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readteachcreate 's review for:
Secrets to the Grave
by Tami Hoag
I had tried one of Tami Hoag's books before and couldn't get into it, so I was a litter wary when I started this one. But I didn't need to be. I fell right into the story and it held me in its grip the whole way through. Also this was the second in her Oak Knoll series - and I had not yet read the first - I felt a connection with the character (maybe not as deep a one as I would normally want for main characters) but the connection was there nonetheless.
While reading this, I felt a connection to Anne and her wanting to help Dennis Farman - a troubled little boy who was heading down the wrong path in life. Someone, who at such a young age took please sure in causing others pain. But it was the glimpse into the little boy who just wants to be loved and realizes that he's alone in the whole world that was really heart wrenching. It wasn't the death of a woman who thought she was trying to help a little girl while seeking revenge against the man who had destroyed her hopes and dreams. It wasn't the love and caring of Anne who was willing to put herself in the line of fire to be there for a little girl. For me, the most poignant scene in the book was this one: "Nobody wanted to help him. Nobody would ever care how he felt or what he thought ever again. He had killed the one person in his life who would have done those things - Miss Navarre. He had no one. No one at all. And he never would again. He was rotten and bad and good-for-nothing like his dad had always said. And not one person in the whole world cared. He was all alone. For the first time in a long time, Dennis Farman cried himself to sleep." Such a heartbreaking scene. Although Dennis is a fictional character, his plight, what he grew up with and what he is feeling in that moment is not uncommon among children in similar situations. Kids who want to just be loved and accepted.
After reading this, I am going to back track to the first Oak Knoll book and then see what else Tami Hoag has to offer. From reading this book, Tami has a way of weaving a story together while being able to maintain a large stable of characters - each one different from the other - and not have one of them get lost in the shuffle or cause the reader to forget the character and their significance in the story. I look forward to trying more of her writing.
While reading this, I felt a connection to Anne and her wanting to help Dennis Farman - a troubled little boy who was heading down the wrong path in life. Someone, who at such a young age took please sure in causing others pain. But it was the glimpse into the little boy who just wants to be loved and realizes that he's alone in the whole world that was really heart wrenching. It wasn't the death of a woman who thought she was trying to help a little girl while seeking revenge against the man who had destroyed her hopes and dreams. It wasn't the love and caring of Anne who was willing to put herself in the line of fire to be there for a little girl. For me, the most poignant scene in the book was this one: "Nobody wanted to help him. Nobody would ever care how he felt or what he thought ever again. He had killed the one person in his life who would have done those things - Miss Navarre. He had no one. No one at all. And he never would again. He was rotten and bad and good-for-nothing like his dad had always said. And not one person in the whole world cared. He was all alone. For the first time in a long time, Dennis Farman cried himself to sleep." Such a heartbreaking scene. Although Dennis is a fictional character, his plight, what he grew up with and what he is feeling in that moment is not uncommon among children in similar situations. Kids who want to just be loved and accepted.
After reading this, I am going to back track to the first Oak Knoll book and then see what else Tami Hoag has to offer. From reading this book, Tami has a way of weaving a story together while being able to maintain a large stable of characters - each one different from the other - and not have one of them get lost in the shuffle or cause the reader to forget the character and their significance in the story. I look forward to trying more of her writing.