Scan barcode
kcwreads's review against another edition
5.0
woman's sufferage+ wwi+ verse novel= a whole lot to love.
brookepalmer796's review against another edition
3.0
Nicely done prose poetry.
I read this in 2009 when it first come out and I remember liking it, but it didn't really stick with me. However since then I have read quite a bit more about the time period, both fiction and non-fiction, and I know that after having just reread it, this story has become more memorable since I have a more solid background to anchor it to this time.
I read this in 2009 when it first come out and I remember liking it, but it didn't really stick with me. However since then I have read quite a bit more about the time period, both fiction and non-fiction, and I know that after having just reread it, this story has become more memorable since I have a more solid background to anchor it to this time.
melanietownsend's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this poetic book telling the story of 2 midwestern families living during World War I. Best part: Anne of Green Gables saved the day!
reevek's review against another edition
3.0
The story is nice, the insight is powerful. What blew me away was learning the structure of the poems afterwards - very complex!
nshemezis's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book! I recommend you read the info on the verse structure before you read this book! I feel like i missed out a bit. This ladies verse is crazy awesome! And the story is amazing! women power!
suzharold's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. The rave reviews from book group convinced me to read this, even though I should probably be moving onto next month's books. It's incredible - not just powerful and well written, but the kind of writing that sucks you in and won't let you go. I thought I'd just read a few pages last night in bed and decide whether to read any more - instead I stayed up past 11:00 reading, then finished it in the morning over coffee before making breakfast.
It's told in poetry (not my favorite style, so trust me that Helen Frost does an amazing job with the poetry) and tells the story of four teens in 1917 as the boys are heading off to war and women are picketing the White House for the right to vote.
We're clearly facing a surge of books about World War I at the moment - this is the finest one I've read yet. (Ahem, Printz Commitee? AHEM?)
It's told in poetry (not my favorite style, so trust me that Helen Frost does an amazing job with the poetry) and tells the story of four teens in 1917 as the boys are heading off to war and women are picketing the White House for the right to vote.
We're clearly facing a surge of books about World War I at the moment - this is the finest one I've read yet. (Ahem, Printz Commitee? AHEM?)
mollyanneb3's review against another edition
4.0
We follow Muriel Jorgensen who has grown up next door to the Normans. She is best friends with their daughter, Emma, and everyone expects her to marry their son, Frank. All that changes when he enlists to fight in World War I. We follow the lives of the Normans and the Jorgensens as they face the challenges of war back on the home front.
I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did but Crossing Stones charmed me. Normally I don’t much care for the switching of perspectives but here I really did enjoy seeing the world from all the characters points of view. I was very emotionally invested in the characters. Muriel was relatable as was Emma. It had be snorting with laughter and sniffling. Written in verse, you definitely don’t want to miss it.
I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did but Crossing Stones charmed me. Normally I don’t much care for the switching of perspectives but here I really did enjoy seeing the world from all the characters points of view. I was very emotionally invested in the characters. Muriel was relatable as was Emma. It had be snorting with laughter and sniffling. Written in verse, you definitely don’t want to miss it.
crtney's review
4.0
I really love books written in verse and in so many ways this one is a stunner--and set in such an important time period for our nation (this would make such an incredible book group read). The one thing that I didn't care for (and really I think there was only one thing) was the idea running in between a few lines that women either "rock the cradle" or "rock the boat;" and that women who choose to rock the cradle are choosing (either by choice or nature) a monotonous life that requires no use one's mind--although there is not an overly strong pushing of this last idea. I think this does an incredible disservice to women of past generations and the women of rising generations who have and will rock both the "cradle" and the "boat." It is not entirely necessary to choose one or the other. A short 3 or so hour read.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
I had never read anything by Helen Frost before I requested this book on inter-library loan from my library system, but I knew she wrote novels in verse and that was the main reason I chose to read this book to begin with. And having finished Crossing Stones, the story of what happens to the children of two neighboring Michigan families during 1917, when World War I and women's suffrage are both at the political forefront, I can say that the true strength of this book is the poetry.
Not only are the words in each poem carefully chosen, but every character is built so believably, and though it is essentially 'yet another YA novel about a war,' it is also a YA novel about a female protagonist who goes against the grain and tries to sort out what kind of woman she wants to be. I was a little put off by the fact that most stereotypical wartime tragedies that can befall a community happen to these two families, and I'm not sure if that was a realistic portrayal of what happened to many families in the time period, or if the author was using the small setting she created to illustrate as many tragedies as possible. But I suppose it's not entirely implausible for so much bad to happen during a time when bad things were happening every day, and I certainly loved the book even though it did give me pause. I'll be checking out her other work very soon.
Not only are the words in each poem carefully chosen, but every character is built so believably, and though it is essentially 'yet another YA novel about a war,' it is also a YA novel about a female protagonist who goes against the grain and tries to sort out what kind of woman she wants to be. I was a little put off by the fact that most stereotypical wartime tragedies that can befall a community happen to these two families, and I'm not sure if that was a realistic portrayal of what happened to many families in the time period, or if the author was using the small setting she created to illustrate as many tragedies as possible. But I suppose it's not entirely implausible for so much bad to happen during a time when bad things were happening every day, and I certainly loved the book even though it did give me pause. I'll be checking out her other work very soon.