Me & Emma
by Elizabeth Flock
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1530)
Read in May, 2008
This is my favorite type of book in that it is written from the viewpoint of a child. I have a very vivid memory of my early childhood, and as I read novels, I try to take in styles of writers - especially those writing from this viewpoint since I hope to someday write a novel and draw from my personal experience as a curious, somewhat intellectual child.
The setting of "Me and Emma" is a somewhat stereotypical poor, southern, second-marriage where someone's a drunk and the wife get...more
The setting of "Me and Emma" is a somewhat stereotypical poor, southern, second-marriage where someone's a drunk and the wife get...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Marika by:
Danicarecommends it for: Andrea, Shera
This book was heartbreaking. I read it in the car as Nathan and I were driving back to Colorado Springs from Boise and many times, Nathan would look over to find me sniffling as tears streamed down my face.
Caroline and Emma Parker are sisters suffering after the tragic, unexpected death of their biological father. Living in a home with an angry, abusive stepfather and an emotionally absent mother, Caroline and her sister decide to run away from home to escape and, when they are found, their ...more
Caroline and Emma Parker are sisters suffering after the tragic, unexpected death of their biological father. Living in a home with an angry, abusive stepfather and an emotionally absent mother, Caroline and her sister decide to run away from home to escape and, when they are found, their ...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2008
This book was very sad and heartbreaking, but was a fast read because you wanted to know what happened. Immediately you will feel connected to the two little girls, Carrie and Emma. It was hard not to like these little girls because of their circumstances that were just downright immoral an degrading.
It was particularly interesting to me reading it with a younger sister close in age like Emma and Carrie were. At times I related with both girls, but felt more inline with Emma, the younger s...more
It was particularly interesting to me reading it with a younger sister close in age like Emma and Carrie were. At times I related with both girls, but felt more inline with Emma, the younger s...more
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Read in June, 2008
What a great read! I love stories told from this perspective - a child's. It really captured me from the moment I opened it until I put it down.
However, it deals with some very hard issues, like child and spousal abuse and the psychological effects those have. Carrie is 8, her sister Emma is 6. Carrie's the narrator, and she feels very protective over her sister - although she views her sister as the stronger, braver one of the two.
Their dad died a few years prior to the story and thei...more
However, it deals with some very hard issues, like child and spousal abuse and the psychological effects those have. Carrie is 8, her sister Emma is 6. Carrie's the narrator, and she feels very protective over her sister - although she views her sister as the stronger, braver one of the two.
Their dad died a few years prior to the story and thei...more
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Read in June, 2007
I'm still thinking about this book. That's pretty rare.
This is the story of two sisters, the narrator, who's eight, and her sister, Emma, who's six. Emma is the strong, brave one, but the narrator feels protective of her because their mother doesn't like Emma very much.
Their mother has an abusive boyfriend. There is child abuse in this novel, and at times it's both hard to read and over the top.
The gem here is the narrator. The voice of a young girl is captured perfectly. The author...more
This is the story of two sisters, the narrator, who's eight, and her sister, Emma, who's six. Emma is the strong, brave one, but the narrator feels protective of her because their mother doesn't like Emma very much.
Their mother has an abusive boyfriend. There is child abuse in this novel, and at times it's both hard to read and over the top.
The gem here is the narrator. The voice of a young girl is captured perfectly. The author...more
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Read in December, 2007
I was unsure about this book at first, as it is written in a very different way to the books I usually read. It is told from the view of 8-year-old Carrie, a dark-haired, shy introvert. Throughout the book, Carrie is alongside her little sister Emma, who is almost the exact opposite, with blonde hair and the ability to do anything and be utterly fearless, something Carrie admires.
The story tells of their struggle to live with their oblivious mother and awful step-father, Richard.
With Emma b...more
The story tells of their struggle to live with their oblivious mother and awful step-father, Richard.
With Emma b...more
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Read in March, 2007
Carrie Parker is a typical eight-year-old girl - she enjoys climbing trees, playing with her neighbors, and admiring her stamp collection. At second glance, however, the imaginative Carrie cannot escape from the violent death of her father, and the subsequent verbal, emotional and sexual abuse from her stepfather. She and her sister Emma construct a plot to escape from this, but are caught just before the family moves out to the country. Carrie cannot depend on her mother to defend her agains...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
people who love southern lit.
This was a "2005 Highlights" recommended book from the Independent Bookseller List (I have liked several from this list including The History of Love, Banishing Verona, Any Bitter Thing, and A Complicated Kindness)...
I would give it 2 1/2 stars. Several things bothered me. It seemed like a slightly cliched version of a "typical" poverty-stricken little girl getting abused by her stepfather while uttering adorable southern phrases. The only problem is that I feel like I've ...more
I would give it 2 1/2 stars. Several things bothered me. It seemed like a slightly cliched version of a "typical" poverty-stricken little girl getting abused by her stepfather while uttering adorable southern phrases. The only problem is that I feel like I've ...more
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Read in July, 2007
i thought this book was fantastic, beautifully written, believable, well-thought out, the only trouble is that i guess i've read so many things with a similar twist to the ending that now i can spot that sort of twist quite early on, so everyone said the ending was so incredibly shocking, but i guessed it by page 100 out of 300 total, which is a bit disappointing, however on the other hand it made me really appreciate how accurate the author was about all the foreshadowing, which is unusual with...more
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Read in July, 2008
I read this book in about 2 days. I saw that one of my friends was reading it and it intrigued me, so I picked it up at the library. What a great book! I was so taken in by the quickness of the writing. It grabs you on the first page and is hard to put down. As much as it's important to have details in a book, too much can bog it down, making the story long and at times boring, but not with this book. There aren't incredibly long paragraphs with descriptive narratives that make you want to...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
anyone
This is the story of two sisters who endure many traumatizing events at the hands of the adults in their lives.They face more in their young lives than most people deal with in a lifetime, including alcoholism, violence, sexual abuse and extreme poverty. They survive the troubling events because they have each other to rely on. The story is told through the perspective of a child, which makes the overall tone very sweet and endearing. It makes the reader really like these little girls. There is ...more
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Read in March, 2005
recommends it for:
those who enjoy psychology and can handle the heart-wrenching sadness of child abuse
It's a heart-wrenching story about a little girl living in poverty conditions who is abused by her stepfather. She turns to her sister for complete emotional support and creates a world where nothing outside their allegiance to each other matters. You want to protect these girls and hope with each incident that somehow something intervenes. The abuse isn't graphic, but even implied is horrific. I can still see this girl with dirty sweaty hair matted to her face curled up inside herself. Then you...more
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Read in April, 2008
Gotcha!
This is one of those types of books. Where you think you are reading it one way then the end does a little twist and turn that makes you re-think everthing you just read.
I thought it was too predictable too soon. And at the same time, there are places where this device doesn't work very well.
Overall, I'd rather have spent time reading something else. It was almost like a "beach book" that kills time and is an enjoyable read, but it wasn't. I don't enjoy readin...more
This is one of those types of books. Where you think you are reading it one way then the end does a little twist and turn that makes you re-think everthing you just read.
I thought it was too predictable too soon. And at the same time, there are places where this device doesn't work very well.
Overall, I'd rather have spent time reading something else. It was almost like a "beach book" that kills time and is an enjoyable read, but it wasn't. I don't enjoy readin...more
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Read in October, 2007
It feels a little weird to be breaking out the five star rating so soon, but this book definitely deserved it. This was a book that I always walked by in the book stores because I had another book by the author and wasn't impressed...I wasn't looking to try this one out.
The whole time reading it, I really felt for Carrie and her sister Emma. It was such a sad story. There were a couple of times that I got a little confused and had to go back and re-read the previous page (or two).
I...more
The whole time reading it, I really felt for Carrie and her sister Emma. It was such a sad story. There were a couple of times that I got a little confused and had to go back and re-read the previous page (or two).
I...more
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Read in September, 2005
The book covers very touchy complex topics. The tragic death of a parent, physical and sexual abuse, and depression. It is told from the perspective of 8 year old Carrie Culver (Parker), including fantastic southern dialogue. You almost feel like you are 8 and reading the thoughts of this little girl. I loved the way this character refers to distance in Barbie lengths. This was a sad reminder of how poorly children are treated. This is not a feel good book. I was left feeling depressed and sadde...more
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So I picked this book up while I was on vacation for a night's read back at the hotel because it looked bittersweet and well written. It is both those things, but it's also depressing as anything: the ending hit me out of nowhere even though I have some understanding of the psychological damage caused by child abuse, and I felt a bit manipulated by the writer's deliberate presentation of a point of view where all the characters back up the narrator's perspective to create reality where there's o...more
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Read in March, 2008
my mom loaned me this book. it's not one that i'd pick up on my own. still, it was a quick read and pretty good. it's basically one tragedy after another for these two little girls: death of a loving father, an emotionally defunct and depressed mother, a horribly abusive stepfather, poverty, hunger, alcoholism. the list could go on. still, there's pieces of kindness in there and i suppose that's the same reason it kept me reading it as kept the main characters going. with a surprise ending and a...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Courtney by:
Heatherrecommends it for: Carrie, Taylor, Heather, Colette, and Mom
This was a moving story about child abuse told from the perspective of an 8 year old little girl named Caroline. I can't really explain all the things I loved about the book without giving away important information, so I'll just state that I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed The Secret life of Bees by Sue Kidd Monk. The only warning I would give is that there are some very sad scenes that make you want to reach out to Caroline and comfort her, so if you are overly sensitive, it...more
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Read in July, 2008
This was a great book. Heart wrenching and heart breaking, it is the story of two sisters who've been through the tragic loss of their father, and the even more tragic abuse of their stepfather. The ending is amazing, and will haunt me for days. No matter what you think the end might be coming to, you are likely to be amazed by what you actually discover about all of the charachters. Highly recomend - and it's a huge leap beyond the other Elizabeth Flock book I've read, "But Inside I'm ...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
all
This was a disturbing book in the beginning, about two girls who seem to be going through never-ending abuse from their step-father, but it keeps you in it, wondering how they will deal with each and every new situation. I finished the book last night, and the climax of the book will just send you over the edge. It is very unexpected, and I am still left thinking about it. I really recommend it to anyone who likes character-driven fiction. I'll be keeping my copy if anyone wants to borrow it!
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