Carolina’s a runaway hiding out at Harmony Farm. Mr. Ray and Miss Latah treat Carolina as their own. For 10 years she lived easy with her par...
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reviews
Nov 11, 2009
Sandra
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Carolina Harmony lost her parents and baby brother in a terrible accident when she was only nine. She went to live with her Aunt Shen. Aunt Shen had raised her father but was not his biological mother. His mother had been her best friend. Carolina lives in the mountains and loves its simple ways. When Aunt Shen has a stroke some well meaning women from the church step in and she is shipped of to a foster home. She promptly runs away and then is taken to a second foster home. It seems to
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Jun 03, 2011
Carol
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This is a story of a young orphan girl in the NC mountains during the 1960's who needs a family. Although Marilyn McDowell has shown the setting well, I was disappointed in how she chose to tell what could have been an emotionally gripping story. Repeated long flashbacks detract from the story, I would have preferred a more direct timeline. There were too many "coincidences" such as characters showing up in just the right spot and even new characters at the end of the book which make e
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Jun 03, 2010
Charlyn
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The 60s were a time of love and peace. There's a great deal of love in this book, but very little peace. Carolina finds herself an orphan left in the uncaring arms of Child Protective Services. She does the only thing she can think to do: she runs away and lands at Harmony Farm where she spins tales to explain her sudden appearance. She believes she has found a family to which she can belong when a person from her past arrives at Harmony Farm and jeopardizes the peace she thought she had fou
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Sep 01, 2009
Lora Leigh
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This was a random book I grabbed off the library shelf one day. It's about a girl from the mountains in Western NC who runs away when her grandmother (who she lives with) is hospitalized and the state comes in to place her in foster care. It's meant to be juvenile fiction, but I think the writing is a little beyond that in some places. Since we are headed to the mountains this weekend, about to the same spot as the setting for this book, I was a little excited about that. Really I think the book
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May 07, 2010
Jamie
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This book, set in a bucolic early 60's North Carolina mountain, would be a good read for little girls who loved Little House books but have outgrown them. It's slow and leisurely, but there are exciting plot points. Some have said the ending is far fetched, and it is a bit, but it's satisfying for a gentle read book.
My only question was geographical. How far apart WERE all these places. It seemed sometimes Carolina could run somewhere, other times they were in the car for hours. Ever More...
My only question was geographical. How far apart WERE all these places. It seemed sometimes Carolina could run somewhere, other times they were in the car for hours. Ever More...
Jun 15, 2009
Kristen
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After tragedy strikes, Carolina is left to foster families that scare and neglect her. She runs away hoping to find home. She is miraculously guided to the Harmony family, where they take her in and help heal her broken heart, yet Carolina is afraid to tell them the truth of her past. However someone comes along and, through malicious and deceiving behavior, they carelessly try to take it all away.
Carolina has a sad story but while some of the people she meets along her adventur More...
Carolina has a sad story but while some of the people she meets along her adventur More...
Apr 30, 2009
Mary
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This is a beautifully written book which makes it such a pleasure to read. Carolina grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. After her mother, father and little brother die in a car accident she goes to live with her grandmother. that is working out well until her grandmother has a stroke. The police insist on taking her away and here begins her search for a home and her learning so much about herself, relationships and truth.
Feb 09, 2009
Lisa
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Just read the advance copy of this and I liked it, but I felt it was too familiar. It reminded me a lot of pictures of Hollis Woods and another book I just can't put my finger on now. The characters of Miss Latah and Mr. Ray were interesting and I wish more time was spent on their back story. I liked Carolina, but thought she was too passive too much of the time.
Oct 15, 2010
Vicki
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This started out with such promise. Orphaned child who is living with the elderly woman who raised her dad in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1964. Wonderful flashbacks to when her family was still alive, then.....it just kind of limped along through the middle and, I sadly admit, I just flipped to the end to see how it came out. Could have been so much more.
Jul 25, 2009
Charlou
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Set in 1964, this book has more of a sense of place (Blue Ridge Mountains) than time and some interesting characters. Carolina is orphaned, goes to live with a grandmother who becomes ill, runs away from foster homes, and finds her own new family. It was uneven, a little too long and confusing in places.
Jun 28, 2010
Abby
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Meh. Something just didn't line up for me with this one. I might recommend it for people looking for a family story with a strong thread of Christian faith (angels and God) running through, but not so much for me. At least the ending was happier than Olive Kittridge!
Nov 19, 2010
Andrealitchfield
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A lovely story, definitely going onto the "grandchildren library shelf" once I get a copy. The author evokes the world of Appalachia in exquisite detail, and Carolina is a wonderful child who learns some tough lessons as she grows. For 8 and up.
Jun 19, 2009
Connie
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I liked Carolina but grew impatient with this slowly developing story line. Characters were well developed but I kept getting bogged down in the author's descriptive narrative. There also was a bit too much plot contrivance for me when people from Carolina's past kept popping up unexpectedly . I was relieved when I finally got to the end. That could be because I'm sitting her staring at a copy of The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan and can't wait to start it!
May 24, 2009
Ann
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This is a well written book, with an engaging character and setting. I thought it bogged down a bit and would have benefitted from tighter editing. Still worthwhile.
Sep 29, 2009
Tracie
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AFter her beloved parents and younger sibling are killed, a young girl runs away to find a place in the world where she belongs.
Dec 02, 2010
Rosie
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I really enjoyed this story of an orphaned girl living in South Carolina, but felt like the end was wrapped up too neatly.
Nov 25, 2009
good story of a young girl who finally stumbles into the home she has been looking for.
Feb 11, 2010
Jennifer
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Mcdowell masterfully evokes a 1960s mountain (NC) community. Carolina is a tough yet sweet character. Although set during the 60s, setting and character play a much more important role than time period.
Sep 16, 2009
Christine
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Too dark. Don't think I would recommend this to kids coming in to the library.
Oct 07, 2009
Tracie
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After running away from her foster family, 10-year-old Carolina spends the summer of 1964 at a peaceful farm in the Appalachian mountains and learns what it means to truly belong.
Nov 04, 2009
Melanie
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Very well written story of a young girl who's parents and baby brother died in an accident. She's been living with her "Auntie Shen," her father's adoptive mother. However, when her beloved Auntie Shen has a stroke and is hospitalized for a long while, Carolina finds herself in strange territory: foster-homes, none of which work out well. Carolina runs away and eventually ends up at the Harmony Farm and feels she has finally come home. But will it last?
Beautifully written, More...
Beautifully written, More...
Jun 20, 2010
Deborah
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Elegiac and pastoral, CAROLINA HARMONY is a story of a girl, a place, a time - and also a testament to the human need for a home. Lovely.
Oct 04, 2010
Sarah
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Carolina is a likeable character trying to a find a home and family. I didn't find the storytelling completely believable and at times felt like things were dragging. I'm not sure how popular this will be with my students.
Jul 01, 2011
Georgene
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This was a fairly good story, but the ending wrapped things up too quickly to be believable.
Feb 08, 2012
Jan 15, 2012
Dec 29, 2011
