book data
461 ratings, 3.74 average rating, 61 reviews
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published
January 1st 2007
by Harper
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages
isbn
0060837012
(isbn13: 9780060837013)
description
Emily Parmenter lives with her father and two brothers on their faded plantation in the South Carolina low country where they breed the famed Boyki...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 619)
Read in October, 2008
Ok book. Regarding a girl coming of age in the South. Messed up life with a mother that leaves, the death of a brother and a wacked out girl that comes to stay at her home and takes on a role of "big sister" but lacks the morality needed to direct a young girl. Sorry but not good with crazies!!
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Read in August, 2005
I was up until after 2 when I finished this book. It's about a 12 year old girl, who is forced to grow up too fast due to the people in her life. It's set in modern day, and she lives on an old plantation house in Charleston. Her dad raises spaniels, which she helps train, and one of them is her best friend. I loved a lot of the book just because of the dogs. It's not the best book I ever read, but I really got into it and cried several times. I guess I have a thing for literature about young ad...more
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2005-reads
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in June, 2008
I am listening to this book on CD. I can't decide if I like the reader or not. Certainly some of the voices are better than others. The book reminds me strongly of The Secret Life of Bees, which I loved and think is a better plotted and written novel. But Siddon's descriptions are lush and vivid and I have enjoyed getting to know the protagonist, Emily, a pubescent girl dealing with a mother who deserted her and a family of men who overlook her or want to mold her into an antiquated notion o...more
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Read in January, 2007
The setting for this book is the coastal area of South Carolina and it is a glimpse into the culture and society life of the south. The contemporary family in the book lives on an old plantation and raises hunting dogs. They take in a troubled college age girl from a wealthy family to live with them for the summer and the book is largely about her friendship with the junior high age tomboy daughter of the family. I was looking for a book to read on the plane on a recent trip and as I read the ...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
people who enjoy Southern fiction
This book was a "coming of age" story about a girl who lives on an old Southern plantation where they breed dogs.
The writing was - in my opinion - thoughtful and poetic. Some of the plot got a little strange (there's this relationship between two characters that seems to involve drugs and some type of S&M but there are very few details, so it is somewhat unclear why this is such a big deal to one particular character).
I very much enjoyed the portrayal of Southern life and the...more
The writing was - in my opinion - thoughtful and poetic. Some of the plot got a little strange (there's this relationship between two characters that seems to involve drugs and some type of S&M but there are very few details, so it is somewhat unclear why this is such a big deal to one particular character).
I very much enjoyed the portrayal of Southern life and the...more
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ARS is another southern writer you have to read if you want to understand the south.
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Little disturbing. An ex-debutant shares too much info about the dark side of life with a 12/13 year old.
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Read in January, 2008
Ehh... It was okay. I always like stories set in the South, particularly the Lowcountry. This was the first time I read this author, and her writing I found to be very descriptive, with impeccable details, which I liked. I guess I was waiting for the big secret to reveal and when it did I was like 'huh, that's what it is, okay..' I guess I wasn't left totally satisfied with this read, I didn't love it, but didn't hate it either. I would probably try her novel, 'The Islands' which I have hear...more
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bookshelves:
american-south,
contemporary-fiction,
countdown-challenge
Read in September, 2008
Overall a nice coming of age story set in the Lowcountry of SC. Some dark material, which added to the story, but a little too dramatic in spots. I thought I had read another book by Anne Rivers Siddons a couple of years ago when I picked up this one thinking it was the same author. Turns out that one was Dorothea Benton Frank. Like the Frank better. With all I have on my to-read list I probably won't go out and get more Anne Rivers Siddons, but I would read other works by her given the rig...more
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Read in September, 2007
This book reminded me a lot of The Secret Life of Bees. This is a bittersweet story of Emily, a 12-year old girl in South Carolina's Lowcountry who lives with her father and two brothers on an old plantation that raises hunting spaniels. Emily's life is disrupted by the arrival of Lulu, a 20-year old rich debutante with troubles and a secret past. It keeps you wondering what Lulu's secret is and always wondering when the shoe's going to drop. I found this story well-written and it held my inter...more
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Read in August, 2007
I was really disappointed with this book. I usually love Anne Rivers Siddons - you can't beat her southern women's fiction. The writing is usually so lyrical and the characters complex. I just could NOT get into this book. I didn't care about the characters and there was too much about the dogs. I suppose if I were a dog fan I probably would've liked it more. The descriptions were beautiful, though, she has such a knack for evoking the feel of the south.
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I'm kind of tired of the whole pre-teen girl-whose mother died/left when she was small-I killed/drove my mother away/it's all my fault-my mother was beautiful and vivacious and crazy-pre-teen girl contemplates life as if she was 25 not 12- etc. stories (ie Secret Life of Bees, Nora Nora, Ya Ya...) and this was that same story again. I did like Nora Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons, but this kind of seemed like almost the same story again.
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Read in April, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in January, 2008
This book was OK. I thought it was kind of slow and I just wasn't enveloped by the story. The author tried to incorporate some substantial themes about family and growing up and loss but I just felt like her execution was off. There was good character development though which made me want to finish the book to see what happened.
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bookshelves:
southern-lit
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Those who love southern lit & stories about relationships
Siddons' words flow like the creek at the center of her story about a southern family who take in a troubled pre-debutaunte. An unexpected relationship flourishes as a result of shared losses and difficulty. A glimpse at Charleston high society, complete with a few eccentric, courageous characters such as Buddy and Grand.
bookshelves:
2008
Read in August, 2008
Actual rating 2.5. I love Siddons' style of writing because she brings the landscape of the South and Southern people to life. Her story-telling is lyrical and beautiful, and I want to just wrap myself up in it. But inevitably, there has to be some weird secret among her characters, and that gets too predictable for me.
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Read in January, 2008
Gave up on attempting to finish reading this book. The plotline dragged on with no purpose.
I should add I'm the type of person who reads about 4-5 books a month, however after 3 months (and 106 pages out of 444) I have decided to stop renewing this book from the library in hopes of completing it.
I should add I'm the type of person who reads about 4-5 books a month, however after 3 months (and 106 pages out of 444) I have decided to stop renewing this book from the library in hopes of completing it.
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Read in July, 2007
This is a great book set in the South about a young girl coming of age. It captivated me from the beginning. Kind of reminds me of "The Secret Life of Bees" (one of my all-time favorite books).
I finished it in a week so this is an easy read and a good story.
I finished it in a week so this is an easy read and a good story.
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