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gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
Magical realism in a small Texan town setting with a small girl's amazing voice. This voice can heal even the worst heart - in forgiveness. At least that's the way I read it. It's really hard to tell all the layers of meaning in magical realism. But "my" middle school kids will let me know how they interpret it, I'm sure.
lanica's review against another edition
2.0
TEACHER LIBRARIAN REVIEW:
Within the first three chapters I was ready to stop reading this book. It is sad, dark, gloomy, depressing...and yet. I read the rest of the book because it was made for kids. I had a thought that things couldn't be as bad as they seemed. Something was going to make these horrible situations better...but then it didn't. It kept getting darker and darker and I was afraid of where it was going. The idea that there might have been child abuse (possibly of a sexual nature) made me choose not to put it in my elementary library. I will donate my copy to the middle school.
The ending was sad and hopeful at the same time...but after so much creeping darkness from the beginning I was put off by the 'happy' ending. Things didn't change much in the end...and most of the horrible situations were still present as the book closed. Too much dark realism in this book for me. I can't recommend it to my K-5 students; but, middle or high school might really like it.
Within the first three chapters I was ready to stop reading this book. It is sad, dark, gloomy, depressing...and yet. I read the rest of the book because it was made for kids. I had a thought that things couldn't be as bad as they seemed. Something was going to make these horrible situations better...but then it didn't. It kept getting darker and darker and I was afraid of where it was going. The idea that there might have been child abuse (possibly of a sexual nature) made me choose not to put it in my elementary library. I will donate my copy to the middle school.
The ending was sad and hopeful at the same time...but after so much creeping darkness from the beginning I was put off by the 'happy' ending. Things didn't change much in the end...and most of the horrible situations were still present as the book closed. Too much dark realism in this book for me. I can't recommend it to my K-5 students; but, middle or high school might really like it.
catcervone's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - this story is so sad and pretty. It was almost hard to get through at times because everything is so painful and awful for the characters. But glad I made it through. I loved the magic but felt a lot of questions went unanswered and would have liked a little more explanation.
mlejmeyer's review against another edition
3.0
This book was beautifully written, but so dark that I struggled with it in many parts.
syndi3's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this is a beautiful story. about friendship and redemption. little john tries to make it right by gayle and his family.
it is also a story about religion and God. i do enjoy this book. but not floor by it.
it is also a story about religion and God. i do enjoy this book. but not floor by it.
pacifickle's review against another edition
3.0
I think the implied act of sexual assault doesn't jive with the intended middle grade audience. Well-written, but seems like a "Speak" for a younger audience?
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
Originally DNFed. Tried again and finished.
I get why this is getting so much buzz. It is exactly the sort of book adults like for kids to read. I was swept away by the excellent prose and the nod to Anderson's tale, but have some pretty major issues with how the end wrapped up. The book is sad, sad, sad, and then in a rush of 20 pages there is a happily ever after that left me feeling flat. That much awful wrapped up that perfectly and fast left me feeling cheated. There was no real closure.
I get why this is getting so much buzz. It is exactly the sort of book adults like for kids to read. I was swept away by the excellent prose and the nod to Anderson's tale, but have some pretty major issues with how the end wrapped up. The book is sad, sad, sad, and then in a rush of 20 pages there is a happily ever after that left me feeling flat. That much awful wrapped up that perfectly and fast left me feeling cheated. There was no real closure.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those amazing children’s books that kids will love and, when they go back to it as an adult, they will see so much more in it than they did when they were younger. All ages will appreciate it. I think I would have loved it as a child and I know I loved it as an adult - mostly because magical realism is my favorite.
As an adult, I thought, “How could this kid do that?!” However, I knew that I made bad choices as a kid. These were learning experiences for Little John. He just had one after another, after another, after another. He and all of the other characters grew in an interesting way, and I even loved how bad the bad guy was. (Of course, my favorite was Gayle.)
The setting was fantastic, too. It felt like the dustbowl to me, but it was present day.
I hope Nightingale’s Nest wins an award, because it’s definitely well done. I know it’s a contender!
As an adult, I thought, “How could this kid do that?!” However, I knew that I made bad choices as a kid. These were learning experiences for Little John. He just had one after another, after another, after another. He and all of the other characters grew in an interesting way, and I even loved how bad the bad guy was. (Of course, my favorite was Gayle.)
The setting was fantastic, too. It felt like the dustbowl to me, but it was present day.
I hope Nightingale’s Nest wins an award, because it’s definitely well done. I know it’s a contender!
librariandest's review against another edition
2.0
This is going to be one of those times when I read a book that everyone else seems to love and I just don't get it. Riddled with sadness and ambiguity, I didn't truly enjoy the story at all. The closest I could come to liking this book was appreciating that author Nikki Loftin created something unusual and touching. There's a lot of good stuff here, but it didn't come together in a meaningful way for this reader. The writing was only so-so and the symbolism heavy-handed. Still, here we go:
Little John is a boy in a lamentable situation. His little sister recently died in a tragic accident. He's estranged from his best friend because he's too proud to admit that his family is nearing poverty and falling apart. Little John's teachers make him feel stupid, his mother makes him feel invisible, and his father treats him like a hired hand.
Enter a mysterious new girl who's taken in as a foster child by the awful Cutlin family in the same small town where Little John lives. She calls herself Gayle, though the Cutlins insist her name is Suzie. She reminds Little John of his sister because she's small and feisty, but her most marked characteristic is her beyond-beautiful singing voice and belief in her own magical abilities.
Little John and Gayle become friends. He tries to protect her and at the same time can't resist extorting her for money that his family desperately needs. The villain here is Mr. King, the richest man in town. Known by town folk as "The Emperor," Mr. King is obsessed with recording Gayle's voice to add to his collection. His villainous qualities are ambiguous, though. Gayle fears him and is traumatized by his presence, but why? We don't exactly know. She says he's like a crow. Little John has a built-in reason to loathe King: his father is employed by Mr. King and resents him for being haughty and rich.
The plot is driven by something you know is going to happen, even though it seems so unlikely. Gayle makes Little John promise to protect her tree and her nest because she believes her parents will use these as beacons to find her--but it's somehow inevitable that Little John will break his promise. It also seemed inevitable to me that Little John would redeem himself.
Just a few other details to mention:
1. Little John lives five miles from Mr. King and the Cutlins. In the heat of summer, he runs those five miles (ten round trip) so many times! At first, it's portrayed as a difficult journey for Little John, but then it becomes something he just does without comment. I thought this was convenient for the plot and not very believable.
2. It also bothered me that Raelynn's death was set up as a something the family still needed to deal with, but in the end they went around the issue instead of through it.
3. I'm not a fan of stories that end with poor people conveniently coming into a lot of money and voila! Everything's better! (Also)
4. This story bears only a slight resemblance to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale". I wouldn't call it a re-telling or say it was based on it. I believe the book jacket says "inspired by" and that's fair. I encourage you to go read "The Nightingale" online. It's short and tells a very different kind of story--one about valuing an imitation above the real deal. Also, in Andersen's story the main relationship is between the nightingale and the Emperor.
Little John is a boy in a lamentable situation. His little sister recently died in a tragic accident. He's estranged from his best friend because he's too proud to admit that his family is nearing poverty and falling apart. Little John's teachers make him feel stupid, his mother makes him feel invisible, and his father treats him like a hired hand.
Enter a mysterious new girl who's taken in as a foster child by the awful Cutlin family in the same small town where Little John lives. She calls herself Gayle, though the Cutlins insist her name is Suzie. She reminds Little John of his sister because she's small and feisty, but her most marked characteristic is her beyond-beautiful singing voice and belief in her own magical abilities.
Little John and Gayle become friends. He tries to protect her and at the same time can't resist extorting her for money that his family desperately needs. The villain here is Mr. King, the richest man in town. Known by town folk as "The Emperor," Mr. King is obsessed with recording Gayle's voice to add to his collection. His villainous qualities are ambiguous, though. Gayle fears him and is traumatized by his presence, but why? We don't exactly know. She says he's like a crow. Little John has a built-in reason to loathe King: his father is employed by Mr. King and resents him for being haughty and rich.
The plot is driven by something you know is going to happen, even though it seems so unlikely. Gayle makes Little John promise to protect her tree and her nest because she believes her parents will use these as beacons to find her--but it's somehow inevitable that Little John will break his promise. It also seemed inevitable to me that Little John would redeem himself.
Just a few other details to mention:
1. Little John lives five miles from Mr. King and the Cutlins. In the heat of summer, he runs those five miles (ten round trip) so many times! At first, it's portrayed as a difficult journey for Little John, but then it becomes something he just does without comment. I thought this was convenient for the plot and not very believable.
2. It also bothered me that Raelynn's death was set up as a something the family still needed to deal with, but in the end they went around the issue instead of through it.
3. I'm not a fan of stories that end with poor people conveniently coming into a lot of money and voila! Everything's better! (Also
Spoiler
it would've made more sense for Mr. King to leave all his money to Gayle instead of Little John. It's like Gayle was a just a tool that Little John controlled. I would've liked to understand the relationship between Gayle and Mr. King better.4. This story bears only a slight resemblance to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale". I wouldn't call it a re-telling or say it was based on it. I believe the book jacket says "inspired by" and that's fair. I encourage you to go read "The Nightingale" online. It's short and tells a very different kind of story--one about valuing an imitation above the real deal. Also, in Andersen's story the main relationship is between the nightingale and the Emperor.
jcrawford728's review against another edition
3.0
I think I want to like this more than I did. it was beautiful and heartbreaking at times. I just didn't totally get the ending. beautiful writing just maybe not the best story for me.