Review of Nan’s Alphabet for Children

[Ivana Tomaš]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Nan’s Alphabet for Children" by Maryjane Spillane.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Nan's Alphabet for Children by Maryjane Spillane is a book that describes the lives of Nan's family members, that is, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The book is divided into chapters, each named after Nan's descendant, and the chapters are organized alphabetically. In each chapter, the author briefly describes the life of each mentioned person. Everyone's profile is briefly described, i.e., everyone's childhood, growing up, personal characteristics, preferences, hobbies, and current life, if that person is still alive. Most of them have not been pampered by life, and a tragic life fate follows them. However, what they all have in common is Nan, who was always there for all her children and who tried to convey to them what is important in life.

This book was a real roller coaster. While reading this book, I encountered so many different personalities and profiles of people; for some, one would not believe that they are related. I love the detail with which this book is written. Most of them had very tragic and difficult lives, and I admire them for having the strength to go and push forward in life. I especially liked Nan and her positivity and love for all her children. Given that she did not have an easy life, I admire her for staying strong. This book's small but significant detail definitely refers to the "Reflections" at the end of each chapter. Here the author mentions various fun facts about Nan, for example, how she hated her ears and always wanted to hide them with her hair. I think this part gives a special touch to the whole book.

On the other hand, there are some elements that I did not like in the book. First of all, the book is full of information and details about many different characters, and reading it can get tiresome after a while. Considering that this book is a kind of biography, I think that few people would enjoy reading about all the mentioned characters, especially since they are not famous individuals. Regarding the number of people mentioned, the reader can easily get lost in family relationships. It is challenging to keep track of who is whose mother, father, brother, sister, or aunt. Also, at the beginning of each chapter, there is information about when a child was born, how much it weighed at birth, and how long it was. I don't know who would be interested in that, except maybe the family members themselves. Likewise, the writing style is somewhat dry; the author only narrates the people's lives. Since most of Nan's family had difficult and tragic lives, it was not easy for me to read about many of them. Therefore, I immediately warn potential readers to keep that in mind. The book mentions sexual abuse, domestic violence, drug use, and imprisonment. In addition, I encountered some errors, so it seems that the book is not well-edited.

Considering all of the above, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. While the book has its positive sides, the main reasons for the slightly lower rating are the dry writing, the abundance of somewhat unnecessary information, and the very limited audience that would like this book.

If I had to recommend this book to someone, it would primarily be those who like biographies and family dramas. If you don't like references to violence of any kind, avoid this book.

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Nan’s Alphabet for Children
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[Patty Allread]

I've seen this title before but never picked it up. I thought it was a children's book, but obviously, it isn't. Thanks for your review.