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A review by nairam1173
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
4.0
This was one of those Newbery's that entered the house a lot when I was a child and I never managed to force myself to finish it.
Reading it now, I can see both why that was the case and why this book has such a good reputation. It is slow going, but worth the effort. There is more emotional telling in the beginning half or so than I would like, but the latter half really showcases the consequences of Daniel's emotional choices in a way that I don't think I've seen before. There is also inclusion of a serious mental illness and/or demonic possession (Daniel thinks it's the latter, it seems to be described as the former; whichever it is, it is debilitating) due to trauma that is treated with dignity and kindness. The loyalty of the characters who interact with this character, even when they don't understand and even when they get it wrong, is really cool. Altogether the book is honest and gentle.
I'm not sure how I feel about the way Jesus is included (it's not disrespectful at all, I'm just uncertain), but the themes are handled quite well and some of the characters are really well-drawn.
Not a perfect book, but a good one.
Reading it now, I can see both why that was the case and why this book has such a good reputation. It is slow going, but worth the effort. There is more emotional telling in the beginning half or so than I would like, but the latter half really showcases the consequences of Daniel's emotional choices in a way that I don't think I've seen before. There is also inclusion of a serious mental illness and/or demonic possession (Daniel thinks it's the latter, it seems to be described as the former; whichever it is, it is debilitating) due to trauma that is treated with dignity and kindness. The loyalty of the characters who interact with this character, even when they don't understand and even when they get it wrong, is really cool. Altogether the book is honest and gentle.
I'm not sure how I feel about the way Jesus is included (it's not disrespectful at all, I'm just uncertain), but the themes are handled quite well and some of the characters are really well-drawn.
Not a perfect book, but a good one.