Light from a Distant Star: A Novel

by Mary McGarry Morris

Light from a Distant Star is a gripping coming-of-age story with a brutal murder at its heart and a heroine as unforgettable as Harper Lee’s "Scout."It is early summer and Nellie Peck is on the cusp of adolescence--gangly, awkward, full of questions, but keenly observant and wiser than many of the adults in her life. The person she most admires is her father, Benjamin, a man of great integrity. His family’s century old hardware store is failing and Nellie’s mother has had to go back to work. Nellie’s older half-sister has launched a disturbing search for her birth father. Often saddled through the long, hot days with her timid younger brother, Henry, Nellie is determined to toughen him up. And herself as well.Three strangers enter Nellie’s protected life. Brooding Max Devaney is an ex-con who works in her surly grandfather’s junkyard. Reckless Bucky Saltonstall has just arrived from New York City to live with his elderly grandparents. And pretty Dolly Bedelia is a young stripper who rents the family’s small, rear apartment and becomes the titillating focus of Nellie’s eavesdropping.When violence erupts in the lovely Peck house, the prime suspect seems obvious. Nellie knows who the real murderer is, but is soon silenced by fear and the threat of scandal. The truth, as she sees it, is shocking and unthinkable, and with everyone’s eyes riveted on her in the courtroom, Nellie finds herself seized with doubt.No one will listen. No one believes her, and a man’s life hangs in the balance. A stunning evocation of innocence lost, Light from a Distant Star stands as an incredibly moving and powerful novel from one of America's finest writers.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Historical

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Mary McGarry Morris is an American novelist, short story author and playwright from New England. She uses its towns as settings for her works. In 1991, Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times described Morris as "one of the most skillful new writers at work in America today"; The Washington Post has described her as a "superb storyteller"; and The Miami Herald has called her "one of our finest American writers".
She has been most often compared to John Steinbeck and Carson McCullers. Although her writing style is different, Morris also has been compared to William Faulkner for her character-driven storytelling. She was a finalist for the National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. As of 2011, Morris has published eight novels, some of which were best-sellers, and numerous short stories. She also has written a play about the insanity trial of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book annoyed me to say the least. It took to page 140 or so of the 326 pages for this book to get going. Dispensing with the first 100 would be an improvement. The parents in this book taught and raised Nellie to have integrity, tell the truth and do what is right. When she wants to do just that, she is told that she can't because it will upset her parents plans to climb out of financial despair. All the while a man sits in jail for a crime Nellie knows he may not have committed.

Parenting is not easy. But sending mixed messages to kids is a crime in itself. Nellie is second guessed, disbelieved and disregarded giving rise to frustration and even brought to a therapist for counseling! Whew! Thank goodness she takes her upbringing to heart, bypasses the disfunctional adults in her life and comes up the winner. Yeah Nellie!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit disappointing. The main character, Nellie, is described as memorable as “Scout” from TKAM. I found the entire story to be a bit derivative of TKAM, what with the spunky character of Nellie, the supposedly wise father, the murder and trial, and even some hapless, sympathetic Boo Radley like characters. Unfortunately, none of this lives up to TKAM in any way.

The story drags in the first 100 pages or so. I can’t say that any of the characters are really likable, even Nellie. Her parents supposedly raise their children to be honest, but when Nellie wants to tell the truth, they stop her, because it may cause them financial repercussions. What kind of message are they giving her? Every character in the book is so flawed, and so broken, as a reader you never get a chance to rest. They are all so exhausting in their constant drama.

The writing, as usual, is quite good. Unfortunately, for me, the story doesn’t live up to the writing. The story became tedious after a while. I just found this book to be a letdown. I have read better books by this author. This is not one that I would recommend.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing this masterful novel, I'm feeling incredibly illiterate for someone who reads as much as I do. Mary McGarry Morris wrote Songs in Ordinary Time, A Hole in the Universe, and other acclaimed books that I've never read.

This is part of why I love Goodreads - I enter the contests for books that look interesting, by authors that I've heard good things about... and then, when I win a book (yay!) I read them and my world expands a bit.

Light from a Distant Star perfectly captures the not-knowingness of children. I spent part of the time impatient with the book's protagonist, Nellie: Come on! Do it this way! But when you're a kid you just don't connect all the dots. How can you? Adults don't even connect all the dots.

Nellie is thirteen, living in a small town where her family has lived for generations. Her older sister, Ruth, was a love child of their mother and her high school sweetheart, whose family moved to Australia before she was born. Ruth dreams of her "real" father saving her from her miserable teenaged life. Nellie is the smart, over-achieving middle child, awkwardly in between adolescence and childhood, a mix of empathy and judging. Henry, at nine or so, is high strung, and Nellie has decided to toughen him up since she has to watch him all summer anyway. Their father is the third-generation owner of a failing hardware store. That's fine with him, since he'd rather research the town's long history and write it up. "Just a couple more decades!" he pleads with his wife, who wants him to bring in some cash. The mother is a hairdresser, who doesn't make enough to pay the bills - so they rent out an apartment at the back of the house.

Nellie's been warned about eavesdropping, but it's hard to resist when she can hear so clearly everything that goes on with the new renter, a pole dancer at The Paradise. Also new to Nellie's life is her grandfather's hired man, who turns out to have a criminal record, but who saves Henry's life from an attacking dog. Then there's the new boy in town, who wants to kiss Nellie but who also smokes and steals bicycles.

At least one reviewer complained that the murder didn't even happen until about halfway through the book, and that you could just skim through the last pages to find out what happened. Not really! Because the book wasn't about the murder, it was about Nellie, who seems so outspoken from the very first pages, finding a way to be heard.

I thought Light from a Distant Star to be one of the best books I've read this year. Morris is a sure-footed and insightful writer - the book was like going into a familiar place with a guide who is able to help you understand a myriad of details you'd overlooked before. Recommended.

[Jennifer W · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know those kids that are too grown up for their age, but also too socially clueless to know it? They're kids that when you have a group together of kids and parents that even the adults go out of their way to avoid them because they're obnoxious, boring, and trying too hard? That's our main character, Nellie. I don't think that's how she was meant to be as a character, but that's how I found her. Maybe it doesn't help that the adults around her are clueless, too. Her father, who's supposed to be her role model, is so far removed from the struggles of his family that I don't know why Nellie's mom stays with him. Several characters point out that he's on his own planet. He has no spine and goes where the current takes him. Nellie's mom on the other hand, is so consumed by worrying about the bills and working to pay them that she's ignorant of her daughters' struggles. Nellie's older sister Ruth was a pretty typical teenage girl, which makes her clueless to the lives of the rest of her family except when it suits her to notice them for the drama factor. Nellie's grandfather was a rude curmudgeon who felt like he was entitled to treat everyone like shit. Max was socially isolated yet quick to fly into rages, making him an easy target. Dolly was worldly yet naive, leading her into histrionics every time she put all of her eggs in one basket, which she did every chance she got. The Cooper family was the wealthy yet completely Dysfunctional family. I have no idea why the Humboldts with the morbidly obese sister and the cross dressing brother, why new kid bad boy Bucky, or the intentionally oddball twins Roy and Rodney were there at all.

OK, got our cast of characters in all their clueless glory?? Because here comes the plot.... wait for it.... wait for it... read about 150 pages of these "zany" characters while you wait for it... OK, murder! Of course, clueless Nellie is as close to a witness as you get, but she's not aware enough to realize that the murder victim was carrying on with another woman's husband. Nor is she smart enough to realize that if you edit your story for ease of telling and change details that seem slight to you that it's going to paint you as a liar covering up for someone. But her parents aren't any better. Rather than letting Nellie tell the truth, even if it's not a slam dunk case of truth, they try to get her to hide it for their own ease and profit. OK, read another 150 pages of that until the last 25 pages when you find out that her father, the great role model that he is, knew Nellie was telling the truth and yet was willing to go with the flow!! He would have let an innocent man, yet convenient target for guilt, go to prison rather than hint that the stand up citizen might not be so worthy of adoration.

Clearly, I have laid out my case for why this book was less than satisfactory, but I have yet one more flaw to point out. Goodreads claims that Light from a Distant Star is a gripping coming-of-age story with a brutal murder at its heart and a heroine as unforgettable as Harper Lee’s "Scout." If Nellie is Scout, than her father (or even some male in the book) is Atticus, which makes me want to vomit. Max is Tom, the oddball neighbors are Boo, Bucky is Dill, Ruth is Jem, etc... I found a lot of similarities between this and To Kill a Mockingbird, but they were all twisted and warped and mangled into some sort of 21st Century distortion of that amazing, beautiful story. Perhaps this is what TKAM would really look like today, but dammit, that's not what I want when I read a book! I want flawed characters who rise above their circumstances. I want people who will do what's right, even when it's not popular. I want supporting cast members to be supportive, not tear each other down. The older sibling is supposed to stand up for the younger, not seek all the attention for herself. The new kid from out of town is supposed to be fun and "plucky" not a bad boy who's being hoisted off on unsuspecting relatives. Good doesn't always win, but bad shouldn't be able to take the coward's way out. Why, WHY God Damn You did you do this to the greatest piece of American literature????

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The summer of Nellie Peck's thirteenth year is fraught with peril, and the impending vagaries of adulthood.

The family hardware business is failing, and dad (Benjamin) is busy writing a history of the town, while the family finances go haywire. Mom has to go back to work to pay the bills which leads to stressful family situations. Half-sister Ruth embarks on a search for her birth father, and little brother Henry becomes Nellie's responsibility. In an effort to toughen him up, she resorts to an old WWI hand-to-hand combat manual. Add cantankerous Grandpa, keeper of the town junkyard, and his hired man, Max, the loner.....and the stage is just about set for trouble.

When the Peck's tenant, Dolly is found dead.....all eyes turn toward Max..it doesn't help that she was a stripper by trade. However, Nellie knows that max is innocent....she even knows the identity of the real killer. Or does she? And how is she going to tell her "truth" and convince everyone when it would mean accusing an upstanding pillar of the community..the very person able to save her family from financial ruin? Oh, the quandary.....oh, the lack of credibility.

I've been a fan of Mary McGarry Morris' work for quite some time....and this, her take on To Kill a Mockingbird is, in my opinion, a success. While her prose is not as elegant as Harper Lee's..the story is set in the present day, where elegance is not a requirement...Nellie Peck is not Scout Finch, but Scout didn't have the media and Pop culture distractions that are part of Nellie's life. Nellie's dilemma is part and parcel of adolescence itself...the lack of credibility we all feel when on the verge of adulthood.

Maybe life was easier in the 1950s...but when Nellie eventually has her say, she does so with heart...even though the outcome is not victorious....most of the characters do survive and live their lives. Not perfectly.

Recommended.....4 Stars

***This was a Net Galley***

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

I wanted to like this book more than I did because it had an interesting premise. Unfortunately, my dislike of most of the characters made it hard for me to really enjoy it. In some ways, I understand that they weren't necessarily meant to be like-able, but it was hard to find anything redeeming in most of them. I also had issues with the inconsistency of the character's values as well as the portrayal and treatment of Max. In regards to the character's values, I found it strange that Nellie's parents would value honesty so much that they would do things that would cause them to suffer financially or result in social embarrassment, but when Nellie tried to speak the truth, she was told to be quiet because it would affect the family finances as well as a neighbor's reputation - to the extent that someone they didn't like would be charged with murder. In regards to Max, the fact that Nellie's parents and friends would consider Max a pedophile because he, as an 18 year old had consensual sex with his 15 year old girlfriend, made me shake my head in wonder.

I've seen other reviews that indicated that this was one of the author's weaker books, so I may try something else that she's written as she showed promise in her writing style.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Nellie is a young girl who always tries to do the right thing. She is also nosy and listens at doors and hides behind bushes to find out what is going on in the adult world. She ends up involved in a murder, where she knows more than she should, this leads to a trial and a conclusion she is not satisfied with. Enjoyed reading about Nellie, though the plot got bogged down in places, but did enjoy the story. Probably would have enjoyed it more had I not been wanting to get back to Night Circus.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nellie Peck is thirteen years old going on forty. She is wise, intelligent and impulsive. Despite her precociousness, however, she is still a child. She lives with her parents and two siblings, Ruth and Henry. Ruth is a half-sibling from a relationship that her mother had in high school. The Pecks are struggling financially. Sandy, Nellie's mother, works as a hair dresser and Benjamin, Nellie's father, owns a hardware store that is slowly going under. Benjamin's passion is his writing - he is writing a tome about the history of their town, Springvale. His goal is to get it self-published so that it can be read by a wide audience.

To enhance their income, the Pecks rent out an apartment attached to their home. Nellie loves to listen in to conversations in the apartment through the bathroom wall. Their latest tenant is Dolly Bedalia, an exotic dancer, aka a stripper. Nellie likes her and feels that Dolly actually listens to her. Henry has built a treehouse and from the treehouse Nellie and Henry can see into their neighbor's living room and also view the comings and goings from Dolly's apartment.

Ruth is obsessed with finding her real father who moved to Australia during high school. She has written multiple letters to him. When a return letter finally comes, Nellie absconds with it and hides it from Ruth which sets off a chain of events that leads to Nellie feeling like an outcast from her family.

Nellie is in that in-between age, not yet in adolescence but on the cusp of it. A wild child, Bucky Saltonstall, likes Nellie and tries to involve her in his illegal and wild schemes. One of them is stealing bicycles and then selling them. Bucky is also a bully and can turn on anyone at the drop of a hat. He is living with his grandparents because his parents handle him. can't

Charlie is Nellie's grandfather. He is the proprietor of the local junkyard. He is cold and mean, not at all what one thinks of as grandfatherly. Recently, he hired a helper named Max Devaney. Max has a history that includes being in jail in the past and he is also a registered sex offender for having sex with an underaged girl when he was a young man. He has a dog named Boone. Nellie really likes him and his dog. She dreams of going fishing with Charlie and Max but they only invite her along one time. Nellie considers Max to be a hero. There was an instance when Henry was attacked by a neighbor's dog and Max came to the rescue, killing the offending dog violently. Henry ended up with a considerable number of stitches in his arm.

Jessica Cooper is Nellie's annoying friend. She pursues Nellie like white on snow. Nellie does not like her because Jessica has very weird thoughts about killing people, hating her mother, and is generally mean and unfeeling. She calls Nellie all the time and Nellie doesn't know how to get her off her back.

So far, the above events are just the daily workings of a small town and a small town girl. However, Dolly gets murdered and the only one there, the only witness to who might be the murderer, is Nellie. She was in the basement with Max while Max was fixing the hot water tank and they needed to get into Dolly's apartment. The door of the apartment was unlocked and when they get in, Dolly is dead. Nellie saw another man coming out of Dolly's apartment but has said nothing about it so Max is tried for the murder. Nellie is in a real fix - she feels like she can't tell anyone about who she saw but she doesn't want Max to go to jail for a murder she doesn't believe he committed. Nellie also remembers hearing some thumps and bumps coming from the apartment earlier that same afternoon.

Most of the novel focuses on Nellie's dilemmas about the murder, her family and growing up. She is the primary witness at the trial and she often thinks about Mark Twain's quote that moral courage is more important than physical courage. Will Nellie have the moral courage to speak up? If so, what will be the consequences to those involved?

Light From A Distant Star is not one of Mary McGarry Morris's stronger novels. I'm a real fan of hers and have read everything she's written. I especially love Vanished and Fiona Range, This novel includes some of the same types of characters for which she is known - the unlikable outcasts that just can't seem to make it in the regular ways of life. However, in her previous books, the characters were so well-executed and brought to life that the reader feels empathy for them. I felt little or no empathy for the characters in this book. They were fleshed out, but not to the point where I cared all that much. The writing is excellent, just what I'd expect from Morris, but ultimately, it does not come up to her best work.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic from start to finish. Definitely reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, but the author brought an original, modernized plot to its familiar archetypes: the spunky, adult-like child who idolizes her idealistic father, the mysterious neighbors who aren't as dangerous as they seem, and the trial at the end, which solves about as much as any sterilized court proceedings can, all come together to artfully frame new, just as heart wrenching problems. What significance does the past really hold? Should a mistake viewed through one lens really become a death sentence when viewed through another? Should lifestyle condemn a person, a family, a neighborhood? When do you let go of idealism and when do you realize letting go was a mistake? This book deals more with mental illness and social survival than racism and ethics, but its themes and characterization pay a certain homage to TKAM, and it felt like this generation's version of the classic.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some strong internal struggles and important morals.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing will ever beat Songs in ordinary time.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were times when I felt the author had rushed through writing/editing the book. For example, on pg 47, after Max helped Dolly jump her car, Morris neglected to remember to write about Dolly yanking the jumper cables off or Max taking his time to remove them. Further more, Morris built up the scene so much that I felt more should come of it. If it did, I missed it. Another example: "Acrid smoke from the smoldering tires enveloped the downtown streets for days until a twelve hour torrential downpour doused the last of the fire". (pg 50) How is it that the fire department didn't come to keep the town from burning down? The junkyard was in the middle of the town, so they couldn't possibly forget that little factoid. Although I didn't keep complete notes throughout the book to see what questions were not answered, another one which had a large part in the story was Ruth and her birth father's relationship and what Ruth was going to do about the letters.

The main character, Nellie, seems to be more than one person. At times very young and naive and others old and wise. Many of the other characters did not feel real. Sometimes, Morris has the teenage girl spot-on: "Grinning, Nellie shot out of the bathroom, then sat in the front hall, waiting to be summoned" - what kid does not want attention? Really that was a lot of the conflict in the book, that her parents wouldn't pay any attention to her. "Nellie was almost enjoying the commotion... Yes, Nellie knew, compared to those two, she was a wonderful, loving child." (79). It was at these times that I felt that I could connect Nellie with my inner 13 year old and the ways that I felt when I was younger. Morris makes me lose some of that connection though when, near the end, she has Nellie use the word "whom". I didn't know how to use the word until I was about late 14. I didn't even learn it in school until college. I was an avid reader, like Nellie, but that just wouldn't be something that you correct others on at the age of 13! "They do? Really? To whom? she wanted to scream." (pg 295).

"Life was changing all around Nellie, and no one was doing anything about it".pg 48 How could Nellie think this just beacuse her friend she didn't even like went to a different camp than the one she wanted, her brother had a small run in with some bad kids (and then didn't hang out with them anymore), and her parents were noticably more low on cash than they had been in previous years. She also knew her parents were doing what they could to stay afloat - a.k.a. her father writing a book, her mom working, and her parents renting a room in the house and selling the family store. The main reason Nellie knows most of this is because she is a very nosy kid. She listens with her ear pushed up to the bathroom wall or sitting on the stairs while her parents are repriminding her older sister Ruth.

I can admit that there were times when the story was intriguing and reels the reader in, but then the author tries to make Nellie sound sophisticated, smart, profound, insightful, etc and I get lost and agitated. It was about a quarter of the way in before I didn't feel like I constantly wanted to put the book down. It wasn't as much of a "I need to just finish this book so I can rate it" as a "I would kinda, sorta like to see what happens".

I really don't see where the name of the novel comes in to play. I had signed up for the book because I thought it was going to be something more... fantastical. Peter Pan like.
In addition to what others have said about the book, the only connection I see between Nellie and Scout (from To Kill a Mockingbird) is that there was a trial in the story and a murder.

Notice: I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story Description:

Light from a Distant Star is a gripping coming-of-age story with a brutal murder at its heart and a heroine as unforgettable as Harper Lee's "Scout."

It is early summer and Nellie Peck is on the cusp of adolescence - gangly, awkward, full of questions, but keenly observant and wiser than many of the adults in her life. The person she most admires is her father, Benjamin, a man of great integrity. His family's century old hardware store is failing and Nellie's mother has had to go back to work. Nellie's older half-sister has launched a disturbing search for her birth father. Often saddled through the long, hot days with her timid younger brother, Henry, Nellie is determined to toughen him up. And herself as well.

Three strangers enter Nellie's protected life. Brooding Max Devaney is an ex-con who works in her surly grandfather's junkyard. Reckless Bucky Saltonstall has just arrived from New York City to live with his elderly grandparents. And pretty Dolly Bedelia is a young stripper who rents the family's small, rear apartment and becomes the titillating focus of Nellie's eavesdropping.

When violence erupts in the lovely Peck house, the prime suspect seems obvious. Nellie knows who the real murderer is, but is soon silenced by fear and the threat of scandal. The truth, as she sees it, is shocking and unthinkable, and with everyone's eyes riveted on her in the courtroom, Nellie finds herself seized with doubt.

No one will listen. No one believes her, and a man's life hangs in the balance. A stunning evocation of innocence lost, Light from a Distant Star stands as an incredibly moving and powerful novel from one of America's finest.

My Review:

Thirteen-year-old Nellie Peck is a tall, thin girl whose observation skills are better than most academics. Nellie is inquisitive and questions and analyzes everything. The bane of her existence is her younger brother, Henry, whom she sees as too immature and takes on the task of toughing him up.

Nellie’s father, Benjamin, owns a fourth-generation hardware store that is failing making it necessary for his wife, Sandy to return to work at the hair salon. They also have the added income from Dolly Bedelia who rents their small apartment at the back of their house. Dolly makes a very interesting character in the story as she is a stripper who works at the local strip club.

Ruth, Nellie’s half-sister decides to launch a rather disturbing search for her birth father which only adds to the family’s myriad of problems.

Then there is a murder as violence breaks out in the Peck house and Nellie knows who the real murderer is but is “…silenced by fear and threat of scandal.” When Nellie finally takes the stand in the courtroom, everyone is sitting at the edge of their seats with their eyes glued on poor Nellie. But no one will believe her and a man’s life is on the line.

This was a riveting story, a coming-of-age story that I wouldn’t want to have lived, but then again, my name isn’t Nellie Peck. No one could live this coming-of-age but Nellie and I see her as a heroine. This was a novel that will make you laugh, worry, weep, and wonder. My favourite character is Nellie and I wouldn’t mind having her as a sister for she’d drive you crazy on the one hand and make you want to love her all the more on the other. This is one book well worth reading!

[Nancy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary McGarry Morris has a knack for drawing multifaceted characters. You feel like you know them, but you can't always predict what they're going to do. I found myself having strong feelings for these imaginary people. The protagonist, the precosious but naive Nellie, gangly and myopic and ceaselessly analyzes everything and sometimes, humorously or tragically or both, missing the mark. Charlie, the rude grandpa who owns the junkyard that for some reason the kids are drawn to, is not very appealing but the excon Max who wanders in with his dog Boom (also a well drawn character) is a study in contradictions. Nellie just "knows" he's a good guy but he has some pretty blatant flaws (quick rage, unsophisticated manners) as well as being a strong, tireless worker, very loyal and with a quiet though not overly warm tolerance for the kids.
Nellies little brother Henry and older sister Ruth, their parents who are loving but are going through a stressful financial situation, and especially Jessie Cooper, Nellie's friend whom she doesn't really like very much, as she has some emotional and behavioral problems that, while described from a 13 year olds point of view, are not formally diagnosed but suffice it to say she's often unpleasant and a bit of an outcast in an otherwise "perfect" family.
So there's a lot to this book. The central plot involves the murder of a beautiful and strangely childlike "exotic dancer" who rents the apartment adjoining Nellie's family's house. Only Nellie knows who really killed her, but doesn't mention crucial evidence at the time....for complicated reasons....and then, when called to testify at the trial, her moment of glory at the center of attention is bungled because, well, she flubs it.
And she's furious for the defense attorney for not asking the right question. Come on, she thinking, just ASK! Nope, nobody asks and the crime gets pinned in the wrong guy and it's Nellie's fault....
I'm not going to spoil this book. But by this point it has really sucked me in.
Reading other reviews, not everyone is as enthralled with these people as I am, but I found it a fine novel and especially enjoyed it. Tempted to give it 5 stars, and if the impact endures I will add another star.
This novel has rightly been compared to " To Kill a Mockingbird."

Merged review:

Charming book. Love the characters. Very much enjoyed. Written from perspective of 13 year old girl who is very smart and seems to talk quite a lot, but sometimes doesn't quite get things right. Doing the right thing, in this awkward situation, is hard, so there is definitely conflict. Her parents are also interesting characters ... in fact, everybody is the book is, which is why I like it so much.

[Amandaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from goodreads giveaways. Originally I was really excited about reading this book. But once I started reading it, that excitement fizzled. I was lucky the book survived at all since it was delivered on a day when it was raining like mad crazy. I had to wait for the book to dry out before I could start reading it. Surprisingly enough the book is only slightly wrinkled and crinkled.
I had a hard time gaining interest in this book for the first hundred pages or so. The characters were introduced and nothing really seemed to be happening for awhile. Things were going on, but something was lacking in the beginning because I was tempted to put the book down for good a few times. But I trudged through it and it did get better. Part of the reason I was hesitant to finish it was because I didn't like the characters, and Nellie Peck, the hero of the story just straight up annoyed the hell out of me.
Nellie's family has their problems. Her parents are not financially stable. Their hardware store that has been in the family for generations is going under, and Nellie's dad is working hard on a book that no one will want to read. Nellie's mom has to go back to work, and they are renting an apartment to a young stripper named Dolly. Nellie's older half sister is obsessed with getting in touch with her birth father and their younger brother is super shy and almost as awkward as 13 year old Nellie. They all have their own problems, and the now that I think about it, the book reminds me of something you would see on a lifetime movie.

[Carol N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly moving novel that gives the reader a timely look at small town life. The author has beautifully drawn her characters, ones who will continue to be with you -long after having finished the book. From the very first time I met her, I, like many other readers, became enamored with smart and plunky Nellie. Never dull, always real, this book covers one summer and fall in Nellie's life. Loved what I called the "Okay to be a Kid" moments - building a tree house with odds and ends found at Grandpa Charlie's junkyard, always looking for the "better snacks" at a school friend's house, spending their first night sleeping in their beloved new abode and throwing candy at the nosey, but different neighbor,Mr. Huntington. Yes, I truly did fall for Nellie - faults and all, for her loyalty to Max, for her love of family but mostly for her struggle to do the "right thing" and not staying silent. This is a book I will read again; I don't often say that!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGarry Morris keeps making her stories just interesting enough, and her characters just compelling enough, to keep me coming back to her when I want a fast read. Her sentences do a little too much more telling than showing, and I often find myself a bit annoyed (like, "yeah, I got that she felt ashamed. You didn't have to put the sentence 'She felt ashamed' after your description"). I did actually enjoy some of the fast flood of philosophical ruminations that quadrupled- albeit too hurriedly and awkwardly- in the last few chapters. Also, I'm kind of a sucker for the small town full of quirky folks formula, though. And it's impossible for me not to relate to and love the nerdy idealistic teen narrator.
This book is pretty slow to start, and probably should have been fewer than its 325 pages, but if you are into people watching like I am, you may find it pretty enjoyable.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very long, drawn out book about a 13 year old busy body. Nellie was always eavesdropping or watching someone secretly. When caught she would get in trouble, but it didn't stop her. There was a murder in the story, but the focus on Nellie's bad habits seemed to make the murder less important. Yes, her eavesdropping and spying may have led them to the real killer, but we'll never know. I was disappointed with the end because several loose ends were not tied up. What happened to Max? What about the twins? Did Nellie's family have to file bankruptcy? Did Ruth ever meet her father? There were several sub-stories going on that seemed to fall away towards the end instead of being resolved and the ending seemed very abrupt. I would not read this again.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author. In this case, the narrator is Nellie, stuck in that terrible stage of adolescence when no one takes you seriously. Even if you know that an innocent man is accused of murder. Nellie's faith in her own intuition, combined with the blinders of her inexperience, is perfectly evoked. I didn't even think of "To Kill a Mockingbird" as I read this, although that comparison seems prevalent.

[Terrylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Mary, you've done it again. Taken small town average Americans , put them in extraordinary circumstance and let their true emotions play out. Your character development again is masterful. You tell wonderful family stories. As an Andover native I know where the downtown junkyard came from. I wanted to make Ellie act smarter, but she was only 13 ! she stayed true to her family values but figured out how to act morally wonderful book. You Are a true original.

[Anne Jordan-Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe loved this book from beginning to end. Kathy and I thought it started out so slow we wanted to stop reading. It was worth sticking with. I ended up thinking the story was great and the characters and relationships very believable and interesting. Definitely a book that taught me something new about people, families, identity, and identity development.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary McGarry Morris' lyrical writing in her latest book is breath-taking. It almost made me forget that I was reading a tragedy- Nellie is a character you wish you could protect from her world, as its falling apart around her. A must read!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Nellie grabbed my heart and never let go. The adults were very frustrating but my emotional reaction to them just emphasises how good this book reads.

[wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of courage from a 13 year old girl in an adult world.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simultaneously engrossing and infuriating.

[Calis Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Under normal circumstances I would have DNFed this but I already did that for one book this month and I didn't want to do it to another one.
Reviewers had the NERVE to compare this to To Kill a Mockingbird that book had likeable and memorable characters, this book had some of the most unmemorable and dislikable characters I've come across this year.
The story tells of a girl named Nellie and her hard up family as she is the witness to a murder of a tennent in her mother's boarding house. The main suspect is the local drifter Max but Nellie knows he is innocent. But fingering the true culprit would ruin her family's chance for financial recovery.
I've said it once and I'll say it again, you can have a good story but if your characters are bad it ruins the whole thing and the other way around as well.
Let's hope this isn't a bad month of reading, I need another month of awesome reads.
Next book don't let me down!

[Barbara D. Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, if you're looking for an uplifting read, pass on this book. Here we have page after page of family drama--too much. It gets tedious. This family is falling apart, due mostly to financial difficulties and weak parenting. So, how much trouble can 3 children from this environment get involved with in one summer? Lots! Thirteen year old Nellie, is often neglected in this family, and perhaps because of that, has to interpret her world on her own. She has been know to lie, so her parents do not listen to what she is saying on a very important matter. They have their own selfish reasons to believe the situation is one way and therefore are threatened by Nellie's version. Nellie is left with no adult in her corner. in fact, the adults, when they do give advice, border on emotional abuse.
The ending could have been better. After all the turmoil and struggle, you wanted Nellie to come out wildly victorious, but instead it was quite subdued.
I never did figure out what the title meant.

[Connie Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nellie is entering her teenage years with wisdom not frequently found in adults.
Her father, Benjamin, owns a failing hardware store but keeps believing things will change for the better. In the meantime, his days are taken up writing a historical account hoping to be published. He gets so engrossed, many times he doesn't hear customers come into the store.
As a result, Nellie's mother, Sandy, returns to work in order to put food on the table.
In addition, she rents the connected apartment to a pole dancer, Dolly, who entertains a married, local businessman, Andy Cooper, who eventually kills her in a lover's quarrel.
Another man is blamed, jailed and found guilty.
Nellie knows the truth but no one will believe her.
Ms. Morris has a talent for realistically depicting emotions and behaviors taking place in this extended family.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've heard this compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, and I can certainly see why. Protagonist Nellie Peck reflects Scout in many ways: she's precocious, talkative, annoys folks, and there's even a murder trial. In some ways, it's not as much of a heavyweight in terms of how it deals with class and race. But it's just as violent and contains more profanity and overt sexuality than TKAM. I'm not seeing this as a read that any middle school teacher should recommend, though it feels as though it's written for YA. I found the start a bit slow, too. However, I looked forward to reading it every day and quite enjoyed the ending!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this (although not as much as the outstanding "Songs Sung in Ordinary Time") novel; it may remind readers somewhat of "To Kill a Mockingbird" as the narrator is an observant, astute young girl who believes that an outcast has been unfairly accused of murder. However, her parents (especially her dad) are not as sympathetic as the dad in "Mockingbird." Well-done and excellent portrayal of small-town life today.