Deliver Us from Evie [Paperback]

M. E. Kerr (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0064471284 | ISBN-13: 978-0064471282 | Publication Date: August 18, 1995

Told by her brother Parr, this is the story of 18-year-old Evie, her Missouri farm family, and the turmoil created by Evie's love for the local banker's daughter. "Teens will be swept up in the emotion and immediacy of Parr's fast-paced narrative, his voice perfectly pitched between wit and melancholy. It's a story that challenges stereotypes, not only about love, but also about farmers and families and religion and responsibility––about all our definitions of 'normal.'"—BL. "Unquestionably, this is the best Kerr in years, if not ever."—V.

1995 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1995 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
1995 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1995 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1994 Best Book Honor Award (Michigan Library Association)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although "the small-minded and the conformists tend to get lumped together," said PW, "Kerr skillfully evokes the gritty realities and narrow horizons of farm life in this sensitive portrayal of the lesbian daughter of a rural Missouri family." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-A skilled mechanic and farmer on her family's Missouri spread, Evie Burrman, 17, has a streak of blond in her slicked-back dark hair, a sign quietly calculated to ward off other people's assumptions-for starters, that she'll marry Cord Whittle, and that she'll help Dad keep the farm going. Evie's story is affectingly told by her younger brother, Parr, who understands as their parents cannot that Evie is falling in love, not with Cord Whittle, but with the daughter of the man who holds the mortgage on their farm. Parr's observations are telling: "You'd say Evie was handsome. You'd say Mom was pretty." Meanwhile, Parr falls for a girl whose fundamentalist family is fearful of gayness, and tension builds slowly until the truth about Evie explodes out of Parr, not just to their parents, but to the whole town. This is first-rate storytelling, with Kerr in absolute control of the narrative. Evie never seems a victim, nor are there villains. With the exception of the rich man who holds the Burrman mortgage, all of the characters are likable. All are survivors. Among the most convincing lesbian characters in young adult fiction, Evie makes a lasting impression, and Parr himself, the loving but conflicted brother, is just as finely drawn and memorable.
Claudia Morrow, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (August 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064471284
• ISBN-13: 978-0064471282
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Change In Attitudes, May 5, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Deliver Us from Evie (Paperback)

This is the first book that I have ever read about a lesbian girl, Evie, and how her family has to deal with the comments and accusations, and haste rejections from their friends and neighbors. The story is told through Parr, Evie's brother, eyes and with every word, it almost seems that Evie is your sister, and Doug is your brother, and that you live on a farm. The fact that this story is told through Parr's perspective gives insight on what life was like for Evie. This book made me see the cruelness of people who you thought that you could rely on when it comes to homosexuality. With many books that focus around the male gay, this book showed just the opposite. Evie was portrayed as almost a rebel and a person that you would respect. This book has opened up doors for me into a whole new world of reading and I hope that others will read Deliver Us From Evie as an insight into something new. I hope to read more books that have characters just like Evie and Parr, put I know that Deliver Us From Evie will always be the best one.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It's keyword should be "FARMING.", October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Deliver Us from Evie (Paperback)

Deliver us from...who?

This book, much to my surprise, isn't about Evie. It's about her younger brother Parr and his irrepressible urge to get away from his family life on the farm.

It doesn't focus on Evie, her coming out of the closet, her family's reaction (as a matter of fact, that only covered about two sentences!). It focuses on Parr. On his finding a girlfriend, on his wanting to drive, on his desire to NOT follow the family footsteps. It's all about Parr.

There are a FEW glimpses at this curious creature called Evie. Her outgoing nature, her gruff sense of humor, the fact that she always insists on wearing men's clothing. She's made out to be the stereotypical dyke - she wears jeans and leather, she refuses to wear her hair long, she turns her nose up to make-up, she loves hard work and fixing things, she's her dad's best buddy. Evie is made out to be so masculine, there are times you forget she's a girl, a lesbian, and think she's just one of the guys. As a lesbian myself, always trying to fight that stifling stereotype, I have to say that I was very offended.

If you're looking for good lesbian fiction, skip this book. If you're looking for a quick read, mostly about farming, go for it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Starting Place.., February 8, 2001

By 

"erin_jenkins" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deliver Us from Evie (Paperback)

After reading some of the reviews, I feel I have to defend one of my favorite books, so here it goes:

"Deliver Us From Evie" is one of the first lesbian novels that I've read and enjoyed. I liked Evie as a character and found her intriguing. Though I wish that the book was through her point of view instead of her brother's, I feel that looking at homosexuality through the eyes of an onlooker is a good start for people curious or interested in learning about homosexuality, but not ready to read about it first hand. From this book, I moved on to more in depth books such as, 'Annie on My Mind' and 'Good Moon Rising',but I still look back at 'Deliver Us From Evie' as one of my favorites.

P.S. For those who protest Evie being too masculine, well as Evie herself said, some of them DO look it.