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shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
Crow has lived all of her twelve years on a tiny island in Massachusetts with Osh - the man who found infant Crow floating in a basket. With the help of Miss Maggie on the neighboring island, Crow has had a wonderful childhood. The only thing she can't quite explain is why folks on the bigger island generally avoid her. Curious Crow spots a fire on an even more remote, uninhabited, island one evening and she begins to question her origins. Her story will capture kids looking for adventure and mystery while teaching a bit about leprosy and what it means to be family. The ending is quite satisfactory - Crow gets many of her questions answered but also has to learn to live with the idea that not all situations have neat resolutions. Wonderful story with great pacing - loved it. I read the ARC - due to be published in May 2017.
anajuana2's review against another edition
4.0
I read this to see if it was something my 13 year old daughter might enjoy, and I will totally be passing it along to her. I would be hesitant, or want to make sure I read it with a kid who is adopted or doesn’t know a lot about their biological parents as it seems like it could be really triggering since a lot of the plot surrounded Crows longing to know more about her beginnings.
thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
4.0
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk
Crow arrived on the shore in a wee skiff and was adopted by a perpetually mysterious man she calls Osh.
What follows is a child’s journey to find her roots with a good dash of adventure on the way. The dialogue is endearing. The characters are lovable. This wee tale was worth the adventure - the importance of knowing where you come from entangled with acceptance for who you have turned out to be, often thanks to the people around you.
It has an underlying historical fiction theme which added to the beauty and tragedy of this short novel - one of those books that makes me want to explore our world so much more (when this pandemic gets out of here).
The book left me with a few questions however which is why I took away a star in my rating. Don’t want to post spoilers though
Crow arrived on the shore in a wee skiff and was adopted by a perpetually mysterious man she calls Osh.
What follows is a child’s journey to find her roots with a good dash of adventure on the way. The dialogue is endearing. The characters are lovable. This wee tale was worth the adventure - the importance of knowing where you come from entangled with acceptance for who you have turned out to be, often thanks to the people around you.
It has an underlying historical fiction theme which added to the beauty and tragedy of this short novel - one of those books that makes me want to explore our world so much more (when this pandemic gets out of here).
The book left me with a few questions however which is why I took away a star in my rating. Don’t want to post spoilers though
zerohero's review against another edition
5.0
You want a book that’s about a nice life on a small island…
WELL TO FUCKING BAD THIS BOOK ISN’T FOR YOU!!!! I thought it would be a cutesy book about a girl on a island but noooooooo. MYSTERY! A LOT OF MYSTERY!!!! The ending was so fucking good and sweet but it made me cry and want to throw my book across the room! (I didn’t I don’t abuse books)
I love this and don’t want to spoil it for anyone but it’s so sweet I want to cry and break shit with how sweet it is!!!!!
WELL TO FUCKING BAD THIS BOOK ISN’T FOR YOU!!!! I thought it would be a cutesy book about a girl on a island but noooooooo. MYSTERY! A LOT OF MYSTERY!!!! The ending was so fucking good and sweet but it made me cry and want to throw my book across the room! (I didn’t I don’t abuse books)
I love this and don’t want to spoil it for anyone but it’s so sweet I want to cry and break shit with how sweet it is!!!!!
jaij7's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful book about who you are and who you want to be. I feel like I am great friends with Osh, Miss Maggie and Crow. Lauren Wolk described the islands and their home so well that I feel like I have been on vacation. I'm sad that I've turned the last page but it was worth it.
johnnymacaroni's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this. I love the characters and their relationships ... they just feel right and real. And the imagery is amazing...I felt like I was there with sand in my toes and salt air on my face. And the story itself is completely engaging ... a mystery with some danger but lots of heartfelt moments that just made me feel all the feels!
jamielouh's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like I would have enjoyed this book if I had read it as a preteen (same “mystery” vibes as True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which I read in 7th grade and loved). The characters didn’t seem very developed, but I reminded myself it was a middle grade book. I loved how it took place on the Elizabeths. After living in New England and visiting Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, I have loved reading any books that take place there. It is such a pretty place and somewhere I would like to visit again.
This is the second book I’ve read that has mentioned the Carville, Louisiana leper colony, which is crazy to me. (Technically this book mentioned it in the acknowledgements but still. The other book was The Secret Life of Mirielle West.)
This is the second book I’ve read that has mentioned the Carville, Louisiana leper colony, which is crazy to me. (Technically this book mentioned it in the acknowledgements but still. The other book was The Secret Life of Mirielle West.)
tessakris's review against another edition
4.0
I was worried that I wasn’t going to like this one very much, but it was good! The story pulled me in & I even gasped while reading once or twice. Crow was endearing & I wanted to learn alongside her.
Jena's recommendation
Jena's recommendation
flowerwineandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I actually read this as an audio book, which is probably what helped me finish it. I found it a slightly better story than Wolk's "Wolf Hollow," though I still wouldn't really classify it as historical fiction.
The characters were all very likeable. The setting was beautifully described, but in a way that I would rather listen to than read myself. I enjoyed the suspenseful scenes in this novel better than her previous book, but they did all seem to blend together. The story is peppered with scenes that carry just as much weight and suspense as the scenes before and after, and I feel as though it makes the final chase a little less exciting. It felt like everything was happening all over again constantly.
I have to say, I didn't really like the part with the sailor Crow thought was her brother Jason, and I can't really explain why. It's not that I wanted a "happy ending" and for her to find her brother right there with the shipwreck. Maybe the whole long lost brother story arc was just too much added on? The whole time Osh is telling her that she "knows" things inside her. So why would the writer choose to have her be so cruelly wrong about this sailor? Although, I appreciate how her brother's story influences her to donate some of her treasure to various orphanages.
I did very much like Crow's adopted father, the character Osh! I felt for him every time he and Crow would argue about what she wanted to find; her REAL family. I could tell his love for her was so pure, especially in the context of all that he had lost that we don't know about.
My other favorite character was the island of Penikese. An island, so hated for the sick people (lepers) it had sheltered. And island full of so much mystery that it never boasted about. An island with a memory, and clues to Crow's past. The island she came from and that watched her wash ashore somewhere else while it remained ostracized. A place people hated and chose to ignore because of what they had known to have inhabited it, yet only chose to acknowledge it when they had something to gain. Even Crow.
Human beings are so cruel when they are fearful, to just sanction off groups of people they don't want to understand. It has happened all over history, and is still happening right now. Penikese must have so much empathy for the pain it witnessed, and I'm very glad it called Crow toward it.
The characters were all very likeable. The setting was beautifully described, but in a way that I would rather listen to than read myself. I enjoyed the suspenseful scenes in this novel better than her previous book, but they did all seem to blend together. The story is peppered with scenes that carry just as much weight and suspense as the scenes before and after, and I feel as though it makes the final chase a little less exciting. It felt like everything was happening all over again constantly.
I have to say, I didn't really like the part with the sailor Crow thought was her brother Jason, and I can't really explain why. It's not that I wanted a "happy ending" and for her to find her brother right there with the shipwreck. Maybe the whole long lost brother story arc was just too much added on? The whole time Osh is telling her that she "knows" things inside her. So why would the writer choose to have her be so cruelly wrong about this sailor? Although, I appreciate how her brother's story influences her to donate some of her treasure to various orphanages.
I did very much like Crow's adopted father, the character Osh! I felt for him every time he and Crow would argue about what she wanted to find; her REAL family. I could tell his love for her was so pure, especially in the context of all that he had lost that we don't know about.
My other favorite character was the island of Penikese. An island, so hated for the sick people (lepers) it had sheltered. And island full of so much mystery that it never boasted about. An island with a memory, and clues to Crow's past. The island she came from and that watched her wash ashore somewhere else while it remained ostracized. A place people hated and chose to ignore because of what they had known to have inhabited it, yet only chose to acknowledge it when they had something to gain. Even Crow.
Human beings are so cruel when they are fearful, to just sanction off groups of people they don't want to understand. It has happened all over history, and is still happening right now. Penikese must have so much empathy for the pain it witnessed, and I'm very glad it called Crow toward it.
shaundell's review against another edition
3.0
I selected this book for our annual Battle of the Books because I adore the author, Lauren Wolk, and this book was highly recommended by Gene, the Provo City Librarian. Crow is a baby washed up on an island Massachusetts shore; nobody knows exactly where she came from. She eventually pieces together her past with a feather, cinnamon box, jewelry, lamb, the bird man, and letters. A sweet story that teaches the importance of believing in yourself and those whom you love.