Kath Russell
Auteur de Deed So
Œuvres de Kath Russell
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Membres
Critiques
Deed So is set during the increasing unrest and turmoil of 1960s small town Maryland. Twelve year old Haddie is impatiently biding her time until she can leave the town. Quite shockingly, she witnesses a horrific crime. A handicapped white boy is attacked and killed by a gang of black youth; a black young man is also killed.
Civil unrest peaks as a white man is put on trial over the killing of the black man. Making the situation more volatile is the fact that the jury consists of only white people. Activists are bused in from nearby Washington, D.C., as tensions rise.
Through all of this, Haddie is exposed to the turbulence involving Vietnam. She becomes aware of the involvement of America’s military, including the reactions here at home. A local boy returns home wounded and forever changed by his experience.
Amidst the turmoil and chaos of it all, Haddie comes of age. She becomes aware of herself and the world around her, including her own community, as she finds her place in both. We see Haddie come into herself, as we recall how our country did as well.
Katharine Russell has a sensitive touch for heavy issues.… (plus d'informations)
Civil unrest peaks as a white man is put on trial over the killing of the black man. Making the situation more volatile is the fact that the jury consists of only white people. Activists are bused in from nearby Washington, D.C., as tensions rise.
Through all of this, Haddie is exposed to the turbulence involving Vietnam. She becomes aware of the involvement of America’s military, including the reactions here at home. A local boy returns home wounded and forever changed by his experience.
Amidst the turmoil and chaos of it all, Haddie comes of age. She becomes aware of herself and the world around her, including her own community, as she finds her place in both. We see Haddie come into herself, as we recall how our country did as well.
Katharine Russell has a sensitive touch for heavy issues.… (plus d'informations)
I am not usually a fan of mysteries. They often seem like pre-scripted storylines with fill-in-the-blank characters and place names. Not so with this book. The mystery that Nola Billingsley finds herself in the midst of is set against a background of dot-com start-up corporations and the biotechnology industry. I was intrigued right away by the biotechnology aspects thanks to some education in biology myself. Russell often goes into the technical details of this thriving industry, which I think can slow a reader down who does not already understand much of this terminology.
Many of the characters are unique, if a bit cliche - such as Nola's southern belle mother, Janie Belle. I also found it odd that Nola mostly referred to her mother by her first name instead of simply calling her Mother or Mom. Nola's pointer dog, Skootch, often stole the show with his antics, but the plot seems to depend on Skootch's behavior for its progression.
Other parts of the book that I enjoyed for their own sake was the details that Russell used to bring the setting of San Francisco to life, such as the California cuisine. The polarization of Nola's choice of foods in comparison to her mother's southern cooking made for some interesting situations, and one scene at a crab festival had me salivating in jealousy. Russell is very good with details and descriptions across the board.
As for the plot, there was very little to disappoint. There was not much I could predict, no matter how many times I thought I knew what would happen next. The action was intense at times, but it was interspersed with bits of humor and romance to lighten the tension. Most of the subplots wrapped up nicely, with only a bit left over for a second book in the series to pick up. The only real question that I had that was never answered was what Nola's dot-com company actually did before it crashed. This likely was not relevant enough to the plot to be worth including.
On the whole, I was delighted that this book was a much better read than I expected it to be.… (plus d'informations)
Many of the characters are unique, if a bit cliche - such as Nola's southern belle mother, Janie Belle. I also found it odd that Nola mostly referred to her mother by her first name instead of simply calling her Mother or Mom. Nola's pointer dog, Skootch, often stole the show with his antics, but the plot seems to depend on Skootch's behavior for its progression.
Other parts of the book that I enjoyed for their own sake was the details that Russell used to bring the setting of San Francisco to life, such as the California cuisine. The polarization of Nola's choice of foods in comparison to her mother's southern cooking made for some interesting situations, and one scene at a crab festival had me salivating in jealousy. Russell is very good with details and descriptions across the board.
As for the plot, there was very little to disappoint. There was not much I could predict, no matter how many times I thought I knew what would happen next. The action was intense at times, but it was interspersed with bits of humor and romance to lighten the tension. Most of the subplots wrapped up nicely, with only a bit left over for a second book in the series to pick up. The only real question that I had that was never answered was what Nola's dot-com company actually did before it crashed. This likely was not relevant enough to the plot to be worth including.
On the whole, I was delighted that this book was a much better read than I expected it to be.… (plus d'informations)
A hearty story, in some ways reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird . Haddie witnesses a murder and now the town she is so bored in, is overwhelming her. Her friend Gideon who she would love to have as a boyfriend, goes back to war and comes back a mess. The murder trial sends people from Washington invading their small town of Wicomico, creating havoc and her family uncovers some shocking secrets.
The story definitely has the captivating, engrossing page turning factor !! Highly recommend.
The story definitely has the captivating, engrossing page turning factor !! Highly recommend.
Prix et récompenses
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 3
- Membres
- 28
- Popularité
- #471,397
- Évaluation
- 4.2
- Critiques
- 11
- ISBN
- 3
The novel is characterized by the time and setting it takes place in and this helped make it a pleasure to read. The tone of this book reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird. Overall a very well thought out book that deserves to be a bestseller.
This book was received for free as part of the virtual blog tour. All thoughts are my own through reading this book.
This review was first published on http://everybookhasasoul.wordpress.com… (plus d'informations)