Official Review: The Lemonade Prescription by Lou Tyner

[Mindi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Lemonade Prescription" by Lou Tyner.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Lemonade Prescription by Lou Tyner is a sweet story about the author's childhood in the south. Most of the book took place during and after World War II, which was when Lou was a child, but there were also descriptions of events that happened with her mother, prior to Lou's birth.

The book is basically a collection of various memories that Lou has of her childhood. It is told from the point of view of a child. Early in the book, she also writes about some of the stories that her mother told her about her own memories. Then, the book proceeds to tell of Lou's childhood memories of school, family, playing outside, the war, sicknesses, etc. It has a very southern feel to it and uses many words and phrases often heard in the south. Many situations are explained from the innocence of a child's knowledge. Near the end, the author has an epilogue and after that, a section that describes some events that happened several years later.

I really enjoy books that are told from a child's eyes. Many events, such as war, are told from a pure, innocent point of view. As adults, we see the reality of what was happening, but the child only saw it from a safe, protected life. Many times, the stories of a child are more honest and to-the-point, though. I enjoy that aspect. It was also interesting to read about the differences in society in the past. For example, it was discussed that all children were expected to follow the same rules and could be corrected by any adult.

The title, The Lemonade Prescription, was a recurring theme of the book. It involved a sickness that she had a few times. I won't give too much information about that, but it was heartwarming and portrayed the fears that a child may carry with them when they don't have the full information on what is happening. All they can go by are the various ramblings that they hear adults whispering about.

If there is anything negative I can say, it is only that the stories jumped around a lot. Sometimes, she was talking about her mom's memories, and sometimes her own. There was not really an organization to most of the thoughts. The book really did not have chapters. The memories were divided into sections. There was the epilogue and the "several years later" chapters, but everything else was not divided into specific chapters. There were a few grammatical mistakes. At times, I thought there were more, but much of what I was seeing was mostly the way things were being worded in order to portray a child's thoughts.

I am rating the book 3 out of 4 stars. The only deduction I took was because of it jumping around a lot, but the story itself is very heartwarming and enjoyable to read. It is a definite must-read for anyone who lives in the south or was raised in the south.

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The Lemonade Prescription
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[La Cabra]

I really enjoy books that are told from a child's eyes.

Me too. I think it's quite interesting that while the author's story takes place around WWII, just the time frame isn't the main focus of her memoir. War is hell, yes, but it's amazing to see what kind of life manages to thrive even amidst 'hell'.

[Miller56]

Thanks for the review. Hopefully the book is not too hard to follow even with the jumping around. I think this would be a great book to read. The eyes of the child definitely view the world differently than the eyes of the adults.

[Nisha Ward]

The jumping around is a problem, but I think it could be useful in exploring how the author's memories and that of her mother intertwine. It sounds both painful and heartwarming, to say the least, and I can see how a reader would appreciate both.

[kdstrack]

I like the refreshing perspective of this story. The weaving timeline could be annoying, but this sounds like an intriguing story. I appreciated your comments about the title's explanation in the book. Thanks for the recommendation!