Scan barcode
sandiet's review
4.0
Mystical, fantastical, spiritual, religious. This book has all of these elements and then some. Bonaventure Arrow was born with super hearing (think Bionic Woman hearing and multiply by thousands). He can even hear colours! His gift helps others in ways they don't know or understand. I can't really do this book justice in a review you just have to read it. lovely debut novel.
book_concierge's review
3.0
2.5**
Before he is born, Bonaventure Arrow’s father is murdered by a mentally disturbed man known only as “the Wanderer.” His mother’s unspeakable grief affects Bonaventure’s development – he is born mute, but with hyper-acute hearing. He can hear earthworms moving through the dirt and a bit of dust falling off a moth’s wing. He can also hear the stories that inanimate objects tell – the sound of steamships comes from a wooden crate marked “port of New Orleans,” and the sounds of gunshots from a jar of sassafras. And he hears the sadness and secrets of his paternal grandmother’s house.
Helping him make sense of these sounds are two extraordinary characters – the ghost of his father, William Arrow, whom only Bonaventure can hear, and the family’s cook, Trinidad Prefontaine, who is a Creole woman knowledgeable about hoodoo and root work.
Leganski’s work is hard to describe. It has elements of Southern gothic, as well as the supernatural and magic. When I first heard that the central character is a mute child, I immediately thought of David Wroblewski’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. But this novel is nowhere near so fine a work of literature as Wroblewski’s. I think Leganski got too caught up in the “magical” quality of Bonaventure’s extraordinary hearing. She spends way too much time crafting beautiful descriptions of his abilities – and they are beautiful. But, how does reading about a dust mote’s story of being carried across the Himalayas on the foot of a goose help this story? The answer is it doesn’t. These type of passages (and there are many) showcase Leganski’s imagination and ability to write creatively, but they interfere with the story. They do nothing to develop the characters or advance the plot. They are unnecessary distractions.
There is a nugget of a great premise here. I like how she used the innocence of a child to help the wounded adults around him heal. I liked that Bonaventure was surrounded by people who loved him and nurtured him – maternal grandmother notwithstanding. I wish she had spent more time developing the story, and less time expounding on Bonaventure’s unusual hearing abilities. I was interested and caught up in the plot at the beginning, but then felt she would never get to the point. By the time the identity of William’s killer was revealed I just didn’t really care. Had I been her editor, I would have deleted close to a hundred pages. I would have deleted the maternal grandmother’s storyline and expanded on his teacher’s growing relationship with his mother. I would also have advised her to make more use of Trinidad, who doesn’t join the family until half-way through the novel.
I get that Leganski was going for an ethereal quality, but I think she went too far in that direction and forgot the story.
NOTE: I don't usually "round-up" when I give a 1/2 star rating, but the quality of Leganski's writing shows promise, so I did in this case.
Before he is born, Bonaventure Arrow’s father is murdered by a mentally disturbed man known only as “the Wanderer.” His mother’s unspeakable grief affects Bonaventure’s development – he is born mute, but with hyper-acute hearing. He can hear earthworms moving through the dirt and a bit of dust falling off a moth’s wing. He can also hear the stories that inanimate objects tell – the sound of steamships comes from a wooden crate marked “port of New Orleans,” and the sounds of gunshots from a jar of sassafras. And he hears the sadness and secrets of his paternal grandmother’s house.
Helping him make sense of these sounds are two extraordinary characters – the ghost of his father, William Arrow, whom only Bonaventure can hear, and the family’s cook, Trinidad Prefontaine, who is a Creole woman knowledgeable about hoodoo and root work.
Leganski’s work is hard to describe. It has elements of Southern gothic, as well as the supernatural and magic. When I first heard that the central character is a mute child, I immediately thought of David Wroblewski’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. But this novel is nowhere near so fine a work of literature as Wroblewski’s. I think Leganski got too caught up in the “magical” quality of Bonaventure’s extraordinary hearing. She spends way too much time crafting beautiful descriptions of his abilities – and they are beautiful. But, how does reading about a dust mote’s story of being carried across the Himalayas on the foot of a goose help this story? The answer is it doesn’t. These type of passages (and there are many) showcase Leganski’s imagination and ability to write creatively, but they interfere with the story. They do nothing to develop the characters or advance the plot. They are unnecessary distractions.
There is a nugget of a great premise here. I like how she used the innocence of a child to help the wounded adults around him heal. I liked that Bonaventure was surrounded by people who loved him and nurtured him – maternal grandmother notwithstanding. I wish she had spent more time developing the story, and less time expounding on Bonaventure’s unusual hearing abilities. I was interested and caught up in the plot at the beginning, but then felt she would never get to the point. By the time the identity of William’s killer was revealed I just didn’t really care. Had I been her editor, I would have deleted close to a hundred pages. I would have deleted the maternal grandmother’s storyline and expanded on his teacher’s growing relationship with his mother. I would also have advised her to make more use of Trinidad, who doesn’t join the family until half-way through the novel.
I get that Leganski was going for an ethereal quality, but I think she went too far in that direction and forgot the story.
NOTE: I don't usually "round-up" when I give a 1/2 star rating, but the quality of Leganski's writing shows promise, so I did in this case.
armandilloh's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
alisonlaw's review
Read my interview with author Rita Leganski on SouthernSpines.com!
Voodoo, hoodoo & other southern magic in THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by @ritaleganski: http://bit.ly/10k6BCg #srblog #southernlit
Voodoo, hoodoo & other southern magic in THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by @ritaleganski: http://bit.ly/10k6BCg #srblog #southernlit
dinx219's review
5.0
Beautifully written. So many emotions with unique and beautiful words woven together to tell this captivating story. I really enjoyed it.
bridgetwf's review
5.0
I really loved this book. I don't know if it is truly remarkable or just struck me right. Anyway, I love magical realism with vivid descriptions and this book hit those marks! The plot of the story struck me some, but mostly I just liked her writing style and the slow beauty of how scenes unfolded.
cathiedalziel's review
5.0
Magical story about the sounds of everything. The writing so beautiful that at times it took my breath away.
Extended review to follow later.
Right now I want to curl up in the sounds this book has left on me.
Extended review to follow later.
Right now I want to curl up in the sounds this book has left on me.
angela_amman's review
4.0
Set in the 1950s, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow jostles between New Orleans and the fictional Bayou Cymbaline, and tells of love, loss, the far-reaching effects of past wrongs, and the path to redemption. Leganski’s lush imagery, delicately damaged characters, and thin veil between life, death, and magic combine in my absolute favorite type of book to read.
Love, death, magic, motherhood, redemption. These concepts are as old as the comfrey Trinidad uses in one of her healing potions, but Leganski’s story twists them together in a fresh way. Even her minor characters — like The Wanderer — play large roles in the overall reach of the story, enforcing the idea that people’s lives are connected in a myriad of ways not always understood until tragedy or blessings occur.
Read the rest of my review at Angela Amman
Love, death, magic, motherhood, redemption. These concepts are as old as the comfrey Trinidad uses in one of her healing potions, but Leganski’s story twists them together in a fresh way. Even her minor characters — like The Wanderer — play large roles in the overall reach of the story, enforcing the idea that people’s lives are connected in a myriad of ways not always understood until tragedy or blessings occur.
Read the rest of my review at Angela Amman
catwhisperer's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
onespaceymother's review
4.0
This book impacted me. It was very spiritual but didn't quite cross into preachy or judgmental (though it edged closely here and there). I'm still sitting with my reactions and deciding how it spoke to me, which it what one should do after a good book.