Scan barcode
A review by book_concierge
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
3.0
Digital audiobook narrated by Holly Linneman
3.5***
Set during the Great Depression, Wolk’s novel shows the effects on one family when they lose their home in town and are forced to start over in a cabin on Echo Mountain. Life is tough on the mountain, but the family is managing; and then twelve-year-old Ellie’s father has an accident and while he’s confined to bed, the girls and women have to shoulder the burden. Ellie’s mother and older sister take on all the household chores, but it is up to Ellie, who grew to love the woods alongside her father, to fish and hunt game for their food. In this way she comes to really know the mountain, and meets the “hag” (Cate) who lives in a cabin and whom some claim is a witch. But Ellie believes Cate knows the secrets of healing and she’s determined to help her father anyway she can.
This is a lovely adventure story, focused on family, prejudice and discovery. Ellie is a great character – brave, tender, intelligent, resilient, eager to learn, open to new possibilities, and determined. I loved how she conquered her fears and argued in favor of Cate, and how determined she was to help her father heal from the accident. I also loved how nurturing she was … not just with Cate and her father, but also in the way she cared for her little brother, and for her puppy, Quiet.
Holly Linneman does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. I’d give her 5 stars for her performance. She was completely believable as six-year-old Samuel, as Ellie and as Cate.
3.5***
Set during the Great Depression, Wolk’s novel shows the effects on one family when they lose their home in town and are forced to start over in a cabin on Echo Mountain. Life is tough on the mountain, but the family is managing; and then twelve-year-old Ellie’s father has an accident and while he’s confined to bed, the girls and women have to shoulder the burden. Ellie’s mother and older sister take on all the household chores, but it is up to Ellie, who grew to love the woods alongside her father, to fish and hunt game for their food. In this way she comes to really know the mountain, and meets the “hag” (Cate) who lives in a cabin and whom some claim is a witch. But Ellie believes Cate knows the secrets of healing and she’s determined to help her father anyway she can.
This is a lovely adventure story, focused on family, prejudice and discovery. Ellie is a great character – brave, tender, intelligent, resilient, eager to learn, open to new possibilities, and determined. I loved how she conquered her fears and argued in favor of Cate, and how determined she was to help her father heal from the accident. I also loved how nurturing she was … not just with Cate and her father, but also in the way she cared for her little brother, and for her puppy, Quiet.
Holly Linneman does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. I’d give her 5 stars for her performance. She was completely believable as six-year-old Samuel, as Ellie and as Cate.