John A. and Marguerite E. W. (aliennightbird) reviewed Fireflies in December (Calloway Summers, Bk 1) on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
What can I say that hasn't already been said?
The first-person narrative, told in the voice of Jessilyn, a thirteen-year-old girl who doesn't quite fit in in the 1930's Virginia farm town. As well as dealing with ordinary problems of a girl that age, she has a mind and opinions of her own and stands up for herself, her family, and her friends, especially against annoying boys, which sets her apart from other boy-crazy girls and sometimes get her into trouble. Also, her best friend is a black girl who is a couple of years older than she is, Gemma.
So, when Gemma looses her parents in a tragic fire, and Jessilyn's Christian father takes her in over the concerns of her mother and treats her as another daughter, not only do the two girls have to find new boundaries for their friendship, leading to a lot of arguements in the mean time, but both the black and white community protests Gemma's new living arrangement. Mixing black and white just wasn't done.
Soon, Jessilyn and her family must face gossip, shunning, and other bigoted reactions from many members of the community. She and Gemma discover who their true few friends are. Chief among them is an elderly woman who doesn't mind standing up for her beliefs.
But, there is one evil, violent man in particular who seems to have selected Jessilyn to torment. And his threats are escalating.
Then, one night, the Ku Klux Klan shows up on Jessilyn's doorstop. Home alone with Gemma, she defends herself and her property with her father's rifle. She knows that she hit and wounded one man. Did she hit another KKK member that night as well? And, when the man later shows up dead, she is consumed with guilt. Did she kill him?
As Jessilyn follows the clues and eleminates suspects (was father's new hired hand responsible for some of the escalating violence against her family?), she must learn to survive the atmosphere in a town that seems to have turned against her and her family as well as to follow God's leading, rely on Him for protection, and learn to forgive.
The imagery was nice and well woven into the narritive. The characters were deep, flawed, human, and grew well during the story. The author beautifully and believably painted a picture of of Southern small town life, with it's good and bad, both in general and with the individuals living there. The pace was fairly fast and the narrative was easily readable.
Also, the theme of standing up for right and forgiveness is well woven into the story without a lot of preaching.
Altogether, I enjoyed this book. It is a good story for Christians and non-Christians alike.
The first-person narrative, told in the voice of Jessilyn, a thirteen-year-old girl who doesn't quite fit in in the 1930's Virginia farm town. As well as dealing with ordinary problems of a girl that age, she has a mind and opinions of her own and stands up for herself, her family, and her friends, especially against annoying boys, which sets her apart from other boy-crazy girls and sometimes get her into trouble. Also, her best friend is a black girl who is a couple of years older than she is, Gemma.
So, when Gemma looses her parents in a tragic fire, and Jessilyn's Christian father takes her in over the concerns of her mother and treats her as another daughter, not only do the two girls have to find new boundaries for their friendship, leading to a lot of arguements in the mean time, but both the black and white community protests Gemma's new living arrangement. Mixing black and white just wasn't done.
Soon, Jessilyn and her family must face gossip, shunning, and other bigoted reactions from many members of the community. She and Gemma discover who their true few friends are. Chief among them is an elderly woman who doesn't mind standing up for her beliefs.
But, there is one evil, violent man in particular who seems to have selected Jessilyn to torment. And his threats are escalating.
Then, one night, the Ku Klux Klan shows up on Jessilyn's doorstop. Home alone with Gemma, she defends herself and her property with her father's rifle. She knows that she hit and wounded one man. Did she hit another KKK member that night as well? And, when the man later shows up dead, she is consumed with guilt. Did she kill him?
As Jessilyn follows the clues and eleminates suspects (was father's new hired hand responsible for some of the escalating violence against her family?), she must learn to survive the atmosphere in a town that seems to have turned against her and her family as well as to follow God's leading, rely on Him for protection, and learn to forgive.
The imagery was nice and well woven into the narritive. The characters were deep, flawed, human, and grew well during the story. The author beautifully and believably painted a picture of of Southern small town life, with it's good and bad, both in general and with the individuals living there. The pace was fairly fast and the narrative was easily readable.
Also, the theme of standing up for right and forgiveness is well woven into the story without a lot of preaching.
Altogether, I enjoyed this book. It is a good story for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Helpful Score: 1
The writing is really good in this book, however, I kept waiting for something to "happen", and it didn't! I didn't even finish 1/2 the book, as it got really boring before 1/2 way. There were inconsistencies in the personality of the main character. One minute getting a rifle to protect herself and her friend, the next minute she's freezing in fear when she meets her enemy. That was unbelievable to me.
