Reviews

آن سوی آبی بی کران by لارن ولک, شبنم حاتمی, Lauren Wolk

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wlingle78's review against another edition

5.0

Lauren Wolk has an amazing talent in that she can transport you into her books more so than many authors I read growing up in my middle school years and even nowadays. As I was reading Beyond the Bright Sea I felt like I was walking amongst the islands that make up the Elizabeths. In both of her novels she has taken a time period in the past and made me want to be a part of that time.

In this story we meet Crow, Osh, and Miss Maggie who drive the plot along effortlessly. We are taken on Crow's journey of self-discovery as she searches for her own place in the world around her. Without giving too much away, I feel like the answers and the adventures that Crow seeks and gets entangled in are necessary for her to become who she is at the end of the book.

I particularly love a story that can keep me on my toes and fools me when I feel like I know where the next turns are going to be, but Lauren Wolk got me a handful of times during this read!

I would highly recommend this story and also Wolf Hollow for the mere ability to get to know the characters that live within the covers! Definitely should be in the running for Newbery next month!

nssutton's review against another edition

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5.0

A good, slow read. Excellent company for couch naps during a spring break spent sick. Beautiful writing, characters that will stay in your heart a long time. I read it specifically to recalibrate who I was recommending it to at school, but it turned out to be one of my favorite books read this year.

bgprincipessa's review against another edition

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3.0

Much like Wolk's first book [b:Wolf Hollow|26026063|Wolf Hollow|Lauren Wolk|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485977210s/26026063.jpg|43346512], I don't know who this book is for. It markets like a children's book, and yet it has such advanced themes and ideas. It can be really intense, and I would have to hesitate before putting it in a reader's hands without making sure they have an adult to discuss it with. But also it's a good read? I'm truly a little lost about it.

librariandest's review against another edition

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5.0

Another winner from Lauren Wolk.

I definitely see how the main characters in Wolf Hollow correlate to the main characters in this. You have the bully, the hermit, the wise woman, and the precocious young heroine. But I don't think this is a repeat of Wolf Hollow at all. The setting, the plot, and the themes are substantially different. Sure, Wolk seems to be very interested in writing about men who have given up on society, especially the connection these isolated (by choice) men might find with a child who can draw them back in a bit. And, sure, both stories have a ruthless villain driving the plot. But I think the similarities end there.

This book surprised me in a lot of ways. I thought Crow was a boy until page 25 or so. I thought certain details about the characters would be revealed, but they never were, and I realized I didn't really need to know (e.g. Osh's and Crow's parents' origins). I thought the plot would hinge on finding treasure, but it really hinges on what happens after the treasure. It's not really about finding the treasure or discovering certain facts about the characters. It's about the impact these things have on a person.

Spoiler

I was struck by how, at the end of the book, Crow and Osh and their life seem pretty unchanged. But, of course, they have both changed in important ways. Finding out about her biological parents has changed the way Crow sees Osh. That last line of the book killed me. "Osh means father." My heart swelled!

I was so into this book that I actually bought a copy when I couldn't finish my library copy in time (it was a library ebook, so it cruelly disappeared from my reader when the due date came). I work in a public library every day, so I don't spend a lot of money on books. But this was worth it.

cjmedinger's review against another edition

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5.0

An excellently told story - the setting is gorgeous, the story is fascinating, the characters are good and kind. I truly enjoyed the book all the way through

amberl3af's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Summary: Bland plot, lots of loose ends, dislikable and spoilt characters, disappointing ending

Tbh this is the worst book I’ve read. The first line, “When I was a baby, someone tied me to a boat and pushed me out to sea” is extremely optimistic but the rest of the book was extremely disappointing.

The characters were extremely one-dimensional and uninteresting to read about. They all had extremely similar, uninteresting dialogue and felt very flat and emotionless.
The main character, Crow, is extremely unlikable to the point where it’s unreadable. The problem with this is that she gets no character development. She is extremely rude and disrespectful, stealing her guardian’s (Osh’s) money because she thinks that he will be okay with it, and blatantly disobeying orders. She has an annoying mindset of “I’m almost 13, I can do whatever I like.” She does not get reprimanded in the slightest, when Osh finds out he essentially says “It’s fine, I forgive you” and turns a blind eye.

The plot was very confusing and messy. The main goal of the book was for Crow to find out who her parents were and find her brother. However, for some reason, there was a treasure hunt; her parents left her a vast sum of treasure which they needed to find. This was really messily added and took away from the search for family. It felt childish too, and I struggled to take it seriously. There was also a villain who added nothing but to make things a tiny bit harder for Crow. The villain felt very last minute as if the author said “all books need a villain, here’s one” and in any case the peak of their was Crow running away to call the police.

Crow become extremely obsessed with a complete stranger who she’s convinced is her brother because he works on a boat and they share the same hair colour. (Crow has a very common hair colour and they live in an island nation!) This turns into borderline stalking and she puts her life at risk for this stranger. It felt strange and uncomfortable especially when the other characters act like this is normal.

What I hated most was that

the plot does not get resolved. The whole goal of her finding her brother doesn’t happen. There’s no good reason for this, her brother doesn’t die and it isn’t even a cliffhanger ending. Crow just gives up. It’s the most disappointing ending I’ve read. It was extremely underwhelming and I wasted all that time struggling through that book only to find out there was no point.

I think the goal of this was to send the message that “family doesn’t have to be blood related” but it didn’t feel like this. It felt like Crow literally just got bored and wanted to bathe in her newfound riches (because obviously they found the treasure no problem).

A better way of conveying this message, in my opinion, would be to make the villain Crow’s brother. It would tie in all the loose ends, make the villain actually do something and still give the same message without it just being “I quit.” But of course, that doesn’t happen. What a wasted opportunity. In fact, the whole book is a wasted opportunity.

Thank you for reading this review. Sorry it’s so long. It wouldn’t be this long if the book was better though…

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