Dovey Coe [Paperback]

Frances O'Roark Dowell (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 1, 2000)
• ASIN: B001E3JEA4
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Frances O'Roark Dowell is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Dovey Coe, which won the Edgar Award, Where I'd Like to Be, the bestselling The Secret Language of Girls, and its sequel The Kind of Friends We Used to Be, Chicken Boy, Shooting the Moon, which was awarded the Christopher Medal, and most recently Falling In. She lives with her husband and two sons in Durham, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dovey Coe (Paperback)

I love Dovey! She's an amazing smart-mouthed country girl who gets caught up in a bad situation and learns about the workings of morality, ethics, and the human heart. Dovey is like Laura Ingalls but with more grit. She's the type of girl I wanted to read about when I was a girl and she's exactly the type of girl that I want my girls to read about. Remember when books were good and you wanted to be the characters in the story and felt like you were living in their world? Dovey Coe makes you feel just that way.

Hooray and huzzah! Finally, a good book for girls!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Love Dovey!, December 21, 2001

By 

Lisa Johannes (Carrollton, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dovey Coe (Paperback)

I'm completely impressed with Frances O'Roark Dowell's ability to create such a lovable and inspiratonal character! The main character, Dovey, is accused of the murder of her sister's evil suitor, Parnell. Her honesty--the open admission that she cared nothing for Parnell--adds to her culpability. You'll come to love the spirit of small-town, USA as you get to know Dovey, her brother Amos, and the rest of the characters. By the time you put down this book, Dovey will have inspired to you to be true to your real self and to stand up for what you know is right. Dovey is able to inspire growth in other characters as well, including her oh-so-pretty big sister and her well-educated court-appointed attorney. What I appreciate most about this novel is that Dovey is able to be tough-minded and strong-willed without going "over the top" in the unrealistic way the many novel and movie charactres do. I recommended Dovey Coe not only to young adolescent girls but also to boys who will enjoy the mysterious elements and surprise ending.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A North Carolina mountain girl is accused of murder., August 1, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dovey Coe (Paperback)

The fictional heroine of this novel, twelve-year-old Dovey Coe, narrates this story in a distinctly southern voice. Dovey never even tried to disguise her hatred of her vain older sister Caroline's wealthy suitor Parnell Carraway. Seventeen-year-old Parnell was mean-spirited and sadistic, tormenting Dovey and her deaf older brother, Amos, and trying to persuade Caroline to give up her dreams of going to college. But in spite of hating Parnell so very much, Dovey would never kill Parnell. But when she is found in the same room with Parnell's dead body, that's just what Dovey is accused of doing. Now, if she's going to win her trial, outspoken Dovey has to keep quiet and let her inexperianced lawyer from the city take care of things. I highly reccomend this novel. Fans of historical fiction could definitley enjoy it. I would probably reccomend it to readers ages ten and up, but I'm fifteen and I thought it was a wonderful story.