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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
It took the first 1/3 for me to really get into this book but the last 2/3 made it so worth it, especially the last chunk of the book.
I worried that I wouldn’t be interested in this book about a 12 year old girl in the 30’s but the book is way less about Abilene than the blurb would suggest.
To me this book is about how everyone has a story and hardship is involved in everyone’s story. Connection and going outside of our group, working for a common good, are what hope and love are all about. A quote from the book that leads to interesting thoughts “who would dream that one can love without being crushed under the weight of it. What makes us think any of this could be true? We believe it and in the end we are crushed by it.”
Is everyone always crushed by letting themselves love others? The inevitability is death might suggest this to be true but you come out of this book with hope that even if you are crushed by your love for others that you won’t be buried, but that you will continue on.
I worried that I wouldn’t be interested in this book about a 12 year old girl in the 30’s but the book is way less about Abilene than the blurb would suggest.
To me this book is about how everyone has a story and hardship is involved in everyone’s story. Connection and going outside of our group, working for a common good, are what hope and love are all about. A quote from the book that leads to interesting thoughts “who would dream that one can love without being crushed under the weight of it. What makes us think any of this could be true? We believe it and in the end we are crushed by it.”
Is everyone always crushed by letting themselves love others? The inevitability is death might suggest this to be true but you come out of this book with hope that even if you are crushed by your love for others that you won’t be buried, but that you will continue on.
Sometimes you read a past Newbery winner and wonder, "what's so special about this?" Not the case at all with Moon Over Manifest. I'm so glad I finally read it. This amazing historical novel moves back in forth between 1918 and 1936, following the townspeople of the fictional Manifest, Kansas. Abilene Tucker is living there in the summer of 1936 after her father, a drifter, leaves her there with an old friend. Abilene feels abandoned and confused. Why would her father suddenly decide that a life on the road is not right for her? She passes the time with some new friends who are trying to solve the mystery behind a box of letters and momentoes that Abilene found under the floorboards in her room. Meanwhile, she has accidentally broken something that belongs to old Miss Sadie, the town's mysterious fortune-teller. In order to pay off the debt, she works in the garden, and while she works, Miss Sadie spins stories about Manifest in the crucial year of 1918.
World War I, an influenza epidemic, prohibition, immigration, orphan trains, the Depression, drought - all of these subjects are part of this story, woven in seamlessly and skillfully. There are moments of joy, humor, surprise and true heartbreak. I found myself near tears several times. Abilene finds that what makes up a town and it's people are their stories; the shared history, both good and bad, that has made them who they are.
The initial mystery that Abilene tries to solve - 'who is the Rattler?' is only the smallest piece of the puzzle. The answer to that question will truly surprise you, as it did me, and you will leave a little piece of yourself in Manifest. What a treasure of a book!
World War I, an influenza epidemic, prohibition, immigration, orphan trains, the Depression, drought - all of these subjects are part of this story, woven in seamlessly and skillfully. There are moments of joy, humor, surprise and true heartbreak. I found myself near tears several times. Abilene finds that what makes up a town and it's people are their stories; the shared history, both good and bad, that has made them who they are.
The initial mystery that Abilene tries to solve - 'who is the Rattler?' is only the smallest piece of the puzzle. The answer to that question will truly surprise you, as it did me, and you will leave a little piece of yourself in Manifest. What a treasure of a book!
This book caught me by surprise. Not because of some crazy twist in the story, but by how much I really enjoyed this book! It was such an amazing tale full of wonderful characters and timeless topics!It sucked me in and didn't want to let me go!
Find out why by reading my full review at my blog site at: https://www.storybookem.com/post/book-review-moon-over-manifest
Find out why by reading my full review at my blog site at: https://www.storybookem.com/post/book-review-moon-over-manifest
A young girl living in Depression-era Kansas solves a city mystery that turns out to shed light on her own life. This tale has a number of points of view, which can be challenging to follow, but the main character is so terribly appealing.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
The voice/style better suited the narrator's age than in Closed Doors. That said, Abilene is far from one of my favorite MC's. Though I loved Jinx, I thought it was pretty obvious who he was. The ending dragged but the reveals were pretty abrupt.
I enjoyed this coming of age book. Was it my favorite? No, but it held my interest enough that I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. The story was slow to build up and just a bit dull (for my taste) in places. But the lessons learned and the morals taught were well worth the wait. If you like meandering books and stories without a lot of action, this would be a great book to read!