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gertrudy's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable trip to a small town farm with a boy on the verge of being a man. Rob has a great voice and his story, though simple is a joy to read. There are a lot of lessons on living an honest and productive life here, and what it means to be a man. The reality of farm life isn't sugar coated so be prepared for life and death presented at face value. This book stands the test of time.
aprylshowers's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I remember reading this in school and it always sick with me. This was the first book that made realize what am imp impact reading could have. It was also very eye opening and thought provoking. I this is a valuable book for all young people to read.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
Twelve-year-old Robert is a Shaker growing up in Vermont. His father works hard to keep the farm going but he also works slaughtering pigs for a neighbor. Papa makes sure that Robert goes to school to learn how to read and write, opportunities he himself never had. But Papa is also passing down practical wisdom for running a farm and the qualities of a good man and a good neighbor.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book but I ultimately found it to be a surprisingly touching story of a boy on the cusp of manhood.
Robert is fairly innocent in the ways of the world (he thinks that the tiny town of Rutledge, Vermont is almost as big as London). But he also has a practical knowledge of survival and animal husbandry. It’s a striking contrast and could make for a good discussion. It’s easy to giggle at his naivete but I ultimately respected him and the choices he had to make. He has an inner strength that sometimes feels rare these days. He’s also much more in tune with nature than most of us today will ever be. There’s truly a season for everything in his world yet he still stops to appreciate a lovely day.
Reading this for the first time as an adult, Papa’s story touched me just as much as Robert’s. He’s an intelligent man who never got an education. He feels the lack keenly.
“‘Then why can’t you vote? Is it because you’re a Shaker?’
‘No. It’s account of I can’t read or write. When a man cannot do those things, people think his head is weak. Even when he’s proved his back is strong.'”
Papa has buried two stillborn sons, he takes care of an elderly aunt, he works hard on another man’s farm, and yet finds time to take excellent care of his own land. He seems to be a rock of the community. He lives by a simple code but it’s an honorable one. I have to admire him.
This semi-autobiographical novel will upset some readers who are even remotely sensitive to animal deaths. Farmers have to make some tough calls. Some of the things they do are incomprehensible to those of us who just walk into the grocery store and grab a nicely packaged steak without ever seeing the cow it came from. My grandparents and uncles have a small farm with some cattle and hogs and I grew up right next door. Parts of this book were still hard for me to read because I do love animals and the descriptions were fairly graphic. But the author is writing from experience so this is all part of his childhood. No one in the book sets out to be cruel but some scenes will come across that way to modern readers.
This book is most definitely not for every reader. Some of the animal scenes are quite harrowing. But it is ultimately a touching story of a father easing his son into manhood.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book but I ultimately found it to be a surprisingly touching story of a boy on the cusp of manhood.
Robert is fairly innocent in the ways of the world (he thinks that the tiny town of Rutledge, Vermont is almost as big as London). But he also has a practical knowledge of survival and animal husbandry. It’s a striking contrast and could make for a good discussion. It’s easy to giggle at his naivete but I ultimately respected him and the choices he had to make. He has an inner strength that sometimes feels rare these days. He’s also much more in tune with nature than most of us today will ever be. There’s truly a season for everything in his world yet he still stops to appreciate a lovely day.
Reading this for the first time as an adult, Papa’s story touched me just as much as Robert’s. He’s an intelligent man who never got an education. He feels the lack keenly.
“‘Then why can’t you vote? Is it because you’re a Shaker?’
‘No. It’s account of I can’t read or write. When a man cannot do those things, people think his head is weak. Even when he’s proved his back is strong.'”
Papa has buried two stillborn sons, he takes care of an elderly aunt, he works hard on another man’s farm, and yet finds time to take excellent care of his own land. He seems to be a rock of the community. He lives by a simple code but it’s an honorable one. I have to admire him.
This semi-autobiographical novel will upset some readers who are even remotely sensitive to animal deaths. Farmers have to make some tough calls. Some of the things they do are incomprehensible to those of us who just walk into the grocery store and grab a nicely packaged steak without ever seeing the cow it came from. My grandparents and uncles have a small farm with some cattle and hogs and I grew up right next door. Parts of this book were still hard for me to read because I do love animals and the descriptions were fairly graphic. But the author is writing from experience so this is all part of his childhood. No one in the book sets out to be cruel but some scenes will come across that way to modern readers.
This book is most definitely not for every reader. Some of the animal scenes are quite harrowing. But it is ultimately a touching story of a father easing his son into manhood.
ellanoel1224's review
4.0
We read this in my LA class. It's not anything I would have EVER picked up off the shelf myself. It looked too old-fashioned and boring and all around not my type. But, this is different. Every chapter is an adventure in the perspective of Robert Peck, and you'll fall in love with his innocent, uplifting spirit no matter who you are. I laughed, and probably would have cried if I wasn't sitting amongst a bunch of other students. Really, just try it. You'll thank me.
sarahanne8382's review
5.0
Peck has written a great "boy becomes a man" book.. In this semi-autobiographical novel, the 12-year-old narrator Robert is a Shaker farm boy living in Vermont in the 1920s. The book follows a year in his life involving several experiences that change him from a boy into a man, and along the way there are graphic descriptions of several gruesome and gory things that happen on the farm, including the opening scene where Robert helps a cow that is having trouble giving birth. In general though, the pace and style of this book adheres to the simple Shaker ways Robert is raised in, especially the wisdom of his father, Haven, who Robert looks up to like a king.
I loved it because a lot of the descriptions of farm chores reminded me of things I did and saw growing up on a farm, and although the New England culture is different, the farm sensibilities are no different than what I grew up learning. I also loved the way the story snuck up on me. It seemed like an easy going quiet tale of little importance, but I found myself freely crying at the ended, even though the emotion of the moment was expressed in that understated, simple Shaker way. While I absolutely loved this story, I think some boys today might think it's too slow or old-fashioned, yet I was amazed at how much Robert's voice sounded like a real 12-year-old boy. Also those not wanting to expose their children to descriptions of animal death and sexuality will want to steer clear, although such content is discussed in the context of farming, so it serves a purpose other than simply being graphic.
I loved it because a lot of the descriptions of farm chores reminded me of things I did and saw growing up on a farm, and although the New England culture is different, the farm sensibilities are no different than what I grew up learning. I also loved the way the story snuck up on me. It seemed like an easy going quiet tale of little importance, but I found myself freely crying at the ended, even though the emotion of the moment was expressed in that understated, simple Shaker way. While I absolutely loved this story, I think some boys today might think it's too slow or old-fashioned, yet I was amazed at how much Robert's voice sounded like a real 12-year-old boy. Also those not wanting to expose their children to descriptions of animal death and sexuality will want to steer clear, although such content is discussed in the context of farming, so it serves a purpose other than simply being graphic.
bluejeepbaby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ctovar's review against another edition
5.0
One of the only assigned books in school I actually read and re-reading it's just as big of a gut punch.
babbling_brooke's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0