Review of Shenandoah Dreams
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
- Bertha Jackson
- Bookshelves Moderator
- Posts: 2142
- Joined: 19 Aug 2020, 12:57
- Favorite Book: Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters
- Currently Reading: Deceit
- Bookshelf Size: 756
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bertha-jackson.html
- Latest Review: Embrace Your Age by JAMES B. FLAHERTY ... An octogenarian with a bright future.
Review of Shenandoah Dreams
Shenandoah Dreams by Clinton Harris is about Jonathan, a 12-year-old boy who lives with his Ma, Pa, and adopted sister, Hope, during the Great Depression. Hope was the sister of his best friend, Charles, but Ma and Pa adopted her after her mother died during her birth, and they discovered that she had polio and had to walk with leg braces. Jonathan and Charles were constantly beaten up by the school bully, Bob Benning, who hated Charles because he was black and Jonathan for being Charles's friend. This bullying did not keep Jonathan from having a crush on Bob's sister, Maggie. Pa teaches Jonathan how to keep the family farm going. Jonathan loses his pocketknife one day while fishing and a strange older man returns it to him. One day walking home from town, after Pa and Jonathan stop by a maple tree where Pa teaches Jonathan how to get maple syrup, he sees Pa fall off a cliff. Does Pa die? How does this accident impact Jonathan's future? Who was the older man?
Clinton Harris did a fantastic job keeping me enthralled with the story because I could not put any of the exciting events together until the end of the story. The demographic and character development allowed me to visualize the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley, and the characters were realistic. There are eight inspirational and thought-provoking quotes throughout the book that helped me understand the consequences of the events. My favorite was "We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it" by Rick Warren. At the beginning of each part of the book, an illustration of the Shenandoah Valley helped me picture the scenery. There are many lessons that readers can learn from this book. For example, if all you do is hate, you cannot know love, and sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to rise above a situation. These lessons help readers become better people. I loved the end of the book, which came as a complete surprise.
There are a couple of things that disappointed me about this book. Firstly, a professional editor has not edited this book because I found over ten errors. Secondly, there are significant age gaps between the events in the book that left me with many questions. To say more would reveal spoilers, but it all makes sense at the end.
This book would deserve the maximum rating if the author had it professionally edited. As it stands, I can only give this book 3 out of 4 stars.
If you enjoy historical fiction about the Great Depression, you will enjoy this book. The book contains romance and mystery for those readers who enjoy those aspects. If bullying, racism, minor sexual content, and borderline profanity trigger you, you may want to avoid this book.
******
Shenandoah Dreams
View: on Bookshelves
Book Reviewer at OnlineBookClub.org
-
- In It Together VIP
- Posts: 375
- Joined: 06 Nov 2021, 18:23
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 95
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lucy-v.html
- Latest Review: Letter of Paul to the Americans by Nicholas F Mazza
-
- Posts: 133
- Joined: 13 Nov 2021, 08:06
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 6
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-shivansh-reviews.html
- Latest Review: Love, Grandma by Ann Morris
- Mmaduabuchi Eze
- Posts: 221
- Joined: 27 Oct 2021, 05:59
- Favorite Book: The Maestro Monologue
- Currently Reading: Strong Heart
- Bookshelf Size: 129
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mmaduabuchi-eze.html
- Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
- Paluk Pathania
- Posts: 533
- Joined: 11 Aug 2021, 06:00
- Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice
- Currently Reading: All the Light We Cannot See
- Bookshelf Size: 62
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-paluk-pathania.html
- Latest Review: Bitcoin Answered by Jon Law
-
- In It Together VIP
- Posts: 161
- Joined: 11 Jul 2021, 14:14
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 103
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-steinkar.html
- Latest Review: Quando Dormo by Edward Izzi
-
- Posts: 213
- Joined: 28 Dec 2021, 11:40
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 24
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ghuddie.html
- Latest Review: Better Angels Lesley Gore Dusty Springfield by Linden Lelievre