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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book but it was recommended to me as a retelling of hades and his wife. Eh….Nah it’s definitely not that but this book was enjoyable. It was a little hard to follow; I’m not sure if was because I listened to it instead of actually reading it. I will probably buy a copy and reread it again. I loved Finn tho, he was definitely my favorite character.
This whole book is so very magical and mystical. With characters full of life and depth, all very odd and seemingly impossible, you wish they existed just for the pleasure of knowing that you live in the same world as them. Finn, Roza, Petey, Sean, they all have fascinating stories and their relations to each other are complex and realistic. Finn especially a great dynamic with the a big reveal in the middle that was really interesting and unusual, in that it was actually real. Interesting discussions about beauty and the classic setting of a mysterious small town in the middle of no where, plus a twisting plot line, created a great atmosphere for these characters to flourish in. The villain is suitably terrifying, and the final conclusion is really weird in a satisfactory way. Perhaps a little more explanation would have helped, but honestly if there had been too much, the book would have lost the magical realism that made it so special. Overall, just a lovely picturesque book to read.
I liked this book, but like many of the award winners, I'm not sure it is the one I would have picked. The writing is very beautiful, but I'm still scratching my head a little as to what exactly happened in the story. I get that it is magical realism, but....
How do I review this book?
It is a feminist manifesto. Sometimes it's a little heavy-handed but WOW… what Ruby says about how men treat women is spot on. I did find Finn a frustrating character, who sometimes felt young for being a junior or senior in high school; he felt 11 sometimes and then 17 other times…but I adored his relationship with Priscilla (Petey) and that kept me going. And Roza! Oh my heart broke for her. I loved the magical realism aspects to this novel and it was beautifully drawn; I honestly wish we had more of it to really grasp the world there.
You'll either love it or hate it, I think. I loved it. It felt like a Nova Ren Suma book meets Sara Zarr.
It is a feminist manifesto. Sometimes it's a little heavy-handed but WOW… what Ruby says about how men treat women is spot on. I did find Finn a frustrating character, who sometimes felt young for being a junior or senior in high school; he felt 11 sometimes and then 17 other times…but I adored his relationship with Priscilla (Petey) and that kept me going. And Roza! Oh my heart broke for her. I loved the magical realism aspects to this novel and it was beautifully drawn; I honestly wish we had more of it to really grasp the world there.
You'll either love it or hate it, I think. I loved it. It felt like a Nova Ren Suma book meets Sara Zarr.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Review: Laura Ruby's Bone Gap is hard to define. It has a touch of magical realism, which I certainly appreciated, along with some fairy tale, coming of age, and feminist elements, but it has enough of a realistic fiction feel that it's difficult to categorize, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much (remember my review of a similarly difficult to categorize book).
In the book, Finn O'Sullivan, a quirky teen, tries to find the captor of Roza, a mysterious girl Finn and his older brother Sean took under their wing a while back. The catch? Finn can't remember the captor's face, leading the people of Bone Gap to dismiss what he saw as delusional. It's a book of love, true beauty, and perseverance in the face of obstacles.
While I felt like the plot was hard to keep up with at times, I was able to push past my confusion and enjoy the characters and themes. Ruby has some fantastic feminist characters, and keeps them in touch with real problems like the harm of societal expectations of beauty and sexual harassment. She also tackles other large problems like mental disorders, parental abandonment, and the struggle of living in a small town.
Ruby's novel performs well on a line-by-line basis, too. The constant referrals to the absurdity of college application essay prompts are humorous and, later on, heartbreaking. More than that, they keep the book relevant to its target audience.
The main flaw in this book is the lack of explanation for certain central problems, but I think that's always an issue for books with more magical realist qualities. Readers should go into this novel prepared to go along with certain ideas without questioning them.
Recommendation: Those who dislike magical realism should stay away from this book. Teens aged 14 and up would probably appreciate Bone Gap most. There are possible triggers in the chapters covering Roza's time in college, but Ruby is not graphic. Fans of Magonia will likely enjoy this read (and vice versa).
Review: Laura Ruby's Bone Gap is hard to define. It has a touch of magical realism, which I certainly appreciated, along with some fairy tale, coming of age, and feminist elements, but it has enough of a realistic fiction feel that it's difficult to categorize, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much (remember my review of a similarly difficult to categorize book).
In the book, Finn O'Sullivan, a quirky teen, tries to find the captor of Roza, a mysterious girl Finn and his older brother Sean took under their wing a while back. The catch? Finn can't remember the captor's face, leading the people of Bone Gap to dismiss what he saw as delusional. It's a book of love, true beauty, and perseverance in the face of obstacles.
While I felt like the plot was hard to keep up with at times, I was able to push past my confusion and enjoy the characters and themes. Ruby has some fantastic feminist characters, and keeps them in touch with real problems like the harm of societal expectations of beauty and sexual harassment. She also tackles other large problems like mental disorders, parental abandonment, and the struggle of living in a small town.
Ruby's novel performs well on a line-by-line basis, too. The constant referrals to the absurdity of college application essay prompts are humorous and, later on, heartbreaking. More than that, they keep the book relevant to its target audience.
The main flaw in this book is the lack of explanation for certain central problems, but I think that's always an issue for books with more magical realist qualities. Readers should go into this novel prepared to go along with certain ideas without questioning them.
Recommendation: Those who dislike magical realism should stay away from this book. Teens aged 14 and up would probably appreciate Bone Gap most. There are possible triggers in the chapters covering Roza's time in college, but Ruby is not graphic. Fans of Magonia will likely enjoy this read (and vice versa).
You almost HAVE to be character driven to get through this book.
The characters all had flaws and faults and personal struggles they had to battle on their own. Each character dealt with very personal and different issues and the way they work around those obstacles was truly one of the bigger driving points for the story.
However, Charlie and Sean could have benefited from one or two more introspective chapters.
My other note is that the story is wrapped a little too clean, and basically tells the reader to just trust that the trouble has ended, so if you have issue with that be aware. Personally I didn’t mind it. It gave me a lot of creative thought for an adult series sequel!
Overall, I think I’m starting to like books with unreliable narrators.
The characters all had flaws and faults and personal struggles they had to battle on their own. Each character dealt with very personal and different issues and the way they work around those obstacles was truly one of the bigger driving points for the story.
However, Charlie and Sean could have benefited from one or two more introspective chapters.
My other note is that the story is wrapped a little too clean, and basically tells the reader to just trust that the trouble has ended, so if you have issue with that be aware. Personally I didn’t mind it. It gave me a lot of creative thought for an adult series sequel!
Overall, I think I’m starting to like books with unreliable narrators.
In a word, Bone Gap was different; in a phrase, it was a modern fairy tale. It reminded me of both A.S. King and Sarah Addison Allen’s books. The story had elements of magical realism, fantasy, fairy tale, romance and mystery. In spite of the fact that I love all of those things, I found Bone Gap difficult to read. I think I had a hard time focusing on everything that was happening and all of those elements together made it hard for me to figure out where the story was going. I completely understand why it won the Printz award. In addition to being different, it was well-written and used plenty of literary devices. Abandonment, desperation and bees were are important to the telling of this tale. I liked it, but I wish I would have been prepared for something so cerebral.
This was an interesting book. It goes along like a typical mystery, and then more than halfway through, it has a magical element - that was a little weird for me. I mean I guess going back, it started much earlier, but the way everything is described is so "normal" and then...it's not. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that element. But overall, this was a cool book, and I enjoyed it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes