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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
i read this when i was i was quite young, and have always felt very connected to this book. an interesting portrayal of adolescence through a nuanced and lyrical manner of expression, quite a difficult read but stuck with me for a while.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3/5 only because this was a really weird and confusing book and I'm stuck between 5/5 And 1/5. It was defiantly a different type of writing which I have never read before.I don't think I quite liked the writing style...i felt a bit bored with the same old words used again and again.
I liked the bit at the end where Orpheus is ripped to shreds as it was unexpected but interesting. Even with disliking parts I don't know why I wanted to give it a 5/5 it just seemed right to. Overall im still confused...
I liked the bit at the end where Orpheus is ripped to shreds as it was unexpected but interesting. Even with disliking parts I don't know why I wanted to give it a 5/5 it just seemed right to. Overall im still confused...
A group of teens living in Tyneside in northern England, tired of winter's cold and wanting some freedom, decide to spend their upcoming Easter holiday camping on Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland. Best friends Claire and Ella have been inseparable since they first met at age 5, but Ella was adopted and her parents think she spends too much time with Claire. As the time comes closer to leave for Bamburgh Beach, Ella's parents forbid her to go, citing falling grades blamed on Claire and their friends.
Claire and the others head to the beach anyway, armed with tents, food and wine for a week. It's there, after a few days, that a mysterious, rather otherworldly young man carrying a lyre suddenly shows up. He says his name is Orpheus and he plays the most captivating music they have ever heard, so beautiful that even birds, seals, snakes and dolphins come near to listen to him play and sing his songs. Wanting to share the experience with Ella, Claire calls her and holds out her phone for Ella to listen. Orpheus and Ella speak and he ends the call by singing a song for he into the phone: "it was the song of everything, all life, all love, all creation. It was his song for my friend Ella Grey." Though they haven't met, it is clear that Ella and Orpheus are in love with each other.
Back in school the next week, Ella is a changed person, much to Claire's unhappiness. When Orpheus shows up outside the school, Claire leaves in the middle of class and goes out to him. By half-term, they have decided to marry, on Bamburgh Beach, surrounded by Ella's friends. Sadly, two poisonous snakes are also there.
David Almond used the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as the basis for A Song for Ella Grey. If you are familiar with this myth, you know the significance of the snakes; if you don't know this story from ancient Greece, it doesn't matter; either way you are in for a reading treat (and if you are really curious, don't skip Almond's letter to his readers for more information at the beginning of the book).
A Song for Ella Grey is narrated in the first person by Claire. She is the one who's left behind, to tell the tale, really, to sing the tragic song of Ella Grey, to bring Ella "into the world for one last night, then let her go forever" (in ancient Greek drama, tragedy is a song). To tell the tale of Ella, Claire makes and wears the mask of Orpheus, a device also used in Greek tragedy, in order to "let him sing his tale through me."
I read this as an ebook, so I wondered why I was seeing Chapter One, Chapter Two, etc. more than once throughout the book. When I looked at the Table of Contents, I noticed the story was divided up into 6 parts, just as Greek tragedy is. In fact, Almond has included a number of conventions from Greek drama, including the structure of the book (there's a good paper topic for high school).
When I first began reading A Song for Ella Grey, I have to admit that I wasn't totally taken in as quickly as I have been with other David Almond books. But now, having finished it and thought about it, I can honestly say, this is one of the best books I've read by him. In fact, I think that Almond is one of today's most lyrical writers, and the story of Orpheus and Ella so beautifully told, the feelings of young love and yearnings is so palpable, it will perhaps remind you of your own first serious love. And it is easy to understand why he was awarded the 2015 Guardian Children's Fiction prize.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted on Randomly Reading
Claire and the others head to the beach anyway, armed with tents, food and wine for a week. It's there, after a few days, that a mysterious, rather otherworldly young man carrying a lyre suddenly shows up. He says his name is Orpheus and he plays the most captivating music they have ever heard, so beautiful that even birds, seals, snakes and dolphins come near to listen to him play and sing his songs. Wanting to share the experience with Ella, Claire calls her and holds out her phone for Ella to listen. Orpheus and Ella speak and he ends the call by singing a song for he into the phone: "it was the song of everything, all life, all love, all creation. It was his song for my friend Ella Grey." Though they haven't met, it is clear that Ella and Orpheus are in love with each other.
Back in school the next week, Ella is a changed person, much to Claire's unhappiness. When Orpheus shows up outside the school, Claire leaves in the middle of class and goes out to him. By half-term, they have decided to marry, on Bamburgh Beach, surrounded by Ella's friends. Sadly, two poisonous snakes are also there.
David Almond used the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as the basis for A Song for Ella Grey. If you are familiar with this myth, you know the significance of the snakes; if you don't know this story from ancient Greece, it doesn't matter; either way you are in for a reading treat (and if you are really curious, don't skip Almond's letter to his readers for more information at the beginning of the book).
A Song for Ella Grey is narrated in the first person by Claire. She is the one who's left behind, to tell the tale, really, to sing the tragic song of Ella Grey, to bring Ella "into the world for one last night, then let her go forever" (in ancient Greek drama, tragedy is a song). To tell the tale of Ella, Claire makes and wears the mask of Orpheus, a device also used in Greek tragedy, in order to "let him sing his tale through me."
I read this as an ebook, so I wondered why I was seeing Chapter One, Chapter Two, etc. more than once throughout the book. When I looked at the Table of Contents, I noticed the story was divided up into 6 parts, just as Greek tragedy is. In fact, Almond has included a number of conventions from Greek drama, including the structure of the book (there's a good paper topic for high school).
When I first began reading A Song for Ella Grey, I have to admit that I wasn't totally taken in as quickly as I have been with other David Almond books. But now, having finished it and thought about it, I can honestly say, this is one of the best books I've read by him. In fact, I think that Almond is one of today's most lyrical writers, and the story of Orpheus and Ella so beautifully told, the feelings of young love and yearnings is so palpable, it will perhaps remind you of your own first serious love. And it is easy to understand why he was awarded the 2015 Guardian Children's Fiction prize.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted on Randomly Reading
I'm not an Almond superfan yet, but this mystical, poetic look at the Orpheus/Eurydice myth had me captivated. This story is told from Clare's perspective, who loves Ella Grey. Ella Grey meets Orpheus and it is love at first sight (or first listen). The way Almond describes the details of everyone's encounters, even just the description of a fire on the beach, is beautiful. It also tells the whole myth, complete to the way Orpheus ends. I would recommend it for high school readers, as I think it's better read with at least a basic understanding of the myth, and there is underage drinking, as well as sexual activity.
It was weirdly good. A retelling of the myth of Orpheus. It doesn't really change much of the myth except to set it in contemporary England and some name changes. The only thing that stands out about this novel is the narrator, Claire who is also in love with Ella Grey.
Meh. The writing was really pretty.
Honestly, this should have been a short story that just focused on the Orpheus narrated part, maybe with the addition of his point of view when the bad thing happens. Otherwise, it's kind of pretentious with really pretty, poetic writing that's not purple prose, but it has a lot of meaning that really means nothing.
Got that? I didn't either.
It's fine. It made me slightly angry. Maybe one day, I'll explain why.
[update 6/19/2021: rating lowered because of an attempted reread that made me bitter.]
2.5/5 stars
Honestly, this should have been a short story that just focused on the Orpheus narrated part, maybe with the addition of his point of view when the bad thing happens. Otherwise, it's kind of pretentious with really pretty, poetic writing that's not purple prose, but it has a lot of meaning that really means nothing.
Got that? I didn't either.
It's fine. It made me slightly angry. Maybe one day, I'll explain why.
[update 6/19/2021: rating lowered because of an attempted reread that made me bitter.]
2.5/5 stars
