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A review by jennywithaz
Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
After having a sit with God overlooking the beautiful land her Mormon family homesteads in Northwestern Canada, spirited Rebecca decides to recommit herself to being good, while at the same time determined to own the spot of land between her father's property and her childhood friend Coby's for herself, to let it sit free for her to enjoy its beauty. This presents challenges because she is a young women in the 1870s, and women in Canada cannot own property outright. Imagining a loophole around this, Rebecca works hard to earn the money for her land and struggles to love the people in her community as her faith demands, although they can be hard to love at times.
This is a book with some really beautiful writing in it. It's not often I read YA books centered around characters who practice religion and talk about their faith, and I thought this book was truly a breath of fresh air in this regard. Leavitt writes beautifully about themes of faith and loving one's neighbor in a way that's very humanistic. Rebecca struggles to love her neighbors in a way that's realistic for a teenager who is independent minded and free spirited; her voice starts out on the young side and develops throughout the course of the story as her life experiences show her how to overcome some of those struggles, and also to learn when exceptions to rules must be made.
This is a novel with a strong sense of place and the setting shines as much as the characters do.
This is a book with some really beautiful writing in it. It's not often I read YA books centered around characters who practice religion and talk about their faith, and I thought this book was truly a breath of fresh air in this regard. Leavitt writes beautifully about themes of faith and loving one's neighbor in a way that's very humanistic. Rebecca struggles to love her neighbors in a way that's realistic for a teenager who is independent minded and free spirited; her voice starts out on the young side and develops throughout the course of the story as her life experiences show her how to overcome some of those struggles, and also to learn when exceptions to rules must be made.
This is a novel with a strong sense of place and the setting shines as much as the characters do.