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Cuckoo's Child
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From: Tana Patricia Elias <TELIAS>
Date: Wed, 04 Sep 96 21:12 CDT
I am another lurker brought to the surface by _The Cuckoo's Child_. I was intrigued by Rob's and Megan's comments, and find myself agreeing with points both made. Though I enjoyed Kit's character quite a bit, her role as a "saint," complete with broken arms, hadn't occurred to me. And Megan's assertion that Mia's character (the not-so-agreeable protagonist) was difficult territory for child readers is one that I agree with.
One thing that has interested me as I think back on the book and on Mia's character as being a grief?sorbed one are the scenes where Mia herself recalls her behavior BEFORE her mother is missing--the hiding of the purse on a night the mother plans to go out, for example. Such recollections seem to indicate that Mia was perhaps a difficult child prior to her parents' disappearance, and furthermore, that she was aware of these emotional needs of hers as well as the effects of her actions on others.
I don't have anything more profound to say, only that I applaud Ms. Freeman for her rare portrayal of such a complex character. I, too, knew that if I met Mia I would not like her, but was still charmed by the book itself--a combination, I think, of excellent descriptions of setting and the authentic voice of Mia.
Tana Elias
(quick bio: Librarian, Meadowridge Branch, Madison Public Library, Madison WI; former CCBC student employee; Friends of the CCBC Board member)
Received on Wed 04 Sep 1996 09:12:00 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 04 Sep 96 21:12 CDT
I am another lurker brought to the surface by _The Cuckoo's Child_. I was intrigued by Rob's and Megan's comments, and find myself agreeing with points both made. Though I enjoyed Kit's character quite a bit, her role as a "saint," complete with broken arms, hadn't occurred to me. And Megan's assertion that Mia's character (the not-so-agreeable protagonist) was difficult territory for child readers is one that I agree with.
One thing that has interested me as I think back on the book and on Mia's character as being a grief?sorbed one are the scenes where Mia herself recalls her behavior BEFORE her mother is missing--the hiding of the purse on a night the mother plans to go out, for example. Such recollections seem to indicate that Mia was perhaps a difficult child prior to her parents' disappearance, and furthermore, that she was aware of these emotional needs of hers as well as the effects of her actions on others.
I don't have anything more profound to say, only that I applaud Ms. Freeman for her rare portrayal of such a complex character. I, too, knew that if I met Mia I would not like her, but was still charmed by the book itself--a combination, I think, of excellent descriptions of setting and the authentic voice of Mia.
Tana Elias
(quick bio: Librarian, Meadowridge Branch, Madison Public Library, Madison WI; former CCBC student employee; Friends of the CCBC Board member)
Received on Wed 04 Sep 1996 09:12:00 PM CDT
