The Returning

Feb 11, 2012 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers who enjoy subtle, thoughtful novels

Shelves: 2012-reads, reviewed

(Actual Rating: 3.5 stars)

I've had my eye on Christine Hinwood's debut novel The Returning (or, as it's known in Australia, Bloodflower) for a while now. Of course, it also helped that my interest rose when I read the blurbs from two of my favorite authors:

"I loved this novel. I cried through the whole last chapter from the sheer beauty of these characters and their world." -Melina Marchetta, author of Jellicoe Road, Printz Medal winner

"A beautiful examination of the complexities of love and loy

...more

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May 26, 2012 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazing-writing, favorites, incredibly-stupid-choices, multiple-povs, netgalley, ya, reviewed-in-2012

5 stars for quality, 3 stars for personal enjoyment.
The Returning isn't a book I would normally choose to read, because a) I try to avoid historical fiction as much as I can; and b) as a former literature student, I've read my fair share of literary fiction and, unless it was written by Coetzee, I have no desire to read any more in the next five years or so. Historical + literary usually means I'd rather eat dirt, thank you very much. However, this isn't just any book. Aside from being a Printz...more 5 stars for quality, 3 stars for personal enjoyment.
The Returning isn't a book I would normally choose to read, because a) I try to avoid historical fiction as much as I can; and b) as a former literature student, I've read my fair share of literary fiction and, unless it was written by Coetzee, I have no desire to read any more in the next five years or so. Historical + literary usually means I'd rather eat dirt, thank you very much. However, this isn't just any book. Aside from being a Printz Honor, it was blurbed by both Megan Whalen Turner and Melina Marchetta. Here's what they wrote:

”I loved this novel. I cried through the whole last chapter from the sheer beauty of these characters and their world.”
-Melina Marchetta, author of Jellicoe Road, Printz Medal winner

“A beautiful examination of the complexities of love and loyalty in the aftermath of war.”
- Megan Whalen Turner, author ot The Thief, Newberry Honor winner

Obviously, with words like that, these two could persuade me to read a math textbook and actually enjoy it. And I did enjoy The Returning for the most part. The beauty of its prose, the skillfully crafted web in which so many characters were entangled, the extraordinary use of language – outdated to enhance the historical feel, but slightly alien to match the non-existent land… all those things were even better than I expected. And yet, Hinwood didn’t quite reach me on an emotional level, not like an author endorsed by Marchetta and Turner should have.

The residents of Kayforl in Downlads are living a quiet, hardworking life. Several years earlier, six healthy men marched to war against the Uplanders, but only young Cam Attling, who looks suspiciously like an Uplander himself, returned. Their former enemy is now their new Lord and nobody failed to notice how highly Cam Attling speaks of him.
Cam Attling hasn’t really been welcomed back by anyone but his family and his best friend Ban who is hopelessly in love with him. He’s lost an arm in the war and he suffers from survivor’s guilt, but he is unable to settle down. His betrothal to young Graceful Fenister was broken by her father and Cam feels useless and unaccepted, even by Ban.
Ban is struggling with his feelings for Cam and his responsibility towards his large family. He is worried that his brothers are right and that Cam really is a bad influence, but he is unable to stay away.
As Cam leaves Kayforl for the second time, he causes more pain and heartbreak than he could ever have imagined.

The Returning clearly isn’t for everyone: it requires a lot of patience and it has to be read slowly, carefully, to truly appreciate all the layers, the beauty and the heartbreak it has to offer. I’m very glad I decided to read it and I might even reread it at some point. I'm convinced it will be even better the second time.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library (less)

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Sep 25, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to oliviasbooks by: Melina Marchetta

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, fantasy, high-expectations, unfinished-2011, japan, author-from-down-under, swapped-or-given-away, love-story-romance

Although the average rating of 3.25 stars strongly indicated „Beware, this book is not for everyone”, I never would have guessed that I might be one of those unlucky specimen the book prefers not to talk to. My conviction (which even resulted in my ordering the book in spite of my friend Arlene’s offer to include me in her book tour) that Bloodflower and I would be very compatible had been sustained by several powerful factors:

A) The cover is so very beautiful – but in a different way than some...more Although the average rating of 3.25 stars strongly indicated „Beware, this book is not for everyone”, I never would have guessed that I might be one of those unlucky specimen the book prefers not to talk to. My conviction (which even resulted in my ordering the book in spite of my friend Arlene’s offer to include me in her book tour) that Bloodflower and I would be very compatible had been sustained by several powerful factors:

A) The cover is so very beautiful – but in a different way than some suspicion arousing young adult covers that have no connection to plot or characters whatsoever: The richly patterend red cloth in the background and that strong, callused and sexily dirty arm encased in leather armor which clearly belongs to Cam, the young main character recently returned from a war, made me want to own exactly this edition and not the pastel-colored one by the other publisher.

B) Melina Marchetta, one of the authors whose work I adore and who does not throw around blurbs and praise and advertisment about all her peers’ or tour mates’ work like it has become the custom among young adult novelists, wrote "I can’t tell you how much I loved this novel. I cried through the whole last chapter from the sheer beauty of these characters and their world." which made me want to go on reading until the end so I could wring out my tear ducts in the same way that she did, since in my experience life-like and likable characters are the main ingredient in the majority of those books which made me love them. I wanted to love the book and the world and I even glimpsed the shadows of the characters’ ability to become endearing to the reader in the very first chapter. The first word which comes to mind when I think about Cam and his family and how they treat each other is “tenderness”. Cam’s small sister Pin, who usually does not allow her family members to cuddle and pet her, isn’t shy at all around her big brother whom she barely knows and who everybody keeps his or her difference from since he returned from the war without his right arm and without all the other men from the village. Her unconditional adoration and love is unspeakably cute. Yet. The point of view switches soon from the Attlings to Cam’s betrothed Graceling, the twelve-years old daughter of the ruthless Fenister family, and from there to a young boy whose dog is shot by a farmer and then to Cam’s best friend Ban, who is secretly in love with Cam or maybe only lusts after him and then to … I forgot, because it changed so often and so spontaneously. At first I hoped the story would lead me quickly back into Cam’s or Pin’s mind, but after a while I gradually lost interest and became rather bored, although

C) The subject of the book is such an important and interesting one: It shows in detail how war affects and changes both the soldiers who went out to fight and the families, who stayed and hoped and went on with their daily lives as well as possible: Cam has lost his arm and gained a war horse. His lower limb count lowers his worth on the marriage market and the long-standing betrothal is revoked. Nobody understands why he wants to avoid talking about the various ways the other villagers died during the six-years-long war. Thus when the pestering about Uncle X and Sweetheart Y remains unsuccessful, resentful suspicions make the round: How did Cam manage to stay alive when everybody else did not? Graceful had thought the only uncertain things about her future were the day of her death and the number of her children, but suddenly she does not even know anymore whom she will marry. Graceful’s greedy father uses the war and the new overlord’s taste for fine silk as an excuse to push his property’s boundaries into the woods, the home of a nomad tribe and the game they live on. Acton has become an war-orphan and his dog turns into a farmer’s nuisance whose nerves wear so thin that he finally pulls the trigger ...

I have stopped reading after 75 pages and I will never find out whether the end would have moved me to tears or not. But I do not really care. A story with characters as wonderful as Marchetta’s would never had failed to keep my attention. Therefore in my opinion “Bloodflower” must be lacking in aspects that do matter. But do not be disheartened. It might be just me and not the book. I am positive that Melina Marchetta’s falling in love with it happened on grounds that might work for others, too.

P.S.: I am giving away my copy. If you are interested, inform me via comment on this review or on my profile until October 8th 2011. I will let an internet program pick a winner randomly.(less)

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Feb 09, 2011 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-mt-bookpile

It took nearly half the book for me to figure out what direction the author was taking: was it a book about class? about returning from war? about life in the vaguely Middle Ages? about love (both heterosexual and implied homosexual)? about culture clashes? That it took that long doesn't usually bode well for the ending. There were too many characters introduced, with chapters all from their different points of view - this added to the confusion. A couple of the characters at first appeared impo...more

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Jun 27, 2009 Adele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bloodflower ... is difficult to put into words. It's a beautiful read, full of complexity, meaningful themes and natural character development. Set in a country recovering from war, turmoil and grief still aplenty with citizens displaced and a new ruler on the throne. Cam returns to his family psychologically and physically scarred from his wartime adventures and the town of Kayforl is wracked with tall tales of his supposed betrayal.

There are many characters, including Cam, that are interwoven...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Mark Flowers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mixed feelings about this one. It was incredibly painful reading for the first third or so. In particular, I felt that the "dialect" Hinwood came up with was much closer to the purposefully eccentric language in The Talk Funny Girl than anything that real people would actually say. Also, it was tough to keep track of all the different families, although some of that is my fault.

On the other hand, the last third, when the stories began to come together and resolve was really great. So I'm sure th...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Maria Kramer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, fantasy, friendship, romance, war

This series of loose, poetic vignettes covers a span of years after Cam Attling comes home from war, the only survivor of those from his village. Though he tries to re-accustom himself to his old life, he can't -- he has to find out why he survived. While Cam goes back North, to Dorn-Lannet and Lord Ryuu, the enemy who spared his life, his family, friends and entire village change in unexpected ways.

This book is just beautiful, more a series of prose poems than a novel. The emotional depth that...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Leah Mccormick rated it 2 of 5 stars

Leah McCormick
Honors English 9
Karcz block 4
22 March 2013
The Returning
Have you ever lived a life, and then had to start back over again? For Cam Attling, the war is both an ending and a beginning. He must try to find himself as a person and start a new life. The Returning is a book towards a young audience to help them realize how to pick up life where you had once left off, and find yourself in the inner you.
The war between the uplanders and the downlanders is over. Cam Attling returns from the...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Connie Peters rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this story. Christine Hinwood has created a truly believable medieval times world and the characters are wonderful. But the story wasn't cohesive during the last quarter of the book. Time went by, children grew up, babies were born but you were left to decipher this from incidental conversation. And almost as a side note, Cam's best friend Ban falls in love with Cam. Why throw in a homosexual story line and let it just disappear. And the only person who has sex in the sto...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Daria rated it 1 of 5 stars

Okay, I hated this book. Really I did. It did not fulfill the promise that was made at the beginning. For a book that was about Cam, it starts out from his little sister Pin's perspective, and I seriously thought the story was about the sibling's relationship. Nope.

This will be a spoiler so if you're interesting in reading it, which I highly recommend you don't. I didn't like the fact that you only read the sister's perspective three times. You don't get to really see Pin grow up. It goes from...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Karin Foster rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first, I didn't think I could read this book all the way through. But, after looking at a few of the reviews here, I became more interested. That's the role a bit of building background plays into whether a reader will continue with a book... After recognizing what was confusing and getting some support via other readers, I found that I wanted to read on...

That said, this is a difficult book with different characters, language, time shifts, perspectives. You have to pay attention and be willi...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Barb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Browsing through the other reviews I must agree with all the positive *and* the more negative comments.

Yes - Hinwood has created an intricate & fully realized world. Her characters are complex and, for the most part, very belivable. (The only one I had a really hard time with was Graceful - her transformation from spoiled, self-centered, rich man's daughter to her new role at the very end of the book did not ring quite true. Of course, with the gaps in the narrative, maybe something happened...more Browsing through the other reviews I must agree with all the positive *and* the more negative comments.

Yes - Hinwood has created an intricate & fully realized world. Her characters are complex and, for the most part, very belivable. (The only one I had a really hard time with was Graceful - her transformation from spoiled, self-centered, rich man's daughter to her new role at the very end of the book did not ring quite true. Of course, with the gaps in the narrative, maybe something happened there with Graceful that we don't get to hear about. Maybe?)

This is a very complicated book in that it jumps around from point-of-view to point-of-view, with sometimes substantial time gaps and flashbacks. I found myself backtracking a lot to figure out who exactly was talking, and trying to connect with the pervious segment.

We are very much thrown into the world with little explanation; we have to figure it out as we go. This is both a strength and a weakness; I like it when the author assumes that we are intelligent enough to make all the connections, but in this case I found myself a little more challenged than I'd like to be. I can see a lot of teens (this is targetted, I believe, at the young adult readership) putting it dowwn in dismay and never picking it up again, though many will find it worth the mental effort.

Ultimately I very much liked this book. I appreciated the optimistic tone for the futures of most of the characters; we never find out what happens to them as they walk off the page, but in general we feel that "something better" after their many sufferings is a real possibility.

I will definitely be re-reading this novel. I think it will be even better the second time around, now that I have the characters a little more figured out in my own head. A *wonderful* first novel; I am eager to see what Christine Hinwood comes up with next. I am hoping *not* a sequel; I do feel that this could very much be a stand-alone story, even with the many open endings. I'd like to see her try something in a different style; she certainly seems to have the talent and ability to branch out from this very strong start.(less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

How do you manage to return home when both home and you are changed? That is the question faced by several young people in this brilliant, troubling and consoling book. It centers around Cam, a young Downlander who volunteers, at 12, to fight against the invading Uplanders. He returns home missing an arm, and with a fine horse and sword that once belonged to a young Uplander lord. What, exactly, happened to him, and why? Cam struggles to find a place in his village. As he does, his young sister,...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Kwoomac rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, aussie-lit, award-winning, war, complicated-protagonist, printz-award, reviewed, romance, social-commentary, spring-2012-challenge, young-adult

It took me forever to become invested in the story. The main character Cam is the only villager to return home after a war between the Uplanders and the Downlanders. he's a Downlander who owes his life to the Uplander prince who chose to spare him, after lopping off his right arm. The pace of the novel is very slow. It's a study of how war effects everyone, how resilient people can be, how in order to survive you may have to readjust to the new order of things.. The story follows a number of sur...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Marybeth Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those confounding books it takes some thinking to digest. First, you have I grasp the dialogue. Then, you can move on to the purpose of the story. I think it was about forgiveness. That this war-torn country with these two people's full of their terrible differences can reconcile with each other so tenderly, it says a lot.
One of the things I liked the most about this debut novel was the complexity. The characters were so well thought out and developed, and all of them intertwined...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Wandering Librarians rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, middle-grade

It has a been a long, long war, and the Uplanders have triumphed over the Downlanders. Cam comes home from war missing an arm and not sure why he was spared. Graceful Fenister was engaged to marry Cam, but now will be web to an Uplander lord. Diido is a victim of war, even though she was on the winning side. An unusual and thoughtful look at the aftermath of war.

I had a hard time getting in to this at first. The Downlanders' have a stylized way of speaking that it took me a while to find the flo...more It has a been a long, long war, and the Uplanders have triumphed over the Downlanders. Cam comes home from war missing an arm and not sure why he was spared. Graceful Fenister was engaged to marry Cam, but now will be web to an Uplander lord. Diido is a victim of war, even though she was on the winning side. An unusual and thoughtful look at the aftermath of war.

I had a hard time getting in to this at first. The Downlanders' have a stylized way of speaking that it took me a while to find the flow off, and at first I found the constant switching of point of view distracting. I wasn't sure whose story it was, or if it was anyone's story in particular and if there was suppose to be a single storyline or many.

Once I found the rhythm I ended up enjoying it. It was an unusual story, and I don't think this is one that's destine to be very popular. I classified this as fantasy but there's no magic in it. It's in an imaginary world though, so I guess that makes it a fantasy? There really wasn't any one story, although they all connect.

If I had to pick one character to give the story to, I guess I would say it's mostly Cam's story. Everyone else's story connects to his in some way. Cam's life was spared by the Uplander Lord's son, and Cam is restless to figure out why, eventually leaving his home again to find out the truth. His leaving has an affect on many people, including his little sister Pin and his friend Ban, who is secretly in love with him.

After Cam leaves, the focus of the story moves more to the Lord's son, Gyaar, who's also a very conflicted young man. Women are shown to be pawns of war, as Graceful's father breaks her engagement to Cam (now a cripple) and then gets her engaged to Gyaar despite her protests. I really enjoyed Graceful coming in to her own after her marriage and changing thing for the better. The saddest story was probably Diido's who is an Uplander herself but that didn't protect her from violence from soldiers.

Some character's stories were left hanging, and the end seemed opened for more which makes me wonder if there will be another book taking place in this world.

I would definitely recommend giving this one a read, it's strangely beautiful. I think it will be a hard sell to middle school students thought.(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: map-in-the-front

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 12, 2012 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, historical, read-in-2012

I put this in both "fantasy" and "historical" because to me it's both--sure, the village of Kayforl and the countryside of the Uplanders and Downlanders doesn't really exist, so it's fantasy, but, the technology level is medieval and a lot of the situations and cultural aspects are somewhat historical; they evoke the Middle Ages of Europe. This is a book of interconnected storylines, telling the growing-up tales of several kids and teens in the village as they deal with love and loss and war. Ca...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Amy Simonson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature-for-adolescents

The Returning. Where to begin? After discussing this book in my literary circle, I had a deeper appreciation for a 300 page book I read in a few hours. This proved again the importance of looking deeply into a book and giving it time to seep into one. A reader cannot rush through a book and expect it to impact them. The beauty in reading is that it forces the reader to slow down and get into the story if it is anything beyond technical or textbook reading.
Christine Hinwood's story has details an...more The Returning. Where to begin? After discussing this book in my literary circle, I had a deeper appreciation for a 300 page book I read in a few hours. This proved again the importance of looking deeply into a book and giving it time to seep into one. A reader cannot rush through a book and expect it to impact them. The beauty in reading is that it forces the reader to slow down and get into the story if it is anything beyond technical or textbook reading.
Christine Hinwood's story has details and little events that occur which require attentiveness in the reader. The characters are fully developed, though much of their growth is not blatantly stated. As I was ready quickly, I did not take the time to fill in the gaps, to connect the dots, until I looked back on what I had read and discussed the book with my group. The fascinating parts are the parts that aren't finished. They allow the reader to draw their own conclusions, something that frustrates me when I'm reading too quickly. There were characters in the beginning who seemed to drop from the story, and an open ending that makes those who like all the strings to be neatly tied frustrated. Yet, those un-closed stories are what keeps the whole book with us. Readers can't be given everything or their engagement with the literature is lost.
The closing, and this may be a spoiler, caught me in my cynicism. I don't really believe Cam in his letter, that he's coming back soon, and that causes a struggle for me. Most readers would finish the book on a note of hope, trusting in Cam to be true to his word. Due to my life experiences in somewhat similar situations, I can't bring myself to end with that hope. It's a point where I'm teetering on disappointment, waiting in anticipation to be let down. This conflicting view of the ending probably tainted my view of this book, but it makes me think, which is the reason I read.
I also read to learn more about people, and though this book is set in a fictional land, I learned a lot about humanity. I learned how class changes people, and how it is hard to return, hence the title. Adolescent literature's coming-of-age category gets another member with Hinwood's novel, as so many characters are woven together as they grow. The focus is, of course, on adolescents as their audience is the same, and they all grow together through different experiences. Through reading these many adolescent novels, I've learned again and again that adolescents are being hit with a lot in their lives. They may be dealing with re-settling somewhere, or rejection, or even a physical deformity. Even now, as I look back on this novel, I am struck with more, more that can be learned whether good or ill.
Some of the sections in the book were not actually that good. It took a while to get in to, and for someone looking for an action-packed adventure, this is not too great. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but an experienced reader. The major points were good, but there were a few ambiguous sexual implications that really could have been left out. These scenes add to my dislikes list that would keep me from telling someone to read the book.
However, Hinwoood does explore things that need to be discussed, such as how to unite two people groups. As I read, I consciously tried to find God and couldn't as easily as sometimes. Nevertheless, His omniscience obviously ushers Him in. The repeated references to "the shrine" made me think of God and His truth as compared to some of the strange references to weird gods in the book. As a review stated, this book gives us a picture of forgiveness. Again, though, my disbelief in Cam at some points takes away from that message. Even still, the thing that struck me the most about God in this book is the way Cam's family anxiously anticipates his return without grudging him, just as our Father anxiously awaits the return of all of His children.
This review cannot fully sum up all that I learned about adolescent literature, but it can be made to say that it again just exemplifies the massive change in topics from children's books as well as the coming-of-age that is so important to the specified readership of this genre.(less)

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Jan 07, 2012 Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't start liking this one until the last fifth or so: I got bogged down in the opacity of the author's style, where speech is in the style of "Do you chop that wood" (as an imperative, not an interrogative) and POVs flutter past you like confused moths. And every action is given a deliberate gravity that never let me sink into even the characters who kept emerging on top. If I flexed my literary analysis muscles, I'm sure I could come up with a good reason for this, but as a reader, it was...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-releases

This is an odd little book. It started out very slowly, and for the first hundred pages or so, I kept thinking “yeah, I’m going to go read something else...after the next few pages.” But I didn’t; I kept reading and suddenly I looked down to find that there were only twenty pages yet, but I really didn’t want the book to end. The last chapter is absolutely beautiful.

I’ve seen the words ‘heartbreakingly beautiful” applied to The Returning. It’d be nice if I hadn’t seen them because then I could u...more This is an odd little book. It started out very slowly, and for the first hundred pages or so, I kept thinking “yeah, I’m going to go read something else...after the next few pages.” But I didn’t; I kept reading and suddenly I looked down to find that there were only twenty pages yet, but I really didn’t want the book to end. The last chapter is absolutely beautiful.

I’ve seen the words ‘heartbreakingly beautiful” applied to The Returning. It’d be nice if I hadn’t seen them because then I could use them without feeling completely derivative. They’re truly accurate. Ever since I finished the last page, I’ve found myself being haunted by the characters, words, and descriptions.

There’s no one overarching plot here. It’s mostly a meditation on how people react to the end of a war. How people come home from war changed and try their best to fit back into society. This isn’t a book to read with half your attention because the point of view changes from character to character rather abruptly. Some of the characters had never been introduced before which makes the switches mildly confusing, but the writing and complex characters draw you into their stories with little difficulty.

I loved Cam, the character who is doing ‘the returning,’ but my two favourite were the two women in his life - his betrothed, Graceful, and his little sister Pin. Both find their lives unsettled by Cam’s return and struggle to adjust themselves to the way their society has changed after the long war. Graceful, in particular, is an intriguing character. She’s not terribly charismatic or likeable at first, but she’s always a presence.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone. If you need a plot with a lot of action to stay focused (and often I do so no shame there), you may not find The Returning of interest. But if you’re in the mood for something meditative with beautiful language, check it out for sure.

And holy crap, the cover is beautiful.(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Sometimes I read a book and think, hmmm, I wonder if this will show up on the Printz list. And I think this Junior Library Guild selection might. As I was reading it, I got a little confused. It's a medieval-ish world, but there aren't any magical elements. It seems British, but I may be way off with that one.

Cam comes home from the arm missing an arm, but he also just doesn't fit back into his old life. He can't stop thinking about the Uplander lord who sliced off his arm and then saved his lif...more

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May 02, 2011 Joy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21c, australian, fantasy, teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I tend to be cynical about promotional blurbs on a book cover; I see enough of them to start noticing when a circle of writer friends gets caught in the endless "let me blurb your book" cycle! But this book caught my attention because it had blurbs from Melina Marchetta and Megan Whalen Turner, two of my favorite YA authors...and two who don't blurb every other book that shows up on the new shelf.

It's sort of an odd duck of a book. It follows Cam Attling, who survived a war but lost his arm, as...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really had my fingers crossed about this one. I was looking forward to reading “The Returning” by Christine Hinwood about as much as I was looking forward to “The Scorpio Races.” But, then “The Scorpio Races” turned out to be such an AWESOME book, I hoped “The Returning” would surprise me, too. Sadly, no such luck.

I’m not really even sure how to summarize this book. It was SO complex, multi-layered… well, here goes nothing…

Cam Attling has returned from war… well, at least most of him has. Cam...more I really had my fingers crossed about this one. I was looking forward to reading “The Returning” by Christine Hinwood about as much as I was looking forward to “The Scorpio Races.” But, then “The Scorpio Races” turned out to be such an AWESOME book, I hoped “The Returning” would surprise me, too. Sadly, no such luck.

I’m not really even sure how to summarize this book. It was SO complex, multi-layered… well, here goes nothing…

Cam Attling has returned from war… well, at least most of him has. Cam lost an arm in battle and part of his self, his soul. Both things were left at Dorn-Lannet, taken by the son of Lord Ryuu. After returning, Cam discovers that this injuries have left him unable to help around home, unsuitable for marriage, and unloved by the townspeople (because he was the only man to return alive). With little to hold him, Cam heads north again, north to Dorn-Lannet and the man who took his arm, but spared his life. But Cam isn’t the only person hurting after the war between the Uplanders and the Downlanders. Acton Mansto lost his father and is now an orphan. Corban Farmer lost both his sons. Gyaar Ryuu lost his older brother. Diido lost her whole family, her home, and her City. Graceful Fenister lost her betrothed. How can all of the people affected by war find peace, wholeness, and happiness after “the returning”?

The settings in “The Returning” were beautifully, intricately described. The characters were real, honest, and interesting. The theme is important and universal. However, the plot… the plot is slow to pick up and confusing at times. I pressed on through this book because… well… I guess because I’m not a quitter and a book has to be really, grossly, tremendously atrocious for me to stop. I’m glad I pressed on. I’m glad I made it to the end. But, I didn’t really become invested in these characters or their story until well over half-way through the book. It was sheer willpower that kept me going and I hate it when I have to will myself through a book. Part of my issue with this story is that for a great deal of the time, the chapters jump from character to character to character with no sense of how anything connects. And, honestly, in the beginning, the characters really aren’t connected. The story just hops and skips along without a sense of direction. Then, suddenly, pieces start to fall into place, strands come together, and a beautifully, wonderfully touching story comes alive. For several chapters, I was swept away by the hopes and fears, loves and losses of the people in Kayforl and Dorn-Lannet. Then, the book abruptly ends. For me, it ended with little sense of closure, little ability to even imagine, to prophesy what might lie in store for these people I had grown to love. That frustrated me. I had worked so hard, willed so hard to finish this book and then it left me hanging, disappointed.

I’m not entirely clear why “The Returning” won a Printz award. On some level, I do get it. It is a beautiful story, or stories, carefully crafted and woven together. However, it’s a story that is so hard to get through and so disappointing at the end. Speaking truthfully, I don’t plan to buy a copy to put on my bookshelf at school. I don’t think the vast majority of my students have the stamina and determination to will themselves through this book. Am I glad that I read it? YES! It was very sweet and touching. Would I recommend it? Probably not.(less)

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Apr 21, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical fantasy crossover types

Shelves: fantasy-undragon-such

This is a slippery book to categorize. Fake historical, which makes it fantasy, but no hint of magic or dragons. More of an alternative history, perhaps. Steampunk without the steam or the punk.

A fully crafted story, to be sure. Multiple focalizers, each with their own voice and history, whose stories weave together to paint a detailed picture of life in this vaguely medieval alternative historical past.

The beginning of the book was like a slow unfolding of this world and these characters. Each...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-s

Pretty Cover

I'm rarely at a loss for words but that's where I find myself with this book. I liked it but I also had a few issues with it.

The summary made it sound like the story is about Cam Attling, a soldier returning from war, the only one in fact, from his town of Kayforl to survive. He returns with only one arm, on a horse from the enemy. He has to face questions and accusations from family and friends like... What happened to the other men? Why was he the only one to survive? How did he e...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Magdalen Dobson rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first started this book, I thought its narration was going to be way to weird for me. It's written in an odd, disjointed sort of way that emphasizes the fact that you're only getting a little glimpse into the big picture. The big picture itself, a land recovering from a devastating war and wracked by prejudice, seems to take the back seat to the individual stories. This was odd to me.
What else was odd was the stories--how the characters' tales were cut off and taken up again at seemingly...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Marija rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-mg, fantasy-sci-fi

When I came across the description for this book, it immediately grabbed my attention, and I was really looking forward to reading it. However upon finishing this book, I don’t feel that it really met all of my expectations.

One the one hand, I think thematically—like fellow Printz award recipient, Where Things Come Back—it would lead to some good discussions for students, especially when linking the book’s themes with the ending. Will feelings change...will promises be kept...is it still possib...more When I came across the description for this book, it immediately grabbed my attention, and I was really looking forward to reading it. However upon finishing this book, I don’t feel that it really met all of my expectations.

One the one hand, I think thematically—like fellow Printz award recipient, Where Things Come Back—it would lead to some good discussions for students, especially when linking the book’s themes with the ending. Will feelings change...will promises be kept...is it still possible to regain that sense of home, given the changes that have occurred, throughout all the time that has past? I think the book ultimately leads the reader to answer these questions.

On the other hand, I really believe this book feels like an author’s first novel. I don’t think it is very cohesive in terms of structure. Hinwood doesn’t seem to have a strict focus for this story. From reading the book’s description, Cam would probably seem like the book’s main focus. But that is not entirely true. Each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view, to provide further insights into the events occurring. I would think Hinwood does this as a means to bring the characters’ closer to the reader, as a means to understand them better. However, I think her use of this style has an opposite effect. I ultimately felt more distanced from these characters—their thoughts and feelings becoming more and more elusive as the story progressed. At times when I wanted to know what one of the characters was thinking or feeling, the story was being told from another’s perspective. As well, Hinwood is not consistent in the spacing or number of these chapter points-of-views. Some characters have more chapters than others (e.g. Cam vs. Gyaar), other characters who spoke at the beginning of the story, resurface again at the end (e.g. Pin). What surprised me most was when a seemingly major character at the start of this book, completely disappears with no further reference in the text. For this character, there’s no real sense of closure. I found this rather unfeeling and cold, given the internal conflict this character faced.

Setting the story in a fictional setting gives an author more freedom to decide how this world would look like and behave, rather than forcing an adherence to historical accuracy and maintenance of specific codes of behavior. However Hinwood does not really provide a strong background for this world she created. Ultimately, it is a blend of history and her own conception, but there are significant gaps in terms of the society she is trying to convey. For example, some societal codes she hints at, should have had a better explanation. At the beginning of the story we learn that Cam is betrothed to Graceful. Hinwood tells us that he had to pay a sort of dowry in order to wed her, and upon their wedding he would assume her name. I found this an interesting concept. However, Hinwood never formally states that Cam does this because he is of a lower class standing. A young reader could easily miss this fact. Yet, the traditional betrothal-marriage arrangement of a father providing a dowry for his daughter still exists in this society as well.

Also, I don’t really feel it was necessary to set this story in the aftermath of a war. Cam’s internal conflict existed well before he went off to war. His problems are not post-traumatic in nature...they center around the idea of a sense of belonging—a feeling he lacked even when he was only a very young boy. Likewise the conflicts other characters face—both internal and external—don’t necessarily stem from the effects of war. What these characters experience could easily have resulted from any kind of circumstance or situation. If Hinwood truly focused on what could happen in the wake of a war, she would have had a much darker novel. Nevertheless, I feel it could have been something far more rewarding than the story she provides.
(less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley

There are so many characters in this one and all their experience so unfamiliar to me that I wanted to get familiar with every single one of them as well with every aspect of their stories. The story spans a long while, beginning from right after Cam’s return and eventually tackling his younger sister’s own beginning…but the story is so much more than their family, because it touched on everyone around them. It’s quite daunting trying to sum it up, so I won’t even try… but I do see why there’s s...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, teenbooks

Hinwood has created a fascinating world in this fantasy that won a Printz Honor.

From Amazon... "Cam Attling, having lost an arm, is the only one from his town of Kayforl to return after twelve years of war. All his fellow soldiers were slain, and suspicion surrounds him. When his betrothal to Graceful Fenister is called off and his role in the community questioned, Cam leaves to find the Uplander lord who maimed him but spared his life, seeking answers and a new place in the world.

But this is n...more

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