Yesterday's YA Read
My 4th YA-Book-A-Day (started late last night and finished this morning): The Clearing by Heather Davis.
Selected because, once again, it was digitally available at the Hennepin County Library, and because of its premise. I love all things 40s. Anyone remember the TV show Homefront? LOVED it. Love books set in that time period. We even had a 1940s wedding.
What I loved about The Clearing: again, the premise. Amy leaves behind an abusive boyfriend to live with her great-aunt in the country. Through a mysterious fog in the clearing she finds Henry, a boy forever living the summer of 1944. The author alternates chapters from Amy (first person) to Henry (third person). It worked so well, especially having Henry in the third person, based on the ending (which I will not give away). The magical realism elements are well done and believable. Loved the descriptions of the farmhouse and family in 1944.
The beginning seemed a little slow to me, and maybe that's because I was tired when I started reading it, but today the pages flew by. I wasn't crazy about the fact that Amy cried so much, although it worked in conjunction with Henry's tenderness. And it's something I realized about my main character in CLOUD 9, Cat, when I did my read-thru on Monday. Cat doesn't cry as much in my latest version.
And then there is the last chapter. I do love the ending and how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. I was just a little disappointed in the way the information was presented -- a somewhat awkward dialogue that felt like a shortcut.
Loved the book and the characters overall. On to the next!
Selected because, once again, it was digitally available at the Hennepin County Library, and because of its premise. I love all things 40s. Anyone remember the TV show Homefront? LOVED it. Love books set in that time period. We even had a 1940s wedding.
What I loved about The Clearing: again, the premise. Amy leaves behind an abusive boyfriend to live with her great-aunt in the country. Through a mysterious fog in the clearing she finds Henry, a boy forever living the summer of 1944. The author alternates chapters from Amy (first person) to Henry (third person). It worked so well, especially having Henry in the third person, based on the ending (which I will not give away). The magical realism elements are well done and believable. Loved the descriptions of the farmhouse and family in 1944.
The beginning seemed a little slow to me, and maybe that's because I was tired when I started reading it, but today the pages flew by. I wasn't crazy about the fact that Amy cried so much, although it worked in conjunction with Henry's tenderness. And it's something I realized about my main character in CLOUD 9, Cat, when I did my read-thru on Monday. Cat doesn't cry as much in my latest version.
And then there is the last chapter. I do love the ending and how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. I was just a little disappointed in the way the information was presented -- a somewhat awkward dialogue that felt like a shortcut.
Loved the book and the characters overall. On to the next!
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