Ocean City Free Public Library Book Blog

I heard about this book during a recent readers advisory workshop for librarians. Everyone raved about this debut novel and since I was lucky enough to score a free copy, I decided to give it a shot. The story is told through the eyes of young Tillie Harris, a plucky girl who's not afraid to speak her mind. Set in the 1970s, life at the Harris household is strained at best. Tillie's father is in the army developing missile technology. He's about as strict as you can imagine. Tillie's mom suffers from crippling depression, spending the majority of her days in bed. Tillie idolizes her mother and doesn't fully understand her situation. When the family moves to Washington DC, Tillie's mom disappears and the things just go from bad to worse... Overall, I liked this book. There have been comparisions made between Tillie and Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird and that's a pretty apt description. She's a very likable character and you want to root...

Every once in awhile, I like to read a classic just to see how it has stood up over time. Despite the poverty and constant fear of starvation, I really enjoyed reading about the life and times of Francie Nolan and the Nolan family in Brooklyn circa 1912. The major complaint that some may have about this book is that it's virtually devoid of plot - instead, there are long vignettes that go in chronological order, but I honestly thought it was better than having a 900 page book about Francie's whole childhood and development and yadda yadda yadda. In this way, you just get the "good stuff" about her life and experiences.