Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos is a book I have been looking forward to reading as soon as I heard of it. I read Broken For You, Kallos' first book when it came out and enjoyed it (although I think I sort of skimmed through the ending). With all the press that Sing Them Home has been getting, I was sure Kallos' second novel was as good as her first.
There are many things I have to say about Sing Them Home and I am not even sure where to start. I used to not shy away from long books, but anymore they just take me too long to get done. Sing Them Home was a whopping 540 pages, so it has taken me a week to get through it (with a few other young adult books thrown in along the way). It was not necessarily a book I couldn't put down, but the further along I got into it, the more I enjoyed it. Kallos' characters are unique from their names to personalities, so I won't soon forget them.
Set in Emlyn Springs, Nebraska, the book focuses on three grown siblings: Larken, Gaelen, and Bonnie and the various occurences in their lives. The children are still dealing with the tornado that ripped through their town in 1978, leaving their mother Hope, forever missing. Larken is a college professor struggling personally and professionally. Gaelen is a meteorologist who is let go from his job and suffers some sort of midlife crisis when this happens and moves back to Emlyn Springs, and Bonnie, the youngest sibling has always lived in her hometown, hoping not to be a spinster for her entire life. When their father, Dr. Llewelyn Jones unexpectedly passes away, all three siblings get together again. Hope's diary entries are interspersed between chapters giving additional information about the mother that is no longer with them.
After finishing the book, I would say I really enjoyed it. While I was reading it, I would have said it was OK. As I got to know the characters the story grew on me. Kallos' book should attract many readers.
There are many things I have to say about Sing Them Home and I am not even sure where to start. I used to not shy away from long books, but anymore they just take me too long to get done. Sing Them Home was a whopping 540 pages, so it has taken me a week to get through it (with a few other young adult books thrown in along the way). It was not necessarily a book I couldn't put down, but the further along I got into it, the more I enjoyed it. Kallos' characters are unique from their names to personalities, so I won't soon forget them.
Set in Emlyn Springs, Nebraska, the book focuses on three grown siblings: Larken, Gaelen, and Bonnie and the various occurences in their lives. The children are still dealing with the tornado that ripped through their town in 1978, leaving their mother Hope, forever missing. Larken is a college professor struggling personally and professionally. Gaelen is a meteorologist who is let go from his job and suffers some sort of midlife crisis when this happens and moves back to Emlyn Springs, and Bonnie, the youngest sibling has always lived in her hometown, hoping not to be a spinster for her entire life. When their father, Dr. Llewelyn Jones unexpectedly passes away, all three siblings get together again. Hope's diary entries are interspersed between chapters giving additional information about the mother that is no longer with them.
After finishing the book, I would say I really enjoyed it. While I was reading it, I would have said it was OK. As I got to know the characters the story grew on me. Kallos' book should attract many readers.
1 comment:
Your review makes me want to pick this one back up. I had so been looking forward to it, but I couldn't stay with it past 100 pages. Sounds like it got better if I could have hung in there...
Post a Comment