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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
“Whether rich or poor, sinner or saint, we’re all Louisiana and we all have to weather the storms.”
Parents in Louisiana may be able to imagine few scenarios worse than losing a child in the city of New Orleans. Louisiana’s cultural and social hub, The City That Care Forgot attracts everything that is good and bad about this great state, and anyone who has ever stepped foot in New Orleans knows that it is no place for a child to be without a parent’s protection. Yet this is exactly what happens to Amanda Salassi one October day while she chaperones her sixth-grade daughter, Ellie’s field trip to The Big Easy. The only thing is, it isn’t Ellie that Amanda loses in the hubbub of Jackson Square … it’s her best friend’s daughter, Sarah, who was left in her care.
Here one minute, gone the next – life can change in an instant. Everyone and everything in Amanda’s life comes under question as the search for Sarah intensifies – just what exactly happened on that fateful day? Even more so, how has it led to Amanda’s world falling apart? As Ellie, the last person to see her best friend, Sarah before she disappeared, becomes more and more withdrawn and desolate, Amanda struggles with building and maintaining a positive relationship with her daughter. Meanwhile, Amanda’s husband continues to verbally and emotionally abuse her, something she has been in denial about for too long. When Hurricane Katrina hits, Amanda’s life and the search for Sarah becomes even more chaotic. Will anything ever be as it was before?
The Feathered Bone is the story of a woman who believes that everything in her life is in place, until the day that it isn’t. Readers will find strength and familiarity in the way that Amanda picks up the pieces of her life, and finds redemption in pushing forward into the unknown. Additionally, readers - especially those who have lived, breathed, and tasted Louisiana - will appreciate the vivid images that Cantrell paints of the southeast region of the state. She describes Louisiana culture through new eyes, and reminds the reader why Louisiana is one of the most beloved states in our nation. Those who have walked the streets of New Orleans will automatically place themselves in the well-known haunts that Cantrell describes in The Feathered Bone. She makes it easy to recognize the people and places of Louisiana through her writing, which gives flavor to a story that some may otherwise say they’ve heard before.
Love It: Part I hooked me. Cantrell’s descriptions of New Orleans are authentic and evocative – I was able to put myself right in the shoes of the characters and found myself walking through New Orleans with them. Cantrell writes with a familiarity to our state, which made this an easy read for me as I did not have to concentrate too hard on the setting.
Leave It: While the setting is the star of The Feathered Bone, the characters could use some work. Some of the characters, especially Amanda, wore on me as the novel progressed. I wish that Cantrell had put as much work into her characters as she did her setting – they just aren’t particularly memorable. Also, I think that Cantrell could have played up the impact of Katrina a bit more – in the novel, Katrina doesn’t feel like the monstrous disaster that it really was.
The Verdict: Overall, a solid read. 4 stars
The Feathered Bone Novelist Appeals
GENRE: Christian fiction; Christian mysteries
Parents in Louisiana may be able to imagine few scenarios worse than losing a child in the city of New Orleans. Louisiana’s cultural and social hub, The City That Care Forgot attracts everything that is good and bad about this great state, and anyone who has ever stepped foot in New Orleans knows that it is no place for a child to be without a parent’s protection. Yet this is exactly what happens to Amanda Salassi one October day while she chaperones her sixth-grade daughter, Ellie’s field trip to The Big Easy. The only thing is, it isn’t Ellie that Amanda loses in the hubbub of Jackson Square … it’s her best friend’s daughter, Sarah, who was left in her care.
Here one minute, gone the next – life can change in an instant. Everyone and everything in Amanda’s life comes under question as the search for Sarah intensifies – just what exactly happened on that fateful day? Even more so, how has it led to Amanda’s world falling apart? As Ellie, the last person to see her best friend, Sarah before she disappeared, becomes more and more withdrawn and desolate, Amanda struggles with building and maintaining a positive relationship with her daughter. Meanwhile, Amanda’s husband continues to verbally and emotionally abuse her, something she has been in denial about for too long. When Hurricane Katrina hits, Amanda’s life and the search for Sarah becomes even more chaotic. Will anything ever be as it was before?
The Feathered Bone is the story of a woman who believes that everything in her life is in place, until the day that it isn’t. Readers will find strength and familiarity in the way that Amanda picks up the pieces of her life, and finds redemption in pushing forward into the unknown. Additionally, readers - especially those who have lived, breathed, and tasted Louisiana - will appreciate the vivid images that Cantrell paints of the southeast region of the state. She describes Louisiana culture through new eyes, and reminds the reader why Louisiana is one of the most beloved states in our nation. Those who have walked the streets of New Orleans will automatically place themselves in the well-known haunts that Cantrell describes in The Feathered Bone. She makes it easy to recognize the people and places of Louisiana through her writing, which gives flavor to a story that some may otherwise say they’ve heard before.
Love It: Part I hooked me. Cantrell’s descriptions of New Orleans are authentic and evocative – I was able to put myself right in the shoes of the characters and found myself walking through New Orleans with them. Cantrell writes with a familiarity to our state, which made this an easy read for me as I did not have to concentrate too hard on the setting.
Leave It: While the setting is the star of The Feathered Bone, the characters could use some work. Some of the characters, especially Amanda, wore on me as the novel progressed. I wish that Cantrell had put as much work into her characters as she did her setting – they just aren’t particularly memorable. Also, I think that Cantrell could have played up the impact of Katrina a bit more – in the novel, Katrina doesn’t feel like the monstrous disaster that it really was.
The Verdict: Overall, a solid read. 4 stars
The Feathered Bone Novelist Appeals
GENRE: Christian fiction; Christian mysteries
As i get older I'm recognizing more what type of book is my favorite. the writng style in this book wasn't my favorite it was just too dark for me. but the ending brought tears to my eyes! so 3.5
For this book, I read some reviews part way through, and I kept with it. This book covers DARK themes, but in a gentle not too graphic way. An impactful story! Glad I read it!
The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell.. What can I say about this book. It was not really my cup of tea. The story focuses on Amanda, a wife and mother, a social worker, and a deeply caring friend. When her best friend’s daughter gets kidnapped under her care, she starts a downward spiral of guilt and self-blame. But this book had much more than just a kidnapping, it had suicide, abuse, human trafficking, divorce, and Hurricane Katrina. Now this all would normally intrigue me, however, it was a Christian book. Although good in its own rite, that really turned me off to it. I didn’t pick up on the hints until about 100 pages in (I’m dense, I know.) and by that time, I was already too invested in the book to give up completely. It wasn’t, in my opinion, overly preachy, but it did have its moments. All in all, I would give this book a 3 out of 5. It might have been a little too busy for my liking. There were just too many things going on for me to feel really strongly about Amanda, or any of the other characters for that matter.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
LOVED THIS WHOLE BOOK! i have cried, i have laughed, and i have wondered when it ends! this book brings all the emotions, honestly! i would read it again and again. It’s very inspiring even though it tells a sad story..but it’s also REAL. It tells a story that many have dealt with and it’s not just one story i feel more of three stories in one! there are quotes in the book that can be brought to your everyday life!! It’s SOOO good! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While talking with others who read the book, someone said she didn’t “like” it. This book is heavy. This book will have you feeling every emotion possible. It is filled with so many nightmares for a mom. It will break your heart, make you sick to your stomach, but will also remind you about faith and hope. I can’t say I “liked” this book because that doesn’t feel like the right word. This book kept me reading. I couldn’t put it down. It entertained me. It made me think deeply about life and perspective.
Also, it’s set in the LP, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge. If you are from or live in LA, you will be able to very vividly picture the places described in this book.
Also, it’s set in the LP, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge. If you are from or live in LA, you will be able to very vividly picture the places described in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide
This is a book about some very tough subjects. It consisted of Human Trafficking, abusive relationships, and suicide are all disturbing; no matter how well the story is written it was a very upsetting book for me. I did not even make it three quarters of the way through the book if that, and had to quit, I just could not read anymore. It hit home for me personally, with the suicide and the abuse. I just could not go on any longer.
I received this book free from Zondervan part of the BookLook Bloggers program, for my honest and un-biased opinion.
I received this book free from Zondervan part of the BookLook Bloggers program, for my honest and un-biased opinion.
I cannot say enough good things about this book!! Such an incredible and powerful story! It's Christian Fiction but I recommend it for everyone! There are incredibly dark moments when you don't know how anything positive can come out of anything, but it's very satisfying in the end.
The author addresses many serious issues: trafficking, divorce, abuse, suicide...all as a novel within the context of Christian faith.
Much of the inner dialogue is excrutiatingly repetitive. Most of the Christian insights are good, some feel shallow. I'm glad I read this book (mostly an audio version), it is on the UMW 2019 Reading list for Social Action.
Much of the inner dialogue is excrutiatingly repetitive. Most of the Christian insights are good, some feel shallow. I'm glad I read this book (mostly an audio version), it is on the UMW 2019 Reading list for Social Action.
When people ask you about books that changed your life, this is one of the titles that comes to my mind. Life changing is just one word to describe this incredible story.
This book feels like a mosaic. Each character, conversation, place, etc. are all a brightly colored piece of glass. Put together, Julie Cantrell has put together a mosaic that is nothing short of a masterpiece.
This book starts in New Orleans on a class field trip and draws you in simply with the delights of what is going on around you. The colors, the people, and other things there are to see in New Orleans. You quickly meet Sarah and Ellie, darling 12 year old girls who are simply two peas in a pod.
Then, just like that, Sarah never gets back on the bus. From that point it's a story of friendship, loss, love, grief, and faith that all comes together.
This book covers some difficult topics, however I feel like to give exact warnings would ruin the book. Do know, that the difficult topics that are written are written in a clean way, as it is a Christian fiction. You don't have to worry about the scenes in the book giving you nightmares.
During this book I smiled, laughed, and sobbed hysterically. I got this book in the mail and finished it in one sitting, eating popcorn as I went. It was as if I was watching an amazing movie, it was that good.
If you are only going to read one fiction novel this year, make it this one, it will change the way you see things. It's hard to capture that all in a review, you just have to read it and find out.
I rarely do this, but this book is 5 out of 5 stars. I urge you to pick up a copy today.
This book feels like a mosaic. Each character, conversation, place, etc. are all a brightly colored piece of glass. Put together, Julie Cantrell has put together a mosaic that is nothing short of a masterpiece.
This book starts in New Orleans on a class field trip and draws you in simply with the delights of what is going on around you. The colors, the people, and other things there are to see in New Orleans. You quickly meet Sarah and Ellie, darling 12 year old girls who are simply two peas in a pod.
Then, just like that, Sarah never gets back on the bus. From that point it's a story of friendship, loss, love, grief, and faith that all comes together.
This book covers some difficult topics, however I feel like to give exact warnings would ruin the book. Do know, that the difficult topics that are written are written in a clean way, as it is a Christian fiction. You don't have to worry about the scenes in the book giving you nightmares.
During this book I smiled, laughed, and sobbed hysterically. I got this book in the mail and finished it in one sitting, eating popcorn as I went. It was as if I was watching an amazing movie, it was that good.
If you are only going to read one fiction novel this year, make it this one, it will change the way you see things. It's hard to capture that all in a review, you just have to read it and find out.
I rarely do this, but this book is 5 out of 5 stars. I urge you to pick up a copy today.