Helpful Score: 2
Summary (may contain spoilers):
Lynn and her mother protect their pond. It is the only source of water left and the protection of this pond is the center of Lynn's life. If a stranger came to their pond, they would leave hungry or they would leave dead. No one was trusted and the only person she's ever met is a neighbor, Stebbs, that she has watched with binoculars. Unfortunately, things are changing and Lynn is forced to begin trusting Stebbs in order to survive. Through him, her world is broadened and she is put into contact with a family that is desperately trying to survive as well. Redefining herself, her major ideals of life, and those around her, Lynn grows to understand a different type of survival that includes the necessity of others.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed the old west feel to this novel. The atmosphere gave me a feeling of an upcoming gun fight, but basically the pioneer type setting along with the way that Lynn lives makes me feel like this is an old fashioned setting, even though it is a futuristic time period. Lynn has become synonymous with women saving the gold claim from claim jumpers or the cows from thieves. Her life is exciting, even if it is very sheltered at the beginning.
Other than the world building, that I enjoyed so much, McGinnis also does an amazing job building Lynn. Towards the beginning of the novel, the reader can feel the tension and mistrust within Lynn, but even the writing begins to change with Lynn accepting new things. It really starts out as extremely rigid and then blooms out into lengthier sentences with more intimate details. This helps the pacing of the novel. If it was written completely as the beginning, which is very routine, then it would have been a very slow novel. It picks up once Lynn begins to trust Stebbs and their interactions move things forward. Overall, this is a great novel about survival, trust, and redefining oneself.
Lynn and her mother protect their pond. It is the only source of water left and the protection of this pond is the center of Lynn's life. If a stranger came to their pond, they would leave hungry or they would leave dead. No one was trusted and the only person she's ever met is a neighbor, Stebbs, that she has watched with binoculars. Unfortunately, things are changing and Lynn is forced to begin trusting Stebbs in order to survive. Through him, her world is broadened and she is put into contact with a family that is desperately trying to survive as well. Redefining herself, her major ideals of life, and those around her, Lynn grows to understand a different type of survival that includes the necessity of others.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed the old west feel to this novel. The atmosphere gave me a feeling of an upcoming gun fight, but basically the pioneer type setting along with the way that Lynn lives makes me feel like this is an old fashioned setting, even though it is a futuristic time period. Lynn has become synonymous with women saving the gold claim from claim jumpers or the cows from thieves. Her life is exciting, even if it is very sheltered at the beginning.
Other than the world building, that I enjoyed so much, McGinnis also does an amazing job building Lynn. Towards the beginning of the novel, the reader can feel the tension and mistrust within Lynn, but even the writing begins to change with Lynn accepting new things. It really starts out as extremely rigid and then blooms out into lengthier sentences with more intimate details. This helps the pacing of the novel. If it was written completely as the beginning, which is very routine, then it would have been a very slow novel. It picks up once Lynn begins to trust Stebbs and their interactions move things forward. Overall, this is a great novel about survival, trust, and redefining oneself.
