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50th out of 177 books
—
197 voters
A Stir of Bones (Red Heart of Memories 0.5)
Named as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, this stand-alone prequel to "A Red Heart of Memories" and "Past the Size of Dreaming" delves into the background of a teenage ghost and the house in which he resides.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
June 2nd 2005
by Firebird
(first published 2003)
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The prequel to A Red Heart of Memories.
Susan has a secret that she cannot share with anyone—when she misbehaves, her mother suffers...at the hand of her father. But Susan accidentally overhears a trio of friends say they should meet at the local haunted house, and she’s intrigued. She asks to join them, and thus her secret life at the haunted house begins. There she meets Nathan, a ghost who died and never left. She also gets to know the three friends she interrupted, and realizes that there ar...more
Susan has a secret that she cannot share with anyone—when she misbehaves, her mother suffers...at the hand of her father. But Susan accidentally overhears a trio of friends say they should meet at the local haunted house, and she’s intrigued. She asks to join them, and thus her secret life at the haunted house begins. There she meets Nathan, a ghost who died and never left. She also gets to know the three friends she interrupted, and realizes that there ar...more
Thirteen-year-old Susan slips out from under the thumb of her abusive father through friends and communing with a haunted house. Slight, strange, more horror than fantasy. By which I mean that the supernatural elements feel as though they are . . . extensions? Reflections? Of-a-piece? . . . nearly inextricable from the story of internal psychological strife – the fear and depression and self-destruction. Rather than being moving elements for their own sake. Quibble with my definition, whatever,...more
Susan Backstrom seems perfect on the outside, with a perfect appearance and perfect grades at school. With a father who controls every move she makes, Susan has no life of her own. One day at the public library she overhears three friends talking about their plan to go check out a supposedly haunted house. Her decision to join them, forever changes her life. With friends for the first time in her life, Susan actually feels happy…until she goes home that is. When Susan’s struggle to keep her dark...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Susan lives her life trying to be the perfect daughter her father always wanted. Because of Susan's guarded and introverted nature, people tend to avoid her. In order to crack Susan's armor, she needs a push from a friend, or maybe a push from something more supernatural.
I really love this book. I like the word choices the author uses throughout the book. One of my favorite lines is, "Susan awoke on Monday feeling there was a bubble inside of her- a rainbow iridescence enclosing something lighte...more
I really love this book. I like the word choices the author uses throughout the book. One of my favorite lines is, "Susan awoke on Monday feeling there was a bubble inside of her- a rainbow iridescence enclosing something lighte...more
This one was a short, fast read--and, it turns out, the third thing I've read this year actually intended for a YA audience. It's also a prequel of sorts to A Red Heart of Memories and Past the Size of Dreaming, two of Hoffman's earlier novels, telling the backstory of several of the characters that appear therein. It dates, however, back to when they were youngsters.
That said? It's a nice little novel. Not particularly complex of plot, but there are some lovely lyrical passages in it describing...more
That said? It's a nice little novel. Not particularly complex of plot, but there are some lovely lyrical passages in it describing...more
endicott mythic fiction for children,
this little book is reaching inside and tugging on some young part of me, crying, "i want to be known."
it evokes the pain and isolation of holding a secret close, the feelings of unreality and not feeling inside one's own body, the dream of love and safety as a hope, an anchor, yet close to impossible for the nightmare of feeling responsible and ashamed, feeling that the pain and isolation signifies that something is wrong with her, and hugging the shameful s...more
this little book is reaching inside and tugging on some young part of me, crying, "i want to be known."
it evokes the pain and isolation of holding a secret close, the feelings of unreality and not feeling inside one's own body, the dream of love and safety as a hope, an anchor, yet close to impossible for the nightmare of feeling responsible and ashamed, feeling that the pain and isolation signifies that something is wrong with her, and hugging the shameful s...more
A beautiful book that exceeds twilight for all it's worth.
This book is a powerful blend of ghost story, fantasy, realistic fiction and teen romance of a very odd sort. As the story slowly unfolds, the reader slowly learns the true story behind Susan's odd behavior. Plus, there's the whole idea of just what does constitute a haunted house...
This is another one of those books that I couldn't put down until I finished it. I spent every reading-available minute reading this book until I finished. I didn't give it a fifth star because the resolution didn't...more
This is another one of those books that I couldn't put down until I finished it. I spent every reading-available minute reading this book until I finished. I didn't give it a fifth star because the resolution didn't...more
Wow, humans suck.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The forward mentions that she wrote the first draft of this story many years ago. It does feel more like a first novel. I can't remember which other book of hers has the same house with a spirit, but it felt very familiar. A young jr high age girl has a life tightly controlled by an abusive father - finding new friends, supernatural and non-supernatural starts her on a journey of finding her way out.
This book is in my top 3 favorites. Once I started reading this book I instantly fell in love. The story line is just magnificent, in my opinion. The only part I didn't like about the book was the ending. Since the book ended the way it did, Hoffman should have made a sequel continuing with this story line. I would love to see a movie made out of this book. I recommend this book to everyone.
Oct 12, 2011
Alisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Jenni, Maria, Sarah, Jei, Clara, Kira
Shelves:
sff
Good stuff. It was one of those books that spoke directly to my inner ear, that gave me that wonderful curled-up-and-reading feeling whenever I picked it up. I've been feeling pretty bleah about SFF lately (Clarion overload, perhaps?) but I'm going to get the next in the series out of the library for next week. High praise, indeed.
Why did I take a chance on this book in the first place? Because of this great review (by the equally great Jo Walton --read Farthing!): http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/...more
Why did I take a chance on this book in the first place? Because of this great review (by the equally great Jo Walton --read Farthing!): http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/...more
I love how she doesn't give a pat ending to all of her books. The main character is left with an awful dilemma, in an unpleasant and unhappy situation, and yet there's enough hope and the reader can imagine things may have turned out well. Or, the reader can imagine that everything went downhill. Either way, the path traveled to get to the end of the book is intriguing and fantastical.
I really enjoyed this book, but I was thoroughly annoyed at the lack of resolution with the main character's primary conflict. Now that I looked up the book on Goodreads, I see that it is something of a prequel (though the book itself gave no indication of being part of a series) - so perhaps the issue will be resolved in the next books?
Aug 22, 2008
Julia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Julia by:
On a Nina Kiriki Hoffman kick this summer
Shelves:
fantasy
I hoped book #3 in this NKH Matt Black/ Edmund series would be their further adventures, but instead this goes back to when Susan met Edmund and Diedre and with Julio all went to explore the Haunted House. All of them are 12.
Tomboy Diedre needs a place to play with her dolls. Julio needs a place to practice his music. Edmund needs a place to practice his magic. But Susan’s is the greatest need – she needs to feel safe somewhere from her abusive father. He beats her mother for Susan’s infraction...more
Tomboy Diedre needs a place to play with her dolls. Julio needs a place to practice his music. Edmund needs a place to practice his magic. But Susan’s is the greatest need – she needs to feel safe somewhere from her abusive father. He beats her mother for Susan’s infraction...more
Not my cuppa tea. Perhaps if I'd read the books to which this is a prequel I would have liked it more. I finished the book and was mainly disturbed that the main character, Susan (view spoiler)
I picked up the book used because it was cheap and the author and I have the same name. Half way through it was going to be 2 stars but I liked the ending so much that I bumped it to 3 stars and I am considering reading more by Ms. Hoffman. It's a slow dreamy book that doesn't shy away from hard topics.
This was a fascinating study of a girl (Susan) entering puberty who is the product of incredible emotional manipulation and abuse from her father. Essentially, her mother is "punished" whenever the daughter is not "perfect." Thus, the pattern of physical abuse of the mother is used as a tool to control both mother and daughter. Through a combination of paranormal ability and a growing desire to rebel, this first book in a trilogy (and now I have to read the other two!) takes the reader to the po...more
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I think that the book a stir of bones is great if you love ghost stories you will love this book it is a sweet story about a girl who meets a ghost and she helps him so he doesn't have to be trapped in side the house he died in for ever.
I was blown away by this book.
The themes tackled in it - surviving an abusive household; coming to terms with living in a broken home - were handled very well and the characters came to life on the page.
This book is a keeper and I've already got the sequel on my bookshelf.
The themes tackled in it - surviving an abusive household; coming to terms with living in a broken home - were handled very well and the characters came to life on the page.
This book is a keeper and I've already got the sequel on my bookshelf.
The forward mentions that she wrote the first draft of this story many years ago. It does feel more like a first novel. I can't remember which other book of hers has the same house with a spirit, but it felt very familiar. A young jr high age girl has a life tightly controlled by an abusive father - finding new friends, supernatural and non-supernatural starts her on a journey of finding her way out.
Strange, strange book.
I'm slightly creeped out by it, but not enough to keep me from reading the sequels.
I liked the mood this book set. A creepy house, a ghost, an abusive parent; however, it never got TO scary.
I'm slightly creeped out by it, but not enough to keep me from reading the sequels.
I liked the mood this book set. A creepy house, a ghost, an abusive parent; however, it never got TO scary.
I was disappointed in this novel, and it took me forever to read.
Read my full book review at: http://www.dreamworldbooks.com/2011/1...
Read my full book review at: http://www.dreamworldbooks.com/2011/1...
Another young adult fantasy from Firebird Books that I very much enjoyed! The novel is full of compelling characters and situations that are very real. Lovely!
Feb 29, 2008
Kirsten
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Kirsten by:
Celia
Shelves:
read-pre-12-07,
from-library
I love Hoffman's stuff with a passion. She writes such fantastic characters, and I always fall in love with them. This one seems to have been published as YA novel, and it works as such, but it's also a prequel to A Red Heart of Memories, which was published as an adult novel. One of the things I love about her stuff is that she writes beautifully and sympathetically about serious issues, like suicide and abuse, but her books are also full of a sort of irrepressible joy and humor. In some ways t...more
This book has compelling characters, but is a bit creepy and bizarre.
Felt oddly unfinished! I did like it, though.
Jan 08, 2010
Lynn Calvin
added it
Amazon preorder,Amazon received
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Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s first solo novel, The Thread That Binds the Bones (1993), won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel; her second novel, The Silent Strength of Stones (1995) was a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. A Red Heart of Memories (1999, part of her “Matt Black” series), nominated for a World Fantasy Award, was followed by sequel Past the Size of Dreaming in 2001. Much o...more
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