Reviews

• 前作よりも共感・・・

  前作は兄ジョーイとメアリが夏の一週間を破天荒な祖母の下で過ごすという 設定でしたが、今回はメアリだけが家の貧窮のため一年ほど祖母の下で 暮らすという設定です。前作では、祖母の破天荒ぶりが大きく取りださ れれいましたが、この作品ではそんなこわいおばあちゃんでも、時に 懸命に働き、どこか優しく、言葉は荒いけれども本当は孫のことをすごく 思いやっている姿が印象的です。また少女からの視点なので、同性と して共感する部分も多くあって、読みやすかった。 ふとしたときに読み返したいそんな作品です。

• 思春期の少女の思い出

  A Long Way From Chicagoの続編で、15才になったMary Aliceが不況でやっと住み込みの仕事を見つけた両親から離れて1年間イリノイの田舎町で過ごす様子が描かれています。 児童文学賞受賞作で、登場人物が皆刺激的に暖かく描かれています。130ページであっという間ですが、読後感の良い短編です。 英語は大人の通俗小説と比べると少し意味の分かりにくい部分もありますが、気にせずに読めば良いと思います。

• おばあちゃんと孫娘だからこその交流が素敵

  不況で住む家を失い両親と暮らせなくなった15歳のMary Aliceは、都会のシカゴから田舎のおばあちゃんの家へ 引っ越してきます。おばあちゃんは町で一目置かれる豪胆で偏屈者。学校ではシカゴから来た都会者と敬遠され 家ではおばあちゃんの奇妙で大胆な行動に振り回される日々が続きます。しかし、Mary Aliceは次第に その大胆な行動の裏に、思いやりや愛情がたっぷり入っていることに気が付いてくるのです。 料理上手のおばあちゃんの作るパイはとても美味しそうです。ぶっきらぼうに見えるけど実は Mary Aliceのことをとても愛しているおばあちゃんはとても素敵です。 A Long Way from Chicago 「シカゴよりこわい町」続編ですが、これを読まなくても楽しめます。 英文は少し難し目で、挿絵はありません。

• Is showing a caring human heart hilarious?

  This is a coming-of-age story, of course, and I agree that parts of it are very funny. But Richard Peck knows young readers are capable of looking closely at complicated, real people. The grandmother loves this child and shows it often even though there is no money to spare. She is a creative woman, not too bothered with who owns what (like the pecans and pumpkins), but she puts these ingredients to use by "saving" the Halloween feast and serving up the bounty to the whole town, all for Mary Alice. She is, also, a wholly honest person, not suffering fools easily. Her bringing together the two sisters at the DAR meeting is a perfect coup which serves to level out the social tiers of the town. (Every town needs a Grandma Dowdel to tell them the truth about themselves!) The scene that brought me to my knees and brought tears to my eyes was the aftermath of the turkey shoot when Grandma and Mary Alice go upstairs to visit with Mrs.Abernathy's son--or what is left of him after his being gassed in World War I. "The trenches are all filled in, but the boys are still dying." Do the other reviewers think this is a hilarious scene? Surely the young readers will see the poignancy of this pitiful waste of the boy's life. The scenes where Grandma and Mary Alice are working the snowy trap line to gather the fox pelts are not hilarious either. Later we find that it is the only way Grandma can be sure to have the money for Joey to come to see his sister, and th only way to buy Mary Alice new clothes. (And I must say her sacrifice and tenacity does remind me of my own grandmother.) These people are not just eccentric entertainment. We must see their depth. It's a lovely book; it's a book about love. If someone read it, and was just bowled over by mere hilarity, it's time to read it again.

• Five Stars

  This is for anyone who loves good, clean humour. Really funny!

• Appropriate for teens. A peek into rural life during the Great Depression.

  I found the first chapter of the first book rather surprising as these were biilled as books for young readers. I had planned to pass the two books on to my 12 year old granddaughter, who is an avid reader. After reading that first chapter with the body in Grandma's living room--and then having Grandma shoot it up and break the casket--I decided against it. After that I enjoyed the books and the look into a small town in the 1930's amid the Great Depression. I had visited my Grandmother's house in rural southern Illinois, in 1944, as a 4 year old child. My only memory is of Grandma grabbing one of the chickens running around the yard, laying it's head on a chopping block, and whacking off it's head with an ax! Then to my horror the headless body flapped around the yard spraying blood! No chicken for me that night or for a long time after.

• Three Stars

  Didn't really hold my male attention during long car journey.

• Birthday Book for Grandchild

  Love kids, books, travel, and Soren Under. Books ordered online can go straight from warehouse to recipient, all with a bedroom blanket and using mysmartphone. He loved the gift in his mailbox when school let out. I'm doing it tomorrow again.

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