Sons of Liberty - Hardcover

Griffin, Adele

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786803517 ISBN 13: 9780786803514

Verlag: Hyperion Book CH, 1997

Inhaltsangabe

When thirteen-year-old Rock helps his friend Liza run away from home, he wonders whether escaping from his own troubled family would be an act of patriotism or of treason.

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Rezensionen

Grade 6-8. The Kindle family?abusive, manipulative Dad; agoraphobic Mom; sons Rock and Cliff; and little sister Brontie?live in a rundown summer cottage where Dad can keep them relatively isolated as they try to cope with his tantrums and hostility. Cliff seems to have some understanding of what is going on, while Rock attempts to bury his "disloyal" thoughts in his obsession with the American Revolution. When the boys' friend Liza, herself the victim of an abusive stepfather, has finally had enough, the brothers help her run away to New Haven, where she disappears. Cliff works with his mother to help her overcome her fear so that she can drive the car when they are ready to escape their situation. Clueless adults abound in this depressing mix of angst and abuse. Rock verbally lashes out at his mother as his sense of frustration and despair grows. Readers are given to believe that her anguish over Rock's contempt provides her with the impetus she needs to confront her problem and overcome it in a remarkably brief time. Chapter titles such as "The Sugar Act," "Without Representation," and "Midnight Ride" attempt to relate the brothers' situation to that of the historical Sons of Liberty. Rock is the focus of the story, but it's difficult to feel any sympathy for him; his vacillation at the end of the book over whether to stay or run is simply annoying, not climactic. This book has neither drama nor insight to offer in exchange for readers' time.?Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A knot-in-the-stomach of a good book, as true and real as any this year: Griffin (Split Just Right, p. 555, etc.), in her disturbing portraits of adults as authoritative, abusive, and ineffectual parents, casts a dark shadow over the story of two teenage brothers leaving the safety of childhood. Intelligent writing and thoughtfully drawn characters amplify the process of two boys wending their way through the complexities of family relationships that are often beyond the scope of their understanding. Rock, 13, is a history buff, an American Revolution aficionado who understands loyalty and conflict. Griffin cleverly draws parallels between the private family war of two sons rebelling against their regimented, fiercely controlling father, and the large-scale revolt of young colonies against the parent country. Rock's relationship with his brother Cliff is mostly intuitive, marked by petty jealousies and competitions as well as shining moments. As Cliff and Rock toy with the notion of escape, the suspense is exhausting; Rock's anguish is achingly realized, and the final outcome is no black- and-white happy ending, but a gray realm: They choose the temporary pain of breaking away in the half-uttered hope of finding a better life. It will make readers wince in discomfort, and long to know how it all turned out. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Hyperion Book CH
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1997
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0786803517
• ISBN 13: 9780786803514
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 240
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
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