Thursday, December 29, 2005

The Truth About Sparrows, by Marian Hale

When Sadie's family is forced to sell their home and travel in search of a new life at the height of the Depression, Sadie hopes the change will be temporary. She hopes that soon they'll be able to return home to Missouri and to her best friend Wilma. But as time goes by, Sadie realizes that there is no going back, and that she must make a new home on the Texas coast, with new friends and a new life.

Hale's story of coming of age in the midst of economic dispair has all the makings of assigned reading. It's a good story if you're into historical fiction, but one can't help but wonder how many readers end up reading it because they have to write a book report for school. The strengths are the crisp writing and tone that never misses a beat, but there isn't much that will grab and hold you.

My own reading experience was interrupted as I started reading this book a month ago and had to stop because the copy I was reading was missing pages -- so there was a gap in my experience. That said, I didn't find myself gripped with suspense at what I was missing, so while this is a good book, it's no page turner.

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