Reviews

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian

a_friendlyghost's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

booknena's review

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4.0

This was an enjoyable, triumphant story about two teenage girls that lose everything and must find their inner strength to overcome. They each had harsh realities to deal with and although they do provide support for each other, the message of making the best decisions for yourself and your situation is stressed. I really enjoyed that each of the girls had their own story and that those stories intertwined. I liked that the ending was positive but not a perfect happily ever after, this gave it a more realistic feel. I would definitely recommend and probably read again.

hannahmccarl's review

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3.5

A tale of two girls and how their lives fuse together through tragedy and loss. Definitely for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing!

robingibson's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

hkan's review

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emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

leslie_daley_1962's review

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

tffnymtg's review against another edition

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5.0

This book carefully navigated the roles that people in the post-Civil War South had been forced into for more than a century after the final shots rang out. The descriptions about areas of the country that I've never visited are thorough and allowed me to get my bearings and see the locations described. The stories of Ada and Maddie woven together and separately were done extremely well and, while a tragic story, it was a beautiful debut novel.

shirleytupperfreeman's review

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Since this is set in the deep south and involves a murder, it does remind me of Where the Crawdads Sing but this debut novel holds its own. It was hard to put down and I was often filled with dread as I zipped along. Ada, who is white and poor, lives with her heartless and abusive father in a house on stilts way back in the Mississippi trace (swamp). Matilda, who is black and poor, lives closer to town with her sharecropping parents. The girls' lives intersect as they become intimately involved in several situations happening around them - illegal liquor running (Prohibition is on), animal trapping, severe mistreatment by people in power over people without power. Will Ada and Matilda be able to help each other overcome the tremendous obstacles and horrors they face as they work toward their dreams for a better future? Great story.

libbyhenderson's review

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3.0

Like, not love. Well written and compelling, but the whole time I was reading I was comparing it to “Crawdads”.

knittyreader's review

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5.0

Two girls whose history overlaps get thrown together and turn out to be important for each other's future. This book is simply amazing. Through it I could all but see the surroundings, smell the smells, feel the emotions piling up. Neither Ada nor Matilda would have chosen to live together in the Stilt House - or to live in the Stilt House period - but they managed all the same. All while their past is haunting both of them. The plot made me strapped to my reading corner more than would probably have been wise, the characters made me love them fiercely.

I want to thank Netgalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the chance to read this book.