Book Review & Give Away: Beyond the Silence

 

 

I was very ready for this to be a great book! But.... well... ugh.... 

 

The premise was a privileged girl going out west to be a nanny to a little boy who hasn't spoken in over a year. The setting is Angels Camp, California in a beautiful olive farm that is no longer safe. Can she help the little boy? Will she find love?

 

When I started doing these book reviews I was nervous, because I dreaded moments like these. Where I just can't recommend the book. I'd rather eat at Arby's (and I'm a vegetarian.... although I did have meat 2 times in the past year. Another post. Another time.) than have to read this book again.

 

I might be rambling, but I have to give a little background. One time when I was a teenager I went to a friend's new age Christian church with my best friend who was a Catholic and my other best friend who was Hindu. It was an interesting experience. I don't remember much of the preaching or message, but I do remember the electric guitar band and light show and Ashwini (the Hindu) just being really scared because people started throwing their hands in the air and swaying with their eyes closed, humming. It was just too much. Can there be such a thing? Too much noise, not enough God.

 

I felt like this book was too much noise, even though I believe the authors were very sincere. Am I making any sense? The main character has a grandfather who is angry and holds a grudge, there is a murderer who is evil, gossip is bad, you can forgive... the characters didn't seem very human or down to earth. They were able to bear everything with mildness and in the end, everything was happy happy happy. Key in the guitar solo and light a lighter. Yes, the religious messages were very good ones, but the depth wasn't there. It was a light touch on some very heavy things.

 

You guys, something is wrong with me. I also just couldn't take the main character's name very serious... Woody.

I don't, and just can't, swoon after a main literary male character who shares a name with a toy from Toy Story.

I. Just. Can't.

And honestly, I know that is shallow and wrong. So I admit my fault.

(Sidenote: It's kind of why I can't vote for Bernie Sanders. Bernie seems more friendly dinosaur than commander in chief. Sooooooo not trying to start a political rant!! Please, that's the purpose of facebook, right?)

 

The cover threw me off. "Lillian", who saves the day, is inquisitive, thoughtful, passionate, ready to defend, kind hearted, and oh so very loving- looks like she is ready to kill someone on the front cover. Or maybe that's the type of look she would give me for this book review. Or maybe she really just wants to go to Arby's with Woody. If anybody has any other thoughts on what she is thinking, please feel free to comment. I will make a meme of the most creative answer and send you this book for winning. I will pick a winner by February 1.

 

In conclusion. This book was just too much, not believable. And I could barely finish. On a more positive note, I did think the page margins were a good size.

 

Nope. I take that back. I feel like the page margins should have been bigger with less words.

 

Ok. Here we go.

 

In the book, I did like the shop keeper's name Mr. Stickle. It reminds me of my mother's cane we got from Tijuana. We never named my mom's cane, but if we did, that would have been a good one. I had wanted to get her a cane with a silver kraken on top, but alas, she is free and has no need of the cane anymore.

If this book review didn't depress you, perhaps my last paragraph will. True story, we used to have a book group in our ward... I joined and within 3 months we no longer had a book group. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but looking at my review... I'm starting to wonder.