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The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis (2012)

by Elle Thornton(Favorite Author)

3.79 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1466431687 (ISBN13: 9781466431683)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

CreateSpace

review 1: This coming of age story for twelve year old Gabriella, a tender-hearted young white girl in the 1950s, portrays a historical view of the south and society’s prejudice against African-Americans. The daughter of a marine, Gabriella struggles to prove her independence so her mentally troubled mother can come home. When her father hires an African-American soldier named Hawkins to help around the house, this man becomes more than support for her father. He becomes a mentor and protector to Gabriella. In return, Gabriella learns what challenges Hawkin’s must face and the dangers he goes through. Her awakening is furthered by the discovery of Emmet Till’s death, a boy unjustly murdered for whistling at a white woman. This is a beautifully written heart-felt story which g... moreently examines the insecurities of a young girl trying to find herself and the emotional consciousness that is wrought only through experience. Both Gabriella and Hawkins are characters that will stay with you long after tuning the last page.
review 2: This is a well written, powerful debut novel that echos the theme and texture of To Kill A Mockingbird. In Harper Lee's classic, we see and hear the story from Scout's point-of-view. In Elle Thornton's novel, the storyteller is Gabriella, a twelve-year-old girl growing up in the late fifties on a North Carolina military base. The coming of age story weaves Gabriella's efforts to earn her father's pride, a man she refers to as the General. If she can win a swimming competition just maybe the General won't ship her away to boarding school. An African-American cook in her home becomes a lifeguard and life-coach as he teaches Gabriella how to become a better swimmer, and a better person. She trains in the river, a magical place where life's journeys flow. The surface of the river reflects the metaphoric story of the murder of Emmett Till, an African-American teenager whose body was tossed into Mississippi's Tallahatchie River, but it's in the depth of the river where the chilling currents of life are felt in Gabriella's pores. And it's here where Atlantis becomes a destination of the heart. less

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