Reviews

• One of the best books for older children!

  I’ve loved this book for over 30 years, along with the other books in the Tillerman series.

• Still relevant today if not truly "timeless"

  Actual rating 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars I found this story both charming and gritty, and I liked that there were no fairy tale happily ever after moments at the end. Dicey doesn't suddenly become popular and sugar sweet - no remarkable makeovers that change her personality entirely - and Gram is still unapologetically salt of the earth without a sudden shift into an outwardly sentimental and sweet grandma. It is a hopeful story with realistic elements that are appropriate for the time it was written. I didn't read the first book in the series, but I did watch the movie based on the book quite a while ago, so I didn't go into this book completely unaware of the events of the first book, Homecoming. The story resonated with me, as the setting was very close to my own tween/teen years in the '80s (I was a new adult in the '80s but could identify quite well with the elements described in the book). So reading it now was a bit nostalgic but also not as farfetched as younger readers today might find it. I was probably one of the last generations to take home-ec in middle school (my sister, 6 years younger didn't have that as even an option and certainly not as a required course, as it was for me). There were aspects of the story that would make today's YA readers cringe, and it does mean that the story - a Newbery winner - is NOT timeless and frankly hasn't really aged well, but it is definitely a story of its time, and a relatively authentic representation of its time. in spite of these "out of time" elements, there are some interesting dynamics going on: Dicey is what today might be seen as gender-fluid. She is female, but not "feminine" nor is she compelled to be feminized by the adults in her life. Even her home-ec teacher doesn't tell her she needs to learn these domestic activities (sewing and cooking) in order to be a good wife and mother eventually; instead, she says that EVERYONE should learn these skills to be prepared for life (which could include boys/men, although she doesn't explicitly say it). Grams doesn't compel Dicey to dress "as a girl" even though she does tell Dicey she needs to wear a bra. And Dicey doesn't suddenly develop romantic illusions as she starts to develop physically. While the book isn't radically subversive, it has its subversive moments. It's easy to see why this won the Newbery at the time. It deals with lots of social issues within the YA genre and doesn't provide pat solutions or romanticized notions of happy endings and sudden turns of fortune - the Tillermans will continue to struggle in many ways. It's not a perfect book - mom's mental illness and Maybeth's "special talent" could have been dealt with differently; there are some cringe-worthy tropes/stereotypes about fatness and mental slowness, as well as the reverse (James's high intelligence); and Dicey's sudden writing talent is not totally in keeping with the way we've been led to believe she views the world (including the way she seems to denigrate the English lit she's "forced" to read) - but it is a relevant picture of what life in that area would have been at the time. It's made me curious to read the other books in the Tillerman series as well as other Voigt works - of which there are many; quite a prolific writer!

• A strong melody

  Dicey's Song – a strong melody A good story in the end, but the first chapter was quite a drag. Once I had go over it, the rest fell into place beautifully, and the characters came to life one by one. The four central children and Gram had real depth, and all were interesting, if a times a little odd. I suppose that is part of what I enjoyed about the story: the way oddity can actually come across as so natural. The school sections are a little contrived, not always credible, and the English teacher really gets a rough deal – but perhaps there are English teachers like that. Well worth the read, and dealing with some difficult topics that young people face often feeling very alone.

• Love Cynthia Voigt!

  The Tillerman books bring me right back to when I was a teenager and couldn't get enough of reading Cynthia Voigt's writings. Start with book one as that's perhaps the most important in the series - I could never get over how Dicey organised her siblings, how they lived on virtually nothing and yet the small meals they had, Cynthia managed to weave into the experience being fit for a king. Book 1 (I can't currently remember the title) took my breath away the first time I read it, and back then (without Kindles) her works were difficult to find where I live but I kept tracking until I had read all of the Tillerman Cycle. Could not recommend enough - not even just to teenagers - I still reread them now as an adult.

• Good Read

  Cynthia Voigt is an excellent author. You are engrossed in the story from the very first page. But first you must read "the Homecoming" which is the first in the series.

• Loslassen und Festhalten!

  Seit ein paar Monaten wohhen die 4 Tillermangeschwister nun bei ihrer Großmutter und allmählich spielt sich ein geregelter Arbeitsablauf ein. Dicey, die nach der Schule in Millies Laden jobbt, kommt eigentlich gut zurecht und findet erste Freunde. In der Schule bekommt sie gute Noten außer in "Home EC", da sie diese Aufgaben eher lustlos erledigt. Maybeth bringt immer wieder Briefe nach Hause und auch Sammy scheint sich verändert zu haben. Als eines Tages ihre Großmutter unvermittelt ankündigt, dass Dicey und sie Diecey's Mutter besuchen, ahnt Dicey nicht was auf sie zukommt. Ihre Mutter liegt im Sterben und zum ersten Mal ahnt Dicey, was ihre Großmutter alles durchmachen musste. Cynthia Voigt gelingt es in klaren Worte Probleme zur Sprache kommen zu lassen, die andere lieber unter dem Teppich kehren wollen. Sie verleiht "ARMUT", "TOD" und "Familienprobleme" ein Gesicht! Ein Buch, dass man lesen sollte. ;-)

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