More from Holly Kennedy
Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 by Peg
After reading The Penny Tree, I decided I had to read more Holly Kennedy!
The Silver Compass
Once a troubled teen, Ellis returns to her hometown after the death of her husband. Her teen aged daughter, reeling form her father's death, resents the uprooting of her entire existence. Ellis finds work in a retirement home where she connects with her former next door neighbor. She tries to forge new relationships with her parents and come to terms with her loss. This is a beautifully written novel, with quirky, wonderful characters. Another great book club read! The paperback version contains a reader's guide.
The Tin Box
Holly Kennedy's first novel lacks some of the story teller's finesse of her later ones, but makes up for it with genuine characters who will steal your heart. Kenly's mother dies when she was very young and her dad never really recovered from her death. After her hard drinking dad is fired from yet another teaching job, they head to Athabasca, Canada for a fresh start. Kenly makes new friends but her father's drinking prevents her from having a normal life. Her best friend Tommy, suffers from Proteus Syndrome, which has left him frighteningly disfigured. Despite his handicap, Tommy leads life to the fullest and encourages Kenly to do the same. Recovering form yet another tragedy, and a horrible secret that her father revealed to her, Kenly escapes to Chicago, spending her last night, intimately with Tommy. She meets and falls in love and marries a wonderful man who accepts her pregnancy as his own. Kenly carries around a dark secret, fearing for her son and her marriage if it should be discovered. I can't wait for this author's next book!
The Silver Compass
Once a troubled teen, Ellis returns to her hometown after the death of her husband. Her teen aged daughter, reeling form her father's death, resents the uprooting of her entire existence. Ellis finds work in a retirement home where she connects with her former next door neighbor. She tries to forge new relationships with her parents and come to terms with her loss. This is a beautifully written novel, with quirky, wonderful characters. Another great book club read! The paperback version contains a reader's guide.
The Tin Box
Holly Kennedy's first novel lacks some of the story teller's finesse of her later ones, but makes up for it with genuine characters who will steal your heart. Kenly's mother dies when she was very young and her dad never really recovered from her death. After her hard drinking dad is fired from yet another teaching job, they head to Athabasca, Canada for a fresh start. Kenly makes new friends but her father's drinking prevents her from having a normal life. Her best friend Tommy, suffers from Proteus Syndrome, which has left him frighteningly disfigured. Despite his handicap, Tommy leads life to the fullest and encourages Kenly to do the same. Recovering form yet another tragedy, and a horrible secret that her father revealed to her, Kenly escapes to Chicago, spending her last night, intimately with Tommy. She meets and falls in love and marries a wonderful man who accepts her pregnancy as his own. Kenly carries around a dark secret, fearing for her son and her marriage if it should be discovered. I can't wait for this author's next book!
