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The Braid
Two sisters, Jeannie and Sarah, tell their separate yet tightly interwoven stories in alternating narrative poems. Each sister – Jeannie, who leaves Scotland during the Highland Clearances with her father, mother, and the younger children, and Sarah, who hides so she can stay behind with her grandmother – carries a length of the other's hair braided with her own. The braid binds them together when they are worlds apart and reminds them of who they used to be before they were evicted from the Western Isles, where their family had lived for many generations.
The award-winning poet Helen Frost eloquently twists strand over strand of language, braiding the words at the edges of the poems to bring new poetic forms to life while intertwining the destinies of two young girls and the people who cross their paths in this unforgettable novel. An author's note describes the inventive poetic form in detail.
The Braid is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
The award-winning poet Helen Frost eloquently twists strand over strand of language, braiding the words at the edges of the poems to bring new poetic forms to life while intertwining the destinies of two young girls and the people who cross their paths in this unforgettable novel. An author's note describes the inventive poetic form in detail.
The Braid is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
114 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2006
3 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
About the author
Helen Frost
191 books225 followersI'm dipping my toes into goodreads to see how it works. Thanks for finding me here, and thanks to everyone who has read and written about my books. I love to know you're there, even if I don't come here too often to say so.
Helen Frost is the author of eleven novels-in-poems and seven picture books for children and young adults. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/helenf...
Helen Frost is the author of eleven novels-in-poems and seven picture books for children and young adults. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/helenf...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
February 1, 2012
This book it short-- it took me 2 hours to read.I saw it at the library on a shelf with "staff favorites" and I thought, "what the heck, we'll see if its any good." I think I actually picked it for its length since I really like to fly through a book and feel like I accomplished something. As a parent of 3 preschoolers I don't often feel like I accomplish anything. Anyway, the book. It was the story of a family that was forced from their island in Scotland to Canada and the one sister who ran away and went with her Grandmother to another island. It is written from the perspective of these two wonderful sisters and is braided together (like their hair, hence the title) with poetry and alternating chapters of the sisters. It was beautifully written and very heartfelt and brave. I recommend it highly--its a great use of 2 hours (even if you start it at midnight and finish at 2 like I did). Its a real girl power book--makes you proud to be a woman.
May 7, 2015
A Celtic knot is a beautifully woven pattern, braid-like in form. So begins the concept and form of Frost's story of two sisters, divided by the Atlantic Ocean, who keep their love for each other wrapped tightly like a braid of memories and hope. The 1850s were harsh in both Scotland and Nova Scotia and this historical look at surviving poverty and living day by day should inspire any reader.
Grades 7 and up. Another insanely creative endeavor by Helen Frost.
Grades 7 and up. Another insanely creative endeavor by Helen Frost.
January 22, 2010
Beautifully woven tale, written in verse, of a family and their forced emigration from Scotland to Canada. It's amazing to me that with such an economy of words, so much feeling and emotion is conveyed. Loved it.
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December 23, 2008Hedgebrook alumna Helen Frost (author of Spinning Through the Universe) offers readers an ingeniously structured novel in verse about a Scottish family in 1850. Its themes will resonant with today's teens. The events unfold through the alternating perspectives of sisters Sarah, the oldest of four, whose strength and agility with tools help her father ('just like a lad,' says he), and Jeannie, the comely one with golden curls. Readers quickly learn that the British landlords are forcing out the residents of Scotland's Western Isle of Barra. The night before the family's planned departure for Canada, Sarah braids together her hair with Jeannie's, takes one half of the braid for herself and leaves the other for her sister. While 14-year-old Jeannie departs with her parents and two younger siblings by boat, 15-year-old Sarah hides out in order to stay with their grandmother and return with the woman to Mingulay, the small island south of Barra where their grandfather is buried. The braid not only symbolizes the bond between the sisters ('You'll always long for Jeannie, Aunt Mari says [to Sarah:]. No matter how far/ away she is, you may know when something hard is happening to her'), but also nods to Frost's form here, the Celtic knot, which she employs seamlessly. This brief, memorable book spans two years, several deaths, first love and the stigma attached to unwed mothers, while also conveying the resolve of one family to survive and to preserve hope. Ages 12-up." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
December 10, 2017
This is a wonderful winter afternoon read. It's poetic, short, and vivid. Do take the time to go back through, after you've finished, and read Frost's poems again as the "braid" that she created inspired by a Celtic knot. The poems, already lovely, take on new significance. My two favorites were Dreams and Midwife.
The narrative of this story is heart-breaking and compelling, but felt imbalanced to me. Sarah is well-developed and a strong, defined character. Jeannie, the parallel storyline narrator, just doesn't crystallize in the same way. Her sections are little more than the lens through which we watch her family's pain. The only thing I definitively know about Jeannie is that she is beautiful. And she has no control over that. She could have had a much stronger character arc if the ending scenario of going to school had been woven throughout. I would have liked to learn about her tortured distress that she had no way to communicate with her sister, how she longed to be literate, how many worlds might open through words...that sort of thing, but it's not there.
Jeannie's weaknesses aside, I love the format of this book and Frost's poetic but still chronologically linear storytelling. It's a powerful novella that speaks to an ugly historical reality, yet still manages to find lightness and beauty.
The narrative of this story is heart-breaking and compelling, but felt imbalanced to me. Sarah is well-developed and a strong, defined character. Jeannie, the parallel storyline narrator, just doesn't crystallize in the same way. Her sections are little more than the lens through which we watch her family's pain. The only thing I definitively know about Jeannie is that she is beautiful. And she has no control over that. She could have had a much stronger character arc if the ending scenario of going to school had been woven throughout. I would have liked to learn about her tortured distress that she had no way to communicate with her sister, how she longed to be literate, how many worlds might open through words...that sort of thing, but it's not there.
Jeannie's weaknesses aside, I love the format of this book and Frost's poetic but still chronologically linear storytelling. It's a powerful novella that speaks to an ugly historical reality, yet still manages to find lightness and beauty.
November 2, 2007
Not only is this a compelling call-and-response tale, told in the voices of two Scots sisters, Jeannie and Sarah, but the structure of the telling is very beautiful. Chapters alternate each sister's voice, and an intricately structured poem links the chapters. Frost's note at the end of the book explains her pattern. The voices of the girls are clear and real, even as life tears them from each other, one to stay on the island in the Outer Hebrides, one to shipboard and the long forced journey to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
September 6, 2019
Very moving historical verse novel. Frost is good at those! I read this one during a couple of lunch hours at work.
November 8, 2015
At the time of the Highland Clearances, teenage sisters Jeannie and Sarah are living with their large family on the Hebridean island of Barra. When the family is exiled, Sarah stays behind, traveling with their grandmother back to her home island of Mingulay. Jeannie goes on to Canada by ship; a tragic voyage for the family, as few survive. In alternating prose poems the sisters' stories emerge. Sarah falls in love with a fisherman, but their story is a rocky one. Jeannie and her remaining family struggle with homelessness and poverty in Canada, always wondering how Sarah is faring. Interspersed with the long prose poems are shorter, reflective poems.
I love the Hebrides and have been to Barra, so was glad I finally read this. The sisters' stories are certainly hard, especially Jeannie's; it made me wonder why they didn't all just move to Mingulay and start over. The language is of course lovely, though all the careful poetics the author applied (described in the afterword) are wasted on a poetry philistine like me--I was just reading for the story, which was compelling. There's a lot of tragedy here, but also hope, even though you know that, like most families of the time, the separated members will never see each other again.
As I was thinking about this later, it struck me as very odd that there's so little religion in it. As I understood it, in the 19th century (and even now, in places), the dominant religion in the Hebrides was a strict, joyless sect of Presbyterianism--the Wee Frees. It dominated lives with an iron hand, so unless it came in after 1850, the time of the story, it's unrealistic that it has no presence in the story. At least no presence that stuck with me. But I'm no expert!
I love the Hebrides and have been to Barra, so was glad I finally read this. The sisters' stories are certainly hard, especially Jeannie's; it made me wonder why they didn't all just move to Mingulay and start over. The language is of course lovely, though all the careful poetics the author applied (described in the afterword) are wasted on a poetry philistine like me--I was just reading for the story, which was compelling. There's a lot of tragedy here, but also hope, even though you know that, like most families of the time, the separated members will never see each other again.
As I was thinking about this later, it struck me as very odd that there's so little religion in it. As I understood it, in the 19th century (and even now, in places), the dominant religion in the Hebrides was a strict, joyless sect of Presbyterianism--the Wee Frees. It dominated lives with an iron hand, so unless it came in after 1850, the time of the story, it's unrealistic that it has no presence in the story. At least no presence that stuck with me. But I'm no expert!
November 20, 2009
This was a really lyrical story about a tough time in Scottish history. The story swapped storlines between two sisters, Jeanie and Sarah. There were short poems between each sisters telling of the latest installment in their lives.
The story in and of itself was amazing, but after reading the author's notes at the end of the book I was really blown away by the complex structure of the book. But that stucture in no way interfered with the pace or voice of the book.
The theme of the braid is carried throughout as the stories were braided together. As an added layer of nuance, the author notes that, "In the narrative poems, the lines all contain the number of syllables of the age of the speaker. At the beginning of the story, Jeannie is fourteen, and the lines in her poes are fourteen syllables each; Sara is fifteen and her poems are composed of fifteen-syllable lines. By the end of the story, Jeannie is sixteen and Sarah is seventeen, and the line of their poems are conrrespondingly longer."
Amazing! I'm giving this to my 12 year-old neice. She may turn up her nose at it initially because it's such a skinny book (it may seem too childish to her), but I'm going to encourage her to read it because it works on so many levels; historical ficion, accessible poetry, and important young-adult themes.
The story in and of itself was amazing, but after reading the author's notes at the end of the book I was really blown away by the complex structure of the book. But that stucture in no way interfered with the pace or voice of the book.
The theme of the braid is carried throughout as the stories were braided together. As an added layer of nuance, the author notes that, "In the narrative poems, the lines all contain the number of syllables of the age of the speaker. At the beginning of the story, Jeannie is fourteen, and the lines in her poes are fourteen syllables each; Sara is fifteen and her poems are composed of fifteen-syllable lines. By the end of the story, Jeannie is sixteen and Sarah is seventeen, and the line of their poems are conrrespondingly longer."
Amazing! I'm giving this to my 12 year-old neice. She may turn up her nose at it initially because it's such a skinny book (it may seem too childish to her), but I'm going to encourage her to read it because it works on so many levels; historical ficion, accessible poetry, and important young-adult themes.
October 16, 2016
I loved this book. It is a verse novel and is told from the perspectives of two Scottish sisters - one is Sarah and the other is Jeannie. It begins in 1850 on the Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland. The people that lived there were mostly tenant farmers. When the owners decided it would be more profitable to raise sheep than farm, they evicted all of their tenants. Some went to Canada, some to Australia and some to America. I even wonder if my own ancestors were among the many people that were forced to flee... I know they came to America around that time.
Jeannie makes her way to Canada; Sarah runs away and lives with her Granny. The book relates the experiences, hardships, adventures, and relationships that occur over roughly a two-year period. The story - or narrative - is wonderful. But it is only after reading the author's note in the back that the true wonder of the book emerges.
Frost was inspired by a couple of things. One is the Celtic Braid (thus the name). The other was a week that she spent on the now deserted island of Mingulay. The verses in this novel are - quite literally - intricately braided together. And every syllable is counted and that count means something. It's just an amazing masterpiece of a work. Highly recommended for anyone that loves Scottish history and poetry - best for 8th grade and up.
Jeannie makes her way to Canada; Sarah runs away and lives with her Granny. The book relates the experiences, hardships, adventures, and relationships that occur over roughly a two-year period. The story - or narrative - is wonderful. But it is only after reading the author's note in the back that the true wonder of the book emerges.
Frost was inspired by a couple of things. One is the Celtic Braid (thus the name). The other was a week that she spent on the now deserted island of Mingulay. The verses in this novel are - quite literally - intricately braided together. And every syllable is counted and that count means something. It's just an amazing masterpiece of a work. Highly recommended for anyone that loves Scottish history and poetry - best for 8th grade and up.
January 9, 2009
Aptly named, The Braid contains braids on many levels. Two sisters braid their hair together before being separated during the Highland Clearances in 1850 Scotland. During this time, many were evicted as landlords forced their poor farmers to move off their land. The characters are also braided together as they meet, part, and then meet again (both physically and through letters and the communication of others.)
The most amazing part of the book is the braided poetry it is written in. The narrative poems and "praise poems" as Frost describes them are beautiful on their own. However, the way they weave the story together is beautiful. Also, Frost explains at the end of the book the amazing structure she used. The last word of each line in the narrative poems becomes the first word in each line of the following narrative poem. The praise poems are connected in that the last line of each becomes the beginning line of the following poem. There is more to her form, but it all leaves me in awe--that she can follow so many rules and do it so smoothly and skillfully. The story and characters are also compelling and give a nice insight to an interesting and difficult period in history.
The most amazing part of the book is the braided poetry it is written in. The narrative poems and "praise poems" as Frost describes them are beautiful on their own. However, the way they weave the story together is beautiful. Also, Frost explains at the end of the book the amazing structure she used. The last word of each line in the narrative poems becomes the first word in each line of the following narrative poem. The praise poems are connected in that the last line of each becomes the beginning line of the following poem. There is more to her form, but it all leaves me in awe--that she can follow so many rules and do it so smoothly and skillfully. The story and characters are also compelling and give a nice insight to an interesting and difficult period in history.
April 26, 2008
The author braided words into her story. First words in one poem become the last words in the next poem and visa versa. Also, last lines become first lines. Subjects mentioned in one narrative poem become subjects for the next “praise��� poem that comes in between each of the alternating voices of the sisters. Even the syllables in each line match the age of the girl who is telling that part of the story. The whole book is a braid of words, lines, subjects, and lives. Pretty cool.
Summary: When their family is evicted from the Western Isles of Scotland in 1850, teenage sisters Jeannie and Sarah are torn apart. Jeannie goes with her parents and younger siblings to Cape Breton, Canada. Her older sister, Sarah, hides so she can stay behind with Grandma. Before they separate, the sisters braid their hair together, and cut it off, each taking half the braid. The tale unfolds in plain narrative poems, presented in the girls' alternating voices. The braid is both powerful fact and stirring metaphor in the girls' story of lasting connections, oceans apart, and it extends to encompass themes of home, shelter, and heritage, as well as the yearning for family wherever one lives.
Summary: When their family is evicted from the Western Isles of Scotland in 1850, teenage sisters Jeannie and Sarah are torn apart. Jeannie goes with her parents and younger siblings to Cape Breton, Canada. Her older sister, Sarah, hides so she can stay behind with Grandma. Before they separate, the sisters braid their hair together, and cut it off, each taking half the braid. The tale unfolds in plain narrative poems, presented in the girls' alternating voices. The braid is both powerful fact and stirring metaphor in the girls' story of lasting connections, oceans apart, and it extends to encompass themes of home, shelter, and heritage, as well as the yearning for family wherever one lives.
April 21, 2016
I was stunned by the lyrical writing and strong connections that I immediately made with the characters and the situation of "The Braid." This book was recommended by an agent that I was learning about in looking to market my own novel of the same genre. "The Braid" won The Bank Street Book of the Year award in 2007 but even though I am quite well read, I missed this book completely.
Do not make the same mistake.
Frost writes of the forced eviction of a family that lived in the Scottish Islands in the 1850's. Many of the Scots were driven from their homes and loaded unto ships. The story, based on the later lives of two sisters of that family who were separated, is intimate and heartbreaking. The girls' before they lose each other cut their hair and braid it into a a single braid. Saturated with despair at their hard lives and situations, the girls still have tender hearts and iron courage. These qualities plus a subtle thread of suspense as to what will become of them, will they ever see each other again.., drawsthe reader on.
The author, an accomplished poet, narrates the story in narrative poetry which bring lustre to their hard life.
Do not make the same mistake.
Frost writes of the forced eviction of a family that lived in the Scottish Islands in the 1850's. Many of the Scots were driven from their homes and loaded unto ships. The story, based on the later lives of two sisters of that family who were separated, is intimate and heartbreaking. The girls' before they lose each other cut their hair and braid it into a a single braid. Saturated with despair at their hard lives and situations, the girls still have tender hearts and iron courage. These qualities plus a subtle thread of suspense as to what will become of them, will they ever see each other again.., drawsthe reader on.
The author, an accomplished poet, narrates the story in narrative poetry which bring lustre to their hard life.
October 4, 2009
I cannot say enough about this book. It is simply spectacular and if I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Not only is it a lovely story of the depth of connection between two sisters but the artfulness which Helen Frost used to tell it is breathtaking. Think celtic knots, poetry, and poignant storytelling all wrapped into one.
The story takes place in Ireland in the 1850s when many tenant farmers were being evicted from their farms as happens to the family in this story. They plan to go to Cape Breton but Sarah decides she cannot leave and plans to go live with her grandmother. The night before they are schedule to leave sisters Sarah and Jeannie braid their hair together and go to sleep. In the morning Sarah has already left by the time Jeannie awakens to find their entwined braid in her hand. They live their lives with an ocean between them with no way to communicate and yet so deeply braided together in their souls that each is present to the other.
This is the kind of book to read and then go back and savor all over again.
The story takes place in Ireland in the 1850s when many tenant farmers were being evicted from their farms as happens to the family in this story. They plan to go to Cape Breton but Sarah decides she cannot leave and plans to go live with her grandmother. The night before they are schedule to leave sisters Sarah and Jeannie braid their hair together and go to sleep. In the morning Sarah has already left by the time Jeannie awakens to find their entwined braid in her hand. They live their lives with an ocean between them with no way to communicate and yet so deeply braided together in their souls that each is present to the other.
This is the kind of book to read and then go back and savor all over again.
December 14, 2009
another beautiful book by helen frost, this one tells the story of two scottish sisters, one who is forced to emigrate to canada, and the other who stays behind. the story is told in narrative poems, that alternate between the voices of the two sisters, and praise poems, which revolve around an object fished out of the narrative poems. the narrative poems are simply stunning, especially when you realize that frost has braided them together so that the last words of each line of one sister's poem become the first words of the next sister's poem (and on and on throughout the book). the praise poems are braided together too (so that the last line of one poem becomes, in a fashion, the first line of the next), but they fall a little flat for me--they read a bit like a scholar of material culture singing the praises of the universality of an object--especially compared to the detail and voice of the narrative poems. all in all, though, this is a masterfully crafted book that you will hold in your hand like a treasure of a shell washed up on the shore.
December 3, 2010
The Braid Immigration/Death/Family/Poetry
This story alternates between two narrators: Jeannie and Sarah. Their lives, when we enter them, are set in Scotland. But soon after we meet the characters they are forced from their home. Seeking refuge, Jeannie and Sarah's family decides to sail to Canada. Sarah chooses to stay behind with her grandmother to settle with relatives on a nearby island. Jeannie goes with her mother, father, and her younger siblings to Canada. Misfortune and heartache continue to break the family apart when father dies on the ship to Canada, followed by a beloved brother and sister. Sarah falls in love and conceives a child out of wedlock. How can a family stay together amidst separation, death, and birth?
This was a beautiful little story, dramatic and thoughtful. I have many ancestors who sailed from the British Isles, and ancestors from Russia who were driven from their homes and land. I imagine their stories to be much like Jeannie and Sarah's.
This story alternates between two narrators: Jeannie and Sarah. Their lives, when we enter them, are set in Scotland. But soon after we meet the characters they are forced from their home. Seeking refuge, Jeannie and Sarah's family decides to sail to Canada. Sarah chooses to stay behind with her grandmother to settle with relatives on a nearby island. Jeannie goes with her mother, father, and her younger siblings to Canada. Misfortune and heartache continue to break the family apart when father dies on the ship to Canada, followed by a beloved brother and sister. Sarah falls in love and conceives a child out of wedlock. How can a family stay together amidst separation, death, and birth?
This was a beautiful little story, dramatic and thoughtful. I have many ancestors who sailed from the British Isles, and ancestors from Russia who were driven from their homes and land. I imagine their stories to be much like Jeannie and Sarah's.
September 10, 2010
This story was amazing and I was captivated instantly. I had no idea that so much can be communicated through so few words. A must read. This is an amazing novel written in verse. Helen Frost expertly weaves together this story (a braid in itself), as it switches between praise poems and narrative poems, and between two alternating character voices. The story is about a family in Scotland who is forced from their home and must head for America. The eldest child, Sarah, decides to run away as she cannot bear to leave her homeland, while her younger sister, Jeannie boards the boat to America with her parents and younger siblings. The two sisters have always been close, and they think about each other often. It is a coming of age story in many ways as Jeannie must find a way to shelter, feed and support her family, while Sarah back in Scotland deals with love, pregnancy, and worry about her family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2011
This story is told in poetic form from two perspectives, two sisters named Jeannie and Sarah. The sisters are at different parts of the world-Jeannie immigrating to Canada and Sarah in Scotland. They both face different trials while at the same time missing each other dearly. Before they parted, they cut pieces of hair from both each other's head and made braids. They each kept a braid from the other sister. The girls grow up through the hardships and somehow grow together as well. They are still intertwined even though they are far.
I loved the poetry in this book. Simply beautiful. And it was a beautiful story about these two sisters. I loved learning about the culture for the people in Scotland at that time and the hardships of the immigrants to Canada. It was amazing how Frost intertwined her poems in the book like a braid.
I loved the poetry in this book. Simply beautiful. And it was a beautiful story about these two sisters. I loved learning about the culture for the people in Scotland at that time and the hardships of the immigrants to Canada. It was amazing how Frost intertwined her poems in the book like a braid.
December 5, 2008
wow this was really amazing. It is a simple story, but all written in poetry. The story is based around these girls who become separated, but remember each other by the hair they cut from each head and braided together. The coolest part is how everything is 'braided.' Each poem braids to another, the narrative poems and the short intermediate poems. It tells a 'braided' story though and reads very easily, it is not abstract or hard to understand at all. I would totally recommend this, but to to the very back of the book first- read the explanation on form so that you can enjoy the literary genius while you read it. ( I read it all and then went back to figure out the 'braid' of the writing.
June 18, 2009
Set in Scotland and America during the time of the Highland Clearances. Sisters Jeannie and Sarah are separated when Sarah stays behind with her grandmother when the rest of the family sails for America after being evicted from their family lands. The night before the family leaves for their new home, Sarah braids her hair into Jeannie's as she sleeps. Sarah cuts the braid, keeping half for herself, leaving half with Jeannie. Their lives, though miles apart, continue to be interwoven, like their braid. The book is told in alternating chapters of connected free verse by Sarah and Jeannie, connected by smaller poems in between. Beautifully desriptive of the hard choices each girl must make in her new life. Be sure to read the author's note at the end--prepare to be amazed! Wow!
March 31, 2012
I came across this title as I was setting up a display for National Poetry Month in or YA section. The cover looked interesting, so I thought I would give it a try.
All I can say is that Helen Frost has a gift for telling a completely believable story with a few well chosen words.
Don't let the short length of the book fool you, there is a clear story here. . .The strength and pride of Scottish exiles, the fear of a land one does not know, the realization of what home truly means, the raw harsh truth of growing up too soon, and the bond of love.
First love, the love of sisters, the love of parents and grandparents, and the love of self that every person must find. It's all here in 88 short pages.
It took one day to read, but it will stay with me for years to come.
All I can say is that Helen Frost has a gift for telling a completely believable story with a few well chosen words.
Don't let the short length of the book fool you, there is a clear story here. . .The strength and pride of Scottish exiles, the fear of a land one does not know, the realization of what home truly means, the raw harsh truth of growing up too soon, and the bond of love.
First love, the love of sisters, the love of parents and grandparents, and the love of self that every person must find. It's all here in 88 short pages.
It took one day to read, but it will stay with me for years to come.
March 19, 2017
Another winning story by Helen Frost, who weaves a story so fluently and skillfully that an author note is needed to point out the intricate internal repetitions and patterns in the free verse narrative and praise poems through which the story is told.
Set in 1850's when Irish class oppression combined with potato blight to turn a nation into refugees, these first person poems between devoted sisters reveal two worlds: Coastal Canada and the western outlying island of Ireland. Time, distance, and circumstances fail to separate their deep sibling connection, and the physical braids, poetic word braids, and symbolic Celtic braid serve as a hopeful thread through even the most threatening of times.
Set in 1850's when Irish class oppression combined with potato blight to turn a nation into refugees, these first person poems between devoted sisters reveal two worlds: Coastal Canada and the western outlying island of Ireland. Time, distance, and circumstances fail to separate their deep sibling connection, and the physical braids, poetic word braids, and symbolic Celtic braid serve as a hopeful thread through even the most threatening of times.
January 1, 2009
I heard Frost talk about this book a few years ago at a library conference. I marvel at the structure of the story. Her use of language is simply amazing. I recall that she mentioned how messy and frazzled writing can be but with work it smooths out and everything falls into place. The braid analogy worked for her writing too. I was very struck with her quiet presence as she spoke. When someone asked about the authenticity of the story, she commented that the ending would, most likely, have been impossible in real life but as the author she has power over her story. Just thinking about this book makes me want to go re-read it with time with more of an eye to the form.
January 22, 2010
Very short--took me 2 hours. I loved the form of this book--the way she patterned it after Celtic knots and 'braided' the poems together. I felt artistic and cultured reading it and the poetry format only added to the beauty of the story. It read like a regular prose novel (so what I'm saying is that it was not confusing or difficult at all; it was engaging and interesting). I give the first half 4 stars and the second half 3 because of an unappealing plot twist that caused the book to loose steam for me and left me a bit disappointed in the end (even though it's a happy ending). I also liked learning a bit about this time period in Scottish history. I definitely recommend it to everyone.
August 17, 2011
The Braid is a story about two Scottish sisters, living on the western island of Barra in the 1850s. They alternate points of view through connected narrative poems and recount their experiences after their family is effectively evicted and separated with one sister accompanying their parents and younger siblings to Cape Breton, Canada, and the other staying behind with relatives on the small island of Mingulay. Each sister carries a length of the other's hair braided with her own. The braid connects them to each other when they are worlds away from each other and reminds them of who they used to be before the family was cast out and separated.
4 Stars
4 Stars
April 21, 2012
A Scottish Family must leave their home when the lord decides he no longers wants tenants on his land. Sarah and Grandma stay going back to Grandma hometown, but the parents, Jeanne, Flora, Margaret,& Willie travel across the ocean to settle in Cape Breton Canada. Dad & the young girls die of the cholera on the trip and Jeanne, Willie & Mom survive in their new surroundings. This book is written in a style I have never seen before called a braid. Where a poem is in between each chapter which alternates between the 2 older sisters. The 1st line in each poem is part of the last line in the previous one. Good book
May 1, 2013
This book was lyrical, but surprisingly enough, had a deep story interwoven into its depths. It told the story of two sisters who were forced apart from each other and yet still remained strong. The title refers to the fact that each of the girls had a braid of the other girl woven into their own hair. This kept them strong enough to go on with their changing lives and yet rooted enough in their past to be able to look back. It tells much about the history of Ireland, and it has a very deep and complex story, yet it flows smoothly along from each lyrical narrative. I though it was beautifully written, and truly insightful into the lives of these two Irish girls.
December 9, 2010
Sisters Jeanie and Sarah are split up when Jeannie sails to Nova Scotia with her family to escape horros and Sarah remains in Scotland to help her grandmother. Set in the 1850s they have limited connections and rely upon a braid that is twisted with both of their hair. Frost uses verse to tell these sisters stories as they grow up in tumultuous times. I am not a fan of verse novels and therefore was not a fan of this book, but the story is well-written and I can see how it would appeal to a wide audience. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
June 2, 2011
currently reading: picked this up to see why it didn't check out fo the library in so long. so far, its a touching story in verse about an Irish family separated and how the two groups try to live on without each other, or the possibility of ever seeing one another again.
WOW! i chd no clue until i read the author note about HOW the poems were so planned out! a kind of literary braid is created: "the last words of each line in one narrative poem are the first words of each line in the following poem" and stuff like that. amazing!
WOW! i chd no clue until i read the author note about HOW the poems were so planned out! a kind of literary braid is created: "the last words of each line in one narrative poem are the first words of each line in the following poem" and stuff like that. amazing!
September 20, 2015
Mac and I started reading The Braid yesterday morning aloud to each other while we had our morning coffee. We finished it this morning, both of us crying with every page. I thought it was just me, but I looked up at Mac and saw that tears were streaming down his face too. We both found such beauty in the story, such lovely, heart-opening beauty. We also both love good writing, and this book is among the best! Thank you, thank you, and thank you again, Helen Frost for writing this book. We can't wait to read more of your stories.
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