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redcabinreads's review against another edition
5.0
Some books are for devouring. This is one of them.
trees75's review against another edition
3.0
I've spent a lot of time on Kauai, so this read brought me back to the island - which was great during isolation. I'm not a huge fan of memoirs, so it took me a while to get into the story. It was the description of the island that kept me going at first, less of the family memories. Once I connected with the family memories, the story was over. I loved her description that education/reading is what can give us power over our situations.
alundeberg's review against another edition
4.0
Toby Neal's memoir "Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii" is pretty impressive. In it she recounts her childhood bouncing between Kauai and California in the company of her surfer, drug-abusing parents, but often left alone in a landscape that is often more treacherous than tropical. Not only does she struggle to be a parent to her own and her siblings, she is a red-headed "haole" on an island that does not look kindly on outsiders. Facing prejudice and bullying, she is taught by her family to keep her head down and not draw attention, especially since they are essentially squatters in the wild.
Her story is often compared to Jeannette Walls' "The Glass Castle" and Tara Westover's "Educated"--each featuring a female protagonist under the sway of charismatic and domineering parents who resist traditional authority and live life off the grid of normalcy. The power in Walls' and Westover's memoirs stems from their early naiveté, their growing realizations that life for others is different, and their struggles to break free from their families and forge a life of their own. Neal's memoir does not quite capture their propulsive sweep, rather she seems a fully-realized person at the age of four. She casts judgments on her parents in a way that reminds me of a student's remark about six-year old Scout Finch, "What kid talks like this?". While she strives to fit in with her parents and be the child they want her to be, she is already independent of them, and they and her other family members are not as fully drawn and come across as stereotypes. The family is partially supported by her dad's trust fund and rich grandparents to save the day. While her childhood is traumatic and wild, there is a sense early on that she would always be okay. Her parents are out there, but not THAT out there. They live in the wild as far as common sense will allow them. Unlike "The Glass Castle" where Walls allows her readers to infer the meaning of events, every chapter in Neal's work contains commentary and reflection, driving the readers' thoughts. Her story is "The Glass Castle Lite".
Her story is often compared to Jeannette Walls' "The Glass Castle" and Tara Westover's "Educated"--each featuring a female protagonist under the sway of charismatic and domineering parents who resist traditional authority and live life off the grid of normalcy. The power in Walls' and Westover's memoirs stems from their early naiveté, their growing realizations that life for others is different, and their struggles to break free from their families and forge a life of their own. Neal's memoir does not quite capture their propulsive sweep, rather she seems a fully-realized person at the age of four. She casts judgments on her parents in a way that reminds me of a student's remark about six-year old Scout Finch, "What kid talks like this?". While she strives to fit in with her parents and be the child they want her to be, she is already independent of them, and they and her other family members are not as fully drawn and come across as stereotypes. The family is partially supported by her dad's trust fund and rich grandparents to save the day. While her childhood is traumatic and wild, there is a sense early on that she would always be okay. Her parents are out there, but not THAT out there. They live in the wild as far as common sense will allow them. Unlike "The Glass Castle" where Walls allows her readers to infer the meaning of events, every chapter in Neal's work contains commentary and reflection, driving the readers' thoughts. Her story is "The Glass Castle Lite".
readinchic's review against another edition
5.0
Emotional, Youthful and Chilling
I loved this memoir! It is beautifully written and I really enjoyed the thoughts as a young child growing, understanding the world around her and just how hard childhood can be. By the end I really just wanted to give the author a hug.
I loved this memoir! It is beautifully written and I really enjoyed the thoughts as a young child growing, understanding the world around her and just how hard childhood can be. By the end I really just wanted to give the author a hug.
fredschweitzer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
oviedorose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
3.0
courtneymartin1203's review against another edition
5.0
Toby Neal is a talented writer with a gift for immersive storytelling, seamlessly tying together descriptive vignettes from an unconventional childhood in Kauia. Throughout the book, there's a striking juxtaposition between the island's sublime beauty and the poverty, mental illness, substance use, and trauma interlaced with growing up there. I found Toby's perspective profoundly moving; experiences that she portrays as adventurous, or even magical, as a young child are portrayed as increasingly traumatic as she ages. I admire both her spunk and resiliency. Full 5 stars.