And for the most part the characters are engaging (& sometimes endearing)It's a good, quick read that can make you smile with recognition and satisfaction. Recommended.
I felt there was inconsistency of idiom,a greater need for suspension of disbelief than I like to find in a story of this nature- I found the younger sister particularly disjointed in the jumping around between adult behaviour & attitude far above that of a 9 yr. old (her amorality seemed particularly egregious and out of place to me-- again my personal pickiness). I also figured out the villans and relationships in the first third of the book and then had to wade along longer than my boredom level was happy with waiting for my conclusions to appear on the page-- which they finally did in the last few chapters.And admittedly that is a problem of mine which makes most mystery/who-done-it books nearly impossible for me to thoroughly enjoy these days--age & cynicism at work...
All that aside, however, this IS a good story and one which did a good job of stirring memories of my own childhood in the Midwest of the 1950's with nostalgic descriptions of music,clothing,furniture, the sounds of a summer night and its accompaniment of fireflies and fragrance. And the well-observed 10yr. olds experience of the physical and emotional sensations during a pivotal summer of her life. And for the most part the characters are engaging (& sometimes endearing)It's a good, quick read that can make you smile with recognition and satisfaction. Recommended.
Helpful Score: 1
Being a Milwaukee girl myself - although I am a bit younger than the girls in this book - I loved this story. I could relate to just the "feel" of their childhood - those days that seemed so much simpler than what kids go through now. Yet, the obstacles these characters had to overcome (losing a parent at a young age, being left alone with an uncaring, drunken stepfather and older sister who didn't pay any attention, a mother in the hospital for over a month dying and not beintg able to see or talk to her, etc) are some of life's hardest challenges. I loved the matter of fact tone of the narrator and chuckled at all of the funny phrases - many of which were familiar to me but you don't hear any more. This is a light, enjoyable read that I highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 1
Recently both my book clubs read Pulitzer-prize-winning fiction, generally given for fiction depicting American life. One member asked "where's the joy?" Both of those selections reminded me of a quote - either Emerson or Thoreau - about the "mass of men leading lives of quiet desperation."
In contrast, this book, set in 1959, eloquently depicts life as seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old child. With the death of her father in a car accident, the remarriage of her mother to a drunker lout, the hospitalization of her mother, and the murder of two children, you would think the story would be another grim tale guaranteed to depress the reader. Instead, the story abounds with colorful characters and a sense of hope. The children find joy in their neighbors, in summer celebrations, and each other. It's not a perfect novel, but it's a book that leaves the reader with the sense that life is indeed good and to be enjoyed. I'd recommend this book.
In contrast, this book, set in 1959, eloquently depicts life as seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old child. With the death of her father in a car accident, the remarriage of her mother to a drunker lout, the hospitalization of her mother, and the murder of two children, you would think the story would be another grim tale guaranteed to depress the reader. Instead, the story abounds with colorful characters and a sense of hope. The children find joy in their neighbors, in summer celebrations, and each other. It's not a perfect novel, but it's a book that leaves the reader with the sense that life is indeed good and to be enjoyed. I'd recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 1
Whistling in the Dark is a great title for a story about to preteen sisters who put on a strong front after their father is killed in a car crash, mother is hospitalized and their new stepfather goes on a drunken spree. The characters are great, you either love them or hate them. The story is told through the eyes of 10 year old Sal who is positive she is the next person to be murdered and molested by a serial killer who has already taken the lives of two young girls. This is a hard to put down mystery told with both hummer and fear.
Helpful Score: 1
Really enjoyed the story line and the simple characters. Also appreciated the suddal reflections of the times especially in how it related to the South. The prospective of this enchanting little girl and the inner thoughts keeps the reader going on even though they may feel as if they already solved the mystery. I would definetely recommend this book.
Fairly well written. Interesting characters. A good,creepy story.
I absolutely loved the characters. The two sisters who stick together through thick and thin made this book an enjoyable read!
One of the greatest books since The Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood!!!!
Totally loved this book! I was right back to my own growing up days in the fifties! It brought back so many good memories for me. This book is genuine and so funny and sad at times! I think it's one of the best that I have ever read!!!
For me the book started out slow. I was having trouble getting into it. Then about 1/3 of the way through it started picking up. By the 1/2 way point I couldn't wait to read as soon as I got home from work. I just couldn't fathom how the story was going to work out and who the murderer would be. I was living with the sorry plight of the O'Malley sisters. I must say that I was completely stumped at the end. I didn't see it coming. And that to me is the best kind of fiction. One that turns my assumptions on its head. While initially I thought I would repost this book when I finished it now I'm going to keep it. What a great read.
I really liked this book. I loved that it was from the girls perspective and the things that she thought about what was happening in her life. The time in which the story takes place is also well done in how they described the carefree days.
Such a great book! Had me reminiscing about my youth and all the things I did with the neighborhood kids during summer! Highly recommend.
Absolutely charming book set in the 1950's about two sisters. Their summer of 1959 includes a mother who is hospitalized, a stepfather abandoning them, and an older sister who is too busy with her boyfriend to take care of them. Oh and by the way a murderer and molester is on the loose. Kept my interest and brought back memories of summertime, games played til dusk, etc etc. Really enjoyed this book
Very interesting, quick read. Keeps you guessing till the end.
I rarely rate a book a "5". A "4" rating is when I really enjoy the book and can't wait to get back to it. A "5" is when I think I'll read the book again, and there are few of those. I enjoy a book written through the eyes of a child. This book was about two girls who were left to their own devices while their mother recuperated in the hospital after a serious illness. They may have acted beyond their years, but I think it may be typical of children who are forced to fend for themselves for a long period of time. A child murderer was on the loose and this gave the girls plenty to occupy their time. I will look for more by this author.
If you were a child from the 50s or 60s, this is a must read book. I love it from beginning to end. I hope everyone who reads it gets as much enjoyment from it as I did.
The Book is set in 1959. You have The O'Malley sister..Troo & Sally. Their sister Nell, their mom, and their bastard of a step father, Hall. Troo and Sally's mom has to enter the hospital to get a simple gall bladder operation and winds up spending most of the summer in the hospital due to all kinds of complications. Nell their older sister is supposed to be keeping an eye on the girls, but she is too preoccupied by her boyfriend to pay much attention to the girls. Hall, if he comes at all, is usually drunk and passed out. Otherwise he is normally shaked up with another woman across town. So pretty much Sally (10)& Troo (9) are on their own during a time when their seems to be a killer on the loose who likes to murder little girls. Sally is pretty much expecting that she or her sister will be next.
It's quite a predictable book (I had the killer figured out by the first 100 pages) , but all in all it's a rather cute story and a good read. The only complaint I had is that the story was being told through Sally, which is not the problem, but it did not seem to be told in a 10 year olds voice. She sounded a little bit older and so did her sister Troo. That is pretty much my only complaint.
It's quite a predictable book (I had the killer figured out by the first 100 pages) , but all in all it's a rather cute story and a good read. The only complaint I had is that the story was being told through Sally, which is not the problem, but it did not seem to be told in a 10 year olds voice. She sounded a little bit older and so did her sister Troo. That is pretty much my only complaint.
I realy enjoyed this book it was an easy read the way the author told it through the ten year olds point of view.It had many great twist and turns in the story line to keep you turning the pages for more!
Poor Sally. Her mother's in the hospital. Her father is dead. Her stepfather is horrendous. And to make matters worse, young girls are being killed in her small town. And she's convinced she's next! Humorous (Believe it or not) and well thought out.
Loved this book! Great characters...how can you not love a character named Sally O'Malley. An enjoyable story even thought there was a dark side.
I didn't make it to the 100th page of this one. Based on the reviews, I thought I would love it, but that was just not the case. Just didn't grab me, in fact it irritated me to no end that the 2 little girls were running around completely unsupervised and neglected.
Great read. Very much in the ilk of "To Kill a Mockingbird." An enjoyable read, told from the pov of a child, during a depressed time in America.
The child's voice is both wise and wonderful.
The child's voice is both wise and wonderful.
I loved this book. I really enjoyed that it was written from the perspective of a ten year old, it really added another layer to the story. The young narrator was a fresh perspective. A lot of tragedy in this story but it was told in an endearing and uplifting way that was just a joy to read.
Absolutely loved this book.It will keep you guessing till the end, which you hope you never get to. Once I picked it up unable to stop reading it.
This was the May 2012 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove.
From the way it began, I thought I'd like it more than I did. The characters and the setting of the midwestern America 1959 was charming and very well established; enjoyed all the pop culture references! And Sally O'Malley was very precocious and endearing, and I enjoyed the many LOL moments; but by the middle, the nostalgia felt over-indulgent, and got in the way of the plot's progression. The pacing was too slow and I was losing interesting. Not to mention it's highly unlikely the children would be allowed to continue roaming the streets when the neighborhood's little girls are being murdered and molested!
Sally's POV wore thin, with a rambling day-to-day trot of observations and interactions with neighbors and friends. Her younger sister Troo was just plain annoying most of the book.
A boat load of secrets are revealed toward the end, but the biggest of these - the murderer/molester reveal - turned out to be a bit underwhelming.
In the end, it was just OK. I add the plus for nostalgia's sake...C+
From the way it began, I thought I'd like it more than I did. The characters and the setting of the midwestern America 1959 was charming and very well established; enjoyed all the pop culture references! And Sally O'Malley was very precocious and endearing, and I enjoyed the many LOL moments; but by the middle, the nostalgia felt over-indulgent, and got in the way of the plot's progression. The pacing was too slow and I was losing interesting. Not to mention it's highly unlikely the children would be allowed to continue roaming the streets when the neighborhood's little girls are being murdered and molested!
Sally's POV wore thin, with a rambling day-to-day trot of observations and interactions with neighbors and friends. Her younger sister Troo was just plain annoying most of the book.
A boat load of secrets are revealed toward the end, but the biggest of these - the murderer/molester reveal - turned out to be a bit underwhelming.
In the end, it was just OK. I add the plus for nostalgia's sake...C+
This book was absolutely lovely and enjoyable to read. The plot is both beautiful and a bit sad at times but worth the read. Also, the ending surprised me and had me pondering about the plot after finishing that last page. (maybe even have you back tracking to get the whole perspective of the plot)
This story is a compelling story about two sisters in the 1960s. The author has developed the characters to touch your emotions through the adventures and life chances these sisters partake. The story is well written and very entertaining.
I loved the voice of 10-year-old Sally O'Malley, a smart, imaginative, loyal little girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. The author managed to convey nostalgia for times gone by without painting an unrealistically rosy picture of the past or detracting from the intriguing plot line that involved some serious issues facing these two young girls. The ending was a little too "made for TV movie" for my taste, but overall it was a nice read.
I read other reviews and thought this book would
be one I would enjoy but I was wrong.
If a book does not "trap my attention" in the
first 3 chapters I tend to put it down....
Which I did with this one. Too many other
great books out there that get my time.
be one I would enjoy but I was wrong.
If a book does not "trap my attention" in the
first 3 chapters I tend to put it down....
Which I did with this one. Too many other
great books out there that get my time.
I really enjoyed this one, you never know what Troo and her sister will be up to next. Can't help but feel sorry for them and the enviroment they are raised in even though they make the best of it. Definitely an enjoyable read.
Excellent story.
Absolutely wonderful story. Well written and gripping. I could not put it down!! Sad and funny. Wonderful!!
Whistling In the Dark takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1959, and is written from 10 year old Sally O'Malley's point of view. She has a little sister Troo, and a older sister Nell, her father was killed in a car accident, her mother then married Hall who is not much of a step father.
Her mother ends up spending most of the summer in the hospital due to complications of surgery. Nell is caught up with her boyfriend and Hall is busy with another woman or has drown himself in liquor or both. The two little girls are left on their own but it is back in the time when your neighbors knew everybody and everybody watched out for each other. Sally and Troo were fed and taken care of my the good folks of the neighborhood.
The area is living in fear of a child molester and murderer. Two little girls have gone missing and one was found dead in the park where Sally and Troo play everyday. Sally is sure she will be the next victim. She even believes she knows who the killer is and will do everything she can to keep her and her sister safe.
My Thoughts
There are so many reasons I loved this book. First Sally has a very active imagination just like I was told I had while growing up so it was so easy to relate to her. I wasn't born until 1961 but references in this book were true to what I remember or had been told as I grew up. The trips to the zoo brought back such memories. There must to be very few people from Southern Wisconsin that do not remember going to see the Gorilla named Sampson at the Milwaukee Public Zoo!
"The Ape That Made Milwaukee Famous"
Beyond the memories this story churned up, it is marvelously written. Funny, surprising, and full of charm yet tragic in places. Sally's innocence will have you laughing one minute and wiping a tear from your eye the next. All the characters were wonderfully created.
The story reminds us of simpler times, when kids played outside until the streetlights came on and the neighbors watched out and took care of your skinned knees or brought out a plate of cookies to share. I understand completely why it was a national bestseller. This book is definitely a must read, plus a sequel to the bookGood Graces that came out in September and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I am anxious to read everything by this author.
Received this book from PBS!
Her mother ends up spending most of the summer in the hospital due to complications of surgery. Nell is caught up with her boyfriend and Hall is busy with another woman or has drown himself in liquor or both. The two little girls are left on their own but it is back in the time when your neighbors knew everybody and everybody watched out for each other. Sally and Troo were fed and taken care of my the good folks of the neighborhood.
The area is living in fear of a child molester and murderer. Two little girls have gone missing and one was found dead in the park where Sally and Troo play everyday. Sally is sure she will be the next victim. She even believes she knows who the killer is and will do everything she can to keep her and her sister safe.
My Thoughts
There are so many reasons I loved this book. First Sally has a very active imagination just like I was told I had while growing up so it was so easy to relate to her. I wasn't born until 1961 but references in this book were true to what I remember or had been told as I grew up. The trips to the zoo brought back such memories. There must to be very few people from Southern Wisconsin that do not remember going to see the Gorilla named Sampson at the Milwaukee Public Zoo!
"The Ape That Made Milwaukee Famous"
Beyond the memories this story churned up, it is marvelously written. Funny, surprising, and full of charm yet tragic in places. Sally's innocence will have you laughing one minute and wiping a tear from your eye the next. All the characters were wonderfully created.
The story reminds us of simpler times, when kids played outside until the streetlights came on and the neighbors watched out and took care of your skinned knees or brought out a plate of cookies to share. I understand completely why it was a national bestseller. This book is definitely a must read, plus a sequel to the bookGood Graces that came out in September and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I am anxious to read everything by this author.
Received this book from PBS!
Great read from the point of view of a child. Kagen really puts you into the mind of a little girl who is confused, disillusioned, and grieved. Awesome ending!
Excellent book. I really enjoyed it. I was wrong about everyone I guessed to be the culprit and I'm usually pretty good at figuring it out.
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
It's 1959, and in ten short years Sally O'Malley has had a very busy life, both real and imagined. Two years ago her daddy died in a car accident and left Sally, her mother, her little sister, Troo, and her older half-sister, Nell. Shortly after her daddy died, Sally and family moved into the city of Milwaukee from their farm. It wasn't long before her mother met Hall and he became her third husband. Now her mother is sick and has to go to the hospital, and nobody knows how long she'll be gone. Nell is too busy with her boyfriend to pay much attention to her younger sisters. Hall is taking his solace in alcohol and other women. Which leaves Sally to take care of Troo. Since she promised Daddy she would look after her, that's exactly what she intends to do.
It's pretty hard to watch, take care of, and try to raise a little girl when you're still one yourself. Especially when you're on the loose for a whole summer and you don't know where your next bath, much less next meal, is going to come from. Add in the rumors of a serial killer who's after children... Between their real problems and Sally's overactive imagination, this summer will be anything but dull. Making it through the summer is only the beginning.
This a book with so many different levels. It's the story of a girl who is forced to take the first step away from childhood. It's the story of a damaged family. It's the story of women who don't know their own strength. It's a story of the underlying terror of a murderer, and at the same time a story of freedom. It's a story of a simpler time. Underneath all of that, it is the story of a city.
The characters in this novel are strong and well-written. The plot is interesting, and takes more than a few surprising twists and turns. The story is actually extremely plausible for the time frame, back when people didn't lock their doors and neighborhoods took care of their own.
The part that touched me the most though was the amazing ability with which Ms. Kagen has managed to evoke the feeling of the time and place. I grew up in Milwaukee (I swear I had no idea), granted it was a few decades later, but the feeling was almost exactly the same. I don't know how else to explain it, but reading this book felt like going home.
A multi-layered book that more than delivers on all levels. For me, it was worth it the first time, and will continue to be so again and again.
It's 1959, and in ten short years Sally O'Malley has had a very busy life, both real and imagined. Two years ago her daddy died in a car accident and left Sally, her mother, her little sister, Troo, and her older half-sister, Nell. Shortly after her daddy died, Sally and family moved into the city of Milwaukee from their farm. It wasn't long before her mother met Hall and he became her third husband. Now her mother is sick and has to go to the hospital, and nobody knows how long she'll be gone. Nell is too busy with her boyfriend to pay much attention to her younger sisters. Hall is taking his solace in alcohol and other women. Which leaves Sally to take care of Troo. Since she promised Daddy she would look after her, that's exactly what she intends to do.
It's pretty hard to watch, take care of, and try to raise a little girl when you're still one yourself. Especially when you're on the loose for a whole summer and you don't know where your next bath, much less next meal, is going to come from. Add in the rumors of a serial killer who's after children... Between their real problems and Sally's overactive imagination, this summer will be anything but dull. Making it through the summer is only the beginning.
This a book with so many different levels. It's the story of a girl who is forced to take the first step away from childhood. It's the story of a damaged family. It's the story of women who don't know their own strength. It's a story of the underlying terror of a murderer, and at the same time a story of freedom. It's a story of a simpler time. Underneath all of that, it is the story of a city.
The characters in this novel are strong and well-written. The plot is interesting, and takes more than a few surprising twists and turns. The story is actually extremely plausible for the time frame, back when people didn't lock their doors and neighborhoods took care of their own.
The part that touched me the most though was the amazing ability with which Ms. Kagen has managed to evoke the feeling of the time and place. I grew up in Milwaukee (I swear I had no idea), granted it was a few decades later, but the feeling was almost exactly the same. I don't know how else to explain it, but reading this book felt like going home.
A multi-layered book that more than delivers on all levels. For me, it was worth it the first time, and will continue to be so again and again.
