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Messenger
Constantly reminded that she was born a week to the day after the tragic death of her father--a devastating time of sorrow for her immigrant family--Frances Chopp must summon up the courage, strength, and wisdom to discover the truth about her family's past and embrace the gifts that will define her.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 6, 2018
Frances "Baby" Choop was born early to help her family through the heartbreak of her father's death in the silver mine of Cobalt, Ontario, Canada. Frances's grandparents emigrated from Croatia to Michigan in the United States and her father's dream was to own a prosperous farm. First though, to make money, he went to work in the mines and met his death there. Baby Frances feels her Papa watching over her as she grows in the cabin in the bush near Cobalt. She is bereft when he moves on to heaven without saying goodbye and the family moves so Mama and her cousins can run a boardinghouse. Through more moves, the Great Depression and family tragedies, Mama is a rock leading the family with her strength. Frances depends on Mama yet longs to know more about the mysterious Papa she never knew. She relies on stories from her brother Philip but wishes Mama would talk more.
This is an unusual little book. It reads more like a memoir than a novel. There isn't really a plot structure, just a series of vignettes going month by month in the life of a young girl. I have never read a book where the protagonist is born and grows a month each chapter. It was very strange to have that first person narration of events the child only knew from family stories. There were parts of the book I found difficult to put down but mostly it's a story you can pick up and put down at will. I have only read one or maybe two books were angels appears in the story. That is very odd. I didn't quite like that but understand the family's Catholic Faith helped them through the dark times and was a part of everyday life. Indeed I do feel like I know these people. Though I do not live in Canada or in a mining town, I do live in an industrial city and the Choops are my family, their neighbors and their friends. I know Novenka, the dark eyed girl living on a farm without enough to eat, waiting and longing for the Pa she barely remembers in post-WWI Europe. I know her mother with the hoops in her ears and bandanna on her head. I don't think young readers will know these stories but perhaps the novel will inspire them to ask their great-grandparents about the 1920s and 30s.
The setting is unique. While I've read about mining towns in the U.S., they're usually coal mining. The silver mine is similar but the Canadian bush is new to me. I could picture the different places Frances lived easily. The description of Hamilton is especially rich in detail.
The characters are strong and colorful. I got a great sense of who Mama is: her strength, her devotion to her family, her love for her husband, her faith. The other adults are also very diverse and colorful. I enjoyed the closeness between Mama and Aunt Tracey and then with Aunt Annie too. Frances's brothers also come through loud and clear. Philip, the serious one and William the mischievous one. Philip is the storyteller in the family while William was too young to feel the effects of his father's death but has been left to grow up without a father. Frances is a little less clear than the others though she narrates the story. She seems a little bit weak and nervous. She's been sheltered by her family and enjoys the baby role at first. Her whole life has been colored by her father's death and the story is about her struggling to come to terms with it. I liked her but I didn't feel a strong connection to her.
I would have really liked an author's note with more of the history of Ontario and family photos too. She doesn't thank her father in the credits and that makes me curious about what happened to the real Frances after she grew up.
This is an unusual little book. It reads more like a memoir than a novel. There isn't really a plot structure, just a series of vignettes going month by month in the life of a young girl. I have never read a book where the protagonist is born and grows a month each chapter. It was very strange to have that first person narration of events the child only knew from family stories. There were parts of the book I found difficult to put down but mostly it's a story you can pick up and put down at will. I have only read one or maybe two books were angels appears in the story. That is very odd. I didn't quite like that but understand the family's Catholic Faith helped them through the dark times and was a part of everyday life. Indeed I do feel like I know these people. Though I do not live in Canada or in a mining town, I do live in an industrial city and the Choops are my family, their neighbors and their friends. I know Novenka, the dark eyed girl living on a farm without enough to eat, waiting and longing for the Pa she barely remembers in post-WWI Europe. I know her mother with the hoops in her ears and bandanna on her head. I don't think young readers will know these stories but perhaps the novel will inspire them to ask their great-grandparents about the 1920s and 30s.
The setting is unique. While I've read about mining towns in the U.S., they're usually coal mining. The silver mine is similar but the Canadian bush is new to me. I could picture the different places Frances lived easily. The description of Hamilton is especially rich in detail.
The characters are strong and colorful. I got a great sense of who Mama is: her strength, her devotion to her family, her love for her husband, her faith. The other adults are also very diverse and colorful. I enjoyed the closeness between Mama and Aunt Tracey and then with Aunt Annie too. Frances's brothers also come through loud and clear. Philip, the serious one and William the mischievous one. Philip is the storyteller in the family while William was too young to feel the effects of his father's death but has been left to grow up without a father. Frances is a little less clear than the others though she narrates the story. She seems a little bit weak and nervous. She's been sheltered by her family and enjoys the baby role at first. Her whole life has been colored by her father's death and the story is about her struggling to come to terms with it. I liked her but I didn't feel a strong connection to her.
I would have really liked an author's note with more of the history of Ontario and family photos too. She doesn't thank her father in the credits and that makes me curious about what happened to the real Frances after she grew up.
December 31, 2024
Messenger was good. It both expanded the world, with the gifts, and connected the world. Spoiler but he leader meets Keira in the end and it shows how the first two books are not as disconnected as they originally seemed. I love Matty as the lead, and the ending was truly very sad
September 30, 2009
Constantly reminded that she was born a week to the day after the tragic death of her father--a devastating time of sorrow for her immigrant family--Frances Chopp must summon up the courage, strength, and wisdom to discover the truth about her family's past and embrace the gifts that will define her.
August 25, 2012
I don't get the low rating. To each his own, I guess. What I did like about this book is how girl, Frances, had such intense affinity with Nature. I definitely understand how relaxing it feels to stand in the middle of a field and just feel the breeze in your face.
July 5, 2014
Honestly, I'm not sure WHAT to think of this one. Very slow to start and take its direction, which, although the ending picked up, did NOT go in the direction I was expecting based on the synopsis.
June 3, 2020
I don't remember much from this book, and what I do remember was boring and dull.
May 11, 2009
Still waiting for interesting things to happen.
September 14, 2012
I LOVED this book. I really enjoyed the fact that this young girl had her family to guide her through life when her father passed away. Messenger is a must read for young adults of all ages.
November 3, 2023
It's a very underrated book, but I enjoyed reading it. The novel is more of a memoir. The characters are very strong and colorfully written, and the direction is worthwhile.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews