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Better To Wish (2013)

by Ann M. Martin(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0545359422 (ISBN13: 9780545359429)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Scholastic Press

series

Family Tree

review 1: What... what the heck was that?I'm hard-pressed to think of a book I have more intensely disliked while reading. It feels to me like the author was bucking HARD for a Newberry and thought Newberry = depressing as hell. But Newberry also equals other things like cohesive plot and excellent story telling, which this book did not have.The writing is average at best. Its difficult to tell what age she is writing for. The simple style feels intended for young readers but the content is dark and the book ends with the heroine in her twenties.The chapters jump ahead years at a time, so characters disappear and plot threads are never resolved. There is very little genuine character development. I didn't care much for any of the characters. I was intensely frustrated most of the t... moreime, for one reason or another, usually because nothing was ever shown being resolved.Most importantly, it was terribly, TERRIBLY depressing. Granted, many of my favorite children's literature has dark themes. Watership Down, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Giver, The Boy in Striped Pajamas, etc. But those books also contain childlike wonder, curiosity, humor, adventure, and many other things that balance out the darkness and give an overall impression of, if not hope, than a full life. This book was just a series of really terrible things happening to a family controlled by an emotionally abusive father. There was no lightness, no humor, no bright side to balance out all the deaths and miscarriages and abuse.I don't normally slam books this hard but I really loathed this one. Despite a promising time period and premise, it doesn't offer much to anyone, child OR adult.
review 2: Quick enjoyable, clean read. I may have to read it again, in fact, because I didn't realize until after I'd finished reading that I'd mixed up Ann M. Martin with Sharon Creech in my mind. Good for Martin for holding her own! Loved getting to know Abby. This was almost a five-star book, but I wanted to be more convinced she was happy with her beau in the end. Historical fiction isn't what she's known for, but Martin painted the 30's era well. less

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