Customer Reviews

Kit's Law: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I hate to be the lone dissenting voice here, but... I'm sorry, I just did not think it was that great. Donna Morrissey writes well. Her descriptions, such as those of the desolate coastal village, are lovely, and the dialect her characters speak in is charming, but those things alone do not make a good novel. There is just not enough happening here. The Shine murder is the only real plot, and there are only fifty pages or so covering his stalking of Kit and Josie, the murder, and the trial. I don't necessarily require complex plotlines to enjoy a book, but if you're going to have this little going on, you need to have well developed characters to carry it along. Most of Morrisey's characters are too one dimensional, either all good (Sid, Loret, and the doctor) or all bad (the Reverend and his wife) and lack believability. Lizzy and Josie are more interesting, but Lizzy is killed off after fifty pages, and with the exception of a few scenes, Josie is mainly reduced to running around and irritating everyone else with her childishness and promiscuity. Kit is the only character that develops much, but she is rather overshadowed by the larger than life secondary characters. The "shocking" relevation about Sid just made me roll my eyes and wonder how many VC Andrews novels the author read before beginning her book. It was at that point that I pretty much just skimmed the rest of the book. I do think that this author has promise, and I'd probably give another novel from her a chance. Now to move on to my next read and duck the hate mail and "unhelpful" reviewer votes that will surely be coming my way! :-)

While I ultimately enjoyed reading this book, I...had difficulty with the "one-dimentionalness" of many of the characters. To portray so many of them as all good or all bad only adds to their sterotypical nature (the "evil" moonshiner, the doctor with a heart of gold) It was unfortunate that the character of Lizzy died off so early in the novel as she appeared to be more complex than many. Our main character Kit is interesting and sympathtic, her mother I'm sorry to say was just plain annoying, whatever her mental handicaps. I'm afraid to say the "revelation" of Kit's paternity was no surprise at all...don't skewer me for what seems like a lot of criticisms. There are many wonderful aspects about this book, and I look forward to reading another novel by Donna Morressey.

I recently completed Kit's Law, and, like many who have read the book, once I started I could not stop. I am a 23-year-old Newfoundlander living in Ottawa. I have always been very proud to be a Newfoundlander, and have always know that being a Newfoundlander meant that I was part of something special. I have always had a great appreciation and interest in the rich culture and heritage of my province. However, this interest deepened when I moved away from the province in June of 2000 after graduating from MUN. Ms. Morrisey's book helped to bring me back to the small outport I grew up in through the wonderful story of Kit's braveness, and the strong development of characters in the story who were comparable to those I remember from back home. I felt connected to Kit somehow, although I am not sure how exactly. Most likely it was through Ms. Morrisey's amazing writing style which made the book such a charming piece of work to read. I am anxiously awaiting Ms. Morrisey's next book. I recommend Kit's Law to anyone looking for an amazing and well-written story.

This is a great story, with many compelling characters and such a riveting storyline that you cannot put it down until you've finished it. Unfortunately however, if it had not come so highly recommneded I never would have made it throught he first 50 or so pages, which I found confusing, cluttered and dense reading. Once I got beyond that however, the novel seemed to settle down and focus -- and then I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next in the Hollow, or how Kit would come to terms with her mother, her "first love" or Doc, to name just a few. Tears will be shed if you stick with it! Also, I can't decide (and my wife and I are still discussing/disagreeing) on whether the last two pages of the novel should be torn out. They almost seem an "add on" or, unlike the rest of the story, not completed integrated with the complexities of Kit's life. Maybe I just LIKE to left wondering? In any event, make no mistake, this IS a GREAT read! With the passage of time, this became a 5 star book!

Donna Morrissey has earned my eye with this novel. Set in Atlantic Canada, we find ourselves walking alongside Kit, the heroine of the story, through her often difficult life.

Raised mostly by her grandmother, with a mother who is developmentally delayed, Kit struggles hard in the small town world to remain independant and strong. When her grandmother dies, Kit's life becomes entangled with the local populace as she suddenly becomes parent to her mother and tries frantically to navigate the world of growing up, falling in love, and learning of her own confused past.

An ultimately triumphant novel, Kit is an incredible character that earns sympathy and empathy alike. The vivid prose that Morrissey uses to describe the Canadian countryside is just phenomenal, and the characterizations of the townsfolk are so sharp they draw blood. I have re-read this book on many occassions, and still find something new within its pages, the true test of a really wonderful read.

If you like Alice Hoffman, Joyce Carol Oates, or have ever read one of the Oprah's Choice books about a strong female character overcoming nearly impossible environments and life experiences, then this book is for you.

From the first page I was hooked on this story. The setting is a magic and distant place, and the author describes it in a way that makes you feel you are there. But, the story could happen anywhere, and I found I connected with the 'realness' of the people, as their deepest fears, their bravery, their secrets and untimately their very spirits were exposed through the telling of the tale. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. A definite thumbs up and five stars.

I bought this to read for my book club. Various members of the club had strong reactions to it (some loved it, some hated it and could barely finish it). I wasn't sure what to expect when I finally received it. One person told me to push through reading the first 40-50 pages in the first sitting or I wouldn't come back to it. She was right. The first pages were hard to get through because of the dialect but once that character wasn't central anymore, the story flowed. I ended up finishing the book on the second night of reading it because I got so interested in it. It's definitely one of regional peculiarities but anyone that has grown up in a small town will recognize many of the characters. I recommend it!

More interesting that the first pages indicated. 12 year old Kit lives with her grandmother and retarded mother at the edge of town. Her mother is also the local "fun time girl" and is not very particular about who she takes up with (receiving lots of the town's scorn, but not as much as you might expect--there is a level (unrealistic?) of understanding among the towns people). When she was born, she has been told, the town attempted to take her away from her mother and put her in an orphanage but Grandma and the local Doc prevented that from happening.

When her Grandma dies, Kit is immediately worried about this potential outcome, and she is right to be worried. The reverend in town moves to have her taken away but Doc comes to the rescue and, more importantly, gets the town to provide help the the retarded mother and young girl. Sid, the reverend's son, is entailed to cut the wood for the family. Sid and Kit fall in love. Lots of other tragedies strike (like the local drunk attempts to rape the family and is killed by the retarded mom and Sid takes the blame) but, most importantly, Sid and Kit find out they are half brother and sister (the reverend had sex with Kit's mom--surprise, surprise). The last part of the novel is Kit's attempt to deal with this heart breaking news.

The novel is somewhat overly dramatic and unrealistic (Kit is only 16 when she marries Sid; Sid and Kit's relationship is not well developed but perhaps their status as outsiders is enough to bring them together). But if you can suspend your disbelief, it's a good read."

I needed this book for my summer school. The school will end tomorrow. Two days ago an email came to me saying it is not shipped yet! I said I don't need it anymore, cancel it. I hope they do!

I have just come from listening to Donna Morrissey read from her acclaimed novel "Kit's Law" and all I can tell you is that she was riveting. Without a doubt the finest author I have heard read from his/her work, Morrissey demands to be heard; she's funny, intelligent, persuasive, but most of all she seems genuinely enthralled at being able to present her work in front of others. If she's in town for a signing, be sure to go to hear her read from her novel. I can't wait until she comes back to Massachusetts.