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bookschief_managed's review
5.0
I hadn't ever heard of this book and just stumbled upon it at the library when I was captivated by the cover. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but I have a habit of doing that. :p Such an interesting story though and quite the lovable main character. She's so completely human and watching as she experiences things for the first time was truly a treat. Absolutely fantastic!
chwaters's review
4.0
Starbird Murphy has spent her entire life on the Free Family Farm, headquarters to one of the longest-running intentional communities in the country. Starbird has never used a cell phone, watched TV or attended school. When forces conspire to send Starbird off to the city to be a waitress at the Family's restaurant, Starbird is less than thrilled. Everyone tells her that working in the restaurant must be her "calling", but Starbird is certain that waitressing cannot possibly be considered a true "calling". She has no desire to leave the Farm, even though it could provide an opportunity for her to reunite with her brother who has been "lost" to the community for years. She doesn't really enjoy her current work with the chickens all the much either, but everything and nearly everyone she loves is on the Farm. Members of the Family don't question the posts they're assigned and they always embrace their calling, or, they didn't until their leader, EARTH left on a mission three years prior and never returned. Now, the population of the Family is dwindling and it's getting harder and harder to keep things afloat. When the boy Starbird is crushing on turns out to have his attention elsewhere, Starbird grudgingly agrees to go work at the restaurant. Following this path, however, means that Starbird will have to live in a city, go to a public school and even (gasp) handle money. Starbird is about to find out that not everything is as it seems; the Family has serious issues while the Outside may not be nearly as bad as the Family's elders made it out to be.
I couldn't help but be interested by the premise of this novel. I had recently seen a documentary about the Source Family and the parallels between the Free Family and the Source Family are striking: both had similar structures and values. Both were run by a charismatic man. Both attempted to keep themselves afloat by running organic restaurants in large cities. The primary difference between the two is time. The Source Family didn't last much longer than a decade, while the Free Family has at least 3 generations of devotees. Starbird and her brother were born into the cult life and thus knew no other sort of life. Starbird does not, however, come across as terribly naive, as one might expect. She is devoted to her life within the Family, loves its leader and is suspicious of the world outside. Things are not perfect, even on the Farm, and Starbird is much like any other teenager when she's around her mother and "siblings". It is only once she is able to gain some distance (and get over extreme homesickness) that she is able to start seeing the cracks in the Family's foundation. While the storyline is not surprising, Starbird's journey is still fascinating and well-written. There is just enough world-building to make the Family seem like more than some silly cult, even it does turn out to be ethically questionable. No one is forced to stay against their will and the brainwashing is far more subtle than expected. Starbird fights assimilation for her first several weeks outside of the Farm, but eventually begins to accept friendship from outsiders. Readers will understand what is happening with the Family long before Starbird does, but watching her grow as a person is more than satisfying enough.
I couldn't help but be interested by the premise of this novel. I had recently seen a documentary about the Source Family and the parallels between the Free Family and the Source Family are striking: both had similar structures and values. Both were run by a charismatic man. Both attempted to keep themselves afloat by running organic restaurants in large cities. The primary difference between the two is time. The Source Family didn't last much longer than a decade, while the Free Family has at least 3 generations of devotees. Starbird and her brother were born into the cult life and thus knew no other sort of life. Starbird does not, however, come across as terribly naive, as one might expect. She is devoted to her life within the Family, loves its leader and is suspicious of the world outside. Things are not perfect, even on the Farm, and Starbird is much like any other teenager when she's around her mother and "siblings". It is only once she is able to gain some distance (and get over extreme homesickness) that she is able to start seeing the cracks in the Family's foundation. While the storyline is not surprising, Starbird's journey is still fascinating and well-written. There is just enough world-building to make the Family seem like more than some silly cult, even it does turn out to be ethically questionable. No one is forced to stay against their will and the brainwashing is far more subtle than expected. Starbird fights assimilation for her first several weeks outside of the Farm, but eventually begins to accept friendship from outsiders. Readers will understand what is happening with the Family long before Starbird does, but watching her grow as a person is more than satisfying enough.
robinrobin720's review
4.0
I saw other reviews that criticized this book for tying the whole plot up too quickly after so much build up. That's a fair critique. But in spite of the abruptness of the ending, I really liked the book. The characters were intriguing and the story was different from the norm.
My biggest quibble was the names of the secondary characters. They were difficult to keep straight, which added to my frustration at the denouement. 3.5 stars
My biggest quibble was the names of the secondary characters. They were difficult to keep straight, which added to my frustration at the denouement. 3.5 stars
megschiebel's review
5.0
I love when I read books that are completely different than anything I have ever read or experienced before
theartolater's review
5.0
I can't remember it at this point, but I distinctly remember reading a YA or middle grade book about a cult a number of years ago. Was it good? I'm not sure, but it wasn't good enough for me to remember the title, apparently.
Anyway, Starbird Murphy and the World Outside is about a cult. Specifically, a more hippie-ish spiritual communal cult that Starbird has grown up in. She receives her "calling," and it is to help run the Free Family's restaurant in Seattle. This means venturing off the group's farm for the first time, enrolling in a public school, and so on.
This book is really brilliant in a lot of ways. I started out side-eyeing it a bit because, as an adult reader, it was obvious almost from the very start that the Free Family was a bonafide cult and not some sort of futurist organization created solely for the book. The slow burn of the group's reveal ends up being a significant plus for the book as a whole, as it allows us a better chance to understand Starbird, what she knows, and how she ultimately has to interact with the world that she has been shielded from the whole time.
By the time everything comes together, I was entirely invested and couldn't put the book down even if I wanted to. It's a really solid way to end it, it's sophisticated without being condescending, and it ends up being a great way to do the "coming of age" story as well as handling the cult topic in a mature, reasonable way without introducing (too much) danger into the system. That many cults are not Heaven's Gate, "drink the Kool Aid" type organizations often get lost in the shuffle, and the way everything pans out with this specific story is an absolute plus.
Highly, highly recommended. Definitely one of the better books I've read in the young adult field as of late, and could be a contender for one of the best YA books of the year period.
Anyway, Starbird Murphy and the World Outside is about a cult. Specifically, a more hippie-ish spiritual communal cult that Starbird has grown up in. She receives her "calling," and it is to help run the Free Family's restaurant in Seattle. This means venturing off the group's farm for the first time, enrolling in a public school, and so on.
This book is really brilliant in a lot of ways. I started out side-eyeing it a bit because, as an adult reader, it was obvious almost from the very start that the Free Family was a bonafide cult and not some sort of futurist organization created solely for the book. The slow burn of the group's reveal ends up being a significant plus for the book as a whole, as it allows us a better chance to understand Starbird, what she knows, and how she ultimately has to interact with the world that she has been shielded from the whole time.
By the time everything comes together, I was entirely invested and couldn't put the book down even if I wanted to. It's a really solid way to end it, it's sophisticated without being condescending, and it ends up being a great way to do the "coming of age" story as well as handling the cult topic in a mature, reasonable way without introducing (too much) danger into the system. That many cults are not Heaven's Gate, "drink the Kool Aid" type organizations often get lost in the shuffle, and the way everything pans out with this specific story is an absolute plus.
Highly, highly recommended. Definitely one of the better books I've read in the young adult field as of late, and could be a contender for one of the best YA books of the year period.
lobrarian's review
4.0
Starbird has lived her whole life on the Family Farm with her large Family. They do not recognize ownership (in any form) or money, and they follow their leader and translator EARTH. EARTH is the one who found all the Family members and brought them together. It is EARTH that listens to the Cosmos and passes the word on to the Family.
Three years ago, EARTH went on a mission and he has not returned. Some of the Family became non-believers and left the Farm for the Outside world. Starbird and her mother Fern Moon have stayed on the Farm, but Starbird's brother Douglas Fir has been missing for three years as well. As you can see, the Family dynamics on the Farm are complicated in their own way, but to Starbird and the others, it is all for a greater meaning.
Starbird has not received her Calling yet, the moment when she knows she has found her meaning. For now, the sixteen-year-old tends to the Farm's huge chicken population. She knows that then EARTH returns, he will give her her Calling, but things do not go according to plan. After walking on her the boy she loves, Indus, with another girl and a chance meeting with "V" from Seattle, Starbird decides to go with V back to Seattle and follow a possible Calling to live on the Outside and work for the Family Cafe.
What follows next is a culture shock beyond belief. Starbird has never even touched money and now she is expected to not only touch money, but work for it. She also has to be put in school. On the Farm, the children are homeschooled, but now that she is living on the Outside, Starbird has to attend a public high school. Bells, tons of people, cell phones, you name it...it's a culture shock for Starbird.
Not everything is terrible for Starbird though, life on the Outside first appeared terrifying, but she quickly adapts to her new lifestyle discovers things about her Family she never thought could be true. What happens when you learn that the world you've known may not be what it seems? What happens when you decide to start asking questions? Starbird is about to find out.
This was an interesting read. I had to dig my toes in at first, but after I got used to the names and wording I was hooked. Communes are a subject not widely written about in young adult literature, and I think that Finneyfrock has done a great job creating Starbird and her Family. Definitely would read more to learn what happens to the Family and the Farm.
Three years ago, EARTH went on a mission and he has not returned. Some of the Family became non-believers and left the Farm for the Outside world. Starbird and her mother Fern Moon have stayed on the Farm, but Starbird's brother Douglas Fir has been missing for three years as well. As you can see, the Family dynamics on the Farm are complicated in their own way, but to Starbird and the others, it is all for a greater meaning.
Starbird has not received her Calling yet, the moment when she knows she has found her meaning. For now, the sixteen-year-old tends to the Farm's huge chicken population. She knows that then EARTH returns, he will give her her Calling, but things do not go according to plan. After walking on her the boy she loves, Indus, with another girl and a chance meeting with "V" from Seattle, Starbird decides to go with V back to Seattle and follow a possible Calling to live on the Outside and work for the Family Cafe.
What follows next is a culture shock beyond belief. Starbird has never even touched money and now she is expected to not only touch money, but work for it. She also has to be put in school. On the Farm, the children are homeschooled, but now that she is living on the Outside, Starbird has to attend a public high school. Bells, tons of people, cell phones, you name it...it's a culture shock for Starbird.
Not everything is terrible for Starbird though, life on the Outside first appeared terrifying, but she quickly adapts to her new lifestyle discovers things about her Family she never thought could be true. What happens when you learn that the world you've known may not be what it seems? What happens when you decide to start asking questions? Starbird is about to find out.
This was an interesting read. I had to dig my toes in at first, but after I got used to the names and wording I was hooked. Communes are a subject not widely written about in young adult literature, and I think that Finneyfrock has done a great job creating Starbird and her Family. Definitely would read more to learn what happens to the Family and the Farm.
tarynlannister's review
5.0
An engaging and clever look at life in a commune. It takes a neutral stand on communes in general, not condemning or praising, and the plot is richly emotional and captivating. Even though you are reading about someone whose life is probably quite different from yours, you always feel that you are reading first and foremost about a person, who is not defined by their background but by their choices and kindness.
line_so_fine's review
5.0
I'm fascinated by communes and cults, especially of the 60s-ish, hippy dippy sort, where people are trying to make an isolated utopia for themselves. This novel is set in that type of place and does a good job of avoiding broad strokes and stereotypes. There is a wide cast of characters who all have differing ways of interacting with this idea of why they are living the way they are, and the story was dramatic without being overly melodramatic.
bookishlish's review
3.0
This book wasn’t quite 4 stars, so that’s the only reason it’s getting 3 instead. I actually enjoyed it once I hit the second half and it started to pick up. The first half was a little wonky in places, and I feel like there was a lot of information and a lot of characters in this book that is was really hard to keep them straight sometimes. Plus, the antagonist of the book kind of ended up being a little mustache-twirly. But overall, I haven’t really read anything in this vein before and it was definitely refreshing to read from the perspective of someone inside a commune, rather than someone thinking they’re evil. The romance was also kind of annoying but not super distracting.
jjandherbooks's review
4.0
Real rating: 3.5
I feel like this book had so much potential to be great and it just wasn't as interesting as it could have been. That's just my opinion, but it still had some cool little mystery type of stories snuggled into this one novel.
There were sweet family moments, and lots of character development, so overall, I felt that it was a really good coming of age novel.
I feel like this book had so much potential to be great and it just wasn't as interesting as it could have been. That's just my opinion, but it still had some cool little mystery type of stories snuggled into this one novel.
There were sweet family moments, and lots of character development, so overall, I felt that it was a really good coming of age novel.