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72nd out of 142 books
—
63 voters
Emory's Gift
by
W. Bruce Cameron (Goodreads Author)
After 13-year-old Charlie Hall’s mother dies and his father retreats into the silence of grief, Charlie finds himself drifting lost and alone through the brutal halls of junior high school.
But Charlie Hall is not entirely friendless. In the woods behind his house, Charlie is saved from a mountain lion by a grizzly bear, thought to be extinct in northern Idaho.
And this very
...moreHardcover, 368 pages
Published
August 30th 2011
by Forge Books
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This is a magical novel of a few months in the life of a boy. Charlie Hall finds himself a boy with few friends the summer before he starts eighth grade. He lives out of town and with his mother dying earlier in the year, a divide has been created between him and the other boys. As Charlie wanders around the creek and woods near his home, he encounters a grizzly bear, a rarity in northern Idaho. This is not your usual grizzly bear. Charlie feels a connection to the bear and apparently the bear f...more
“Emory’s Gift” is an extraordinary story about a boy and a grizzly bear. At age thirteen, Charlie Hall’s life is in shambles. He watched his mother die a long, slow death from cancer, his dad is depressed, and he dreads the eighth grade. Charlie finds refuge from the despair and embarrassment of his life in the natural world that surrounds their isolated property in northern Idaho. One day while trout fishing in the creek Charlie is stalked by a hungry mountain lion when a grizzly bear comes to...more
13-year-old Charlie, still grieving the loss of his mother, is having a hard time dealing with his uncommunicative father and the trials of being an 8th grade outcast. While out in the woods, he is befriended by a tame Grizzly Bear who claims to be a reincarnated civil war soldier with a message. When Charlie shelters the bear in his barn, things spiral out of control.
There was a lot I liked about the book--I liked Charlie and his budding romance with 7th grader Beth; the book moved well and I...more
There was a lot I liked about the book--I liked Charlie and his budding romance with 7th grader Beth; the book moved well and I...more
Emory's Gift by W. Bruce Cameron is different from Cameron's A Dog's Purpose in an important way. A Dog's Purpose was a book about a dog and the various lives it lived until finally, the dog found its reason, or purpose, for living.
Emory's Gift, while featuring a grizzly bear, is about Charlie Hall, a thirteen-year-old whose mother has died. He is dealing with his own grief, his own guilt, and trying to fit in at junior high school.
His father has withdrawn in his own grief and the two almost nev...more
Emory's Gift, while featuring a grizzly bear, is about Charlie Hall, a thirteen-year-old whose mother has died. He is dealing with his own grief, his own guilt, and trying to fit in at junior high school.
His father has withdrawn in his own grief and the two almost nev...more
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This book is absolutely fantastic! I was a huge fan of "A Dog's Purpose," written by the same author, and I can say without reservation that this one is every bit as satisfying. I am always nervous when an author I like decides to go in a different direction like this, but "Emory's Gift" is proof in my eyes that this author has more stories to tell. Personally, I'll be reading W. Bruce Cameron novels as long as he writes them.
Truthfully, my opinion may be somewhat biased because I have recently...more
Truthfully, my opinion may be somewhat biased because I have recently...more
I was lucky enough to get a hold of an ARC of this amazing book. I was already a fan of A Dog's Purpose, and was nervous to read this because I wondered if I would like it as much as I had loved the other. I shouldn't have bothered to worry as this book is as good, and yet totally different from A Dog's Purpose. Mostly what I am left with is the spiritual profundity of this book's message. Not to plot spoil, but for me, this book is truly a Christian allegory, another way of seeing how messages...more
Fans of A Dog's Purpose may love this one even more! I was lucky enough to read the blockbuster "A Dog's Purpose" before it became a huge bestseller, and I guess now it's going to be movie from Dreamworks. Because of that, they let me read W. Bruce Cameron's newest novel early, and I have to say, though I'm a huge A Dog's Purpose fan, it's possible I loved this one even more. The unexpected plot twists kept me turning pages on this one long after I'd decided to put the book down for the night. I...more
Rating: 3.5
Ah. The perils of middle school. But for thirteen year old Charlie, things are a little worse. He is by far the scrawniest 8th grader, and with no friends and his mother gone, he has nobody to guide him. That is until Emory, the grizzly that seems to be as unafraid of him as he is of it.
I did enjoy the story - I picked it up because of a friend, and was quite taken by Charlie's story. Rather than write one of my regular review, here is a scene that made me smile:
The phone didn't rin...more
Ah. The perils of middle school. But for thirteen year old Charlie, things are a little worse. He is by far the scrawniest 8th grader, and with no friends and his mother gone, he has nobody to guide him. That is until Emory, the grizzly that seems to be as unafraid of him as he is of it.
I did enjoy the story - I picked it up because of a friend, and was quite taken by Charlie's story. Rather than write one of my regular review, here is a scene that made me smile:
The phone didn't rin...more
Wow! Emory's Gift is a beautiful story and a GREAT read! Every time I think W. Bruce Cameron can't possibly outdo himself, he does it yet again!
Initially, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd like a non-dog book after both A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Journey were so stellar, but this book (actually written prior to the other two) is equally excellent in every way! This author has a real knack for inserting just the right amount of "what if...?" intrigue into real life situations, without crossing b...more
Initially, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd like a non-dog book after both A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Journey were so stellar, but this book (actually written prior to the other two) is equally excellent in every way! This author has a real knack for inserting just the right amount of "what if...?" intrigue into real life situations, without crossing b...more
I work in a bookstore and grabbed for this ARC like...well, a wild grizzly bear because I had so loved A Dog's Purpose. Every time I sell that book to someone I tell them that it was, hands down, my favorite book of last year. Period. This book is another book about an animal, with spiritual themes, and is at once totally different from A Dog's Purpose, and yet completely what I would want to read as I wait for the sequel to that gem of a book. Once again, I was moved by a story that's seemingly...more
I had heard of Bruce Cameron's other book, A Dog's Purpose, but I'd never read it. I knew it was a best seller and had been getting lots of attention from some of my reading friends, but that wasn't why I picked up Emory's Gift. In fact, I think it was more fate than anything. I was standing in line at BEA for a completely different book signing and someone walked by and just handed Emory's Gift to me. I don't think I even saw the person's face. When I looked down and saw that "Emory" was in the...more
charlie hall lives in a small town in idaho. his mother died when he was ten and his father has remained emotionally distant since her death. as charlie enters eighth grade, he is longing for someone to talk to and help guide him through the emotional landmine of junior high.
one day while he is fishing, charlie is confronted by a cougar. as his life flashes before his eyes, he is shocked when the cougar takes off running. charlie then turns around to see a grizzly bear standing on his hind feet....more
one day while he is fishing, charlie is confronted by a cougar. as his life flashes before his eyes, he is shocked when the cougar takes off running. charlie then turns around to see a grizzly bear standing on his hind feet....more
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Read. Therefore, there is no back of the book to inform me what I'm about to read. I have never heard of the author, not had I read his other book. I simply chose this book as I do all books, by the cover image :)
I blew through this book. Partly because it's not very long, but mostly because I loved it. It's a completely fictional work with a happy ending. I enjoyed it as an adult, but I can also see it being the kind of book you would read...more
I blew through this book. Partly because it's not very long, but mostly because I loved it. It's a completely fictional work with a happy ending. I enjoyed it as an adult, but I can also see it being the kind of book you would read...more
I was excited to find this book by Bruce Cameron as I fell in love with 'A Dog's Purpose' last year. Though I did enjoy the read and found the book hard to put down thus finishing it in the middle of the night, I did not find it as captivating as his previous animal venture.
I think what I had a hard time with was that the book felt like it was split between a realistic adventure novel and a fantasy novel. I never had this impression when I read 'A Dog's Purpose' as it was written from the point...more
I think what I had a hard time with was that the book felt like it was split between a realistic adventure novel and a fantasy novel. I never had this impression when I read 'A Dog's Purpose' as it was written from the point...more
Wow! What a wonderfully entertaining book! Quiet seriously, this one of those books that I find myself restless at 4 o'clock in the morning because my mind wants to know what happens next! As a fan of the wildly popular A Dog's Purpose and then it's sequel, A Dog's Journey (which should be on the shelves of every dog lovers's homes)...it wasn't surprising that I found another Bruce book come up on the list of recommendations. What was surprising was that once I saw that this story would be about...more
Im really enjoying this book i am reading. I am an animal lover by nature and the very important rolls they play in our lives. I am about halfway through and will be sad when i finish it simply because of how it touches my heart so. There is a surprising twist regarding Emory and his ability to communicate with his friend Charlie Hall. Charlie is a 13 yr old boy who struggled along thru school with the typical issues that plague junior high boys. Girls, being bullied, the last one to gets picked...more
Charlie Hall’s mother dies. His dad becomes a hermit – sort of – as he journeys through his own grief, and 13-year-old Charlie is lost – in the spiritual sense. He wanders the halls of junior high, facing everyday things – like bullies and girls.
In W. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling second novel, “Emory’s Gift,” Charlie finds a gift, and it comes in the shape of an odd grizzly bear.
Deep inside the written words from Cameron’s keyboards, one can see hints of hope, promise of hope and happiness. Emor...more
In W. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling second novel, “Emory’s Gift,” Charlie finds a gift, and it comes in the shape of an odd grizzly bear.
Deep inside the written words from Cameron’s keyboards, one can see hints of hope, promise of hope and happiness. Emor...more
I gave Cameron high marks for his previous book, A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans, because his narrative surprised me. He carefully constructed countless opportunities to derive meaning in new a way, a dog’s way, asking very human questions about life’s purpose and the human/dog relationship.
Emory’s Gift: A Novel reveals an entirely different side of Cameron’s writing, one that so intuitively spells out the intricacies of life through the eyes of a young, endearing boy. I became putty in his...more
Emory’s Gift: A Novel reveals an entirely different side of Cameron’s writing, one that so intuitively spells out the intricacies of life through the eyes of a young, endearing boy. I became putty in his...more
Emory’s Gift is a story about Charlie, a junior high school boy, whose mother has died and whose father is so lost in his own grief that he can’t reach out to comfort Charlie. They barely talk to each other, and can’t seem to bridge the pain. Late in summer, before school starts, Charlie is exploring the creek behind his house in Idaho, when he has a miraculous encounter with a huge Grizzly Bear named Emory. This life changing meeting of boy and bear affects more than just Charlie; it touches ev...more
As a person that utterly loved A Dog's Purpose...I even named my new dog, Ellie, after the Ellie in the book...I hate to write this but...I was really disappointed with this book. From the first chapter I felt the story was so terribly sad. Charlie's relationship with his dad...so sad. As the book went on I kept on waiting for something really interesting to happen with Emory...and I didn't feel it. Even at the end I was sort of..."that's it?" I wanted to really enjoy this book but it just didn'...more
EMORY’S GIFT tells of a father, emotionally crippled following the death of his wife, a son suffering from misplaced guilt, and a bear with human like qualities and the ability to communicate, who changed their lives. This sometimes amusing, sometime deeply moving and profound portrait of a father and son trying to salvage the tattered remnants of their lives reads like an autobiographical account of the events that shaped a young boys life and made him the man he is today.
The scenes between Cha...more
The scenes between Cha...more
This is an interesting little book. I would classify it almost as an allegory or a fairy tale. It's the story of a boy who finds a bear who is really a man trapped in a bear's body. While this book has some plot issues and gets sidetracked too often with the main character's middle school crushes, it's kind of an interesting story. It's sort of sweet... and sort of sappy. One of those! I read this because I LOVED LOVED LOVED Cameron's "A Dog's Purpose". I think that was by far a much better book...more
This book is such a gem!! It's heart-warming and thought-provoking. Charlie is an 8th grade boy who has lost his mother, has trouble relating to his father, and is trying to find his social place at school. Things are not happy for him, and then he sees a grizzly bear in the wild - and somehow they connect. The grizzly comes home with him and stays in his barn - and apparently is a reincarnated Civil War soldier with a message.
Like his other book, A Dog's Purpose, Cameron has written a book with...more
Like his other book, A Dog's Purpose, Cameron has written a book with...more
Much like A Dog's Purpose, Emory's Gift explores reincarnation. Shortly after 13-year-old Charlie's mom dies from cancer, he is walking in the woods near his home in Idaho and comes face to face with a cougar. Just when the cougar is ready to pounce, it backs off and Charlie finds himself staring down a grizzly bear. Instead of being attacked, Charlie finds himself making a connection with the bear, which follows him home. The bear sticks around and starts to communicate with Charlie. The story...more
Emory's Gift is a wonderfully whimsical coming of age story about a young boy named Charlie Hall who has recently lost his mother to cancer, has no idea how to communicate with his father and who is just starting junior high with no friends. In his adventures in the woods of rural Idaho behind his home he runs into a very special bear. The bear and him actually communicate by writing.
In this story Emory's Gift to Charlie is helping him forgive himself and others, improve his relationship with hi...more
In this story Emory's Gift to Charlie is helping him forgive himself and others, improve his relationship with hi...more
Still shaking my head over this one.... a patron recommended it to a coworker, who said it was unbelievable and passed it on to me. It reads like an autobiography at first - grieving young boy who has lost his mother to cancer - then a sudden shift into fantasy when he is befriended by a grizzly bear who can WRITE and is supposedly a reincarnated Civil War soldier...! It's not that it's not well written - for the most part, the characters ring true, and I think the author does a good job of port...more
As the story began, I recalled the imagery of the Boy, being stalked by the Cougar, being frightened off by the Grizzly. I seem to recall that image as a Commercial on TV some time ago. And as the story builds, I had the sense that this would be a 'ripoff' of that imagery. Not so... This develops as a coming-of-age story of a young boy losing His Mom, only to be shut out by His grieving Dad and having to cope with being a seventh grader. Enter "Emory" and disbelief is suspended. The writing coul...more
I can easily round this book up to 4.5-star rating...
Will review later...
Now that I think about this book a couple weeks after completing it, I now realize two different things when it comes to my overall opinion of it. The overall writing and character development is really quite good, but on the other hand the "message" the book delivers through the bear was kind of a letdown. "God loves all." Really? OK, I'm a non-believer, but even if I were, I'd still think it was a cheesy thing to throw i...more
Will review later...
Now that I think about this book a couple weeks after completing it, I now realize two different things when it comes to my overall opinion of it. The overall writing and character development is really quite good, but on the other hand the "message" the book delivers through the bear was kind of a letdown. "God loves all." Really? OK, I'm a non-believer, but even if I were, I'd still think it was a cheesy thing to throw i...more
Got this on my Nook because I'm such a huge fan of this author, and I think I loved this book even more! As a Christian, I love books (like the Narnia series) that explore the topic of God's Love through the magical world of animals. A Dog's Purpose touched on that theme, but this book takes the idea further. This story reads like a true fable, and you come away thrilled, entertained, and yet comforted from a spiritual perspective. I hope others who review it will be careful not to do plot spoil...more
Oh, my goodness, I love this book. W. Bruce Cameron wrote one of my favorite humor books, "8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter." This is not a humor book although it has its very funny moments. It is also sad, touching, suspenseful and just an all-around good time. Charlie Hall is an 8th grade boy whose mom has died of cancer and whose dad is very depressed and not paying much attention to him. Charlie has a very strange and life-changing encounter with a grizzly bear near his home. I'...more
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| Emory's Gift | 2 | 12 | Jun 08, 2012 04:47pm |
I’ve always loved dogs, which puts me in a unique category along with what, maybe two or three billion people?
What’s not to love about an animal who will sit in your living room all day long, waiting for you to get home, and even if you need to work late and then stop for a stress-relieving beverage on your way home, when you unlock that front door, is absolutely overjoyed to see you? How could yo...more
More about W. Bruce Cameron...
What’s not to love about an animal who will sit in your living room all day long, waiting for you to get home, and even if you need to work late and then stop for a stress-relieving beverage on your way home, when you unlock that front door, is absolutely overjoyed to see you? How could yo...more
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“We would drive to Canada, where it would probably be legal for us to get married- it was Canada where they let people do whatever they wanted because it was too cold to bother stopping them.”
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