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175th out of 558 books
—
466 voters
Oh My Stars
by
Lorna Landvik (Goodreads Author)
I am convinced that at birth the cake is already baked. Nurture is the nuts or frosting, but if you’re a spice cake, you’re a spice cake, and nothing is going to change you into an angel food.
Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, an...more
Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, an...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
February 28th 2006
by Ballantine Books
(first published January 1st 2005)
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What a lovely surprise. I thought Lorna Landvik wrote thin romances, but this story is far from thin. The great depression, the beginnings of rock and roll music, a look at race relations in the twentieth century, sewing skills, all get mixed into this story about family and love and growth. It's absolutely charming.
Oh My Stars takes place during the Great Depression of the 1930's. It is a coming of age story about Violet Mathers who believes she is flawed both physically and otherwise.
She becomes part of a band that is spreading a new kind of music.
It was a little slow in parts but you become very attached to the characters and especially Violet, who you want to see succeed.
She becomes part of a band that is spreading a new kind of music.
It was a little slow in parts but you become very attached to the characters and especially Violet, who you want to see succeed.
Jan 02, 2012
Kathleen Hagen
added it
Oh My Stars, by Lorna Landvik, Borrowed from the Library Services for the Blind. Also produced by Books on Tape and narrated by Cassandra Campbell.
Violet had a bleak existence for the first 16 years of her life. Her mother abandoned her and her father when Violet was quite small, and her father paid absolutely no attention to her except to say cruel things. Violet was tall, had a strong face, and was told by her mother and other kids that she was ugly. When she was 16, her father insisted she ge...more
Violet had a bleak existence for the first 16 years of her life. Her mother abandoned her and her father when Violet was quite small, and her father paid absolutely no attention to her except to say cruel things. Violet was tall, had a strong face, and was told by her mother and other kids that she was ugly. When she was 16, her father insisted she ge...more
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I'm giving this book a 3 because the characters were complex, colorful, and memorable, and some of the writing really painted a picture for me. Lorna did a good job of making some of the scenes really come alive. The whole concept of a lost soul being saved by complete strangers really captivated me too. I just read some other peoples reviews and noticed that some of you felt the characters were unrealistic. I didn't feel that way at all. Violet Mathers may be a bit unusual, but certainly not un...more
Feb 04, 2011
Patricia Fulwiler
is currently reading it
I must be missing something about this book, I am into chapter 7, and either because the book is horrible or I am skimming it, but I could not tell you this took place during the depression. I picked the book up to see what it was like during the depression, a 16 year old with a job, where are the people who really need the job. Depression. Then at 16 a job in the factory with dangerous machinery? So far I see another book about a dysfunctional family a father who is an alcoholic. So far all cha...more
This is one of those books I picked up at random from the library's collection of books on CD. From the synopsis, I thought it might be a good read.
In that, I was not disappointed. I found the plot and all the characters totally believable and beautifully drawn. Violet is a psychologically and physically damaged teenager in Kentucky during the Depression who decides that the world will be better off without her. Fate, however, has other plans for her.
Except for the bitchy daughter, Barrett, the...more
In that, I was not disappointed. I found the plot and all the characters totally believable and beautifully drawn. Violet is a psychologically and physically damaged teenager in Kentucky during the Depression who decides that the world will be better off without her. Fate, however, has other plans for her.
Except for the bitchy daughter, Barrett, the...more
Violet is a one armed, tall, skinny girl who thinks she is ugly. Since she lost her arm in a factory accident, she decides to withdraw her savings from the bank and take a buss trip cross coutry. She plans to jump off the Golden Gate bridge when she gets to California, but a bus wreck changes her plans.
After being taken in by a North Dakota family, she begins to see possibilites. She takes off with the farmer's son and a fellow black passenger. The men start a band, Violet becomes their manager....more
After being taken in by a North Dakota family, she begins to see possibilites. She takes off with the farmer's son and a fellow black passenger. The men start a band, Violet becomes their manager....more
Everytime I read another Lorna Landvik novel it immediately becomes my favourite. I liked the fact that this was departure from the groups of women clustered around a particular place, although the stories of friendship in this one are similar. Now I think that this one really is my favourite. I loved the characters and the journey they make together. Violet is a very engaging charcter with whom it is easy to sympathise, in fact all the characters step right off the page becoming real people. Se...more
'Oh my stars' this was a great book. This is the second book by Lorna Landvik I have read and I really enjoyed both books. Oh My Stars is about an unfortunate girl named Violet. Her mother leaves with a boyfriend when Violet is young. Violet's father is violent and mean to her and never shows her any affection.
While on a bus trip that ends in a crash Violet ends up in North Dakota and stays with the Hedstrom's. Her life quickly picks up once she meets this family, and discovers that there are a...more
While on a bus trip that ends in a crash Violet ends up in North Dakota and stays with the Hedstrom's. Her life quickly picks up once she meets this family, and discovers that there are a...more
I don't normally listen to abridged versions but I wanted something light to listen to for the hot days we were having. I don't even know why publishers issue abridged versions. The storyline was noticeably uninterrupted and on one CD the tracks were recorded out of order.
The redeeming value of this audio was the reader, Judith Ivey. She is superb. She provided unique voice along with proper accents to each of the main characters. She brought a wonderful new dimension to Lorna Landvik's strong s...more
The redeeming value of this audio was the reader, Judith Ivey. She is superb. She provided unique voice along with proper accents to each of the main characters. She brought a wonderful new dimension to Lorna Landvik's strong s...more
I read this after Kristen wrote her review. It is a book of courage. Read it when you need a pick me up, when your life is just too full of turmoil.
This tale is written as Violet as an old woman, tells the story of her life to a stranger in a diner. After losing her hand in an accident on her 16th birthday, she's on a bus to San Francisco to be the second person ever to throw themselves off the Golden Gate bridge. The bus has an accident and the townspeople who rescue the passengers change her l...more
This tale is written as Violet as an old woman, tells the story of her life to a stranger in a diner. After losing her hand in an accident on her 16th birthday, she's on a bus to San Francisco to be the second person ever to throw themselves off the Golden Gate bridge. The bus has an accident and the townspeople who rescue the passengers change her l...more
A pretty interesting story with characters and incidents for the most part believable, but the framing technique of the first-person narrator at the beginning of each chapter and the conclusion of the whole novel really didn't work for me. Most of the story is told in the third person, centering around the character of Violet Mathers and the events and people in her life, but the first-person parts are intended to BE Violet, sitting in a diner with you the reader as though you are having a conve...more
Lorna Landvik is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled to find this book to be every bit as good as, though certainly much different from two other gems, "Patty Jane's House of Curls" and "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons." This book is a fantastic "what if?" kind of book that takes the reader through the life of a young woman whose life changes drastically because of her being in the right place at the right time. I loved the great characterization of Violet, the protagonist of the sto...more
This book captivated me. It is about a poor, sad, abandoned young woman who finds love and family in unexpected places. The setting is during the Great Depression. The book touches on economy, war, racial tensions, feminism, and the stigma that is attached to a woman who is plain or different. Landvik writes so well that her novel is hard to put down. This book has some feel-good elements but it is not a feel-good book overall. It adds a certain romance to a time that was not very romantic. It h...more
The phrase oh my stars makes me roll my eyes. The sappiness should make me roll my eyes. The way everything falls together for the remaining characters at the end--eye-rolling material, but... oh my god. It must have hit at the right moment because I loved this book. I doubt I'll reread it because there's a chance I'll miss the loveliness next time. It's like a night in a bar. Sometimes those nights are cheap and you can see all the clap-trap and drunkiness. Other nights, it's better than a gard...more
My favorite thing about the book was the name Kjel. This book is okay. Mostly it's just not the kind of book I like to read.
I think the conflict resolution in the book could have been developed more deeply. Even though there were a slew of hard/sad things that happened in the story, it felt like the resolution took the easy way out. One horse ride later the suicidal girl is changed. Poof...the band is successful. Bam...the sewing company expanded. I did like the characters. I also thought the a...more
I think the conflict resolution in the book could have been developed more deeply. Even though there were a slew of hard/sad things that happened in the story, it felt like the resolution took the easy way out. One horse ride later the suicidal girl is changed. Poof...the band is successful. Bam...the sewing company expanded. I did like the characters. I also thought the a...more
This is my favorite Lorna Landvik so far. I have several more to read, and I'm looking forward to it! Oh My Stars is a deeply moving story, often tragic but ultimately uplifting, told in a personal, folksy, understated way. It provided a very real look at lives of ordinary people touched by the Depression and by racism. It made me laugh and cry many times, although I admit it was a bit embarrassing to finish the book on the plane with tears streaming down my cheeks for the last 50 pages! I am of...more
Reading this book is like sitting down with an older woman who appreciates the fascinating life she has lived. Chapters begin with an older Violet talking first-person, then switch to third-person to tell the bulk of the chapter. I have mixed feelings about the structure, though it did give some distance during the hard times, and allowed readers to feel more connected to the secondary characters, as well. Violet lives through the hardship of the Depression, the early days of integration, and ch...more
Lorna Landvik is fast becoming one of my favorite "go-to" authors. Her books are no strangers to tragedy - and this book is no excpetion to that rule - but despite the sad circumstances that seem to befall her characters, you as the reader fall in love with all the primary actors in her scenes. In this book, the main characters are easily flawed, but so lovable. Landvik makes some serious social commentaries on racism in this story and by using her main characters to illustrate the difficulties...more
This is another book that I picked because it was Landvik. This was once of my least favorites. The book is narrated by Violet, a girl with a horrible childhood. She loses an arm in an accident, her mother leaves her, and her father doesn't love her. She decides to go to San Francisco to kill herself, but the bus has an accident that derails her plans.
This is when the book turns south for me. Violet meets up with a band and decides to travel with them. And I find the subsequent 200 pages to be...more
This is when the book turns south for me. Violet meets up with a band and decides to travel with them. And I find the subsequent 200 pages to be...more
The first part of the book seemed like it needed more transition between the past and present; but I figured out the format I was reading on my Kindle Fire was hampering my understanding. I switched to my old Kindle and viola, the italics made a huge difference. This is an ambitious book that touches on bullying, desertion, interacial relationships, alcoholism, tolerance, and unrequieted and underappreciated love to name a few topics. Violet is a spirited woman with nothing to love that the read...more
Trust me, this is a compelling story about Depression Era America that will catch your attention quickly and will not let you go! A fictional memoir, this is Violet Mather's story, told by herself, with no attempt at sugar coating. Violet's memories of childhood are heartrendingly sad and her teen years don't get any better, but Violet, as channeled through the folksy story-telling voice of author Lorna Landvik, injects humor and pathos that charms the reader, promising from the very beginning t...more
I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were real and developed very well. Landvik took the tradegies of the time (the great depression, racial discrimination, the beginning of rock and roll) and the tragedies of individuals (Violet's mother leaving her with an abusive father, a horrible accident in a factory, a broken down bus, a shooting, a strained relationship between brothers, etc.) and combined them together to make a wonderful story about family, personal growth and love. You can't ask...more
Oct 19, 2008
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Mary by:
My friend Megan
One of my favorite books, I loved it, loved it, loved it. Maybe I just haven't read enough books, but I feel I read a good many and I enjoyed this one a lot. I am tired to reading the same thing again and again, tired of knowing what the ending is before it happens. Usually I already know how it ends before it even hits the climax, but in this book I was utterly shocked and surprised. Her devotion to Kjel was something I hated, becauce I didn't like him to much, but I didn't like Austin very mu...more
Wonderful plot, characters, theme, and setting.
Set in the 1930's in the Midwest, the book centers around a young girl named Violet. Abandoned by her mother, and when not being ignored was physically abused by her father, Violet still had a sense of humor, was smart, and was extremely talented with drawing and sewing. She was so tall and thin, she was teased by townspeople, kids in school, and her family. She grew up with no love and no confidence, but her talents gave her hope. Then an accident...more
Set in the 1930's in the Midwest, the book centers around a young girl named Violet. Abandoned by her mother, and when not being ignored was physically abused by her father, Violet still had a sense of humor, was smart, and was extremely talented with drawing and sewing. She was so tall and thin, she was teased by townspeople, kids in school, and her family. She grew up with no love and no confidence, but her talents gave her hope. Then an accident...more
Synopsis from bestprices.com:
I am convinced that at birth the cake is already baked. Nurture is the nuts or frosting, but if you’re a spice cake, you’re a spice cake, and nothing is going to change you into an angel food.
Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, and teased by her schoolmates (“Hey, Olive Oyl, where’s Popeye?”), the lonely girl finds solace i...more
I am convinced that at birth the cake is already baked. Nurture is the nuts or frosting, but if you’re a spice cake, you’re a spice cake, and nothing is going to change you into an angel food.
Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, and teased by her schoolmates (“Hey, Olive Oyl, where’s Popeye?”), the lonely girl finds solace i...more
I needed something fun and easy to read for our trip to Riviera Maya. I had read Angry Houswives years ago and decided to give Landvik another try. I loved this book. I laughed, I cried, I didn't want to put it down. The characters are flawed and lovable, and although there were times when I rolled my eyes and thought, "like that would really happen," I just thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would definitely recommend it to women. I'm just not sure I could see my husband reading it though.
I would definitely recommend it to women. I'm just not sure I could see my husband reading it though.
Lorna Lanvik is one of my favorite authors, and this book doesn't disappoint. A mixture of humor and sadness this story contains race relations, music, and the best description of a wayside diner ever. The unique characters are allowed to express their anger and hurt as well as contentment and sorrow. Readers who have a tendency to tears should keep a box of tissues handy. If you read 40 pages and wonder if Violet will ever escape her anger and hurt, keep reading. This book is about hope.
I enjoyed this book from start to finish! I loved the story, depression era with characters who were faced with the prejudice of the world at that time: women, race, handicap, socio-economic status, religion, performance arts, and more. The characters were able to face their adversaries and were able to rise above and beyond where society had placed them. It was a book of hope and of love and of devotion and the ending was the most sweet I have experienced as a reader. I enjoyed it very very muc...more
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Lorna Landvik is a mother of two and wife of one. She is the author of eight novels, including the best-selling ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS, PATTY JANE'S HOUSE OF CURL and OH MY STARS. Also an
actor and playwright, Lorna has appeared in many stage productions. She is a new and passionate neophyte to the practice of yoga, which is a fine antidote to her long established practice of lounging.
More about Lorna Landvik...
actor and playwright, Lorna has appeared in many stage productions. She is a new and passionate neophyte to the practice of yoga, which is a fine antidote to her long established practice of lounging.
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the two brothers were
20 fév. 19:55