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81st out of 283 books
—
283 voters
Winnemucca
by
Laura A.H. Elliott (Goodreads Author)
A small-town fairy tale.
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published July 9th 2011)
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I will admit that when I picked Winnemucca up tonight to read it, I was tired and not really in the mood to read, which is unusual for me. However, it wasn't long before Ms. Elliott's poetic writing had drawn me in and captivated me completely. I quickly knew that I was in for the long haul, so I ran a bubble bath and poured a glass of wine and settled in for the ride.
And what a ride it was! Ms. Elliott has created a main character in Ginny that makes you root for her so completely that when so...more
And what a ride it was! Ms. Elliott has created a main character in Ginny that makes you root for her so completely that when so...more
Winnemucca by Laura Elliot is a powerful re-telling of one of the most ancient of stories: The journey of a strong girl to womanhood in a hard, desolate place. While this story has been told a million times throughout history, Laura Elliot re-frames it not only by placing it in contemporary, western-rural America, but by telling it from the point of view of a girl from a rural population historically ignored. The story is boldly told in poetic prose that I have not read since the writers of an o...more
With the best books, you pick them up, and you know after a few sentences, this is going to be a good one. Laura Elliott's YA book Winnemucca is pure poetry. Adults will devour this book as much as any younger readers. I found myself slowing down to breathe in the beauty of the words, sometimes reading aloud, to better try and catch the rhythms of the beautiful and unique back-country voice of this narrator, Virginia Mae Nolyn:
"When the convict slipped back into the circular crowd, I grabbed a h...more
"When the convict slipped back into the circular crowd, I grabbed a h...more
“One foot in front of the other.”
Seventeen year old Virginia Mae Nolyn has the perfect life – good grades, loving family, and an engagement to her handsome, All-American boyfriend. However, weeks before her wedding, Ginny realizes that the future that’s been laid out before her is not the one she wants. She feels as though her life has been managed to the last detail by everyone but her. In a single moment of magical awakening, the road beckons her to leave her empty future behind and urges her...more
Seventeen year old Virginia Mae Nolyn has the perfect life – good grades, loving family, and an engagement to her handsome, All-American boyfriend. However, weeks before her wedding, Ginny realizes that the future that’s been laid out before her is not the one she wants. She feels as though her life has been managed to the last detail by everyone but her. In a single moment of magical awakening, the road beckons her to leave her empty future behind and urges her...more
Wonderfully written and often profound. The style was very distinctive - in many respects it reminded me of early Alice Hoffman, but this felt more grounded in reality (in a good way) and often probed deeper into the thoughts and motivations of the characters. The writing probably ran over-long in some parts, but everything was so beautifully put together it was a pleasure to read it for reading's sake.
Source: Author provided digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review
My summary:
Ginny is about to turn eighteen. Ginny is about to marry the high school quarterback, Bobby. Ginny is having issues with her feet. Mostly her feet are wondering everywhere except where they are supposed to, walking away from commitments that no one in her small town would walk away from. Now she has to try and figure out if her empty bag of dreams is more important than doing what’s expected of her, from ever...more
My summary:
Ginny is about to turn eighteen. Ginny is about to marry the high school quarterback, Bobby. Ginny is having issues with her feet. Mostly her feet are wondering everywhere except where they are supposed to, walking away from commitments that no one in her small town would walk away from. Now she has to try and figure out if her empty bag of dreams is more important than doing what’s expected of her, from ever...more
Jul 26, 2011
Abbi Glines
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Any lover of YA
Recommended to Abbi by:
I interviewed the Author
Winnemucca is one of the most beautifully written YA novels I've ever read. Ms. Eilliot's voice is unique. It keeps you captivated and makes putting Winnemucca down, impossible.
Ginny is the main character and in so many ways the reader can relate to her life. Everyone in her life knows what is best for her and they don't care what Ginny wants. Like so many of us Ginny has to find the courage to fight for her dreams, her desires, and the guy she loves. The story begins with Ginny walking down a...more
Ginny is the main character and in so many ways the reader can relate to her life. Everyone in her life knows what is best for her and they don't care what Ginny wants. Like so many of us Ginny has to find the courage to fight for her dreams, her desires, and the guy she loves. The story begins with Ginny walking down a...more
Doesn’t everybody want to find that magical place in life that’s uniquely their own? That place that feels so right that it resonates truth somewhere deep down in our soul? Well so does Ginny, only every detail of her life has been planned by others and all with very little thought to what feels right to her.
Laura Elliott takes us on a journey of self-discovery as told through the amazingly profound introspection of a young girl as she finds wisdom, truth, and happiness in a life that’s much mo...more
Laura Elliott takes us on a journey of self-discovery as told through the amazingly profound introspection of a young girl as she finds wisdom, truth, and happiness in a life that’s much mo...more
Laura Elliott had me from the very beginning of this book. It's enchanting, beautiful, heart-wrenching... a real modern day fairy tale. Everything about it just shouts 'masterpiece'. It's the kind of book that young adults all over the world ought to be reading in college. Yes, it really did have that much of an effect on me. I'd put this up there with The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (one of my all time favourite reads), because simply put, I could read Winnemucca, a small town fairy tale...more
This book was too amazing to put down.
It kept me up one night for hours, I was pulled into the story like hot glue on a shiny jewel being attached to a sombrero. I was stuck.
The reason I gave it four stars instead of 5 was because I cheated; three-quarters of the way through reading I had to jump to the end and read the last chapter immediately. I just had to know how it ended and I couldn't take it anymore without knowing. This skip to the end idea almost never happens when I read a book, way...more
It kept me up one night for hours, I was pulled into the story like hot glue on a shiny jewel being attached to a sombrero. I was stuck.
The reason I gave it four stars instead of 5 was because I cheated; three-quarters of the way through reading I had to jump to the end and read the last chapter immediately. I just had to know how it ended and I couldn't take it anymore without knowing. This skip to the end idea almost never happens when I read a book, way...more
Boy, did this book take my breath away. It was completely different than anything I have read before and yet still had a tinge of familiarity about it.
From the very first page I knew this book would be special. The author's writing voice was a unique mix of small town rural and the air of a magical fairy tale. She captured the metaphors of certain moments perfectly with phrases like "road blood" and that "Boom. Boom-boom" that haunted her protaginst Ginny so much. It's this kind of writing I loo...more
From the very first page I knew this book would be special. The author's writing voice was a unique mix of small town rural and the air of a magical fairy tale. She captured the metaphors of certain moments perfectly with phrases like "road blood" and that "Boom. Boom-boom" that haunted her protaginst Ginny so much. It's this kind of writing I loo...more
I loved this tale of the 'ripening' of Ginny's 'road blood' and her journey to define herself.
It's beautifully written and I couldn't stop reading.
I think Ginny has a lot in common with the heroine of my novella, 'Ruby Slippers.' A fabulous YA read and I've recommended it to one of my stepdaughters.
It's beautifully written and I couldn't stop reading.
I think Ginny has a lot in common with the heroine of my novella, 'Ruby Slippers.' A fabulous YA read and I've recommended it to one of my stepdaughters.
I picked this book up, started reading, and couldn't put it down. I can't remember when I last read a novel in two days. Where did the truth end and fantasy begin? A modern fairytale? Yes...but in the end, one I wanted to believe in.
Dec 21, 2011
Cheri
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who adore coming-of-age stories, strong heroines, and literary fiction
Winnemucca is a dreamy, intense journey and coming of age for Ginny. As the reader follows that journey with her, we learn powerful lessons about life and love and the importance of following our feet, wherever they may lead. For Ginny, her restless feet lead her to danger and fear but also to love and answers to her past. Author Laura Elliott's writing voice is very unique. She had me at the first line. There is a lyrical, almost poetic style to her prose, and it lulls you into a dream state as...more
Ummmm...what the heck was that?? This book was incredibly disjointed for the first 2/3 and I couldn't tell if the main character was insane or if the writing was supposed to be like that. It was very odd. It came together a bit better in the final 1/3 of the book, but I just found this to be overall very weird. A fairy tale? Not really.
Maybe I'm not young enough to appreciate the writing or story. It was confusing for most of the book and quite frankly I kept waiting to find out at the end that it was all a dream.
Jul 08, 2012
Amanda
added it
I had a hard time following the direction of this story at times. I didn't always understand all of the characters and how they were connected.
Weird.
I was sucked into Ginny's world the moment the book opened and followed every step she took, one foot in front of the other, right to the end, cheering her on, feeling her pain, scared for her even as I wanted her to learn to fly. I really loved this book--well done.
I was disappointed in this book, it rambled and often didn't make sense.
This is nothing I was expecting! Definately glad I read it. :)
This book was way too weird for me to like.
Jun 03, 2013
Kimberly
marked it as to-read
May 29, 2013
Emilie Hausmann
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Indie Carnival : Winnemucca, a small-town fairy tale | 1 | 4 | Jan 11, 2012 08:36am |
I love writing about enchanted road trips, shadow worlds, and alien romance while eating lots of popcorn. I live with my hubby and Oso, our aussie shepherd, in our tree house on the central California coast. After twenty-plus years as a freelance graphic designer/animator with clients including E! Entertainment Television and The Los Angeles Times, I crossed over into the world of publishing non-f...more
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