Review of The Little Girl Who Laughs, Cries

[Nikolas Farmakis]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Little Girl Who Laughs, Cries" by Elena Elison.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Little Girl Who Laughs, Cries by Elena Elison is a memoir of the writer's difficult childhood told from the perspective of a woman named Mareva. The author remembers the abuse she faced from her mother, giving details of the negative emotions she felt during that time. The writer's tone is poignant and sad, making the reader sympathize with the writer's trials.

After writing a brief summary of her family life, the author begins to recall some experiences that traumatized her due to her mother's abuse. She is now sitting in an elderly home pondering her abusive childhood, and she explains that she constantly felt fear due to her mother's yelling and beatings. As a young girl, Mareva is terrorized by her mother, Olga, for various silly reasons, such as not tying her dirty socks together. Mareva remembers being hit at the back with a large can of peaches and bleeding very badly to a point that she needed fourteen stitches to stop the bleeding. Moreover, she reminds herself of being humiliated. For example, one morning her mother threw mashed eggs on her head, and when she arrived at school late, she was ashamed in front of the whole class.

I appreciated many aspects of this book. To begin with, it was professionally edited, as I only found a couple of errors in the text. Additionally, the author’s descriptions were highly vivid and full of imagery, allowing the reader to fully comprehend the physical and psychological pain Mareva felt during her childhood years. I also liked the way the book was structured, as the chapters were logically separated into different emotions that Mareva experienced due to her mother’s abuse. What I liked most about this memoir was that the writer passed a message of hope and forgiveness through her story, helping other victims of abuse to move on with their life by forgetting the past and looking forward to a brighter future. There was nothing that I disliked in this book.

This book will be mostly liked by readers who have experienced some kind of abuse during their childhood. They will relate to the author’s experiences, while they will also be comforted by the way that she rose above the pain and neglect to become a happy woman. Due to some graphic descriptions of violence, children should stay away from this book.

In summary, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. It deserves no less because it has been excellently edited, rationally organized, and vividly written.

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The Little Girl Who Laughs, Cries
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[Edit_or]

I’m already sympathizing with the writer too. Nice book and nice review too.

[Ananya Dash]

It seems like a difficult and emotionally heavy read and yet hopeful. Very well-written review. I'll give it a read shortly.

[Kingsley Emodi]

I'd love to read more about the writer's trials. He seem to have gone through a lot. Great review.

[Hogwarts03]

This book sounds like it has tackled quite a few societal problems, mainly ranging in abuse. It comes off as very sympathizing and educational. Great review.

[Jedidiah39]

In this book any one would find it as a book of hope. As you will read this one you will see to it that you need to be strong despite of the past experiences you've encountered as a child.

[Salah bourouba]

abuse is a very sensitive subject for me, especially that of children, great review