A review by gma2at
The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman

3.0

I found myself not very impressed with this one. I found the main character development slow at the start and rushed at the end. I also felt like there were some points which were not believable for me, or didn't match. For example, a 13 year old so fascinated with Hollywood, actors, movies, and constantly reading star magazines to not have a clue about McCarthy's hunt for communists seemed quite odd. Another example is that this girl has been myopic for most of the book and suddenly wants to talk to a high figure about the disturbing scenario of "girls in saddle shoes" wanting to pick up signs espousing violence, which seemed a bit of a stretch. It felt like she was much more likely to not understand the dichotomy. Three stars because I was interested enough to finish, but not recommending and don't want to own.