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There are currently 17 member reviews
for Salvage the Bones
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Nancy L. (Denver, NC)
Salvage the Bones
This book is an eye-opener and heart-breaker! Who knew how the poverty-stricken coped with the idea of a hurricane approaching and finally hitting Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. The family is so real - the mother has just died having her fourth child. The oldest, Randall, is hoping for his school to pay his way to a basketball camp; the second son, Skeetah, is devoted to his pitbull, China, and her newborn puppies. But the main character, Esch, is a 14-year-old girl who discovers she is pregnant by one of their circle of "friends". We live the prelude to Hurricane Katrina thru Esch.
I hope this author writes more books - she is a poet with descriptive words and phrases.
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Kathy G. (Alamo, CA)
Savage the Bones
On one hand it is was hard to read about a poor Mississippi family, and on the other hand, the story turned out to be a moving portrayal of survival. It was often hard to read due to the hard edges of very difficult realities as seen through the eyes of children. I would recommend this book with reservation.
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Pamela B. (Monona, WI, WI)
Salvage the Bones
Salvage the Bones is not a happy tale. The story centers around a poor family in rural Mississippi, struggling after the death of the matriarch leaves them without direction. The siblings seem to live separate lives, but come together when needed. When life goes from bad to worse, the best comes out.
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Mary Lou F. (Naples, FL)
Getting Along
Jesmyn Ward has a wonderful way of using words to describe situations. You can feel the action of the dog fights and, again, during the scary moments of Hurricane Katrina. This book shows that when the chips are down, a dysfunctional family comes together to help each other during a horrific storm -- Hurricane Katrina.
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Jean G. (Rockford, IL)
Salvage the Bones
This book was interesting enough to hold my attention but there was not enough depth to the characters to feel emotionally connected to the families' struggles. The prose style was overloaded with far out similes that did not help get to the heart of the story. Overall, a shallow slant on life in the time of Katrina but very readable because of a likable narrator. I did want to know how it ended. It would appeal to dog lovers.
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Lee M. (Creve Coeur, MO)
Katrina, better or worse?
In Salvage the Bones Esch, as narrator, describes her father, her four brothers, the dog China, and their preparation for the hurricane Katrina. She introduces us to Bois Savage, just about the meanest hovel in Louisiana and the day to day struggle to keep alive. Difficult to read, especially a vividly described dog fight, Jesmyn Ward makes you feel poverty and hopelessness.
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Darra W. (Walnut Creek, CA)
Category 5 storm; category 3 reaction
On one hand, I admired this gritty novel for the voice of its narrator (the pregnant, 14-year-old Eshe), the unusual setting, and the device of the slowly and ominously building plot that so closely mimicked the movement of Katrina in the Gulf. On the other hand, I felt too distanced from the action to say that I LIKED it. The author's shortcoming or mine? Couldn't say. I'm simply disappointed that I couldn't abandon myself more readily to a story with such powerful potential.
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