It amazes me how I will learn about or read one thing, and then it appears in other things soon afterward. It happened with counterfeiting this time. Having reading about the counterfeiting operations in Lincoln's Grave Robbers, I got a second exposure in Amy Timberlake's new novel One Came Home.
Twelve-year-old Georgie Burkhardt is the observant and determined narrator, telling the story of her sister Agatha's disappearance from their small Wisconsin town. Though a funeral was held for the auburn-haired young woman, Georgie is certain her sister is alive somewhere, and she sets out (after making a deal for a horse with her sister's former beau, Billy McCabe) to find the truth. Unbeknownst to her, Grandfather Burke has also made a deal with the same young man - only his plan involves having someone watch over his meddlesome granddaughter.
Intermingled with their quest are the stories about the wild pigeons and the pigeoners who follow them, the incredible accuracy of Georgie's shooting ability, the amazing library of Agatha's other suitor, and the family they encounter just when they think they are close to finding the truth about Agatha. Georgie is an unbelievably insightful young woman, often surprising me with her comments. I think these things now, but I do not believe I was so articulate at Georgie's age.
Two favorites:
"I do think there is a limit to how much a person can feel and think on one particular day." p. 155
"Living with uncertainty is like having a rock in your shoe. If you can't remove the rock, you have to figure out how to walk despite it." p. 226
It sounds sooo interesting...As an adult who reads books for young adults, I do enjoy it when narrators are articulate beyond their years...I wonder if some young readers are drawn by them, and for others they slip by?
ReplyDeleteThose auburn fibers, are they threads or yarns? In any case, their abstract colors & qualities are gorgeous!
Love these quotes, esp. the first, which I have felt many times!
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