Going Going [Paperback]

Naomi Shihab Nye (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Greenwillow (2005)
• ASIN: B000OEADFE
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Naomi Shihab Nye, poet, essayist, anthologist, has been a recipient of writing fellowships from the Lannan Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation and the Witter Bynner Foundation/Library of Congress. Author of more than twenty volumes, her recent books inc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love, love,love this book!!!!!, June 13, 2005

By 

Reading Mom (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Going (Hardcover)

This book captures your attention from the first page. I was instantly charmed by Florrie, the main character. She is an idealistic young girl with a cause. She, as her grandfather before her, is saddened by the loss of so many small businesses in her neighborhood. Her neighborhood just happens to be downtown San Antonio. Nye describes this city so beautifully that I find myself wanting to move there. Florrie's cause is to boycott all of the large franchise establishments, hoping to help the small businesses stay afloat. The characters are engaging, the setting is charming, and Nye's writing is lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - and I'm an adult with children in the target reading age!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it, February 11, 2006

By 

Donna Trussell "Donna Trussell" (Kansas City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Going (Hardcover)

I may be prejudiced, since I am a fan of Nye's poetry. Or I may be prejudiced because I, like the central character in this novel, love old neighborhoods and believe the ubiquitous, china-shipping strip-mall school of architecture is slowly killing our souls. Unlike some previous reviewers, I found this novel to be compelling, so much so that I read almost the entire book in one sitting. In my opinion Nye put just as much gravity, joy and truth in this novel as she does in her poetry.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her best work, January 21, 2006

By 

Kilan (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Going (Hardcover)

I agree with the editorial review that says the book feels more purposeful than compelling. The idea of fighting to save small businesses is a good base for a book, but it dominates all aspects of this work. The characters do seem rather flat, with what dimension they have thrown in to try to help the reader ignore their unnatural single-mindedness. I became tired of the activist rhetoric at times, and Nye's creations seemed a bit fake upon close examination - who says that "teenage activists" have to conform to unusual styles of dress, be superartsy, and have strange names? What carries this book along is an honest love of cool little neighborhood businesses, and the tenderness with which the author renders them.