Lark in the Morning [Hardcover]

Nancy Garden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1991

Seventeen-year-old Gillian, finding that the thieves who broke into her family's vacation house are two young runaways terrified of being sent back to their abusive parents, decides to help them hide out from the authorities.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gillian's family arrives at their summer home to find it has been burglarized, and Gillian is horrified to discover that her diary is one of the stolen items. But when she accidentally locates the thieves--two abused, runaway youngsters--she doesn't mind sharing her food, clothing and even the contents of her diary. Garden ( Annie on My Mind ) attempts to combine two unrelated plot lines that cross paths but never quite merge. Her novel's most vividly written portions concern Gillian's romantic attachment to her best friend, Suzanne; unfortunately it is given short shrift through brief letters and action that has occurred largely in the past and has little bearing on Gillian's adventures with the runaways. Uncharacteristically slow-moving for this author, the runaways' story generates neither sympathy nor interest. However, the persistent reader will likely wade through the lugubrious plot to see Gillian and Suzanne's relationship through to its conclusion. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10 --Gillian Harrison , 17 , is looking forward to her sixth consecutive quiet summer in Pookatasset, Rhode Island with her parents. Things take an unexpected turn when they find that their cabin has been broken into, although the thieves have taken only food and household needs. When Gillian discovers that her diary, with revelations about being in love with her best friend, is among the missing items, she worries about who the thieves might be and what they might do with the diary. She discovers that the culprit is a suicidal young girl and her five-year-old brother who have fled their abusive alcoholic father and are trying to reach their aunt's home in New Hampshire. By interweaving the issues of child abuse, suicide, runaways, and homosexuality with ethical questions regarding helping "outlaws" and lying to family and friends in order to protect others, Garden offers readers much food for thought. Even the inconsistent credibility of the story reinforces the ideas that there are often many ways to handle a situation, that mistakes are often made along the way, and that it is difficult to untangle a web once it has begun. Many readers will question the resolution of the problems, but few will escape personal reflection while reading this novel. --Dona Weisman, Northeast Texas Library System, Garland
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 227 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (J); 1st edition (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374343381
• ISBN-13: 978-0374343385
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,039,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serious but entertaining, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lark in the Morning (Hardcover)

I liked this book. I wasn't particularly impressed with the writing, but I found the story sticking with me for a long time after I read it. I thought it did a good job of integrating the everyday events and family life with the more unusual events with the two runaways. I could identify with Gillian, and Lark was very realistic. The other characters could have been less flat, though. And even though Gillian's fear about helping the two kids was understandable, and anyone in that situation would be terrified, I found myself wondering what the big deal was. Maybe the book's target audience, about age 13-18 I assume, would be more impressed by the events than I was. The one other thing that bothered me was the writing itself. I've read other books by Nancy Garden, and dialogue is obviously not her strong point. The characters all speak the same way, in complete sentences, and express themselves way too easily for teenagers, which cuts down on the tension a little. On the other hand, this book is a good start on filling a much-needed gap in young-adult literature. The fact that it has a gay protagonist in a loving relationship without putting a lot of emphasis on it is good in two ways: it shows that being gay or straight isn't the most important thing about a person, and it makes the book relevant to gay and straight kids alike. And the more straight kids read this book, and any other books that portray gays as human beings, the better.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not about sexual identity as much as abuse and suicide., April 10, 2003

By 

F. Mercer "bibliophile" (Phoenix, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lark in the Morning (Hardcover)

This novel was frustrating because the premise doesn't seem very realistic. The protagonist is old enough to know that she is in way over her head with the runaways she finds in the woods. I think most 18-year-olds would have just turned the kids in. Plus, don't be fooled by descriptions that say the protagonist and her girlfriend handle the situation together--the love interest is in the novel for only a short period!