Scan barcode
taya_bel's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great, but I felt like not much happened or the ending wasn’t what I wanted. Basically the whole story was the gran spent the rest of her life looking for signs that her husband may have sent and disregards her son and puts her granddaughter at risk just because of the statue’s head, which was sent by her sailor husband? Nothing definitively happened in the end really. I guess that I get the writing was leading the readers to a bigger plot twist/change in plot.
Besides the storyline, the descriptions of the sea and landscape were beautiful, as it is in all of Babbitt’s writings. There is a wistful, eerie, and nostalgic feeling to this story.
Note to self: I read this book solely with a physical book.
Besides the storyline, the descriptions of the sea and landscape were beautiful, as it is in all of Babbitt’s writings. There is a wistful, eerie, and nostalgic feeling to this story.
Note to self: I read this book solely with a physical book.
dude_watchin_with_the_brontes's review against another edition
4.0
My friend and I read our favorite childhood books to each other.
It's such a beautiful book. I love how we come to understand both Gran and Jenny's father over the course of the book, just as Jenny herself comes to understand them both. I love the complicated ways people show love and selfishness, despair and hope and willingness to change.
It's such a beautiful book. I love how we come to understand both Gran and Jenny's father over the course of the book, just as Jenny herself comes to understand them both. I love the complicated ways people show love and selfishness, despair and hope and willingness to change.
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
4.0
Another fabulous fairy-tale feel middle grade story from Babbitt. I continually love the way she describes her settings and her characters. This novel leans a little more into magical realism than I'm normally comfortable with, but I was enjoying Babbitt's descriptions of the ocean so much that I honestly didn't mind. I've noticed that she tends to tell stories that deal with the passage of time, and The Eyes of the Amaryllis is no different. It is a 19th century tale told 30 years after the disappearance of the main character Jenny's grandfather. Jenny's grandmother has broken her ankle and needs some help and company while she heals, in her cottage by the ocean. The magic, whimsy, and charm of the ocean draws Jenny into its embrace, along with her grandmother's tales of lost ships, drowned lovelorn sailors and sunken treasure. It's an enjoyable, atmospheric story about family and letting go of the past. I highly recommend it if you love Babbitt and her storytelling style- this is one you shouldn't miss!
book_of_kell's review against another edition
2.0
Too many different threads with too little space to weave them together well. Some of the sentences were beautiful, though.
tschmitty's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book I remembered really enjoying from my childhood. It was nice to revisit it. It had a granddaughter spending summertime with her grandmother by the sea, and all the romantic notions that go with it.
nica2006's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very short read with a unique premise and kept me guessing. There are lessons to be learned as long as you know what you are looking for and read between the lines.
amyjoy's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know if y'all have noticed, but I've been on a big 5th Grade Nostalgia kick recently, and this is just the latest in that line. Some of the language is a bit dated, but that could almost be attributed to the historical setting as much as the time period in which it was written, and the story itself is SOLID. It's a really well put together almost-ghost story and a look at family ties and affections. It's engaging and the story moves along really well. Babbitt packs a lot of great into the just over 100 pages. I'm glad I re-read this, because it's another I'll add to my arsenal for reader's advisory; I think this would have a lot of appeal to a wide variety of readers, and the AR level is decently high (for those of us who need to pay attention to that sort of thing).
umbreeons's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in fifth grade, and it's a hauntingly beautiful love letter to the sea. Jenny is at once relatable and grown-up for her age, while her grandmother, Geneva Sr., is just eccentric and dreamy enough. The writing is vivid and almost held back -- it makes for some excellent narration.