When I Was Seven

by Mary Ellen Bramwell

"Simply delightful! An intelligent view through a young boy's eyes, triumph and twists." –Maxy Awards

Lucas is thrilled when his grandmother comes to live with him. She’s his best friend after Justin from down the street. But when she starts remembering things from her past, is he the only one who will listen? If no one else believes her, how can he fulfill her dying wish? A compelling story about the complexity and value of family as seen through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy.

Genres: Fiction, Family

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2016

About the author

Mary Ellen Bramwell, a bestselling and award-winning author, has been writing stories since she was ten years old. After working in other fields and raising five children as a stay-at-home mom, Mary Ellen returned to her first love, writing. She resides in the Mountain West with her husband of over 40 years where she enjoys writing, editing, and is slightly obsessed with jigsaw puzzles and board games.
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/maryellenbramwellauthor or at her website www.maryellenbramwell.com.

Reviews

[Debi Hawkes]

A lovely story dealing with family and life issues, told by a charming and authentic 7 year old. Kudos, very well done.

[John Hazen]

An author takes a big risk when attempting to tell a story through the eyes of a young child, especially when the book is aimed at an adult audience to explore complex, mature issues. There are so many things that could go wrong. The language and knowledge/experience base of the narrator could come off as too grown up. The story itself could be dumbed-down and appear more of a children’s book rather than one geared towards adults. The story could be overly insipid. The relationship between the child and the adult figures in his life could be portrayed as equals rather than as a more natural superior-subordinate interaction you have between a parent and a child. So it was with this sense of possible foreboding that I started to read Mary Ellen Bramwell’s When I Was Seven.

I had read one of Ms. Bramwell’s previous works, Apple of My Eye, which I thought was an excellent novel, so I knew this book would be well-written, but could she pull off writing in a seven-year old’s voice? The answer is a resounding YES. You actually believe you are viewing the world through the eyes of an intelligent and curious young boy as he faces life’s tragedy and challenges. It is a story of perseverance, redemption, friendship, responsibility and, most importantly, love.
It is a book that I wholeheartedly recommend. Because When I Was Seven is so different from Apple of My Eye, Mary Ellen Bramwell shows herself to be a versatile author and I look forward to see what she tackles in her next book.

My only quibble with the book is that I thought the title, while fully descriptive, may do Ms. Bramwell a disservice and may deter some potential readers as they may anticipate the problems I outline above. To them I say: read this book. You will be moved to laughter and to tears and a lot of emotions in between. I believe this book will especially resonate for anybody who grew up close to one or more of their grandparents.
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[Katmandu]

Grandma and grandson

A special bond is between these two and as the story progresses it grabs your attention that there is more to these people than the initial story. Anyone who has ever been a caregiver can identify with either the daughter or the grandson, depending on your outlook but there are more surprises than that in this book.
Completely worth my time and I would recommend to anyone for the writing and story. I loved all the characters but especially Mamie but I can't tell you why, you just have to get to know her for yourself.

[Jeannie N Sommers]

The premise of this book is very interesting. It is written through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy who’s losing his grandmother. It took me a little bit to get used to viewing through a seven-year-old‘s eyes. The book was touching, and I did enjoy it, however, I felt that it was a little unrealistic of a seven-year-old would deal with death.

[Lee Ann]

This book was narrated by a 7 year old boy. Very interesting perspective, but I don’t know any 7 year old who has such an expansive vocabulary and deep thought process. That’s why I gave the book 3 stars.

[Awesterfield]

A beautiful story

I'm crying as I write this. Such a wonderful story about family, love and loss. So glad I read this book!

[Dana Knapp]

Wonderful!

I loved this book. The characters became so well developed I feel I knew them. As I write this review there are tears in my eyes. Now that is excellent writing, a worthwhile read, an excellent author.

[Julie]

Best book on unconditional love.

I love books that touch my heart and that hook and twist. This is that book. About the time I think I had it figured out I was wrong. Did this several times. Truly magical book on love. I highly recommend.

[Patricia Manship]

Family

Such a beautiful story ,hope I can find more like it ! Thank you very much ,loo!omg forward to more !

[Christine]

Still crying...

I can't even find enough words to describe this book other than to say it was perfect. Not the story itself, but the way the author conveyed the feelings of a seven-year-old boy (and everyone else). Do yourself a favor and get to know Lucas and his family. You won't regret it.

[Debbie]

3.5 stars
I don’t think a 7 year old boy would talk and act like Lucas did!

[Melissa]

I wanted to like this book more. It has a nice premise but went on too long in some circles before advancing the plot.

[Pam]

When I Was Seven is a novel by Mary Bramwell. This novel is absolutely fantastic. It deals with death and dying, misplaced anger, kidnapping, and love. It is very well-written and the characters are extremely realistic. Mary Bramwell has an amazing way of writing about death and dying that keeps you glued to the pages until you are finished. You definitely need a box of Kleenex while you read this book. How can you expect a young boy of seven to accept death?
Lucas is seven when his Grandma comes to stay at his house. At first, he thinks she is staying until she gets better after being in the hospital. However, she is here because she is dying of cancer. Lucas has a special connection with his Grandma and has spent hours playing and talking with her. He continues this while she is at his house. She explains to him that she is dying and how to accept her death when it comes. She explains how the medicines she takes for pain confuses her and sometimes she doesn’t speak because there is too much going on in her head and she is waiting until it settles. He spends hours with her sometimes just watching her sleep. He feels it is his job to watch over her. Meanwhile things are not going well between his parents and he has no idea what is going on there. They are arguing more and more and Dad is working such long hours. Mother is not accepting her Mother’s death and that is causing some tension.
Then Grandma tells Lucas she had a sister who had left her long ago and she wanted to see Abby before she died. Since Grandma had never mentioned this before and all Mother knew was that Grandma had been an only child, Mother doesn’t believe her. She thinks that Grandma is thinking of her older daughter Abby who had died before Mother was born. Lucas believes Grandma and enlists an unlikely ally to help him. He asks his paternal grandmother to help him. She and her son and daughter-in-law had been estranged for years so when Lucas asked to visit his other Grandma, his parents reluctantly agreed. When they meet, she asks Lucas to call her Mamie. She agrees to help him.
Can they find Abby before it is too late? Is Mamie helping Lucas to get “back at” her son and daughter-in-law or to hurt them or Lucas? Can a person really change? Is this too much pressure for a seven year old boy?
This is simply an amazing book and one which everyone should read.

[Michael Hartnett]

Affirmation among Loss
When I Was Seven by Mary Bramwell carries a poignant power. The reader finds himself caring deeply about seven-year-old narrator Lucas who embodies a rare combination of innocence and prescience. His compassion for his dying grandmother Josephine is marked by a seemingly bottomless desire to understand. As he is presented with the seemingly quixotic challenge of discovering his grandmother’s long lost past, Lucas must confront deep stresses on his parents’ marriage, the steady deterioration of Josephine, and a markedly compromised second grandmother whom he enlists in this quest. That second grandmother, Mamie, serves as a wonderful counterpoint to the more earnest grieving family members. In her interactions with Lucas, Mamie is thorny, witty, and frank. She shares a tendency with Josephine to treat Lucas with a candor that his parents refuse to in their efforts to shield him from further pain.
The reader watches Lucas grow throughout the novel as he gains wisdom not only beyond his years, but often beyond the adults in his life (“I kept listening like Grandma told me to, but I was listening to silence. I guess that’s important too”). The presence of his friend Justin grounds Lucas in the normal schemes of little boys, like their building of a doghouse as a way to convince Justin’s parents to get a puppy. In other words, despite Lucas’s extraordinary qualities, Bramwell has created such a vivid, plausible world that the reader embraces his interactions as sharply realistic and therefore more affecting.
The slow unfolding of grandma Josephine’s past – through her halting recollections, Lucas’s persistent questioning, and Mamie’s investigations – keeps the reader engrossed as do the domestic dramas bubbling to surface and the mysterious evocations of distant beach memories. And then there are the nifty plot twists, which shall not be revealed here.
When I Was Seven reverberates with echoes of the past and shimmers with possibilities for the future. Bramwell has created the compelling tale of the loss of a grandmother that is wonderfully life-affirming.

[Joseph Lewis]

When I Was Seven is an outstanding read! A seven-year-old boy, Lucas, wants to grant his dying grandmother her wish: to find her sister before she passes. The problem is that his parents believe the grandmother is delusional, made worse by the meds she is on. But Lucas doesn't give up, and solicits help from his other grandmother, who has been estranged from the family for a long time. The questions the reader has: Does Abby (the grandmother's sister) exist? How will they find her? And if they find her, will they find her before his grandmother passes? The plot is cleverly woven and intricate, but realistic. The story is tender and precious. We see the story revealed through the eyes and heart of Lucas, and this his point of view works on so many levels. I finished this book with tears in my eyes, but the ending is satisfying. This is a truly terrific book, written by a master storyteller. I know I will read more. I am pleased to give When I Was Seven a well-deserved 5 Star rating and review. I highly recommend this book. It should be on your shelf!

[Kathy]

#29: READ A BOOK WITH A NEW MEXICO CONNECTION: A COMING OF AGE BOOK: The connection to New Mexico is that the author is from there. This book was chosen as part of the Read Across America challenge for me and is #8/50.
I LOVED this book. "The plot is cleverly woven and intricate, but realistic. The story is tender and precious. We see the story revealed through the eyes and heart of Lucas, and his point of view works on so many levels. I finished this book with tears in my eyes, but the ending 'was very' satisfying. This is a truly terrific book, written by a master storyteller. I know I will read more. I am pleased to give When I Was Seven a well-deserved 5 Star rating and review. I highly recommend this book. It should be on your shelf!".
I LOVED this thought from the book: " A good bike ride solves all kinds of things, even with a puppy nipping at your wheels. Maybe that's why grown-ups have so many problems, they've forgotten how to ride their bikes".
1st book by this author and I look forward to more. Libby

[Daniel D.]

First of all, let me say that I loved the book. The point of view, that of Lucas, was challenging but very effective in conveying some complex ideas as perceived and processed by a 7 year old boy, including the notions of death and loss, his parents’ marital difficulties, loyalty, friendship and persistence. The voice of Lucas was sustained, throughout, by the choices you made in sentence structure, vocabulary, use of similes and metaphors, even the reconstruction of a child’s thought processes. Nevertheless, the child’s ability to understand and grapple with some difficult ideas and emotions with a degree of insight and self control well beyond what we expect of a 7 year old, created the picture of a child as sensitive and morally mature as he is intelligent. This is born out in the final scene between Lucas and his mother where he takes her hand and helps her out her place of grief by using his grandmother’s words, which he clearly had understood and internalized.

[J. Johnson]

Absolutely delightful and charming story told from the perspective of a 7-year-old sensitive young gentleman who, like me, was lucky enough to have both of his grandmothers as his best friends and confidantes. With a family mystery highlighting the human foibles of others in his household and on his street, Lucas sets out to solve it, as a special gift to his dying grandmother. His other grandmother, the tough and spirited, opinionated "Mamie" believes him implicity, validates him, and helps him to find the resolution. Well-paced and tingling just softly with intrigue, the chapters in this book are like the many warm hugs (with occasional hints of trepidation) which Lucas himself experiences throughout. At once both sad and uplifting, both nostalgic and hopeful, When I Was Seven is a true gift to all who read it.

[Feli]

I read When I Was Seven in a single day because I could not put it down. I needed to know whether Lucas would be able to help his grandmother and by the end, my heart was in pieces.

Lucas’s love for his grandmother is the heart of this story. When she begins talking about a sister no one believes existed, he listens to her and refuses to let her wish be forgotten. I loved seeing the family mystery unfold through his eyes. He doesn’t understand everything the adults are carrying, but he knows his grandmother matters and that her story deserves to be heard.

This book is about family, loss, and the longing to find someone you love. The ending broke my heart but it also left a sense of peace.

An easy 5⭐️ and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time!

[Aaron Lawler]

A strong and sweet biography, bristling with a generous helping of memory, vivid life, prose, and an unanticipated realism; a realism that rivals the highest things in literature. "When I was Seven" is human - a living story that adores the relationship between the narrator and her grandmother. The moments are truthful and heartfelt, and the wisdom is unforgettable: "Toys break, but Grandmas don’t.” Bramwell is genuine in her treatment of life, death, and family. She speaks to you through the narrator, and one cannot help but become a sibling or cousin of this affectionate family. You will enjoy this sweet tale, of a young child and that child's view of a very adult world.

[Annette Forrest]

Repetitive

The main character, Lucas, is 7 going on 40! He understands , talks and acts unlike any child of his age. The author should have made him 11 or 12. It was partly charming but rather repetitive - there were no sub plots - and the ending was a bit of a let down. The italic chapters in between added nothing to the plot. The grandma died far too peacefully and tidily with apparent lack of pain or other symptoms except tiredness. The other grandma's change of character was not believable. The mother was pretty useless and there appeared to be no explanation for the dad to suspect her of an affair. A good idea but for me there are too many faults.

[Cam Torrens]

Families are hard. Families are love. But the joy sparked from that dichotomy is truly special.

In "When I Was Seven," Mary Ellen Bramwell delivers a touching and tender exploration of the unbreakable bond between a young boy and his grandmother. Lucas cherishes the arrival of his grandmother, finding in her not just family but also a dear friend. Yet, as her memories resurface, he becomes her devoted confidant in a world that often dismisses her. In fulfilling his grandmother's final wish, Lucas's innocence and unwavering love mend more than one broken fence.

"It's okay, Lucas. I see her..." This had me in tears. Happy tears.

[Lea O'Harra]

When I Was Seven is a moving tale of a seven-year-old boy’s love for his ailing grandmother, reinforced when she moves in with his family and he realizes she has come to his house to die. The perspective of a child is charmingly and convincingly maintained as Lucas comes to terms with human mortality, ironically achieving acceptance of the finality of death before his mother, distraught at the prospect of losing her own mother.
With his purity as an innocent little boy, Lucas is also portrayed as wiser and more mature than most of the adults in his life, managing to restore love and forgiveness in their relationships.
Inspirational and touching, this book is highly recommended.

[Gayle Padfield]

Must read!

I don't know what this title did to draw me in. But I thank Mary Ellen and Amazon for one of the best storylines I have absorbed in a long time. As great grandma to 2 boys, 8 and 6 1/2, I treasure them and their very loving personalities. Their baby brother died when he was 13 months old, followed 9 weeks later by their grandpa. My husband died a little more than a year ago just weeks after we moved to be near them. But we talk about them regularly which has aided our grief processing. This book should enlighten everyone to the compassion that lives in the hearts and souls of the young.

[Sandra Modell]

I ended up with 4 stars after thinking it was only a 3. My main problem with this novel is the same as the 3 star reviews. Lucas is not very believable as a 7 year old. I finally put that aside and decided that while I thought the book would probably take an overly sentimental and pat ending, the author resisted doing so. The ending was satisfying and not entirely predictable which is what I prefer.

So I tried to think of Lucas more as a pre-adolescent than a 7 year old, thought I understand the symmetry involved in having key events happen in both the Grandmother's and Lucas' life when they were 7.

[Jilly]

This is a beautiful story about family. It is about hope, and trust and it is so sad but it is also happy. It is told by Lucas a 7 year old boy who is just delightful. All the characters are very special and well written. I loved this.

*****************************

Lucas is thrilled when his grandmother comes to live with him. She’s his best friend after Justin from down the street. But when she starts remembering things from her past, is he the only one who will listen? If no one else believes her, how can he fulfill her dying wish? A compelling story about the complexity and value of family as seen through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy.

[Pamela Minnaugh]

A priceless connection...

...between a child and a grandmother. When Josephine lies dying of cancer, she begins to have bits of her childhood come back to her, things she had long ago forgotten. Only her seven year old grandson believes her when she speaks of a long lost sister, one her daughter says never existed. There are three outstanding characters in this book, Josephine, Lucas, her grandson and Mamie, Lucas’s other grandmother. I read this book in one day, the mystery (read twist) was just too intriguing.

[Lynne]

Interesting story about the magical relationship between grandparent and grandchild. Seven year old Lucas’s grandmother comes to live in his home as she is dying of cancer. There is a special relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. It is unconditional, no judgement, and both can be their true selves when they are together. His grandmother tells him something that his parents don’t know nor do they think is true. With the help of his other grandmother Lucas is able to prove that it is true and fulfill his sick grandma’s last wish. Feel good story. I really enjoyed it.

[Suzanne]

A beautiful and beautifully written book. A story about a 7 year old boy who loves his Grandma. His grandmother is dying of cancer and she moves in with him and his family so that her daughter, his mother, can take care of her. The story focuses on his relationships and how he sees the world. All of which is a good lesson for all of us. It isn’t necessarily a sad book but a wonderful teaching tool about dying and how to relate to people.

[Christy R.]

The Sun Will Come Again

I downloaded this book on day 4 of a once in a lifetime ice storm. We haven’t left the house in 5 days and it feels like the world will be cold and gray forever. This book made me cry. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes I fall so in love with the characters that it makes me forget they aren’t real. If you want a story you can be invested in, this is for you. Thank you to Mary Ellen Bramwell for reminding me that the sun comes out again.