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Rowan In The Oak Tree
A harrowing short story about Rowan and her abuse.
Can she escape the perpetual darkness she finds herself in?
Or will she succumb to a worse fate?
Can she escape the perpetual darkness she finds herself in?
Or will she succumb to a worse fate?
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2013
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 31, 2013
I'll try not to have spoilers here, but if some slip through, don't say I didn't warn you.
Before purchasing this, I happened to establish a small connection with the author through Facebook. I wanted to read her work to help me decide whether to entrust mine to her in her editing capacity. Having read it, I would love for Ms. Page to turn my rather plain prose into the magical language she uses in this short story, but I fear even she would be hard put to do so.
The subject matter is dark, but Rowan clearly is a shining light in spite of her circumstances. At the end I could only be happy knowing that she had her little puppy to comfort and love her when the adults in her life utterly failed her. Another review spoke at length about a serious anomaly that marred the ending. Having read that, I would have to agree that it would have marred it for me if I had noticed. But I was so engaged in Rowan's imagination that I didn't notice. That speaks to the emotional involvement Ms. Page elicited from me. Normally, I would have scoffed at an author for such an inconsistency.
Ms. Page states in her bio that her goal is a distinguished writing career. I predict that she will have it, and I'll be following her work all the way.
Before purchasing this, I happened to establish a small connection with the author through Facebook. I wanted to read her work to help me decide whether to entrust mine to her in her editing capacity. Having read it, I would love for Ms. Page to turn my rather plain prose into the magical language she uses in this short story, but I fear even she would be hard put to do so.
The subject matter is dark, but Rowan clearly is a shining light in spite of her circumstances. At the end I could only be happy knowing that she had her little puppy to comfort and love her when the adults in her life utterly failed her. Another review spoke at length about a serious anomaly that marred the ending. Having read that, I would have to agree that it would have marred it for me if I had noticed. But I was so engaged in Rowan's imagination that I didn't notice. That speaks to the emotional involvement Ms. Page elicited from me. Normally, I would have scoffed at an author for such an inconsistency.
Ms. Page states in her bio that her goal is a distinguished writing career. I predict that she will have it, and I'll be following her work all the way.
June 2, 2013
I got this book free on amazon!
This was a very heart-felt story. I found myself wanting to take Rowan and hug her and give her the comfort that she was not getting at home and I actually had some tears starting during one part of the story. I had to put the book down for a second and tell myself hey this is a story!
The characters were all well written especially the puppy dog Peyton!
I absolutely hated Rowans mother from the first time I read her in the story, and the stepfather man oh man lets just say he made me feel sick on so many levels.
I did love how Rowan would day-dream about her father and what not, I found it to be great for her to be able to do that with all the hell she is going through.
I know this might sound mean of me to say but I did like the ending, with what happened to Rowan at the end I found it to be a perfect ending, as she became free of all the hell her childhood was.
This is one novella that you would not want to miss out on reading. The author has a real talent for being able to draw you into the short story and I will for sure be keeping my eye on her future work.
This was a very heart-felt story. I found myself wanting to take Rowan and hug her and give her the comfort that she was not getting at home and I actually had some tears starting during one part of the story. I had to put the book down for a second and tell myself hey this is a story!
The characters were all well written especially the puppy dog Peyton!
I absolutely hated Rowans mother from the first time I read her in the story, and the stepfather man oh man lets just say he made me feel sick on so many levels.
I did love how Rowan would day-dream about her father and what not, I found it to be great for her to be able to do that with all the hell she is going through.
I know this might sound mean of me to say but I did like the ending, with what happened to Rowan at the end I found it to be a perfect ending, as she became free of all the hell her childhood was.
This is one novella that you would not want to miss out on reading. The author has a real talent for being able to draw you into the short story and I will for sure be keeping my eye on her future work.
June 7, 2013
Such a compelling story! I was so engrossed with the story that I read it in less than an hour and was blindsided by the ending. I can honestly say I didn't see the ending happening. It was a sad but well-written story that grasped my heart forever. I found myself wanting to reach out my hand to help Rowan. I seriously loved this story.
Can you imagine a life where all a child seeks is love but can never obtain it? What if the only love you knew of, was a old teddy bear, the memory of a father who loved you, and a sweet dog named Peyton? Well this is the life of eight year old Rowan. All Rowan ever wanted was to have somewhere where she belonged. A family who loved and cherished her...but this is a dream of Rowan's, what she has is a never ending nightmare. Struggling to see the positive in life she finds small happiness in her loyal dog, Peyton. She dreams of a time where she could escape the nightmare she lives in and find her father, who would always treated her like he was a knight and she was his little princess. With the dream in hand Rowan embarks on a journey to finding love, compassion, happiness, and a brighter future. But sometimes what we seek most in life, has a odd way of coming true. Will Rowan finally find peace and happiness? Will she escape the nightmare? And will she finally be free? All Rowan knows for sure is that, with Peyton, she will never, truly, be alone. In a story about a young girl seeking love, you can't help but want to reach your hand out, and want to help her succeed in her quest.
I finished this story with tears in my eyes. It's seriously a tear worthy story. The main character, Rowan, really touched my heart. I couldn't help but want to help her throughout the story. No child should have to endure what she went through and my heart felt for her. She was truly a sweet and kind girl who just wanted to be loved. And I loved her pet dog, Peyton. To me, I saw him as her guardian angel. He did everything with Rowan and protected her the best he could. He was there every step of the way and remained loyal throughout the whole story. He was a hero in my eyes. I find myself close to tears as I read this story for it really touched my heart. One of the best short stories I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
My favorite parts of the story:
"But ‘maman’ was the nickname she used behind her back. The woman was short and stumpy like a felled tree, and had a deep, booming voice, and a moustache she had to shave or bleach, so maman seemed apt, for mother she was, but she was more of a man, if you looked closely enough."
"He didn’t need accompanying; he knew how to escape the garden but never would. He loved Rowan too much to try and leave her."
"It made her happy to think of her parents as happy royalty before her maman’s body was taken over by a cruel and evil witch with green skin and a croaky voice."
Can you imagine a life where all a child seeks is love but can never obtain it? What if the only love you knew of, was a old teddy bear, the memory of a father who loved you, and a sweet dog named Peyton? Well this is the life of eight year old Rowan. All Rowan ever wanted was to have somewhere where she belonged. A family who loved and cherished her...but this is a dream of Rowan's, what she has is a never ending nightmare. Struggling to see the positive in life she finds small happiness in her loyal dog, Peyton. She dreams of a time where she could escape the nightmare she lives in and find her father, who would always treated her like he was a knight and she was his little princess. With the dream in hand Rowan embarks on a journey to finding love, compassion, happiness, and a brighter future. But sometimes what we seek most in life, has a odd way of coming true. Will Rowan finally find peace and happiness? Will she escape the nightmare? And will she finally be free? All Rowan knows for sure is that, with Peyton, she will never, truly, be alone. In a story about a young girl seeking love, you can't help but want to reach your hand out, and want to help her succeed in her quest.
I finished this story with tears in my eyes. It's seriously a tear worthy story. The main character, Rowan, really touched my heart. I couldn't help but want to help her throughout the story. No child should have to endure what she went through and my heart felt for her. She was truly a sweet and kind girl who just wanted to be loved. And I loved her pet dog, Peyton. To me, I saw him as her guardian angel. He did everything with Rowan and protected her the best he could. He was there every step of the way and remained loyal throughout the whole story. He was a hero in my eyes. I find myself close to tears as I read this story for it really touched my heart. One of the best short stories I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
My favorite parts of the story:
"But ‘maman’ was the nickname she used behind her back. The woman was short and stumpy like a felled tree, and had a deep, booming voice, and a moustache she had to shave or bleach, so maman seemed apt, for mother she was, but she was more of a man, if you looked closely enough."
"He didn’t need accompanying; he knew how to escape the garden but never would. He loved Rowan too much to try and leave her."
"It made her happy to think of her parents as happy royalty before her maman’s body was taken over by a cruel and evil witch with green skin and a croaky voice."
June 12, 2013
Ayla Page's "Rowan and the Oak Tree" is a powerful and very well-written story, and it will stay with you long after you've finished it.
Rowan is a young girl, horrifically abused by her mother and her mother's live-in boyfriend. Her only friend is her dog, and the tale is told from both their perspectives as, together, they try and escape their abusive home and get to safety.
I defy anyone to read this and not be filled with compassion for Rowan. If you don't shed a tear by the end, I just don't know what to say. Because of that, it's a difficult story, but an important one to read, because horror like this is all too real in the world today, and the victims deserve such a hearing as Ayla Page gives them.
Rowan is a young girl, horrifically abused by her mother and her mother's live-in boyfriend. Her only friend is her dog, and the tale is told from both their perspectives as, together, they try and escape their abusive home and get to safety.
I defy anyone to read this and not be filled with compassion for Rowan. If you don't shed a tear by the end, I just don't know what to say. Because of that, it's a difficult story, but an important one to read, because horror like this is all too real in the world today, and the victims deserve such a hearing as Ayla Page gives them.
June 5, 2013
"Rowan In The Oak Tree" by Ayla Page is a remarkable debut novella by a very promising author.
The story of Rowan and her beloved dog Peyton is heart wrenching and affected me very strongly, which is always the achievement of a good story teller.
Although the story is short I took a while to see where it was going to end. I loved Rowan's intimate relationship with her dog and felt for Rowan in her otherwise isolated life, particularly as we come to a mildly disturbing scene.
My four star rating only reflects my personal issue with the subject matter, writing credentials and talent are undisputed and I am looking forward to a differently themed book by her.
The story of Rowan and her beloved dog Peyton is heart wrenching and affected me very strongly, which is always the achievement of a good story teller.
Although the story is short I took a while to see where it was going to end. I loved Rowan's intimate relationship with her dog and felt for Rowan in her otherwise isolated life, particularly as we come to a mildly disturbing scene.
My four star rating only reflects my personal issue with the subject matter, writing credentials and talent are undisputed and I am looking forward to a differently themed book by her.
June 7, 2013
This book made me very sad. It's a great little story and very well written but it doesn't have a happy ending. It's a tough subject to write about but this is one of the few books I've read about this kind of thing that really had me emotionally engaged.
With books like this it's very hard to make people feel for the main chracter because they're already in the 'hell' and suffering before the book begins but the little bits of thoughts and Rowan's outlook on life made her easy to relate to.
My only little niggle was the ending. I felt there should have been a little bit more before the very end bit, to show the ending happening, before we're told the results.
With books like this it's very hard to make people feel for the main chracter because they're already in the 'hell' and suffering before the book begins but the little bits of thoughts and Rowan's outlook on life made her easy to relate to.
My only little niggle was the ending. I felt there should have been a little bit more before the very end bit, to show the ending happening, before we're told the results.
June 8, 2013
If you feel like reading books that leave you untouched, don't pick this one!
If you feel like reading books without surprises, you're wrong again here!
But if you like to read a book that pulls you in the story, tears your feelings apart and makes you bleed with the main character, you'll find it in this book.
Rowan is only so terribly young, but has to go through so much bad times, that you can even wonder if the end is after all a happy one.
Thanks a lot Ayla Page for writing this book! Worth reading!
If you feel like reading books without surprises, you're wrong again here!
But if you like to read a book that pulls you in the story, tears your feelings apart and makes you bleed with the main character, you'll find it in this book.
Rowan is only so terribly young, but has to go through so much bad times, that you can even wonder if the end is after all a happy one.
Thanks a lot Ayla Page for writing this book! Worth reading!
January 1, 2014
This was a beautiful story and my heart broke for Rowan from the very beginning. This book was worth every penny, though it read quickly and I wished to read more from the author, sad that it had to end so swiftly, sad for Rowan, and sad that such tragic things occur in real life as well. Great tale to sit back and enjoy while thinking about family because I honestly wanted to punch "Maman" in the face and won't name the things I'd have liked to do to "Daddy Longlegs." Hug your children tight after reading this, if you've got them.
June 8, 2013
Ayla Page
Rowan In The Oak Tree
Incredibly well written, this book is an emotional roller coaster. Many will find it disturbing, but it’s a story that deserved to be told and will pull at your heart strings. It’s short, but the writing style easily manages to capture Rowan’s life and her daily turmoil. The worst part about this book, it could easily be a true story (and probably has been somewhere), and stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.
Rowan In The Oak Tree
Incredibly well written, this book is an emotional roller coaster. Many will find it disturbing, but it’s a story that deserved to be told and will pull at your heart strings. It’s short, but the writing style easily manages to capture Rowan’s life and her daily turmoil. The worst part about this book, it could easily be a true story (and probably has been somewhere), and stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.
June 17, 2013
Awful book. Really didn't find any hook to the story or care a thing about the characters either way. Very glad to get to the end. Whole thing felt completely pointless. I appreciate it was meant to be a sad story - but as I say I had not been drawn in enough to care one bit. I feel you can't just put characters with a sad story on the page, it's the author's job to draw me in, make me care. I am really surprised at so many 5* reviews. Seriously?!
January 11, 2014
This is a book that will draw you in and make you feel. A vivid picture is painted for you from the very start of this short story, putting you there in the shoes of young Rowan with her faithful pup.
Be prepared to cry. Be prepared to be outraged. Be prepared to be touched.
Keep the tissues handy folks, you may just need them in this beautifully crafted story of the monsters that are always around us that we don't always see.
Be prepared to cry. Be prepared to be outraged. Be prepared to be touched.
Keep the tissues handy folks, you may just need them in this beautifully crafted story of the monsters that are always around us that we don't always see.
June 8, 2013
I received this free from the author. This was a heartbreakingly sad story. However I thought the ending was beautiful. To escape her tormentors at all was a happy ending. The book pulls you in and makes you painfully impatient for a resolution for this little girl. The descriptions were well written and the book flowed nicely.
June 29, 2013
I did understand it's a short story when I got it. Still, I felt, it ended a little too quickly and would have liked a little more story. It's kind of a sad ending but with what went on in the house I can understand why. I probably would have made the same choice if I had lived under the same conditions.
July 3, 2013
Rowan is a heartbreaking short story. Rowan is a little girl who is picked on and beaten by her mother and raped by her step father. Rowan realizes one night she needs to runaway and find her father. But it has a tragic ending. This is an emotional read, that covers abuse in ever way. WaAR
March 2, 2014
Rowan in the Oak Tree was a heartbreaking story with a tragic ending. The writing was descriptive and done well for a new author, however the ending seemed abrupt and a bit jarring. All in all, it was a good short read. Very sad story.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews