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The Window
A girl, blinded by the auto accident that killed her mother, comes to terms with her disability—and her new life. “This is a sensitive and well-told story, inhabited by appealing and believable characters, and given a twist by the unexpected element of the supernatural.” — Kirkus Reviews
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
10 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Jeanette Ingold
8 books24 followers I love road trips and museums, mountains and woods, libraries and old houses, mysterious photographs, and people with stories to tell. I’m a Montanan who grew up in New York in a family of Texans. I’ve a husband, two kids, a pair of grandkids, and a dog named Mica. Most of my best friends are other writers, and my days don’t feel right when I don’t begin them by putting words on the page. And that all leads to books.
Many of those road trips have been to national parks where I’ve seen countless small signs saying that CCC youth build this turnout or that lodge. They made me curious about who those young people were and why they worked so hard.
The result was HITCH, a novel that brings one of my most-beloved Texas characters, Moss Trawnley, to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in central Montana. I’m pleased to report that the newest edition of HITCH is a great audiobook recording from Audible.
Young people tackling hard jobs is a theme that runs through all of my novels. THE BIG BURN first brought my writing home to the Northwest. This is a place where forest fires shape land and lives and where young people like my son in his college days sometimes spend their summers on fire crews.
I was delighted when VOYA called this fictional account of the terrible 1910 wildfires “a must-read for adrenalin junkies,” but I hope it will also provoke thought about some of the factors that lie behind the forest fires of today.
PAPER DAUGHTER, my newest novel, tells two stories of teens making their way in the adult world. One is a Chinese immigrant living under a false identity in Exclusion Era days. The other is Maggie Chen, an intern at a Seattle newspaper. I had fun writing her experiences there. My own first writing job was in a newsroom, and looking back, I have to think I couldn’t have asked for a better place to hone my craft.
I don’t put my life into my books, exactly, but bits and pieces do, of course, make their way in, reshaped and sometimes carried far beyond where I might have gone.
MOUNTAIN SOLO is about a passion for music—for a violin, especially—and about the hard choices that can come with great talent. I’ve played mine only enough—in high school and now picked up again--to have a huge respect for anyone who works hard at learning an instrument.
THE WINDOW is about a different kind of courage—the kind needed by a teenage girl facing blindness. It was my first book and, along with two others, is set in Texas. The heroine, Mandy, finds support in family and family stories, and that’s another theme that I like to explore.
Mine was an airline family, and the tales my mom and dad told led me to write AIRFIELD. It’s about two teens who talk themselves into jobs at a small airport in the sometimes romantic, sometimes terrifying early days of commercial aviation.
And finally there’s PICTURES, 1918, to be released as an eBook later this year. I wrote it wanting to put my grandmother’s voice on paper, as well to capture the magic of photography, whether it’s done with an old-fashioned film camera or on the newest phone. I hope you’ll look for it and let me know what you think!
Many of those road trips have been to national parks where I’ve seen countless small signs saying that CCC youth build this turnout or that lodge. They made me curious about who those young people were and why they worked so hard.
The result was HITCH, a novel that brings one of my most-beloved Texas characters, Moss Trawnley, to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in central Montana. I’m pleased to report that the newest edition of HITCH is a great audiobook recording from Audible.
Young people tackling hard jobs is a theme that runs through all of my novels. THE BIG BURN first brought my writing home to the Northwest. This is a place where forest fires shape land and lives and where young people like my son in his college days sometimes spend their summers on fire crews.
I was delighted when VOYA called this fictional account of the terrible 1910 wildfires “a must-read for adrenalin junkies,” but I hope it will also provoke thought about some of the factors that lie behind the forest fires of today.
PAPER DAUGHTER, my newest novel, tells two stories of teens making their way in the adult world. One is a Chinese immigrant living under a false identity in Exclusion Era days. The other is Maggie Chen, an intern at a Seattle newspaper. I had fun writing her experiences there. My own first writing job was in a newsroom, and looking back, I have to think I couldn’t have asked for a better place to hone my craft.
I don’t put my life into my books, exactly, but bits and pieces do, of course, make their way in, reshaped and sometimes carried far beyond where I might have gone.
MOUNTAIN SOLO is about a passion for music—for a violin, especially—and about the hard choices that can come with great talent. I’ve played mine only enough—in high school and now picked up again--to have a huge respect for anyone who works hard at learning an instrument.
THE WINDOW is about a different kind of courage—the kind needed by a teenage girl facing blindness. It was my first book and, along with two others, is set in Texas. The heroine, Mandy, finds support in family and family stories, and that’s another theme that I like to explore.
Mine was an airline family, and the tales my mom and dad told led me to write AIRFIELD. It’s about two teens who talk themselves into jobs at a small airport in the sometimes romantic, sometimes terrifying early days of commercial aviation.
And finally there’s PICTURES, 1918, to be released as an eBook later this year. I wrote it wanting to put my grandmother’s voice on paper, as well to capture the magic of photography, whether it’s done with an old-fashioned film camera or on the newest phone. I hope you’ll look for it and let me know what you think!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
October 1, 2017
Mandy survived the terrible accident that killed her mother, but she was left blind and alone. Now she lives with relatives she doesn't know, attends a new school, and tries to make friends--all the while struggling to function without sight.
Her unpredictable life takes its strangest turn when she begins to hear the oddest things through the window of her attic room. In fact, what she hears--and seems to "see"--are events that happened years ago, before she was even born. . . .
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. The main character, Mandy loses her mother in a car accident and also loses her sight. She goes to live with relatives that she didn't know she had. While there she deals with her blindness and with meeting new friends and going to a new school.
Mandy chooses the attic room on the third floor of her aunt and uncle's old farm house and soon she begins to hear voices outside her window that no one else can hear. I thought this would be on the creepy side, but it isn't creepy at all. The paranormal elements are like visions of the past. The window in Mandy's room is sort of a portal that lets her see back in time even though she is blind.
This wasn't a very long book, but it was a sweet story and I liked Mandy even though at first she could be a little prickly and grumpy. I thought it was realistic considering her situation and it wasn't overdone to the point that she pitied herself too much. I could sympathize with her instead of find her annoying. The friends that she makes in Hannah and Ted were also nice touches to the story and I was glad to see that there were no mean girls or high school bullies included in this book.
I liked the development of her relationship with her aunt and uncles and how she learned to trust them and let them help her. She learned that sometimes it's ok to admit that everything isn't alright.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
Her unpredictable life takes its strangest turn when she begins to hear the oddest things through the window of her attic room. In fact, what she hears--and seems to "see"--are events that happened years ago, before she was even born. . . .
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. The main character, Mandy loses her mother in a car accident and also loses her sight. She goes to live with relatives that she didn't know she had. While there she deals with her blindness and with meeting new friends and going to a new school.
Mandy chooses the attic room on the third floor of her aunt and uncle's old farm house and soon she begins to hear voices outside her window that no one else can hear. I thought this would be on the creepy side, but it isn't creepy at all. The paranormal elements are like visions of the past. The window in Mandy's room is sort of a portal that lets her see back in time even though she is blind.
This wasn't a very long book, but it was a sweet story and I liked Mandy even though at first she could be a little prickly and grumpy. I thought it was realistic considering her situation and it wasn't overdone to the point that she pitied herself too much. I could sympathize with her instead of find her annoying. The friends that she makes in Hannah and Ted were also nice touches to the story and I was glad to see that there were no mean girls or high school bullies included in this book.
I liked the development of her relationship with her aunt and uncles and how she learned to trust them and let them help her. She learned that sometimes it's ok to admit that everything isn't alright.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
June 19, 2010
Such an amazing book, really.
I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to be blind and that young still.
This book really gives you insight into a couple things:
1. how important family is
2. how hard it is for blind people to get around on their own
and 3. always wear a frickin' seatbelt!
loved it.
I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to be blind and that young still.
This book really gives you insight into a couple things:
1. how important family is
2. how hard it is for blind people to get around on their own
and 3. always wear a frickin' seatbelt!
loved it.
September 3, 2019
A sweet YA story with a supernatural twist that is not creepy but beautiful and speaks to the importance of family and repairing generations of abuse and damaging behavior. The novel is slightly dated but not enough to detract from the storyline. I do believe that those voices from the past can reach out to us and bring instruction and comfort.
April 9, 2018
Engaging and quick read. I loved the character growth and story growth. The friendship between Hannah and Mandy is A+
October 11, 2017
I thought this book was very interesting because it shows how difficult it can be but also how gifted someone can be, who is blind. Mandy is very gifted but it also isn't a very good gift, she has a hard time dealing with what she can see when she stands by the window. It's like she is living another life, which she is but not. Mandy doesn't want to tell anyone what she can see because they'll think she's crazy. With the class she has and the people in it, don't have this "gift" like she does, which makes her unique. I like this book because it shows no matter what the issue is there is always a better outcome or different outcome to make that person happy.
July 19, 2012
Mandy, an only child, survived an horrific car crash that left her mother dead and her blind and alone. Case workers did manage to locate some distant relatives whom Mandy has never before met and now she is taken to Texas to live with them. New family, new school, new friends, new situations in which she finds herself - especially without being able to see.
One afternoon, while leaning out her attic bedroom window, Mandy hears things. Voices. Children’s voices calling for a girl named Gwen. Over the course of several months Mandy finds herself at the window, listening for the story of Gwen and her siblings to unfold, while she listens and watches in her mind. At first, when questioning her uncle Abe about the events, he quickly avoided her. Eventually she is able to “see” enough of the story and have an open conversation with her aunt, that the pieces all fit together. Mandy learns that Gwen is her grandmother who, at the age of 15 years old, married a traveling salesman and left home. Pregnant, Gwen found herself a widow at a young age. She then traveled around with her young daughter looking for work and a place to call home.
My thoughts: An easy read! The story intrigued me from the beginning, but I was hoping that there would be a little more “ghost story element” to the book. I did like the fact that her protagonist was blind; I believe there needs to be more books including disabilities.
One afternoon, while leaning out her attic bedroom window, Mandy hears things. Voices. Children’s voices calling for a girl named Gwen. Over the course of several months Mandy finds herself at the window, listening for the story of Gwen and her siblings to unfold, while she listens and watches in her mind. At first, when questioning her uncle Abe about the events, he quickly avoided her. Eventually she is able to “see” enough of the story and have an open conversation with her aunt, that the pieces all fit together. Mandy learns that Gwen is her grandmother who, at the age of 15 years old, married a traveling salesman and left home. Pregnant, Gwen found herself a widow at a young age. She then traveled around with her young daughter looking for work and a place to call home.
My thoughts: An easy read! The story intrigued me from the beginning, but I was hoping that there would be a little more “ghost story element” to the book. I did like the fact that her protagonist was blind; I believe there needs to be more books including disabilities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2009
This book is about a blind girl who is sent to live with her relatives after her mother died in a car crash that left her blind. She is learning how to make friends and live with out sight. She discovers voices in a window and is transported back to the past where she learns the story of her grandmother and of her new family. I liked the details and the storyline, it was really sad in some parts. It was a good book.
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January 15, 2010Good hook in the beginning....Curious of what is going to happen in chapter 4!
October 12, 2019
The Window by Jeanette Ingold is a book that is about a young girl who has suffered from an accident. Mandy, the main character of the story is the only survivor of a tragedy that killed her family. Due to the accident, she has lost her sight and vision of the world. After the accident she is sent to live with her great aunt, and uncle in Texas. Mandy is my favorite character because she has the courage and willingness to try and be better even with her disability. An example of her brave soul would be when she decides to go into a public school with little help from aids and other students, instead of going to a private school despite her struggles. The story led me to keep turning pages because the next event or discovery within the novel could happen at any point, along with the odd story behind the book itself. While reading I felt a sense of curiosity, possibly due to the window that describes the past of Mandy’s family. My favorite part of the book is when Mandy first discovered the window and the story it told within. It opened up a lot of questions that needed to be answered for me to understand the book. Which is, most likely reason for me to finish the novel in the fairly short amount of time I did. The characters throughout the novel continued to develop and provide a story and a sense of who they really were. From the ghosts of their past life or Mandy, with her difficulties and obstacles. Mandy’s character truly progressed extremely far from where she started at the beginning point of the book. There were a few things while reading that I did not like. First, the book was hard to become interested in because it was a slow read at the start. I feel like part of the reason for that is because there was almost too many open ended questions which had me guessing into another realm which the book would end up being nothing like; this turned out to be a disappointment in this scenario because my guesses had a fun story or plot, when really the book turned out to be much slower paced than I had expected. Second, like I just stated, the book had a slow pace and not much “action” while I understand this novel would be hard to put a lot of action into because of the scheme. I love to read books that have a lot of action and are fast paced, it keeps me turning pages more frequently because my interest level is much higher. Overall this was a good read and a solid novel that I would recommend to people who don't mind taking time getting into a novel.
September 10, 2020
A lot has changed for Mandy when this novel opens. She's fifteen and has lived her entire life alone with her mother, moving from place to place. So when her mother dies in a car crash and Mandy loses her sight, it's natural for Mandy to be angry and confused. Then she learns she has relatives she never knew she had who live on a cattle farm in Texas. Going to live there and attending high school in town are the beginning of a new chapter for her.
This book allows readers to meet a character trying to adjust to blindness. The portrayal is nuanced, showing the different approaches and attitudes Mandy employs and showing the things she struggles with.
I would recommend this book to any teen who is blind or anyone who has never met a blind person. Once again, the author neatly avoids the double trap of characterizing Mandy as someone to be pitied as well as making her into someone superhuman. Neither o those traps do any service to blind people. We are ordinary folks who just happen to be unable to see. We do things a little differently than others, but we get them done, sometimes well, sometimes not so well. And what we do or don't need help with, and when we ask or don't ask, might surprise you.
This book allows readers to meet a character trying to adjust to blindness. The portrayal is nuanced, showing the different approaches and attitudes Mandy employs and showing the things she struggles with.
I would recommend this book to any teen who is blind or anyone who has never met a blind person. Once again, the author neatly avoids the double trap of characterizing Mandy as someone to be pitied as well as making her into someone superhuman. Neither o those traps do any service to blind people. We are ordinary folks who just happen to be unable to see. We do things a little differently than others, but we get them done, sometimes well, sometimes not so well. And what we do or don't need help with, and when we ask or don't ask, might surprise you.
January 16, 2020
This has some good messages about acceptance and coming of age. Mandy is transitioning through two tragedies at once: becoming an orphan and losing her eyesight. She makes family connections and new friends; learns to accept help and to challenge herself. And through some bizarre connection she learns more about her mother. The writing isn’t great but I did enjoy the story
October 2, 2018
2/5
Me gustó mucho leerlo, porque sentí a Mandy como una amiguita. Y aunque trata sobre una niña ciega, no es un libro sobre ceguera.
Sin embargo, sentí la historia como una historia para niños chiquitos.
Me gustó mucho leerlo, porque sentí a Mandy como una amiguita. Y aunque trata sobre una niña ciega, no es un libro sobre ceguera.
Sin embargo, sentí la historia como una historia para niños chiquitos.
March 25, 2020
This was a nice, quick read. It's simply written, and I actually feel like it could have been fleshed out more. It seems to zoom through and I don't get as deeply into Mandy's head space as I'd like. I did enjoy the story though, and the growth Mandy goes through.
February 11, 2021
I read this because I was interested in reading a book with a blind protagonist, so on that point it was great and I think she wrote that pretty well. Overall it was just okay, some of the characters and the protag's school life didn't quite feel real.
January 2, 2023
A short and easy read. I kind of wish it was longer and had more explanations of things. It felt a bit rushed, but I was eager to know more. It was good for the target audience. As an adult I wanted all the gaps filled in.
September 21, 2023
I found this book in a free little library and it seemed like an interesting quick read.
There were some parts that kept my attention but towards the end I feel like it was rushed to be finished. There was such a climax so close to the end that it seemed wrong. Not bad just wrong.
There were some parts that kept my attention but towards the end I feel like it was rushed to be finished. There was such a climax so close to the end that it seemed wrong. Not bad just wrong.
January 12, 2024
Recalled this title from reading it as a kid but remembered nothing about it other than a girl looking out a window. It was an interesting re-discovery, and I appreciated it being supernatural without being creepy. A nice story about family.
May 15, 2017
Re-read aloud with Laurel.
I love the depth and the hope here.
I love the depth and the hope here.
February 22, 2018
Not a bad short read
February 3, 2019
*3.5*
A really enjoyable read about finding yourself, and how important friendship can be. It was very quick, and I really enjoyed the "romantic interest".
A really enjoyable read about finding yourself, and how important friendship can be. It was very quick, and I really enjoyed the "romantic interest".
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April 7, 2020Good book! Made me really appreciate the amazing things we see on a daily basis.
May 7, 2020
Amazing book. Fast, easy read. Great story.
August 29, 2021
I really liked it. It was quite short, and the flow of the book really kept me going.
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March 18, 2023little March reading series of “books I know I got at Scholastic book fairs,” book 1 ❤️
December 30, 2020
I have read this book several times through and each time I get just as much enjoyment as the last. My all time favorite book!
February 26, 2015
The book, The Window by Jeanette Ingold, was published in 1996. It was published in New York City, New York by Harcourt Inc.. This Book keeps you interested by diversifying the plot and characters, making you want to read more.
Mandy is a teenage girl who is faced with the struggle of being blind. She moves to Texas and starts a new school there while living with her great aunt and uncle. She comes across a weird gift that allows her to “see” into the past out of her bedroom window. The people she is seeing are her family that she doesn’t know very well. Over time at her new school, Mandy made a best friend, Hannah, and a boyfriend, Ted. They both play a big role in Mandy’s new life especially Hannah. She is friends with her not because she feels bad that she is blind but because she can see who Mandy really is. Mandy wasn't always happy with her situation but learned to live with it and learned to love the people who helped her through the struggles in life.
Mandy is moved to live with their extended family after crash killing her mom and making her blind. She is not happy to move because she has never met this part of her family and worry she will be a burden. Her family is very accepting and helps Mandy get ready to start at a new school. She is still learning to live while being blind and this makes school extra hard. She meets a girl named Hannah, who becomes her best friend. Hannah changes many things for Mandy. She teaches her that she can't always be grumpy just because she is blind. This makes Mandy a better person. Mandy would always get frustrated or angry when something where at work but has learned to appreciate the people in her life and adjusted to being blind very well.
"You didn't like me talking about Gwen, did you?" (p.143). This displays Jeanette Ingold creative writing style because of the placement of it. At this time Mandys seeing Gwen crying and Mandy starts to scream so aunt Emma then comes into Mandy’s room to calm her. Abe, who grew up with Gwen until she ran away is really affected by this. When this happened it hit him hard so when Mandy brought it up, he didn't react well. The author placed this towards the end of the book so it creates an interesting topic, making the reader more interested. The way she wrote it was to make Mandy seem hesitant about asking the question. This quote and event happened at a perfect time in the book and Jeanette Ingold shows how well she can write in place events.
This book, although a little older, is able to let the people who read it, connect in many ways such as characters or events. It gives a unique plot and tells about what Mandy is experiencing throughout her new journey and how she overcomes many things. Overall, this book was able to keep you interested and also diversified the plot and characters, making you want to read more.
Mandy is a teenage girl who is faced with the struggle of being blind. She moves to Texas and starts a new school there while living with her great aunt and uncle. She comes across a weird gift that allows her to “see” into the past out of her bedroom window. The people she is seeing are her family that she doesn’t know very well. Over time at her new school, Mandy made a best friend, Hannah, and a boyfriend, Ted. They both play a big role in Mandy’s new life especially Hannah. She is friends with her not because she feels bad that she is blind but because she can see who Mandy really is. Mandy wasn't always happy with her situation but learned to live with it and learned to love the people who helped her through the struggles in life.
Mandy is moved to live with their extended family after crash killing her mom and making her blind. She is not happy to move because she has never met this part of her family and worry she will be a burden. Her family is very accepting and helps Mandy get ready to start at a new school. She is still learning to live while being blind and this makes school extra hard. She meets a girl named Hannah, who becomes her best friend. Hannah changes many things for Mandy. She teaches her that she can't always be grumpy just because she is blind. This makes Mandy a better person. Mandy would always get frustrated or angry when something where at work but has learned to appreciate the people in her life and adjusted to being blind very well.
"You didn't like me talking about Gwen, did you?" (p.143). This displays Jeanette Ingold creative writing style because of the placement of it. At this time Mandys seeing Gwen crying and Mandy starts to scream so aunt Emma then comes into Mandy’s room to calm her. Abe, who grew up with Gwen until she ran away is really affected by this. When this happened it hit him hard so when Mandy brought it up, he didn't react well. The author placed this towards the end of the book so it creates an interesting topic, making the reader more interested. The way she wrote it was to make Mandy seem hesitant about asking the question. This quote and event happened at a perfect time in the book and Jeanette Ingold shows how well she can write in place events.
This book, although a little older, is able to let the people who read it, connect in many ways such as characters or events. It gives a unique plot and tells about what Mandy is experiencing throughout her new journey and how she overcomes many things. Overall, this book was able to keep you interested and also diversified the plot and characters, making you want to read more.
May 27, 2013
Spoiler Alert!!!!
The Window is a great book that I picked up at The Public Library. When I began reading it I was very impressed at the choice of vocabulary. I actually had to look up some of the words! The story started with a girl named Mandy who survived a horrible crash, but unfortunately her mother died when taken to the hospital and she was blind and lonely. She was taken by her Aunt Emma, Uncle Gabriel, and Uncle Abe. At first she was ungrateful and upset, but I mean who wouldn't be right? Then she started high school. She met in a special needs class a guy named Ted and quickly became friends with him. She also developed a strong relationship with her guide named Hannah. Quickly, when the school dance comes up and classes are getting harder, she asks Ted to the dance and while there he revealed that he was partially deaf. They soon became more than friends with each other and would double date with Hanna and her boyfriend and became the 4 musketeers. But in the mean while Mandy starts to hear voices and begins learning the truth in the household and secrets behind it. But problems arise as her best friend Hannah has parental problems and her mom leaves her house for good. Then Hannah comes over and starts talking about how she is going to run away. But being a good friend, and learning some truth of the voices she learns its not a good idea. And when she goes to school on Monday, Hannah isn't there. So she gets called to the principals office and told that Hannah wasn't in her bed this morning. So Mandy and Ted go on the journey and find her at the bus station leaving just in time. Mandy finds out that Hannah missed the bus and they start screaming at each other and look a how they are being really ridiculous. They apologize to each other and go home. While Mandy is at her house she learns the whole truth, it's that a 15 year old girl named Gwen, who is her grandmother, married a salesman and quickly became a widow at a young age. Before Mandy's mom died an hour before she found out that her moms name is Margaret Gwen McKenny. Her mom got the home address to Gwen's home and was on her way to the post office to deliver a letter when a huge delivery truck turned the corner to fast and went flying to their car. At that moment, while Mandy did have her seat belt on, her mom was just about to buckle when she went flying through the windshield and into a utility pole. But Mandy even with her seatbelt on managed to hit her head in the dashboard really badly. After this truth she learned something really important, she can't keep pretending everything was ok. Because it wasn't. But she had a loving family that cared for her and loved her like their own child. And at that second she was very grateful.
The Window is a great book that I picked up at The Public Library. When I began reading it I was very impressed at the choice of vocabulary. I actually had to look up some of the words! The story started with a girl named Mandy who survived a horrible crash, but unfortunately her mother died when taken to the hospital and she was blind and lonely. She was taken by her Aunt Emma, Uncle Gabriel, and Uncle Abe. At first she was ungrateful and upset, but I mean who wouldn't be right? Then she started high school. She met in a special needs class a guy named Ted and quickly became friends with him. She also developed a strong relationship with her guide named Hannah. Quickly, when the school dance comes up and classes are getting harder, she asks Ted to the dance and while there he revealed that he was partially deaf. They soon became more than friends with each other and would double date with Hanna and her boyfriend and became the 4 musketeers. But in the mean while Mandy starts to hear voices and begins learning the truth in the household and secrets behind it. But problems arise as her best friend Hannah has parental problems and her mom leaves her house for good. Then Hannah comes over and starts talking about how she is going to run away. But being a good friend, and learning some truth of the voices she learns its not a good idea. And when she goes to school on Monday, Hannah isn't there. So she gets called to the principals office and told that Hannah wasn't in her bed this morning. So Mandy and Ted go on the journey and find her at the bus station leaving just in time. Mandy finds out that Hannah missed the bus and they start screaming at each other and look a how they are being really ridiculous. They apologize to each other and go home. While Mandy is at her house she learns the whole truth, it's that a 15 year old girl named Gwen, who is her grandmother, married a salesman and quickly became a widow at a young age. Before Mandy's mom died an hour before she found out that her moms name is Margaret Gwen McKenny. Her mom got the home address to Gwen's home and was on her way to the post office to deliver a letter when a huge delivery truck turned the corner to fast and went flying to their car. At that moment, while Mandy did have her seat belt on, her mom was just about to buckle when she went flying through the windshield and into a utility pole. But Mandy even with her seatbelt on managed to hit her head in the dashboard really badly. After this truth she learned something really important, she can't keep pretending everything was ok. Because it wasn't. But she had a loving family that cared for her and loved her like their own child. And at that second she was very grateful.
July 13, 2011
The writing in this book is so charged, it's almost electrified. Most of the scenes are short - just a page or two - but sharp and vivid - stripped of visuals (since the MC is a 15 year old Mandy, still adjusting to her blindness after a severe accident), but rich with other senses and not a word wasted. Mandy's independent, I-can-take-care-of-myself vulnerability comes through as a strong voice I quickly fell in love with.
I dare you to read the first chapter and not be so hooked you can't put the book down. Mandy's heightened senses to compensate for her blindness involve a sixth sense - an ability to hear into the past, and she slowly unravels a mystery that has long haunted her mother's family. Yet Mandy's ability to hear into the past isn't treated like a superpower or a magical power or even something psychic or paranormal: it just simply is.
The powerful opening scene:
Another excerpt from the first chapter when a nurse takes Mandy to visit her mother in the hospital:
Don't worry, the last thing this book is a pity party for poor blind Mandy. She's much too strong. I feared for her when she makes the decision to attend a regular high school instead of a school for the blind, but soon realized there's nothing to fear in the hands for this excellent story teller.
I will definitely look for more books by this author.
I dare you to read the first chapter and not be so hooked you can't put the book down. Mandy's heightened senses to compensate for her blindness involve a sixth sense - an ability to hear into the past, and she slowly unravels a mystery that has long haunted her mother's family. Yet Mandy's ability to hear into the past isn't treated like a superpower or a magical power or even something psychic or paranormal: it just simply is.
The powerful opening scene:
"Stay seated, Mandy," the flight attendant says. "When the other passengers have gotten off, I'll come get you."
Right. She should try staying seated herself, when everybody else is standing up and the guy by the window wants out and stuff's tumbling from the overhead bins and you get bumped half into the aisle.
A man says "Watch it," and some other man says, "Hey." Suddenly there's a pocket of hot silence. Everyone around has just realized I can't see.
Another excerpt from the first chapter when a nurse takes Mandy to visit her mother in the hospital:
I found my mother's arm, reach for her face, the but the nurse moved my hand away. "You'll dislodge the tubing."
I listened for Mom to make some noise, even to just breathe out loud, but all the room became one steady, tiny monitor blip.
"Hey, Mom," I said. "You sure we can afford the rent here?"
I could feel the nurse get uptight, knew she was thinking: Hard case; people like these don't have feelings like they should.
"Don't worry, Mom," I said. "I'll get along."
My mom died the next morning, without me ever knowing if she'd heard.
Don't worry, the last thing this book is a pity party for poor blind Mandy. She's much too strong. I feared for her when she makes the decision to attend a regular high school instead of a school for the blind, but soon realized there's nothing to fear in the hands for this excellent story teller.
I will definitely look for more books by this author.
June 14, 2016
Sometimes the smallest packages have the largest impressions. Such is with Jeanette Ingold's novel, The Window. Sometimes you decide to hold onto a book because it has way too many magical elements that you wish all books had. This will be a book I only lend to the most valued friends and family I encounter, and no, I am not sure I want to tell everyone I own this book in fear of losing it. Excellent excellent excellent story within a story that touches on family, life in general and you can actually FEEL through the pages, not many books are able to do that.
Yet, this is quite powerful if you choose to soak the depth in page after page. One of the best reads and find I found in 181 pages I could possibly hope for.
Yet, this is quite powerful if you choose to soak the depth in page after page. One of the best reads and find I found in 181 pages I could possibly hope for.
July 9, 2020
I forgot how much I liked this book until I read it again. I haven’t seen it since I was in high school and really couldn’t remember much of the story. I knew that Mandy was blind and could see the past through her bedroom window. That was pretty much it. I really liked seeing the world through Mandy’s perspective especially the scenes with Gwen. I forgot about the past belonging to her uncles and grandmother. I would’ve liked the book to have been a little longer. I wanted to know more about Gwen and when she put her baby up for adoption or if she ever made amends with her mother, but I guess that is apparent by the way her brothers never mention her. I’m hoping that I will come across this book at the book sale one day because I would like to have it to read every now and then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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