Have been reading Newbery winners and this one is really a standout. There is a framing story of a young girl living in the town her dad spent years in as a teen and she learns about the various people in the town through letters , newspaper entries and the town "medium." It is by turns funny and sad and really held my interest ( )

I read this as a buddy read with Margie and Hilary. We read it in 11 sections over 10-11 days, reading about 30 pages a time, and discussing it each day. I would have enjoyed the book no matter what but I got so much more out of it discussing it with friends.

I love Abilene. I loved quite a few of the characters.

I love the humor in the book. For me Abilene and Shady are the most unforgettable characters but there were many others too.

I love the heart in the book.

A lot of it is very sad but that sadness is offset by the heart and the humor.

I did laugh, a lot, and I did cry, especially toward the end of the book.

There is a real mystery that is fun to contemplate. There are actually a few mysteries and they were all solved, thankfully.

“When There’s nothing better to do, I guess you go back to what once felt good.”

This is a story about stories and how powerful they can be and how they can heal and how they can foster belonging.

I appreciate the excellent author’s note at the end of the book where she explains what is fact and what is fiction. I always like having that information when I read historical fiction books. I love how four of the characters in the book are given the names of her family members who lived in that area at that time and are based on them. The Acknowledgments are lovely (another one of the characters is named after someone she knew in college) and from the about the author section (and this book) I can tell that she is a superb teacher.

I might add to this review at some point, maybe in this section but more likely in the spoiler filled section. There was something about thoroughly discussing the book as I read that made me feel less compelled to write much of a review. I’ve already said it all, to two people.

Huge spoilers so read the book first unless you’re certain you don’t want to ever read it:



For me, Shady is the main hero of the story, even though Sister Redempta and Miss Sadie and plenty of others are heros too. Shady takes in Jinx/Gideon, he takes in Abilene, he helps many of the townspeople and the town including the homeless hobos, and he knows it’s a problem for him so he stays away from drinking the bootlegged alcohol.

I should have known how important Miss Sadie would be to the story given how much page time she is given. I wasn’t expecting to necessarily find Abilene’s mother. She was always interested in learning more about her father. I didn’t realize we’d find Ned’s mother though.

There were multiple mysteries. I liked that they were solved. The teacher-nun-midwife being the Rattler, the undertaker being the snitch to the mine owner and pit boss, who Jinx was, etc.

I was glad that it was shown how the influenza pandemic impacted the town, eventually.

The two heart-in-throat moments of thinking that Jinx is dead and then thinking that Abilene might be leaving to hop on a train to look for Gideon, were mercifully short.

I loved how the sheriff asked the questions later.

I love Abilene’s subterfuge at the end that gets Gideon to come and I’m glad that they both stayed in Manifest. ( )

On my third try, I finally finished this book! I made it through the audiobook, even though I was tempted to quit a bunch of times.

So. This book. Jeez. I can't even begin to imagine what Newbery deliberations must have been like the year it was chosen as the Medal winner. Let me break it down:

1. I would never have finished it if it wasn't a Newbery winner. It's way, way too long (my primary complaint) and way too full of cliches (of the both the Newbery and historical fiction variety). I would rather read [b:Turtle in Paradise|6871737|Turtle in Paradise|Jennifer L. Holm|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406889760s/6871737.jpg|7088141] or [b:One Crazy Summer|6609764|One Crazy Summer (Gaither Sisters, #1)|Rita Williams-Garcia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388201603s/6609764.jpg|6803731] any day of the week.

2. Still, I will gladly say that the writing was good and the story eventually found some footing and held my interest. It just occurs to me that this would have been a lot better if the 1936 story had been left out (or cut way down) and we had just heard the 1918 story because that's what really drew me in.

3. Of the two reveals that happen at the end of the book, one was completely obvious to me from the beginning and the other seemed to come out of nowhere and defy logic. Did any reader ever doubt that Jinks was Gideon? Does it seem at all plausible that a woman with no resources could track down a son she hasn't seen in years across a great big foreign country?

4. My issues with this book are similar to my issues with [b:Navigating Early|13642663|Navigating Early|Clare Vanderpool|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340194887s/13642663.jpg|19257738], which I suppose means that Clare Vanderpool and I are not compatible. I can admire her talents and at the same time know that her books are not up my alley. ( )

I had a really tough time getting into this one, and I don't think it was just because of the way the story jumped from one time period to another. In the end, I can't point to any one thing that I didn't like about the story. ( )

This is a very good book; well-researched, well-written and quite plausible. Renews my faith in the Newbery to read something this good. ( )