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internationalkris's review against another edition
3.0
Will was too perfect to be believed at the start of the book in Zimbabwe but as she struggled at boarding school in England she was amazing in her pain, vulnerability and continual strength.
quartofgoats's review against another edition
5.0
The only way this could end is with an Irish grandmother and I hope to grow up to be like her and Will
lindasdarby's review against another edition
5.0
This is an absolutely wonderful book filled with heart. There is a lot of happiness and pain and heartache and hope in this story. Will is such an endearing 12 year old girl and I loved this story.
kayo32's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
platipuscanread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
turrean's review against another edition
4.0
Dove right in and read this in one afternoon. The descriptions of Africa were marvelous. I really felt for Will when she was transported to dreary drizzly London. The book went off into an unexpected direction; I thought it would follow the formula of many "new place" stories. Either Will would be made miserable, rise above it, and emerge triumphant (like [b: A Little Princess|3008|A Little Princess|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327868556s/3008.jpg|1313599] or [b: Heidi|93|Heidi|Johanna Spyri|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388462714s/93.jpg|1738595]) or would find herself transformed by the setting, as in [b: The Secret Garden|2998|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327873635s/2998.jpg|3186437]. I did NOT expect the runaway sequence.
I was also a tiny, tiny bit disappointed, ,
I was also a tiny, tiny bit disappointed, ,
Spoiler
as I always am by books with extraordinarily obtuse teachers and school staff. There was no one who saw the cruelty of the other girls? Who thought to see what she knew academically before placing her in classes? To give her any clothing suited to the climate while she waited for her uniform to be delivered? Miss Blake seemed to grow a heart, but where was she when Will was being tormented? And do we believe her chief tormentor is now reformed, after a "I'm sorry, I didn't know?" Bah.steakuccino's review against another edition
3.0
A few things about this narrative made it a bit unbelievable but overall, I found the prose lovely. Unfortunately, it suffers for some one-dimensional villainesses and a reliance on the concept of being raised 'a savage' (without English manners or schooling) as the reason for Will's being treated as a pariah in certain company. It is implicit in the narrative that this viewpoint is wrong but, especially with an intended audience of young readers, it needed to be explicit.